“The secret is,” I say, whispering right into his ear, “that yours was the best kiss I’ve ever had in my life.”“But I’ve never kissed you,” he whispers back. Around us the rain sounds like falling glass. “Not since third grade, anyway.” I smile, but I’m not sure if he can see it.“Better get started, then,” I say, “because I don’t have much time.”

American author, young adult and middle-grade fiction

Lauren Oliver is an American author of young adult and middle-grade fiction. She is known for novels including Before I Fall, Panic, and the Delirium trilogy, and for the range of her work across several age groups. Before I Fall was adapted into a major motion picture in 2017, and Panic was later developed as a series by Amazon Studios, where Oliver served as creator, writer, and showrunner. Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages, and she was a 2012 nominee for the E. B. White Read Aloud Award for Liesl & Po. She also wrote the middle-grade fantasy novel The Spindlers.