Book Review: The Day Before

Title: The Day Before
Author: Lisa Schroeder
Publisher: Simon Pulse, 2011
Number of Pages: 307
Genre(s): Young Adult; Realistic Fiction

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.
(from Goodreads)

When we first open the book, the readers have no idea why "Amber's life is spinning out of control" and what, exactly, she wants to run away from. But she does run away, and take a full day for herself, preparing for what to come. I won't tell you her secret, because I'd hate to spoil it for you! But I can relate to her as to why she needed a day for herself, and as for Cade, well, he has his reasons as well.
We learn about Amber's situation through the letters sent from people called Jeanie and Allen, and some from Amber and her mom. They work as flashbacks, but the last letter gives us a clue to how Amber's and Cade's (two separate) problems have worked out.
Of course, the whole book is written in verse, just like other Lisa Schroeder books, and if you haven't tried a book in verse before, you should! They enable the readers to slip right into the main character's skin, allowing us to feel what Amber feels and think what she thinks. The 307 pages flew by, and soon I was closing the book with a contented sigh!
My only complaint is the romance between Amber and Cade - it felt kind of awkward at first. I mean, there she is, attracted to him the second she lays her eyes on him, and I was like "okaaaay....". At least she didn't say/think/hope that she was madly in love with him and couldn't live without him or some other cliché.

I have read Schroeder's debut novel, I Heart You and You Haunt Me, and I have to say that her writing style has improved considerably. My favorite writing-in-verse author is still Ellen Hopkins, but I sure will be looking out for more Lisa Schroeder in the future!