Title: The Day Before [indie bound] [amazon]
Author: Lisa Schroeder [website] [twitter] [facebook]
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Series: none
Format: Print
Source: library
Reviewer: Laura
Parental Advisory: language
Teachable Moments: Acceptance

“To plan it all
would take away from
the fun and excitement
of what’s to come.

Let the day
reveal itself to me
in its own time,
in its own way.

I am yours, Today.
I am yours.”

Summary from publisher:
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.

Opinion:
You might have noticed already that horror makes me happy. Blood, gore, jumps, and chills make me smile and giggle. Sad to say though, true-honest-to-god-bone-chilling scares in fiction or film are rare for me. What does make me run for the hills, pull the covers over my head, and scream one of those high pitched “girlie” screams though? Books written in verse. They terrify me!

But all that was before I met Lisa Schroeder.

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder is truly a warm, beautiful reading experience that pulled me right in. The style and words had my attention with one magical skip of a fizzy bubble that made me smile. That instant electricity when you meet that one person who seems to fit right into your life right there, right then without any hesitation is captured in this story with such beauty, emotion, and so few words. Beautiful words! This book is such an inspiring and dazzling example of the power of words and language. It just amazed me how these words came together to sweep me up into Amber and Cade’s glittery, “weird and wonderful day” adventures. Their day together made me laugh, long, reminisce, wonder, and wish.

Amber’s life is about to turn, twist, and change due to circumstances and decisions she cannot control, so she sets off on a time-out day. She embarks on a day filled with adventure, memories, and time to just be. Her day. That is until she bumps into Cade–a boy who appears to have his own reasons and mystery for taking a time-out day. They decide to join forces and entwine their day into one bubble of fun, sand, music, flip-of-the-coin decisions, understanding, and tenderness. From the museum to the beach to experiencing music in its purest form, these two pulled me right along with them from place to place. I felt safe in their world among the words. See what these warm, seemingly simple, and straight forward words pull out of your heart!

I highly recommend this wonder of a story of how one day and one meeting can change everything. How perhaps that one person can come along at the right time to make you look at life a different way. Face your fears. Change your attitude. For one day.

Books written in verse have always scared me. I created this painful, flowery image to the format for some reason. But messing with the traditional story telling way is one of my favorite things to see and come across in this world. Soooo….I had to give this style a chance. I am so happy I did! I can’t believe my heart almost missed this experience.