Gayle Forman

If I Stay

If I Stay (If I Stay #1)

Veronica Palmieri

I saw the movie first and thought I knew what I was in for—wrong. The book hit harder, faster, and deeper. Tragedy strikes by page one, and from there, it’s a gut-wrenching mix of memory, music, and grief as Mia hovers between life and death.

It’s raw, tender, and totally devastating. I finished it in one sitting, ugly-crying the whole way through. This isn’t just a tearjerker—it’s a soul searcher. Read with tissues. And maybe a cat.

Liana

I saw the movie first and thought I knew what I was in for—wrong. The book hit harder, faster, and deeper. Tragedy strikes by page one, and from there, it’s a gut-wrenching mix of memory, music, and grief as Mia hovers between life and death.

It’s raw, tender, and totally devastating. I finished it in one sitting, ugly-crying the whole way through. This isn’t just a tearjerker—it’s a soul searcher. Read with tissues. And maybe a cat.



Very good book. Almost cried at the end lol

Melinda Hamrick

não importa quantas vezes eu revisite esse livro, ele sempre continua sendo especial e importante para mim!!!!

eu amo tê-lo me acompanhando durante as diferentes fases da minha vida <3

não importa quantas vezes eu revisite esse livro, ele sempre continua sendo especial e importante para mim!!!!

eu amo tê-lo me acompanhando durante as diferentes fases da minha vida <3

NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING CHLOE GRACE MORETZ '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. Everybody has to make choices. Some might break you. For seventeen-year-old Mia, surrounded by a wonderful family, friends and a gorgeous boyfriend decisions might seem tough, but they're all about a future full of music and love, a future that's brimming with hope. But life can change in an instant. A cold February morning . . . a snowy road . . . and suddenly all of Mia's choices are gone. Except one. As alone as she'll ever be, Mia must make the most difficult choice of all. Haunting, heartrending and ultimately life-affirming, If I Stay will make you appreciate all that you have, all that you've lost - and all that might be. Includes interviews with the stars of the film, Chloe Moretz and Jamie Blackley.

anna

It's taken me a month to read this probably because I watched the movie first so it was hard to really get into it. Still I liked it a lot, I liked discovering that they kept the same dialogs in the movie. 
I don't know what else to say about it but overall it was a beautiful book and the soundtrack of the movie makes it even better. 
PS: One think I love more in the movie is Adam's band name haha

Monicap

This book was interesting. It didn't wow me. I DID watch the movie trailer before going into this, so that might have something to do with it... premise was interesting, plot was extremely internalized. The characters were enjoyable, and the writing was alright.
Nothing to special, to me anyway.

aileeeeeeen

reading If I Stay after watched the movie made me a bit ick. maybe because I got to know how the story went in the first place, or few characters that bored me off. but it is quite ridiculous, I think, to ponder and choose between life and death. maybe, if there was one thing that seemingly interesting, it could have been good.

         I have been a fan of young adult literature since I was, well, a young adult.  I have been an avid reader since elementary school, and that love of literature never went away.  Even when I had grown up and gone off to college, I had two siblings who were considerably younger and were themselves turning into readers, so I would pick up the books they were reading so I could talk to them about their books.  Then I became a teacher and spent many of my classroom years as a language arts teacher, again surrounded by young adult literature.  I will likely enjoy books aimed at youth for the remainder of my life, and I have absolutely no shame in that.  Nor should anybody else. 

            So, here’s my gripe about a large number of young adult books: they are always sad, morose, about depressing subjects, etc.  Why?  Why is that a thing?  Why do we ply our kids with these books about death, destruction, heartbreak?  It’s no wonder our kids stop enjoying reading when they go from The Magic School bus to a book about a girl in a coma whose entire family perished in a car accident.  It’s such a tragic premise, and so many other books aimed at kids have equally terrible plots, and it just makes me wonder why we keep doing this to our kids.  Don’t 14-year-olds enjoy magic and adventure too?

