Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
If I Stay #1
259 Pages
First Published: January, 2009
goodreads, amazon, author's website

In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

When I first read the synopsis I thought it was short and didn't offer much information, but I read the book anyway because I had heard good things about it. I'm so glad I did! This is one of those books that readers are better off not knowing the plot, the synopsis tells you all you need to know before you read it. Mia and her family are in a car accident and the next thing she knows she is standing near the crash site watching everything that happens afterwards. 

And what happens afterwards is very vivid and emotional. Ms. Forman does a fantastic job of capturing the mood and feelings of Mia's family and friends as they deal with the tragedy. Along with tears though I found myself laughing at times when Mia has flashbacks to her life before the accident. I am a music junky and I absolutely LOVE when stories include music and this book shows all the different ways music impacts people's lives whether it's a way of life for them, it's a passion, it's healing, or it unites people. This book shows it all. It's through Mia's flashbacks that we learn more about her and her family and I felt like I knew them at the end of the book. 

This was a quick read at less than 300 pages and it was a page turner. There was never a dull moment or skimming with this one. I'm sure some readers will have more of a connection with this book than I did, especially if they have been in the same position as Mia's family. The emotion level at times is high and I took a break afterwards to spend time with my own family. This book does a great job at dealing with the topics of death and grieving. I highly recommend this read to everyone.

I give this book 4.5 Stars!




3 comments:

  1. Your review gives me more of a picture of what the book is about and makes me want to read it.

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  2. Sounds intriguing! Though I hope it's not too much of a tear-jerker. I just finished a really sad book and I'm not sure I can handle another really sad book just yet.

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  3. Oh! SO glad you read this one! Isn't is amazing?! If you haven't already, you simply MUST read Where She Went! Gayle Forman is simply a genius!

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