Samantha Kingston is one of the popular elite at her high school, a position that she fought her
way up the social ladder to get. Fully equipped with good looks, a fabulous pack of friends, and
a crush-worthy boyfriend, her life couldn’t possibly be more perfect…and then…it’s over.
After a disastrously bad party on Valentine’s Day, Sam suddenly finds herself the victim of a
horrific car accident that claims her life. After her death, she proceeds to relive her last day over
and over again in a teenage Groundhog Day-esque narrative.
As she skips through that doomed day like a broken record, the cracks in her life begin to open
up and reveal themselves. As it turns out, her friends are bullies, her boyfriend’s not so dreamy
and she loves somebody else, and she herself is not such a nice girl. No matter how desperately
she tries to change the course of events leading up to her death, Sam finds herself powerless,
waking up every day as though nothing has changed. Why, then, is she doomed to repeat it, to
try again? There must be a way to save herself…right?
In the end, Sam is ultimately able to seize redemption and a chance to rewrite her own history.
Along the way, she just might be able to save someone else…
The narration, told from Sam’s point of view, is suspenseful and powerful, and her words serve
as a reminder that every choice you make has consequences. Sam’s evolution from spoiled
selfish brat to self-actualized heroine is lovely, and teen readers will love this tragic tale of a life
cut short.
480 pages. Recommended by Molly Crumbley, Librarian Maryland
