If I Stay is about a high school girl named Mia who finds she must make that choice. A fun family snow day turns into a tragic winter car accident in Oregon that takes the lives of her family and leaves Mia in a coma. She is outside of her body in this odd state and soon finds out that it is her choice if she lives or dies. Mia can’t be seen but is somehow aware of what is going on around her, and she can move freely through the real world. Mia witnesses the struggle of the people left in her life as they show their true feelings to her while she lies in her hospital bed fighting for her life. You also experience all the twists and turns of the flood of life memories being revisited by Mia and back to the present as she considers her choice. Although this can be a bit confusing, it allows you understand in depth about Mia, her family, and her life. What choice will she make? Will she stay, or will she give up and let go? Read the book to find out; I highly recommend it.
This is one of the best books I have ever read. This story is so powerful that sometimes I laughed and sometimes I cried, but I simply could not stop turning the page. If I Stay by Gayle Forman makes you think and see that there is more to your everyday life than you realize. The writing was very descriptive and was age appropriate for me. I liked how the book made me feel like I was in the story, but I struggled a bit with the change from life memories to present settings. I could relate to Mia’s character who played the Cello, as I play the Oboe and also enjoy music that is not always considered cool. I learned, like Mia, that there is more love in the world for me than just at home and how we probably don’t think about the little things and how much people mean to us until they might be gone. I will definitely recommend this book to my friends! I give this book five stars.
Special thanks to our friends at LitPick for partnering with us to provide this review!
