If I Stay

I thought this was a great read. It was very tragic and frustrating at times, but it was still hauntingly, and heartbreakingly, beautiful. Not going to lie, I teared up while reading it. This is one of those books that you want to see as a movie. This book would make a perfect movie, the ways it's written, All the flashbacks. I could see it being portrayed with so much emotion and being kind of a dark film.

I loved all the name drops and references. I loved how unique her family was, but yet so normal at the same time. I loved how her and her boyfriend were so different but so happy together. This book left me thinking about it days after I finished reading it. It's definitely one that sticks with you.

I'm not sure what to say about this one other than it wasn't for me. Partially due to the narration style, partially due to the actual plot.

Mia's voice seemed cold, clinical. I found it really hard to empathize with her because she seemed so stiff even during the most heartbreaking moments of the book. I couldn't feel her love for her family, her boyfriend or her music. Her memories seemed just these detached recollections about things that were long gone. Maybe I felt like that because I just didn't like Mia's character. This was partially due to her wooden personality and partially because I kept picturing Chloë Moretz, as I saw the trailer for the movie. I used to like her, but not anymore, not since Carrie. Now I can barely stand her acting.

On paper, the other characters look great. I liked her family, her parents seemed amazing. Adam was interesting enough. Their passion for music was a nice angle, except that I couldn't feel it. I would have loved all of that, but I didn't because I was seeing it all through Mia's eyes.

And probably the biggest turn off for me was basically the foundation of this book. The out-of-body experience. It's not something I can take seriously. I might have been more open to it if I had actually enjoyed the main character. But the combination of these two elements didn't set well with me.

Technically, I know that it's a sad story, but to me it didn't feel genuine, it felt like a Lifetime drama. Needless to say I'm not dying to see the movie. But I did read the sequel and I'll write a few words about that too.

When I began reading If I Stay by Gayle Forman I had no idea how little I knew the basic storyline of the book. I knew there was a car accident, I knew the main character Mia was in it and knew certain love ones were affected, and that Mia had to make a hard decision. However, other than that I really had no idea what this book was about so of course after reading a few pages I turned to the back cover and read the synopsis and after that things clicked into place a little more firmly. Still, I can't say going into If I Stay partially blind is a bad thing. Usually I know what a book is about before I crack open the spine, if not from the synopsis then from reviews but not so in this case and I think the unknowing added to the premise of this novel so I will try to be as vague as possible in that regard.

Mia's day starts off a little perfect, school has been closed on the account of a snow day which means herself, her little brother Teddy and her teacher father get to play hooky for the day and because it wouldn't be right for Mia's mom to go to work while they all stay home she calls in to the office and takes the day off as well. A day with the family is cut brutally short however when a terrible car accident lands Mia in the ICU and the worst 24 hours of her unfolds when she realizes that she has to make a choice.

If I Stay was what I expected it to be in terms of writing, I knew this book, before I read it, would be one to make me cry but when I started it and got into it I thought I was going to be ok because although our main character has been struck with a tragedy we're not focusing on the terrible fact of the present but on her wonderful past, her life before now and of those she loves. I really thought I wouldn't cry until I reached the middle and both Mia and I were hit with a terrible truth that had been obvious all along and from then on out I was tearing up every few pages until the end.

This novel is actually a very easy read but the way Gayle Forman pieces her scenes together made the story flow perfectly and so the writing is beautiful. This novel wasn't like other books where a main character has suffered a loss, where the books are often heavy with grief but about what many reviewers have already said. If I Stay is about family, love, music, and friendship. This novel is about the harmony and cacophony of life and about carrying on with it even though the alternative would be such an easy path to follow.

I admire Mia for the decision she made in the end, even if it's one she didn't know she would make, one she had decided not to make initially. I doubt I would have the strength to make the choice she did and hope I never have to, but I am very happy that I made the choice to pick up If I Stay because this is a story that will stay with me for a long time and I hope the companion novel does the same.

4.5 stars
this book is really great. It is not perfect; it had its flaws. But I really really really really loved it. And I think writing a full review on the excellent points of the story kind of ruins it. It is like dissecting a very beautiful flower. This story is great as a whole. The music, the passion, the honesty. I loved it... I just did. And I recommend it to whoever thinks that he/she will truly understand it.
I felt connected to this story, by my passion towards classic music AND YES METAL MUSIC AT THE SAME TIME (SUE ME MIA!!), towards my piano, and that want to just give up but still fight even though you don't know why.

A wonderful book. I really felt Mia's emotions as she recounted past events and contemplated possible future events. I am looking forward to reading [b:Where She Went 8492825 Where She Went (If I Stay, #2) Gayle Forman https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347810457s/8492825.jpg 10706553].

I was not impressed. After all the hype I heard about this book, I was looking for an engaging, heart rendering read and it didn't even come close. I feel as though this book was written backwards. The big incident occurs within the first few pages and then the memories come, laying a foundation after the tense moment. There needed to be a longer build up, allowing Mia and Adam to find a place in your heart instead of trying to capture the readers after the fact. I honestly didn't really care about Mia and Adam's situation until the last few pages. The only thing I found remotely interesting was the concept of Mia' s out of body experience. As these books are relatively short and the next one is from Adam's prospective I will give it a try.

