Why Lauren Oliver Is My Favorite Author

 

Trigger Warning: Suicide and Spoilers

The first time I picked up a Lauren Oliver book was back in late middle school. I remember hearing about her in one of those pop-culture magazines I used to love. Maybe it was J-14 or Tiger Beat, but regardless there was a section of movies and books that were “Hot and Not.” The book it was saying was “hot” was Before I Fall. Being a sucker for romance even at a young age, knew I wanted to read the book as soon as I could. After buying a copy of it from Barnes and Noble, I remember being so invested. The book follows the protagonist re-living the same day over and over, but this day is revealed to be the day she died. Each day she does something different with different consequences and goes through numerous feelings, but then she wakes up to the same routine the next day.

The reason I loved this book so much was that it showed me how we need to truly live rather than exist. Each day has its own snowball effect, so we might as well try to make it a good one. Additionally, I had the biggest fictional crush on Kent McFuller, the green-eyed childhood friend. Something about the way he was such a compassionate and protective character made me swoon. Overall, the book felt so real. There were mentions of bullying, peer pressure, suicide, and romance. All of these things were somehow present in my own life at the time, so I found this book to be extremely relevant. Plus, this was a massive tear-jerker no matter if I read it the first time or fifth time.

Eventually, I picked up the Delirium series. At the time, the final book in the trilogy was not yet released. In the book, the chapters began with small quotes or songs from the Book of Shhh which is a guideline book in this world about the dangers of love; which is considered to be a deadly disease. This was my absolute favorite thing since I was able to see more into this fictional world. I loved the way the story was intertwined with another story and the way there were religious anecdotes that could be related to our own world. She additionally does this in one of her standalone novels Broken Things. To me, I love the intertwining of two stories within one story since it lets me take a moment to ponder how they will be connected. I love the way Oliver foreshadows and warns the readers of what is yet to come by beginning chapters with quotes or songs.

Overall, I enjoyed reading what I have of her works so far. Besides Before I Fall and the Delirium Trilogy, one of my favorite books by her is Panic. These books have all made me finish them within a few days because of the way they make you feel as if you’re really there. They give readers so many emotions and leave you feeling anxious to get to the end and remind you of your own life. Oliver makes you feel as if you’re a character because of the authenticity of her works. This is why she’ll always be one of my favorite authors, but also due to the fact that she was one of the first authors I fell in love with from my adolescence.

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