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.

Note: Review may contain spoilersJust read 'If I Stay' in one sitting then bought and read the sequel 'Where She Went' the next day, reading that all in one go as well. That being the case I'm putting this same review on both.Of the two, I'd say 'If I Stay' is the better story and 'Where She Went' is the better written book. Don't get me wrong, they are both excellent, I think it just shows how the author grew her skills as a writer between creating each of them.Where I felt 'If I Stay' fell down a bit was in the early dialogue, I thought it sounded very unnatural and brought me out of the story a bit. Thankfully that improved markedly as the story progressed and I was left with only my own personal preferences getting in the way. It is rare that I read a piece of fiction written in present tense. I'm not sure why that is but, since much of this book is in present tense, it threw me a bit and I also felt like the constant back and forth with flashbacks was a bit jarring. These were both issues that I got used to and barely noticed by the end of the book, the story was good enough to carry me through.'If I Stay' tells the story of Mia, a seventeen year old girl and a gifted classical musician, with her whole life ahead of her. A life full of choices. That is until a ride in the car with her family ends with a horrific wreck and Mia has an out of body experience. Mia comes to realise that she only has one choice left, live or die, and she has to make it all by herself.Through the use of Mia's (while having her out of body experience) observations of her friends and family around her and the previously mentioned flashbacks we are shown or given hints at all the things Mia has lost, some of the things that Mia has left, and reminded of how life can turn on a dime.The story shows us sweet first love, teenage confusion and heartbreaking choices.'Where She Went' is written in the same style as 'If I Stay', that is to say mostly first person and with a whole lot of flashbacks but the author does it much more smoothly this time (or maybe I was just used to it by this point). Also, just like the first story, the "present day" events all happen in just a little over a single day. This author can pack a lot of emotion into a single day. This story picks up three years after the events of 'If I Stay' and is told from the perspective of Adam, Mia's boyfriend at the time of her accident.Adam was crushed when Mia cut off contact with him and 'Where She Went' tells the story of how he channelled all that pain into his music and his rise into a bonafide rock star. Through present-day events and flashbacks, we see the way Adam remembers the special relationship they had, the simple pure love and his confusion about how it ended. Wandering the streets of New York randomly, he happens across a venue where Mia, now a rising star in classical music, is playing. Telling himself he'll just slip in and listen to her, then leave, he buys a ticket that leads to an awkward reunion between himself and the love of his life. But has life moved on? Have they wandered too far to get home?They wander New York together as the night wears on and old emotions, sweet and bitter, are both stirred in equal measure. The author did a superb job keeping me guessing until so near the very last page. I was up out of my seat, walking away from the screen so I could pace the room, I was laughing, I was crying.I was a bit disgruntled with the price of the kindle editions, but hey, I bought the first one, read it, and then bought the second one, so you won't see me complaining now. I would recommend both of these books if you like romance stories that aren't all sunshine and lollipops, stories with real grit, real heart and love that is hard-earned and well-deserved.

Definitely recommend this book 10/10! I read it all in one setting, couldn’t put it down.

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)

This book will have you in absolute tear. It is the most heartbreaking story ever. I read it years ago originally and it touched me deep down. Recently bought this copy for a friend.