            Ok, I’m getting of my children’s literature soapbox.  Obviously, I enjoyed this book, I did give it four stars, despite the sad storyline.  While don’t typically enjoy a back-and-forth format in a novel, in this one, it worked well.  It allowed us, as the readers, to walk along the decision-making journey that Mia was on throughout the book.  I enjoyed the relationship she had with the members of her immediate family prior to the car crash that took their lives.  Her parents seemed witty, loving, incredibly intelligent, and genuinely interested in the lives of their children.  I had many laugh out loud moments while reading the interactions between the kids and their parents…I wish my own parents had treated me like that (I do love my parents, but the witty banter didn’t come until I was much older). 

            I also found Mia’s relationships with her best friend and her boyfriend to be far deeper than what I’m used to reading in a young adult novel.  Mia and her boyfriend, Adam, seemed to have a connection that was far deeper than what is common amongst teenagers.  The focus on Mia’s other relationships, outside of her nuclear family, helped us understand why the decisions she had to make became such a difficult one for her.  Mia’s best friend, Kim, and her boyfriend provided relationships that made staying alive valuable for her.  I found the portrayals of those relationships to be poignant and important to the story as a whole. 

            While intensely sad, this book does highlight the value of friendships and youthful romantic ties, which I appreciated.  It’s a good book.  I do have to finish this with a thought that was brought up to me by my husband’s cousin.  She commented that her one take-away from reading this book was that when the schools shut down because of unfavorable travel weather, maybe everybody should consider staying off the roads to avoid scenarios such as this. 

Kristen Claiborn

         I have been a fan of young adult literature since I was, well, a young adult.  I have been an avid reader since elementary school, and that love of literature never went away.  Even when I had grown up and gone off to college, I had two siblings who were considerably younger and were themselves turning into readers, so I would pick up the books they were reading so I could talk to them about their books.  Then I became a teacher and spent many of my classroom years as a language arts teacher, again surrounded by young adult literature.  I will likely enjoy books aimed at youth for the remainder of my life, and I have absolutely no shame in that.  Nor should anybody else. 

            So, here’s my gripe about a large number of young adult books: they are always sad, morose, about depressing subjects, etc.  Why?  Why is that a thing?  Why do we ply our kids with these books about death, destruction, heartbreak?  It’s no wonder our kids stop enjoying reading when they go from The Magic School bus to a book about a girl in a coma whose entire family perished in a car accident.  It’s such a tragic premise, and so many other books aimed at kids have equally terrible plots, and it just makes me wonder why we keep doing this to our kids.  Don’t 14-year-olds enjoy magic and adventure too?

            Ok, I’m getting of my children’s literature soapbox.  Obviously, I enjoyed this book, I did give it four stars, despite the sad storyline.  While don’t typically enjoy a back-and-forth format in a novel, in this one, it worked well.  It allowed us, as the readers, to walk along the decision-making journey that Mia was on throughout the book.  I enjoyed the relationship she had with the members of her immediate family prior to the car crash that took their lives.  Her parents seemed witty, loving, incredibly intelligent, and genuinely interested in the lives of their children.  I had many laugh out loud moments while reading the interactions between the kids and their parents…I wish my own parents had treated me like that (I do love my parents, but the witty banter didn’t come until I was much older). 

            I also found Mia’s relationships with her best friend and her boyfriend to be far deeper than what I’m used to reading in a young adult novel.  Mia and her boyfriend, Adam, seemed to have a connection that was far deeper than what is common amongst teenagers.  The focus on Mia’s other relationships, outside of her nuclear family, helped us understand why the decisions she had to make became such a difficult one for her.  Mia’s best friend, Kim, and her boyfriend provided relationships that made staying alive valuable for her.  I found the portrayals of those relationships to be poignant and important to the story as a whole. 

