Summary:
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 instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters.
If I Stay is a heartachingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make.
Brandi's Review:
I found out about this book while I was watching the trailers for The Fault in Our Stars. After watching it and knowing that I was still going to be in the mood for "that" kind of story, I picked up If I Stay. I was very ready to get right to it....tissues in hand and eyes ready to cry.
We open by meeting Mia and learning about the various quirks of the members of her family. I loved how her Mom and Dad, during the opening scenes as well as flashbacks that we are given throughout the book, are seen as more of a modern, musical, hipster type of family. Mia is the odd one out, preferring classical to punk and cello to guitar, but even in that, you fully grasp the love in the family, wholly and unconditional.
After circumstances change within minutes, less time than the duration of a song which was playing before, during, and after the crash, we follow along as Mia is grasping what just happened. We follow as she struggles to decide, stay or go. The emotion that is exuded from the different characters is real and palpable. Mia's Gramps, in particular, tugged at my heartstrings. His strong silence and few words make the biggest impact for me.
There were a few things that I did not care for. Overall, even though I enjoyed the book, it felt a bit monotone for me. I wanted to see more conflict within Mia. This is the biggest choice of her life....literally. Also, I found Adam endearing. I really liked him, but I felt the antics that were done to see Mia would have been actually extremely disrespectful in a real life situation. All I could think about during that scene is how I would have felt if I were the surviving members of Mia's family. There was a much more simple way to go about it. I guess it just shows immaturity of the character.
I gave 4 stars!
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