Review: The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Book Description via Goodreads:

Egalley, 320 pages

June 28, 2011, Simon & Schuster

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.

Source: S&S Galley Grab (Thank you!)

My Thoughts:

In the beginning, I had to catch up with the switching from present to past. I was trying to piece together Amber’s life. It was confusing at first. But when I stopped trying, it came out clearly. Slowly, a problematic life unfolded before me. Amber was stuck in a difficult situation. The things that have happened in the recent past have made Amber declare that life was unfair.

She wanted to spend a day at the beach, away from everything. There, she met Cade. Cade was a sweet, sensible guy who wanted to be by himself too. They spent the day together. They lived in the moment, cherished it and hoped that it would last forever. The connection between them was the kind that we usually find in romance movies. It was ever-present, surprising and undeniable. I found their scenes sweet and longing. But there were also times that darkness slipped through and wrapped around them. The mystery that Cade exuded was enough to drive me insane. There’s nothing more motivating than a mysterious character. He was so fun and charming but at the same time, he had something dark inside him.

The verse captured every moment, turned an ordinary moment into a special one. With so little words, Schroeder successfully delivered the intensity of every moment and the emotions of the characters. I never got to predict anything in this novel. I liked that it was that surprising. I loved reading about Amber’s family and how close she was to them. The imperfection of it was made beautiful because of each member’s attempts to keep their ties strong and unbroken.

The Day Before is a fast-paced contemporary that will awe and engross readers into the lives of Amber and Cade. Beautifully written with bits of song and movie references in it, readers will feel more attached to it. Although the romantic in me wanted more Amber and Cade scenes, I was satisfied with how the story developed. Schroeder is an amazing writer. If you’re up for a quick, worthwhile read, try this one. I recommend this to contemporary readers and verse readers.

Rating: