Review – If I Stay

Title: If I Stay

Author: Gayle Forman

Publication Date:  April 6, 2010

Publisher: Speak

ISBN-10: 014241543X

Available at: Amazon – Barnes and Noble

Summary:

After a crushing car accident, Mia is torn from her family and ripped from her body. A talented cellist, she relives her life’s precious moments with her family, boyfriend, and friends.  She’s forced to come to the decision of whether or not she should stay or if she should go.

Review:

This book was astounding. It was just breathtaking. Mia was real and alive and you could sympathize with her from the first page to the last.  Shy and insecure away from the cello, she comes alive with her music. She has only a few friends, but she’s loyal to those few that she has.

Mia comes from a family of extroverts and she’s a decided introvert. She’s a classical music lover and they’re all rock’n’roll. Yet their love for one another is deep and abiding. It shines throughout the book and it makes itself known. I loved that about this book. That alone made this a “feel good” book.

Another “feel good” aspect of this book was Mia’s relationship with her brother Teddy. They had a close bond that was hard to break. I thought that was endearing and touching.

Adam and Mia were a great couple. They were real, with flaws, and totally believable. Their flaws didn’t make them any less romantic. Although for one moment in the story that I thought was a bit far-fetched and I had to stretch my imagination a bit as far as Adam was concerned. I tried to tell myself that he was really, really desperate so he really, really wasn’t thinking.

Aside from that, the book brought up some very deep feelings. I’m not ashamed to admit I leaked tears at one point of the book. It was just good. As you read the book, you know that whatever Mia decides, whether she stays, whether she goes, it will be heartbreak. It was heartbreak. What she did decide, made me realize where the author would lead on to another book and I was so glad for that.

Whatever you do, don’t let this book pass you by. You’ll regret it. It’s unforgettable.

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