            While intensely sad, this book does highlight the value of friendships and youthful romantic ties, which I appreciated.  It’s a good book.  I do have to finish this with a thought that was brought up to me by my husband’s cousin.  She commented that her one take-away from reading this book was that when the schools shut down because of unfavorable travel weather, maybe everybody should consider staying off the roads to avoid scenarios such as this. 

chloe rae

2018 re-read:

I’ve been wanting to re-read this book for a while and I feel like I picked the PERFECT time to do so. 
I honestly think this is one of my most favorite contemporaries of all time. It’s absolutely stunning. The writing in this book is both beautiful and simplistic. It’s not over-done and it’s absolutely heartbreaking. This book is just so SAD. I love how sad it is. And I love the love in this book; the love between Mia and Adam, but also the love between Mia and her family/best friend. I found the chapters about Mia and her best friend super emotional this time around. I love my best friend so much and this really made me appreciate her friendship and love. I love everything about this book; how it’s so short but can make me feel so much. Already can’t wait to re-read it a third time! 

Original review:

HOLY CRAP, this book is amazing. I remember picking it up in the bookstore and being like "eh, I'll give it a go" and I am sooo glad I did. This book is made up of memories and flashbacks and questions and love and loss. It's so sad but hopeful at the same time. Hope for Mia and Adam, and hope for the future in general. I'm so glad I randomly picked this book up off a shelf and decided to take a chance. You should too.

Zahra

I think i expect too much from my first Gayle Forman book. Though this book is quite disappointing, i still want to see what's gonna happen to Mia in Where She Went.

A girl whose fortunes have plummeted from wealthy aristocrat to servant-girl. A magic hazel twig. A prince. A desperate escape from danger. This is not the story of a girl whose fairy godmother arranges her future for her. This is the story of Selena, who will take charge of her own destiny, and learn that her magic is not to be feared but celebrated.

Annika Arguemore

Tragically beautiful, this book moved me. It was quite an emotional read near the end. I literally cried. Adam, kudos to you. You're too fugging sweet. I'd kill for someone like you.

Although, it was pretty much a cliff hanger, I still loved it to bits. This is just one of those books that I could read all over and over again. The details nestle into your thoughts and just... I can't fully describe it. You'll just have to read and see ;-)

★★★★☆ // i wish i experience that kind of intensity and passion in my life. that ending.

Samantha gust 

So I don’t really remember reading this the first time around butttt recently decided to pick this off pango books and give it another go. This book what interesting I do like the idea of being able to make decisions on staying or going. I feel like the romance was a little forced and back and forth. I loved teddy and her mom and dad. The reason it was not A higher rating is 1. I did not like how the ending just cuts off 2. There relationship could have been a bit more loving we hear a lot of mentions on how there fought and were different. Over all it was a 3.5/5

Lauren Grey

This is one of those books that I have been passing in bookstores for years, but it just never jumped out at me as a must read. I saw a trailer for the movie when I went to see The Fault in Our Stars and I figured I might get around to reading it before the movie comes out, but it still wasn’t a must read. Then I was looking at some of my favorite blogs and it seemed that everyone and their dog was reading If I Stay and they were loving it. It came highly recommended… so I bought it.

I have to agree with everyone else- this is a fantastic novel. I ended up reading it in just under two days. It really holds your attention and doesn’t let it go until you reach the last page. This was my first Gayle Forman novel to read and I really liked her writing style. It was like you were just listening to a friend tell a story. It flowed so well and I just kept flipping the pages.

It was rather short (only 234 pages), but it was packed with love, laughter, and tears. I didn’t necessarily find it that sad; I didn’t cry, but there were times when I thought “wow her life sucks”, but other times when I felt that she must feel super loved. I really liked the characters too. Mia, the main character, was very likable; I wanted her to succeed and to figure out life and to stay. Her parents were probably my favorite though; I felt they were so sweet and real and different… I like reading about parents, because all parent-characters are so different. It is fun to compare them to the parents you have or you know.

Overall it is a quick read, but will leave you pondering the question– “would I stay?” The novel has a sequel, but honestly it was good on it’s own and doesn’t really need one. I will definitely be reading more from Gayle Forman though.

Maria Shade

One of those books that stays with you, and leaves you with a lot of different feelings.

If you have ever wondered what to e line between life and death could be like. This book’s explanation is such an insight into the decisions that come with both living and dying 

Lea ;)

Jacqueline Gonzalez

I started my adult book reading with this book and I loved it! It was so heartbreaking and touching!

