"Just listen," Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel.
I open my eyes wide now.
I sit up as much as I can.
And I listen.
"Stay," he says.
Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind?
Then one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters.
If I Stay is a heartachingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make.
Rating: 3.9 four stars... almost a four, not quite XD
Few spoilers throughout review. Be aware.
Where to begin?
I generally do not read books of this genre, due to the fact that a majority of their relatives have majorly disappointed me. Divergent, Shatter Me, Matched... Or perhaps I haven't been opened to ACTUAL romance books that aren't tied with dystopia or anything like that? Really, the only romance book that I've read AND liked is The Fault in Our Stars , and even so, I'm beginning to dislike it.
Both The Fault in Our Stars and If I Stay are contemporary romances that are said to pull at the reader's heartstrings. Hell yes, they were right.
I began this book with slight skepticism over whether I would like it, mostly, as I said before, because of my horrid experience with romance YA novels. They always turn out bad. I actually was very surprised when I finished this book in a couple hours and found that I actually enjoyed and liked it despite my mutual disliking for romance novels. (Same went for The Fault in Our Stars)
1) The writing
Gayle Forman really has a way with words. His writing is just absolutely beautiful in every aspect possible. He tells Mia's stories in such a beautiful and emotional way that gripped me from the very beginning. However, I do have to admit that although I was very engrossed in this book, this would not be the type of book for readers who want quick paced action like The Hunger Games or Divergent. Unless you're the type of reader--like me--who likes to read books that are brilliantly crafted and put together, then you'd be better off reading books with more action, whether or not you're a fan of romance.
Gayle's words literally transported me back into Mia's past and all her memories--whether from her moments with Adam, her cello recitals, moments with her family, etc. I guarantee you that if you're one for beautiful writing prose, then you'll love this book. BUT, to be honest, some parts of the book are a little bit draggy and stretched out longer than I would have liked.
2) The characters
Right from the start, I fell in love with Mia. Although she comes off as shy and a bit insecure sometimes, she's a very honest character and I really love that about her.
Her parents are a bit strange, with all the punk rocky stuff. I couldn't help but notice their level of profanity around Teddy, either. Especially with Teddy being at such a young age during most of Mia's flashbacks/memories.
We didn't get to see much of Adam or Kim in this book (but I heard that the next one is told from Adam's POV) but I can tell that they're pretty decent characters, and would've shown a lot more potential to me if we knew more about them.
3) The plot
**A few spoilers here, beware**
Mia's been in a violent car accident when she and her family were going on a short trip on a snow day. After her parents and little brother die and she's in the hospital under a grave condition, she has to make a choice: Whether or not she should let go and join the rest of her family, or stay. Thus the name, "If I Stay"... xD
I actually really liked that story line and the events that led up to Mia's final decision, although I didn't really feel that the memories and flashbacks that Mia transported us to contributed to her decision that much. Some of them may have changed her perspective on her decisions, but on the whole, not all of them.
Overview: Enjoyable book. Draggy moments/scenes. Few negative points that I won't list. Heartfelt story of Mia's touching journey following the tragedy that left her family-less. I would recommend this to a lot of people, and if you do read it, you WILL enjoy it. I admit, I cried a couple times reading this book XD
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