If I Stay - Gayle Forman

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Summary

Mia and her family is in a terrible car accident that leaves her entire family dead and Mia in a coma.  The thing is, she’s also awake in some other form, watching her life go on around her body as well.  She watches as her friends and family members gather about her, willing her to survive, while she remembers her life with her parents and her brother, Teddy, and her boyfriend Adam.  The ultimate point is for her to decide, will she go on living or join her family in death?

Review

If I stay is a heart-wrenching story about Mia and a review of the past few years of her life prior to the accident.  It mainly focuses around the relationships between her and Adam and her and her family.  The book as a whole was rather serious, and melancholy, even in the good parts of her memories, which makes sense due to the nature of the book.

I love Adam.  He was the boyfriend we all wished we had at some point or another.  Not many guys will save up a ton of money for concert tickets as a first date, let alone try to come up with plans as to how to break into ICU just to see their girlfriend.  Mia’s parents were okay, if not a little casual about her and Adam’s relationship.   I mean, he was allowed to spend the night?  Her mom took her to get birth control as soon as she started dating?  Parents should be parents, not best friends.  The “best friend” parent happens in books frequently, but usually the downside to that kind of parenting plays out as well.

This book was very well written, and there really isn’t much to not like.  I just can’t say that I loved it because I’m not all that into sad books.  In fact, typically I avoid them at all costs.  I read to feel good and happy.  Reading is an escape from reality.  I don’t mind throwing in a serious or sad book every now and then, it’s good for a change, but it’s just not my favorite type.

So the question is…will I be reading Where She Went?  Well, the answer is, I won’t run away from it.  If it ends up as a download from the library, I could see myself adding it to my list of books without thinking twice, but I can’t say I’m chomping at the bit to get to it.  I’m interested in reading a book from Adam’s perspective though – I like it when books are written from the guy’s point of view.  I’m just not really looking forward to much more melancholy.  I’ve had my fill for the month I’d say.

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