This book was boring.
Edit: I feel as if this review is lacking and I suppose I shall elaborate more about why this book was boring and my general thoughts.
The entire thing is filled with flashbacks. Normally, this wouldn't be weird and would actually be kind of enjoyable. But it was dragged on and on for many chapters when really, a few would be nice. I get that she's trying to build up sympathy for a family that just died in a car crash but it became tedious and hard to read those parts simply because I had this thought going through my head: “YES I REALIZE THIS IS WHY THE MOM IS AMAZING. YES I KNOW WHY THE DAD WOULD BE A MISSED PERSON. OH GOD WHY THE LITTLE INNOCENT KID?” The characters were flat, boring, and one-dimensional overall, because they had no flaws that were detrimental and it was viewed as this PERFECT family and PERFECTION = MORE EMOTION TO BE FELT FOR THEIR LOSS.
It was predictable also. Like why wouldn't she choose to live? You know what would have been unpredictable? Her death. That would've been interesting.

3.5
Con este libro tengo sentimientos encontrados, pero sobre todo me gustó bastante aunque tuviera un par de fallas que me hicieron disfrutarlo menos:
A veces Mia se va por las ramas y empieza a contar cosas que no ayudan a la historia y sólo están de relleno.
Gracias a esto, me hacía perder el hilo de la historia a veces.
Y además, parece que el desarrollo de toda la relación familiar fue un poco pobre a veces. Me hubiera gustado ver más interaciones familiares y conectar un poco más con ella también.

Sin embargo, me emocioné un par de veces, sobre todo cuando habla de su pasión por la música, la vida y su familia. Fue una lectura bastante rápida. Que nos hace valorar a la familia y a los amigos. Muy linda.

If I Stay came to my attention through a trailer for the current film adaptation of this young adult novel, around the time that John Green ‘ s The Fault In My Stars was receiving great interest. As regular readers of my reviews will know I hate watching films adapted from books without reading their original book forms first. With this in mind I decided to break away from my recent Outlander obsession and try a little young adult fiction with Gayle Forman's novel.

I was very surprised to find how short this book was, it seemed to be a little way between a short story and a novel. So surprised was I that I actually was checking to see my entire download had transferred to my ereader correctly. Maybe I had unrealistic expectations of a young adults book but I was worried that there was enough content for a book that had been adapted to a movie.

This was the story of Mia, who setting out one unexpectedly snowy day with her family on a car journey finds herself the victim of a serious car crash which leaves her an orphan and fighting for her life in a coma. Through Mia ‘ s out of body experiences we view her thoughts after the accident and her observations of what it's like to have to choose whether to fight for her life or pass over into death. This was beautifully interspersed with flashbacks to her life before the accident and her close knit family life and bright future as a talented cellist.

It was a very touching book exploring the themes not only of choosing whether to stay in life but also whether prior to the accident Mia should stay with her boyfriend Adam and go to college near home or whether she should go to New York and study at Julliard.

The book zipped past, it had only started and it was done but for all that it was thoroughly engaging and beautifully written. Forman has pitched the balance between the emotion of the situation and the pricking of our own sense of how grave Mia ‘ s decisions are perfectly. For young adults I can understand why it achieved such high regard and it would be an ideal text to study with young teens. As an adult I found the characters engaging and the writing excellent. I am certainly looking forward to reading the sequel to this book, entitled ‘Where She Went'.

I love reading young adult fiction on occasion because it allows us to remain aware of where our reading started, the stages we've gone through in life and where our own children will explore as they grow. It also allows me to have books I can recommend to my children as they grow and share because I've read them too but that aren't too dated or out of touch. I'm looking forward to the film adaptation and think it's one I'd share with my daughter as she grows. an excellent book, perhaps worthy of another 100 pages but not detrimentally affected by its length.

I'm giving this 3.5/5 stars... I really loved this book. There was just a couple of things I didn't like. Like how Kim flat out said the r word. Just little details like that made me rate it 4.5. Other than that it was beautiful. I might've liked the movie a bit better (don't fight me). Only because I was so obsessed with the movie when it came out

Mia is stuck in a coma after a horrible car accident that kills her parents and younger brother. She's not exactly a ghost, but she is aware of everything around her. The story takes place over 2 days, and it is a quick and easy read.
Throughout the whole novel I kept thinking “you've been given a second chance Mia, you should definitely stay”, and I think that is mainly because we don't get to feel Mia's losses the way she does. Forman hasn't delved too deep into each character, we get little bits and pieces about her parents and Teddy. I certainly think that if the story wasn't as rushed, then the book would be quite emotional.
The idea of the book is rather interesting, how a patient in a coma can decide whether to stay or not, given all the losses and pain around them. All the characters that spoke to Mia during her coma seemed to think that she could hear them, and that she could control her fate, which I found to be a little odd.
All in all, I think I would give Where She Went a try, I'd like to know more about Mia and Adam, hopefully there will be some character development.

It made me cry several times, I think owing to the timing of reading this book at that point in my life. Although the pace is quite slow, and there were way too many flashbacks (sometimes felt dragged on too long), there were a lot of moments in the book that really got to me. Especially moments in the present time, where it showed Mia's moments with her relatives and friends. It hit a little close to home.

I still give this 3.5 stars as I think there were a lot of moments where it could be written better. I didn't empathize much with the main character's backstory. But the best parts for me were towards the end.

CRYINGGGG. Yeah it was as good as everyone said it was. I was hyped to read it after hearing so many good things and then I finally got it from the library (I started off at like 130 in line to read it) and right on the cover it says “Will appeal to fans of Twilight.” And on the back, it compares If I stay to [b:The Lovely Bones 536 The Lovely Bones Alice Sebold http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266447885s/536.jpg 1145090], which I did NOT like. But don't even worry, this book is way better than Twilight and Lovely Bones. Funny, sweet, and gut-punchingly sad. Check it out. Bring tissues.