Samantha is one of those really cool seniors in high school. She and her three friends rule the roost. On a cold, slick nights, they are driving home after a party when the driver loses control. Now Samantha, on the edge of death has an opportunity to look back on her life and the choices she made by reliving her last day and seeing how her actions and statements affected not only herself, but those around her. She will get to do this seven times.

In the process, Samantha finds herself making different choices, allowing her to explore the could-have-been. Sometimes, things were better and others, much worse, but she learns a little bit more about the person she really was with each experience.

This is by no means a new plot device. Many will remember the popular movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. Even the popular SciFi show Stargate SG-1 had an episode where two of the characters do much the same thing. Other teen novels have also come out with the format of a teen on their deathbed looking back on the mistakes of their lives, including Before I Die by Jenny Downham, If I Stay by Gayle Forman, and Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall by Wendy Mass.

With that said, Oliver does an incredible job of exploring the depth and emotions that will draw most readers, particularly teens, into this gripping presentation. Readers won't be able to not feel for Samantha. While she has made mistakes, sometimes being cruel to some of her lower caste peers, she is also a pretty likable, average teen. Her experience is not unlike so many other kids in America. She is filled with self-doubt and hopes as she deals with everything from her first time with her boyfriend to balancing relationships with old friends that have soured.

There is no question that there is a depth to the writing. Samantha is constantly reflecting on what is happening around her, which would likely make many educators happy, since such reflections have begun to play a major role in Senior Portfolios and Senior Projects.

While I thought the book was well constructed, I have to admit to favoring the earlier readalikes mentioned above. While I thought that Samantha's story is more strongly presented, it takes forever to get through her day, and the fact that I had to go through it seven times was a bit more than I needed. I liked it, but could have lived with a thinner presentation.