Savindi Jinasena

** spoiler alert **
           Cover Gushing Worthiness: I think the cover of If I Stay is gorgeous. The cover was what definitely what drew me to pick up the book as well as reading the backcover of course. The girl on the cover is somewhat how I had pictured Mia in my head. Unfortunately where the cover succeeds, the book fails.

Review: 

  
    I’m not sure this is a world I belong in anymore. I’m not sure that I want to wake up.
  


I think it’s time I realized that just because a lot of people enjoy a book and it’s companion novel it doesn't mean that I will. Such is my relationship with If I Stay. I desperately wanted to like this book since so many of friends have loved it, but I just couldn't bring myself to like it or love it.

Narrated by Mia who seems to be in a semi-conscious state after the accident that severely injured her and killed the rest of her family, If I Stay is the story of Mia trying to decide if she wants to stay behind on earth or depart it and trying to understand if her life is worth living without her family.

I know the plot of If I Stay seems like it’s one of a kind and I should feel sorry for Mia, but I didn’t. I didn't cry nor did I care about what happened to her. I knew someone who died in a very similar accident along with two other family members, so I suppose I’m jaded by that experience. Among the reasons as to why I didn't like this book is because I didn't care about Mia’s story was because I didn't believe in her life. Yes I believed the accident happened but I didn't believe in her life story. Not even for a second did I believe in her relationship with her parents being perfect. You can be close to your parents, but you’re going to hit rough patches. You’re not going to see eye to eye all the time or receive the best advice you ever got. Teenage relationships with parents are fragile to a certain extent and I didn't believe in anything Mia said about her parents and her relationship with them. I didn’t believe in her perfect relationship with Adam either, but I believed in her relationship with Teddy and her grandparents. Those interactions are always easier than the ones we have with our parents. The ending also felt like it was a cop-out to me. I didn't think that Mia actually had a chance to make a choice, it felt like the decision was made for her by Adam. He asked her to stay and end of story. I also don’t believe Gayle Forman’s writing style is my cup of tea. I felt it was very awkward and juvenile where there was a lot of telling how things were going instead of showing it. Another thing- Forman’s sex scenes are incredibly strange and it literally made me go “WTH”. One of the few things I liked about this book was the music. I liked that Mia was a Cellist and I enjoyed learning about her passion for Classical music.

I usually don’t let my religious beliefs affect the way I look at stories, but I found it hard to ignore them with If I Stay. I’m a Buddhist and we believe that when our time comes we die- no one can stop that and I felt like Adam’s actions towards the end made Mia stay. So I guess I was uncomfortable in that way. I guess it felt like the book was saying young people aren't allowed to die- especially teenagers, when in reality so many children and teenagers die.

Mia’s narration didn’t make me like her as a character. She was one dimensional and boring to the point where I felt like I wasn’t given enough information to root for her. I also felt like she was devoid of emotion for the most part. I think my favourite interactions were between Mia and her grandpa along with her little brother Teddy. Adam too didn't do anything for me. I didn't understand what he actually saw in Mia in the first place hence my lack of belief in their relationship. I also didn't believe that their ‘love’ was unconditional at all. Rather it was quite conditional with him asking her to stay and promising her things. Also this comment Adam made about Chinese names really riled me up

  
    I don’t think you’ll find five people out there who’ve heard of Yo-Yo Ma. And by the way what kind of name is that? Is it ghetto or something? Yo Mama?

(Mia) It’s Chinese.

I know plenty of people of Chinese people. They have names like Wei Chin. Or Lee something. Not Yo-Yo Ma.
  


I was really offended by this comment. I know a lot of Chinese and Malaysian people who have similar names and they’re not about to change them just because someone can’t pronounce them. It’s like saying “I’ve met plenty of Sri Lankan people before, but they don’t have the name Savindi.” I can’t exactly put into words why exactly Adam’s comment riled me up, but I believe it’s because certain people have this expectation that your name should be pronounceable for them. The world doesn’t work that way, I can’t exactly pronounce Bastian Schweinsteiger’s last name correctly, but I’m not about to say “Why do German people have last names like that?”.

