Teen fiction; poetry novella (romance). Personally I don't care for these novels written in verse (poetry is very hard to do well, and a whole novel of mediocre poetry quickly gets tiresome), though they can be more easily devoured by reluctant readers--I'd probably still give them something from Ellen Hopkins instead though, as this title has much less action/drama. But I did skim ahead to find out what was the deal with these two kids, whose lives will apparently be forever changed on the morrow--you'd think the world was ending, the way these two were acting. (*spoiler alert*: it turns out Amber was switched at birth with another girl who died and now her birth parents have gotten joint custody of her--she's to spend the next 6 months with them, but in the end her world is not turned so upside down as she thought it would be. Cade, on the other hand, is to have some kind of surgery the next day, and he's scared about it but he also comes through fine. So this is basically a lot of angst over what turns out to be relatively small potatoes.) ( )

Amber was switched at birth. Now that her real parents’ ‘daughter’ died, they want to meet her. Amber doesn’t know how to feel. She doesn’t want to leave her family,even if they aren’t biological. Cade is living each moment like it is his last. Cade is about to donate an organ to his dying father. Cade and Amber haven’t met before this day, but hanging out with a stranger intrigues them. Even though they enjoy each other's company;they have made it a rule that they do not talk about their pasts, why they aren’t at school, and why they are at the beach instead. Together, Cade and Amber share a wonderful day while enjoying the simple things in life. But, at the end of the book they share their secrets and reveal who they truly are. Cade is at the beach because it is the day before the surgery. And Amber is there because it is the day before she meets her real family.Cade and Amber make sure to have the best day of their lives before they face their fears.

I really enjoyed this book. My favorite thing about it was that is was written in verse. ‘The Day Before’ had a good message. It taught me about enjoying the simple things in life like glitter, laughter, and jellybeans. It taught me that connecting with people can help you face your fears. Overall this book was light and very good. If you are looking for a nice ,breezy, teen vibe book, you should read ‘The Day Before’. ( )

"The Day Before" focuses on Amber and Cade, who want to enjoy on last day before facing their upcoming challenges which will drastically impact both their lives. Although Amber's secret was fairly easy to work out, thanks to the letters from Jeanie and Allen, Cade's was a mystery right until the end.

Written in verse, Lisa Schroeder always manages to convey so much emotion in her books using carefully chosen phrases and simple prose. She has a beautiful writing style that perfectly captured the fear, love and hope Amber and Cade were feeling. Her message emphasised the importance of enjoying the simple pleasures life gives such as jelly beans, glitter, laughter and music. A touching read. ( )

i loved it ( )

Did not enjoy this one. I couldn't relate to either character; they felt really shallow. ( )