In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeenyear-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.
Get ready for an emotional roller coaster ride that could change the way you think about life and realize that life doesn’t always go the way you expect it to. In an instant, everything can change. “If I Stay” is an amazing story about life, death, love and loss.
“If I Stay” talks about lots of things. It talks about friendship. It talks about family, but it mostly about how it is like to be able to choose between life and death, especially when you know that your life will never be the same again.
This book didn’t exactly meet my expectations, but I still loved it. “If I Stay” is one of the best books with a first person narration that I’ve read in a very long time. I really liked the writing style. When you read it, you feel like a real person is talking to you.
I don’t know what to say about the plot because this story takes place in a short period of time. There is not really much going on. The story moves back and forth between the flashbacks and the hospital. Usually I don’t like a book with many flashbacks, but in this one, I didn’t have a problem with it. The flashback is the way you get to know the characters and get a character development.
I loved all the characters. Gayle Forman has this amazing ability to write characters that are so lovable yet so real. This is the first book that I’ve ever read and found myself loving all the characters. In some ways, I found some of the characters to be inspiring, especially Mia. It’s hard to find people as passionate as Mia, a person that knows what she wants. Mia is really a character to look up to.
I loved Mia and Adam together. I guarantee you will fall in love with this couple. It’s definitely not one of these cliché love stories. These two have their own problems, but they’re a very good representation of what true love is. It doesn’t matter how much you argue or how different you are. What’s important is to have someone that accepts you, respects you and stand by you no matter what. That’s what I found in Mia and Adam’s relationship.
What I didn’t like about the book is that I found it too short and the story felt incomplete. Well, I didn’t feel too bad at the beginning because I already knew that there is going to be a sequel. “Where She Went” will come out in the spring of 2011. However, when I think about it again, I really can’t imagine a story like this to turn into a series. I like the story but I would prefer if “If I Stay” and the sequel “Where She Went” were turned into one book.
“If I Stay” gets 3.5 out of 5 because while I loved this book, I felt something huge was missing and it took me a while to get into it. I will still be looking forward to the second book and I got a feeling that “Where She Went” is going to be even more emotional. I congratulate Gayle Forman for her amazing novel and I’ll be looking forward to more of her books.
I highly recommend this book for everyone, especially those who love music. It’s worth checking out. It is an easy, but at the same time an emotional and a heartfelt read.
Final Grade: 4/5