I really liked Mia’s grandpa and Teddy. I would have loved to have a little brother like Teddy- he was so cute and adorable. Mia’s Gramps was a wonderful character despite not saying much. I just enjoyed his overall presence in the story. Mia’s best friend Kim was a character I would have liked to see more of. I think I liked her more than I did Mia. She was much more interesting and I loved her personality and her loyalty and love for Mia. Mia’s parents were interesting characters, but I didn't believe in their easy-going nature- probably because my own parents would respond in a completely different way I think.

Overall I didn’t enjoy If I Stay the way I thought I would. I don’t believe Gayle Forman’s writing style is one that works for me. I just couldn't bring myself to feel sympathy for Mia at all. I think her characterization could have been better and the writing could have been better.

My Rating: 2/5

Would I Recommend It? No

dija

So i was browsing YouTube at 1 am as you all do, and the trailer of this book's movie came up, so i watched it and it looked meh but i scrolled down to the comment section and of course all those "READ THE BOOK" got the better of me. 

So i did. 
This was good definitely not because it was short and fast paced  but not THAT good like meh-ingly good but i still enjoyed it and it kinda moved something inside of me while reading it so that's something.

Jeannette Ordas

I had high expectations for this book, but I was a bit disappointed. I didn't know anything about the story going in, but it was well told - loved the parents, and the family relationships, just not so much the main protagonist.

Nicole

devin.reads

If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would. SO amazing!

Review to come!

An short yet slow & amazing read. Emotional, passionate and heart tugging. 
I had huge expectations from this book, since it got really high ratings and came highly recommended. 

Mia's loss really tugged at my heart strings. Her bright, happy life made the loss more tragic. The words and narration made me very empathetic towards Mia, and I felt every single emotion on the pages so clearly as if they were mine. Im sure even the most shallow, self-centered person would feel bad for her. There is just so much emotion in this book. 

And of course, the narration. Thumbs up to miss Forman for the incredible writing. She did a wonderful job. It was entirely original, and the transition from Mia's memories without getting sidetracked from the story was pretty good. Through flash backing, you felt the loss more clearly, seeing how the characters were once so alive and colorful. The memories she had created more of a backstory than plot,and you could see how the events and memories pieced together. Gayle Forman is a genius.  Plus, her prose was beautiful. Like I said before, you were able to relate to Mia. 
The characters were part of which made me cry so much. The most interesting character was her Gramps. He was always in the background, and he was never the center of attention yet you felt his presence clearly. The moment he had with Mia was one of the most poignant parts of the book, and in that scene you could really feel the love he had for Mia. 

Such an achingly beautiful book.

An short yet slow & amazing read. Emotional, passionate and heart tugging. 
I had huge expectations from this book, since it got really high ratings and came highly recommended. 

Mia's loss really tugged at my heart strings. Her bright, happy life made the loss more tragic. The words and narration made me very empathetic towards Mia, and I felt every single emotion on the pages so clearly as if they were mine. Im sure even the most shallow, self-centered person would feel bad for her. There is just so much emotion in this book. 

And of course, the narration. Thumbs up to miss Forman for the incredible writing. She did a wonderful job. It was entirely original, and the transition from Mia's memories without getting sidetracked from the story was pretty good. Through flash backing, you felt the loss more clearly, seeing how the characters were once so alive and colorful. The memories she had created more of a backstory than plot,and you could see how the events and memories pieced together. Gayle Forman is a genius. Plus, her prose was beautiful. Like I said before, you were able to relate to Mia. 
The characters were part of which made me cry so much. The most interesting character was her Gramps. He was always in the background, and he was never the center of attention yet you felt his presence clearly. The moment he had with Mia was one of the most poignant parts of the book, and in that scene you could really feel the love he had for Mia. 

Such an achingly beautiful book.

Olivia Mitchell

The first book I've read in the BookTubeAThon 2014 and oh my what a way to start! A truly beautiful book, heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. Incredible.

If I Stay

Reviews

Highlights