If I Stay
by Gayle Forman
Book Synopsis (from Goodreads)
In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen year-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, this will change the way you look at life, love, and family. Now a major motion picture starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Mia’s story will stay with you for a long, long time.
Review
I had refrained from getting If I Stay for some reason. I guess I wasn’t interested. But I went ahead and picked it up since it was in paperback format, and Gayle Forman would be at the Teen Author Carnival.
With reviews from Publisher Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, and everyone else in the world, I kind of set my expectations high. And at first, I was a little disappointed.
Her family and her life was just too happy and perfect for my liking.
But I trudged through, and I am very happy I did so.
I learned so much about the characters. At times I was thinking: surely I’ll get tired of learning about these characters, but I never did. They were all so unique. And no, they weren’t perfect as I had thought from the beginning.
I absolutely loved the whole “my parents are rockers” concept. It was so much fun to read about. These people, her parents and friends were ironically so alive. I couldn’t bring myself to think that they were dead. They can’t be.
Which brought on the tears.
I could understand why Mia wanted to go. She had nothing left, right?
So wrong. She has lost so much, but she still has so much. Will she choose to continue living without her parents? Without her brother?
I sobbed in the ending. It was portrayed well.
I suggest for anyone! 🙂