If I Stay

It was just like the movie. I wish I would have read it before the movie thought because I really struggled to read it already know what happened.

Pacing: The book itself is a quick read. The story is written adds the air of being told over the course of many years. Even so, the highlighting of certain moments in history allows for constant intrigue and divulge of information. This gives the story the feel of moving at a fast pace. Sometimes, the time stamps were a great reminder that the book occurred in a twenty-four hour time span.

World: The world is modern-day Oregon. Nothing’s magical. Nothing’s out-of-the-ordinary. Instead, a realistic, easy to connect with world is utilized and not over-emphasized in the story. The lack of world-building and scenery-creation allows for better focus on the story at hand.

Writing: The writing is seamless. Flashbacks can be difficult for writers and difficult for readers, but Gayle Forman does a wonderful job bouncing back and forth between past and present. It’s clear. It’s precise. It allows for a flawless, flowing story that fills in the blanks along the way. Additionally, this style offers for details to be given at certain points for greater impact rather in chronological order.

Non-Spoilered Plot: Mia, a high school senior, faces the struggles of choosing how she’ll live her adult life: New York City to play cello at Julliard, or Portland with her almost-rockstar boyfriend. Yet, that choice becomes even harder when she and her family are in a car crash. Now, stuck in a space between life and death, she must determine whether she wants to continue fighting for the possibilities that life could hold, or give up and let fate take her.

Character: Mia is a high school senior who loves and is accomplished at playing the cello. Despite being a teenager, Mia handles life’s dilemmas and turmoil with maturity beyond her years. She sees the world differently. She sees it with clarity. She understands the reality of the situations before her and the gravity of the choices she must make as an almost-young-adult. As such, her voice is strong and clear. Always knowing what she’s thinking and why makes it easy to connect with her.

Plot: The over-arching plot is one of choice, Mia’s choice. After being in a car crash with her family, one which neither of her parents survives, she’s stuck in a coma in the hospital. Even so, her conscious is in a place between life and death. She’s not able to interact with her surroundings, but she is able to see what’s going on around her while her body stays in the intensive care unit. This state allows her time to determine whether she wants to live or die.

To many this may seem like a silly choice, but for Mia it’s a difficult one. After all, while in her in-between state she learns that her little brother, Teddy, dies from his wounds as well, which makes her not only an orphan, but sibling-less as well. In other words, her immediate family is gone. For anyone this would be difficult, but for a teenager who loves her family dearly and is about to go off to college without their support, this is an earth-shattering revelation. This makes her decision both harder and easier.

While making her decision, Mia remembers her past, her life. These snippets are given in disjointed, non-sequential order, which worked in this book. It allowed for the release of information at times when they would have the greatest impact, and more accurately follow train-of-thought. After all, people don’t generally think of their lives sequentially. Certain memories impact them more than others and this is seen easily by which memories Mia recalls and why.

Along the way, friends and family visit her body. Some of them give her permission to leave this world, others beg for her stay, and each one has an impact on her choice. Yet, even when her mind is made up, ready to make her decision, love changes it. Love for everyone who lives and is gone. Love is what gives Mia strength in the end to do what she needs to do and make the decision that will be best for her.

The blend between rational and feeling play a huge role for Mia and each one is given their forefront, adding to the realism of her decision. For that, and the strong connection I felt for Mia during this book, I leave my rating of ‘If I Stay’ at five stars.

Ok, I am about to admit to the ULTIMATE book worm sin.... I read this book AFTER seeing the moving several years ago... I know, I know, I should have my book work club membership revoked. My card shredded. My name black listed! But in all seriousness... always read the book first my booky friends.

I've owned this book for around 8 years (it was after the movie release that my sweet husband bought it for me once I realized the movie we'd just seen on our date night as adapted from a novel). I put the book on a shelf in hopes to read it after I had forgotten the movie since I wanted to go in with a fresh mind... I guess 8 years was long enough :,)

I honestly enjoyed "If I Stay" and it only took a little over 24 hours from start to finish. I loved how it was broken down by times of events instead of by chapters. Mia also switched from telling her story between the past and the current events and while I enjoyed this I wish there was more of her current story rather than what went on from age ten (only reason I gave 4 instead of 5 stars). I loved how the author used music as a common factor throughout and how things were compared to certain aspects of Mia playing cello. While I am 32 years old, music is one thing that I believe is NOT generational and that all generations can connect through in some shape and form. By the end of the book I felt like part of Mia's family and was rooting for her to fight. I cannot wait to read book number two within this duo!