If I Stay

Wow, what a poignant and moving story. I am so incredibily impressed with this book. Although it's dubbed YA fiction, the voice of Mia (17-year-old narrator) is far from young. Gayle Forman did a great job making this book relevant to all ages through the span of characters and mature yet relatable narration. Mia's story is so touching and heartbreaking yet so full of hope at the same time. Anyone can pick up this book and get something from it. I highly recommend it to anyone. I was blown away.Original review posted 5/17/12 on The Book Addict's Guide: Ho. Ly. Cow. This book was phenomenal. First I have to say bravo to Gayle Forman for such beautiful writing - I read a lot of cheesy books and yes, they're fun, but nothing is better than a flat out wonderfully written story. Although this is dubbed YA fiction, Mia's narration throughout the novel does not feel juvenile at all. I feel like any age can read this book and appreciate it in its entirety. Every character in this book has a story and I felt such connection, like this was the story of a real family, real friends, and not just characters on pages. I connected with everything Mia was feeling throughout her struggle to fight to stay alive or decide if it was her time to go. Wow, it just really moved me, as cheesy as that sounds. There's just no other way to put it. So mature, so emotional, so gripping. I laughed, I smiled, and most of all I cried. Just read the book. It's so worth it!Re-read completed 8/11/13: Well since it was a re-read I wasn't as totally knocked out by it (just since there were some surprises and whatnot I already knew) but it's still such a beautiful story and wonderfully written. My original thoughts stand.Re-read review posted 9/4/13 on The Book Addict's Guide: Gayle Forman is one of my all-time favorite authors and also a great writing inspiration. The beauty and emotion captured in her books are the reason I started the Gayle Forman Read Along... Well that and I needed a good excuse to re-read all of them because I've been meaning to do so ever since I finished JUST ONE DAY.Re-reading IF I STAY was an interesting experience. I was really glad I got to share it with the people on the read along because there were some people reading not only IF I STAY for the first time, but any of Gayle Forman's books for the first time! It was just really great to see them experience that. But also, one of my main fears of re-reading was that I wasn't going to like it as much as my first read. While that kind of ended up happening in a way, I also fell in love with the book all over again.It's true that I didn't enjoy IF I STAY as much as when I first read it. On my first read, I was simply blown away. It was the first Gayle Forman book I ever read and of course the beauty of her writing just swept me away, but I also think (and have discussed with other read along-ers!) that part of the reason I wasn't as amazed on the re-read is because I knew exactly what was coming in Mia's story. The initial read has a sort of suspense whether Mia will choose to stay or go, the surprise of the initial accident, and just little moments that a first-time reader isn't expecting. I think all of those elements on a first read really makes the book amazing. It's still gorgeous and heartbreaking and bittersweet the second time around, but those little surprises really make up a sizable chunk of a "wow factor" for this book.Some things that I was able to pick up on my re-read that I hadn't on my first read: a small little hint at SISTERS IN SANITY! Mia makes a mention of a Portland band called Clod which was Brit's band in SISTERS IN SANITY. I absolutely loved that because so much of SISTERS IN SANITY reminded me of IF I STAY. Obviously I had no idea on my first read since I only read SIS a couple months ago so I really, really enjoyed how those two books tied together! Very clever, Gayle! I also think that already knowing the ending of the book helped me slow down and really get into the characters and their relationships. Whenever I get excited about the end of a book, I have this really bad habit where I can't help but rush through what I'm reading to get to the end and see what the future holds in store for our characters. This being a re-read, the ending wasn't a surprise to me so I really got to take my time and cherish the relationships that were blossoming as others ended, revel in Mia's pain and sadness, observe things about characters and the setting that I hadn't noticed before... I just really got to take in a lot more detail!Um, HI -- this also helped me rekindle my love of ADAM WILDE. Gayle....... thank you for Adam. I've already started the re-read of WHERE SHE WENT and I am SO in love with Adam. Of course, that's a discussion for another day, but all of IF I STAY just really helped me remember how much I loved him and what a shame it was that I almost forgot!If you haven't read IF I STAY and WHERE SHE WENT yet, I highly recommend picking them up! They both instantly made me a Gayle Forman fan for life and will always hold a special place in my heart.

