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.
The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder is a Contemporary YA written in verse. I recently read I Heart You, You Haunt Me, also by Lisa, and judging from how much I enjoyed both of these books, I will definitely be checking out the rest of her titles in the future.
The Day Before did have a few flaws and I wasn't sure if they were intended or not. For example, I didn't know what Amber was so upset about until about halfway through the book when she and Cade play four truths and a lie. Of course you also didn't know why cade was acting so upset till the last few pages but, that was definitely intended! Honestly, that one thing was probably the only flaw I could find in The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder. One thing about all verse novels, though, is that I read them so quickly that I sometimes feel like I'm left sort of empty, almost like I never read the book but, thats probably just me!
There were only two main characters in the book: Cade and Amber, although there were also a few supporting roles including Madison, Kelly, Jean, Allen, and Charlotte. I really liked Amber's attitude. She saw herself as sort of "Hard Core" but, she also had a soft side that showed when she talked about her love for the beach, being afraid to live with Jean and Allen, and of course, her obsession with Jelly Beans. I also really liked Cade's character because he was soft of mysterious but, also very sweet at the same time. You could tell that he was a really awesome guy but, something was definitely troubling him. Jean seemed to be a bit pushy to me but, all in all, she was pretty nice. I liked how she was concerned with Amber's feelings. Allen didn't play much of a role so I don't have much to say about him.
As I said before, I really love Lisa's writing because it allows you to get so close to the characters. When you read Lisa's writing, its like you're feeling what each character feels, her books are just filled with so much emotion. With so few words, she evokes such powerful emotion. Definitely check her books out!
Final Grade:
PS- I'm currently shuffling between reviewing on Wednesday versus Tuesday to see what works better for me and what you guys like better, so what are your opinions?
