If I Stay

If I Stay

By: Gayle Forman

"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 instatn, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters.

summary from book

My Rating: 5/5

This really is such a beautiful story. I'd read some amazing reviews for If I Stay and after having read it myself, I can completely understand why. There is so much I loved about this novel, it's going to be difficult to pinpoint just a short few in this review.

I'll start with how the story is told. Chapters alternate back and forth between the present and the past. You have insight into the now as well as the roads that led the characters to where they are when the reader first meets them. I love character back stories so knowing a past history, ranging from small life moments to more large and significant ones made me feel very connected to the characters and their surrounding situations. I've mentioned before in past reviews how I'm huge on stories revolving more so around character than plot and how I'm huge on character development which is all true. I find myself being the most drawn to novels when they contain these components and If I Stay definitley contains all of these traits and more.

Music plays a large part in this novel which I loved. I feel that music draws the majority of us in, a common trait the many of us all have in common regardless of which genres we prefer. Mia's parents, big music buffs back in their day were some of the most original parental figures that I'd ever come across in any novel. Their dialogue had me laughing out loud just because there was no holding back with them. I love how music contributed to this novel and how Gayle Forman used it.

And then there's Adam. He really does make your heart melt but I'll let you find that one out for yourself. ;)

I highly recommend If I Stay to everyone. Also, just a random tidbit of information, I heard that there's going to be a movie. Supposedly Catherine Hardwicke is going to direct it so keep an eye out for that as well.