What is most impressive about If I Stay is how easily I grew to love the characters, even though the story is told mostly through several flashbacks. We follow Mia through an unexpected and horrible car accident – and not only do we have to see her deal with figuring out who she still has left in her immediate family but we also must watch her decide whether she deems living worthy or if she chooses to pass on. Mia is completely unresponsive and can see everything happening to her body, but she cannot interact with the world, except for one nurse who Mia believes might understand what is happening to her. Interwoven between each scene in the present, readers find themselves learning who Mia is through a series of memories, mostly catered to who is visiting her in the hospital at the time. Mia is completely unresponsive and can see everything happening to her body, but she cannot interact with the world.Forman does an excellent job creating Mia’s family and friends through memories. We barely interact with them in the present day, but thanks to the quality of Forman’s authoring, you know the very heart of the Hall family within a few chapters, as well as how important Mia’s boyfriend, Adam, and her best friend, Kim, are to her. Even the minor characters feel very tangible. Mia explains it well in the sentence where the book’s namesake lies: “What would it be like if I stay? What would it feel like to wake up an orphan? To never smell Dad smoke a pipe? To never stand next to Mom quietly talking as we do the dishes? To never read Teddy a chapter of Harry Potter? To stay without them? I’m not sure this is a world I belong in anymore. I’m not sure that I want to wake up” (Forman 136-7).If I Stay has some remarkable literary techniques in it as well. Near the end of the book, we get a beautifully sad, ironic parallel to the true fate of Mia’s parents. Her mother says, “In my ideal scenario, my bighearted pushover husband and I die quickly and simultaneously when we’re ninety-two years old. I’m not sure how. Maybe we’re on a safari in Africa – ‘cause in the future, we’re rich – and we come down with some exotic sickness and go to sleep one night feeling fine and then never wake up” (Forman 145). Not only is this scenario almost true – her parents do go together, quickly – but it also makes the reader ache for what the Hall family could have been.Additionally, Forman incorporates several allusions to music, bands, and songs. Music is an enormously large part of Mia’s life; Adam is in a band, Mia is a gifted cellist, and her parents were into music during their heyday, a trait that they have brought into their household through the years. Those allusions, to artists like Bob Marley and the like, help to add another layer of depth and grounding to the story. We know what the Hall family knows, and we can see how much it means to their way of life. Adult and young adult readers alike will find these aspects accessible.I strongly suggest reading If I Stay. I found it to be one of the quickest but deepest reads I’ve encountered in quite some time. Though the material is sad, Forman manages to sneak lighthearted moments in, too. It seems cliché, but I was smiling and crying at the same time at one point.In closing, I will leave you with my favorite quote from the novel; it is one of the many beautiful thoughts Forman includes. This one in particular struck me: “The doctors keep coming around and pulling up my eyelids and waving around a flashlight. They are rough and hurried, like the don’t consider eyelids worth of gentleness. It makes you realize how little in life we touch one another’s eyes. Maybe your parents will hold an eyelid up to get out a piece of dirt, or maybe your boyfriend will kiss your eyelids, light as a butterfly, just before you drift off to sleep. But eyelids are not like elbows or knees or shoulders, parts of the body accustomed to being jostled” (Forman 64).

Habe das Buch in 2 Tagen gelesen und sofort Where she went bestellt. I loved it

This is actually the second time i have read this book. And again I love it. Gayle Forman has such a great writing style in my opinion and does a great job with her writing subjects.

Belle histoire, super émouvante. Impossible de laisser le livre de côté, on ne peut que le lire d'une traite !

Una buena historia, ligera pero emocionante, para los que buscamos leer en inglés para mejorar o mantener nuestro nivel.

Gayle Forman is always playing with our feelings! and in this novel she make to everyone cry! 'cause you enter in the world of Mia, and read how she deals with this hard situation you start to think a lot of things about life..It's a great novel, but.... I prefer the second part ♥ (Where she went)