August 31, 2011

REVIEW! The Day Before.





THE DAY BEFORE by Lisa Schroeder
Amber’s life is spinning out of control. All she wants is to turn up the volume on her iPod until all of the demands of family and friends fade away. So she sneaks off to the beach to spend a day by herself.

Then Amber meets Cade. Their attraction is instant, and Amber can tell he’s also looking for an escape. Together they decide to share a perfect day: no pasts, no fears, no regrets.

The more time that Amber spends with Cade, the more she’s drawn to him. And the more she’s troubled by his darkness. Because Cade’s not just living in the now—he’s living each moment like it’s his last.
My rating: 4 stars.

MY THOUGHTS:

Lyrical? Check.
Emotional? Check.
Calming, beautiful and deep? Check, check and check.

*If you didn't already know, all of Schroeder's novels are written in verse. Don't be quick to knock 'em off as "stupid poetry." They're amazing, thought-provoking and raw. Refreshing, even. Read and you'll discover their loveliness.

As for The Day Before, it's a wonderful combination of family stress versus unknowing-the-future stress. In such few words you get this complete sense of Amber and her family; it's very touching. As the title suggests, the book takes place over the course of one day - "the day before," in particular. You're not kept in the dark as to what it's referencing; there's no guessing, no waiting, no cliffhangers. The story is straightforward - you simply tag along.

Cade is that quiet/shy/boyishly cute kind of guy. His interactions with Amber don't come off forced. Rather, they're genuine. My only gripe is the quick progression of the romance. I'm not okay with situations that make it seem as if the characters are falling in love after knowing one another for a few hours. This isn't to say that the romance doesn't work within the context of the story, because it does. It works. I'm all for Cade and Amber. It's just that, ultimately, it's not too believable.

The ending comes rather quickly, too. I was just getting into that lulling rhythm that Schroeder provides with her verse, when I realized the story was coming to an end. I like the premise of the story, and the characters, so much that I wish I'd gotten to spend more time with them.

Short and sweet: It's beautiful. Go read it. Then read all of her other books. They're great.

4 comments:

  1. A verse novel! I'm really interested in trying one of those, especially since you said this book was "amazing, thought-provoking and raw." <3
    I don't like stories where characters fall in love too quickly either. I mean, does that ever really happen in real life?

    Thank you for the awesome review! I'm definitely gonna try and pick this one up.

    Tina @ Book Couture

    P.S. Your blog design is so cute and bright! Love it.

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  2. I've never read a book written in verse before, but I'm tempted by this one. I like the idea of this book being about just one day. Glad you enjoyed it overall, I definitely think I'll try this one out. Great review!

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  3. I actually haven't read a book in prose in such a long time now! This sounds sweet, but I don't like how the romance progresses really quickly. I'll keep it in mind though.

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  4. This book sounds great and I happen to really enjoy books in prose (when well done). Super review!

    I found you through Book Blogs and signed up to follow you. When you have a chance- please stop by and follow the blog for my middle grade novel that I am hoping to get published. http://thesecretdmsfilesoffairdaymorrow.blogspot.com/
    Also, my co-author, Stephanie, liked your fb page today. Please like us back at: http://www.facebook.com/fairday

    Take care-
    Jess- although I may show up as Fairday, the main character from my novel. I can't figure out why that happens sometimes and I can't fix it. :)

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