Title: If I Stay
Series: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Dutton Books
Publication Date: April 2, 2009
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased from Amazon
Just listen, Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel.
I open my eyes wide now.
I sit up as much as I can.
And I listen.
Stay, he says.
Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind?
Then one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters. If I Stay is a heartachingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make.
My Review
Okay, so I don't think that the one sentence review that I originally posted on Goodreads justifies my feelings on this book because there's just so much to say about Gayle Forman's If I Stay. So here it goes... a full-fledged review.
And let me tell you something before we begin: Even though this review is short, it's all I could come up with when I was feeling so many different emotions.
Mia and her family wake up one morning to find out that it is snowing. It's not a lot, but it's enough for school to be cancelled in their Oregon hometown. Mia and her brother, Teddy are excited for the snow day. Their dad, who is a middle school teacher, is also excited. Because everyone has the day off, Mia's mom decides to call off. After a wonderful morning of breakfast, Mia's dad decides to go for a drive as a family. What Mia doesn't know is that the drive will change her life forever and she'll have the choice to stay alive or pass away.
I must say that I was really impressed by how quickly the book reads. It's addicting. I just had to keep reading. I can see why it won an award for reluctant readers. There is nothing to fear when you pick up this book.
I love how much detail Forman includes in a book that is only about two hundred pages. Readers see who Mia was before the accident through flashbacks, and they get to experience her out-of-body experience as she sees the aftermath of the accident unfold before her eyes.
It's an eye-opening book. I really enjoyed it. I would recommend it for fans of Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall.
And let me tell you something before we begin: Even though this review is short, it's all I could come up with when I was feeling so many different emotions.
Mia and her family wake up one morning to find out that it is snowing. It's not a lot, but it's enough for school to be cancelled in their Oregon hometown. Mia and her brother, Teddy are excited for the snow day. Their dad, who is a middle school teacher, is also excited. Because everyone has the day off, Mia's mom decides to call off. After a wonderful morning of breakfast, Mia's dad decides to go for a drive as a family. What Mia doesn't know is that the drive will change her life forever and she'll have the choice to stay alive or pass away.
I must say that I was really impressed by how quickly the book reads. It's addicting. I just had to keep reading. I can see why it won an award for reluctant readers. There is nothing to fear when you pick up this book.
I love how much detail Forman includes in a book that is only about two hundred pages. Readers see who Mia was before the accident through flashbacks, and they get to experience her out-of-body experience as she sees the aftermath of the accident unfold before her eyes.
It's an eye-opening book. I really enjoyed it. I would recommend it for fans of Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall.
This is one of my favorite reads of this year, and one of my favorite books, period. I loved reading about Mia's memories of her family, Kim, Adam, cello playing... Everything was just so poignant and beautiful, and I really connected with all the characters even though Mia was narrating. If I Stay is so captivating <3
ReplyDeleteI'm very excited for the movie, but also nervous, because I don't want them to mess it up as adaptation so often do :/ Do you plan on watching it?
Woah. I didn't even know I had a comment on this. Sorry, Connie!
DeleteMia's story was just so moving. I even got my mom to read this one, and she really enjoyed it too.
I ended up watching the movie, and while it wasn't as beautiful as the book, I still think they did a good job at telling Mia's story.