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Stay With Me

by Paul Griffin (Goodreads Author)

3.59 of 5 stars 3.59 · rating details · 1,085 ratings · 224 reviews

The door opens, and this guy comes in, kind of tall, clean cut, definitely nice-looking, but there's something wrong with him. He strikes me as both wounded and perhaps a little dangerous.

And so it began. Céce and Mack never expected to fall in love. She's a sensitive A-student; he's a high school dropout. But soon they're spending all their time together, bonding over a...more

Paperback, 288 pages

Published October 3rd 2011 by Text Publishing (first published September 8th 2011)

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Oct 11, 2011 Sita Sargeant rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Sita by: Jord¥n

Shelves: own, young-adult, teen-romance, could-t-bring-myself-to-finish, reviewed, nl

I’m gonna start this review by apologizing, I am sorry I didn’t love this book like I wanted to and I’m sorry I couldn’t even finish it.

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That's seriously how I felt, or maybe I still feel bad for faking sick to get out of going to this persons house. My mum comes home and says "their 16 year old daughter would have really loved to meet you, your practically the same age. You would have liked her. But no Sita you were sick" she said quoting the air to emphasise the sick. I mean who's mum does that...more

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Jun 16, 2011 Alexa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, arc, early-reviewers, 2011-reads, gave-away

Stay With Me is a fast-paced novel told in alternating POVs between fifteen-year-olds Mack and Céce over the course of one hundred and two days.

Reading through this book was a struggle for me at first. I could not connect with the characters. Didn't feel much of anything for them. The relationship between Céce and Mack.... It seemed like I blinked and they were already all over each other, saying how much they were in love. I felt like I missed something. Eventually I just let it go, and after t...more

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Oct 02, 2011 Alanna (The Flashlight Reader) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: review-requests, arcs

Oh. My. Goodness. This book had me laughing and crying all at once. It was so believable. I don't even know where to start...

CeCe and Mark are great. But then, so are Vic, Tony and CeCe's mom. Every character was so well written. I felt like I knew them-- like CeCe and Mack could have been my students. All of the characters are broken in some way, which makes them that much more amazing. They all deal with real issues and have to learn to live with their imperfections. It was so honest and hear...more

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Jun 05, 2013 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reading through this book was a struggle for me at first, It seemed to be all about a love story between two high school kids- before you know it It seemed like I blinked and they were already all over each other and having sex. It seems there relationship moved so fast.Saying how much they were in love. In today's age saying "I love you" seems to be used so loosely, when really do they even know what "Love" is?? (I admit I could be reading to much into it)I still feel like I missed something w...more
Reading through this book was a struggle for me at first, It seemed to be all about a love story between two high school kids- before you know it It seemed like I blinked and they were already all over each other and having sex. It seems there relationship moved so fast.Saying how much they were in love. In today's age saying "I love you" seems to be used so loosely, when really do they even know what "Love" is?? (I admit I could be reading to much into it)I still feel like I missed something within their relationship it moved so fast. I enjoyed the second half far more than the first half of the book. As stated above, The first half of the book focuses on the love story between Mack and Cece , About half way through the book It changed it's direction and really grabbed my attention, I really enjoyed reading the about Mack Wash, and Tony, I found I connected with them more compared to Cece, Vic or Carmella. I think the ending was fitting, It was cute and made me laugh when he received the next dog to be trained. I love how he name's the dogs!! I wish the book would have carried on I felt sad about the whole situation stories like this happen all the time People end up making terrible mistakes, and I would have probably done the same thing given I was put in Mack's situation.

Stay With Me is separated into two parts. I'll call it pre-incident and post-incident I much rather the second half of the book over the first half! Did Mack go to far? Yes. With his anger issues he went further than most of us would go, but I can really relate as to why he went so far, I think any dog lover would feel his pain upon discovering what he had. I really found the relationship Mack shares with the pit bulls and Wash in this book was far more fascinating than his relationship with Cece, but to each their own!
I also love how the author shares so much knowledge of dog-training as well as reading about something POSITIVE about pit bulls as there are numerous stories on the web about pitbulls about about 80% are all negative! It was a great refresher!
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Nov 02, 2012 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Stay With Me is a book that is very enjoyable. I would recommend this book to a friend because it’s very interesting and it’s different than other Romance books. There are many mysterious and you will be in your feeling most if the time when reading this book. At first it may be confusing but once you figure out what’s happening the book will be easy for you to read.
The book is about young teenagers falling in love. Most of my friends love to read about love. This is a great because it’s not...more Stay With Me is a book that is very enjoyable. I would recommend this book to a friend because it’s very interesting and it’s different than other Romance books. There are many mysterious and you will be in your feeling most if the time when reading this book. At first it may be confusing but once you figure out what’s happening the book will be easy for you to read.
The book is about young teenagers falling in love. Most of my friends love to read about love. This is a great because it’s not the same as the other books similar to “love”. How the two teenagers met and what brought them together is surprising. The author uses our way of talking and that helps teenagers understand. It makes us visualize and connect with the characters. It included things that we teenagers think and it’s actually good to have that so we would be interested.
The book has many things that happen. Once you read it you don’t want to stop. Every end of a chapter it makes you want to know what happens next. It’s not only about the couple, the book includes other characters and they also flow with what’s going on with the couple. It’s very intense but amazing at the same time. How the characters can be so loving but then it falls apart. You go through all of that just to know what will happen. So many questions pop up on your mind and all you have to do is continue reading.
Friends that love dogs will enjoy this book. How one dog can change a person and how dogs think. You actually learn things from and about dogs. How they stare at you or when they want something. There are sad moments in the book and by that you want to know why, how, and what’s going to happen? This book can be emotional and that’s good because you like it. This would be great for animal lovers.
Stay With Me has many reasons to read it. It’s a book that is easy to read and have pleasure in reading it. The book is not boring, you will want to keep reading. Romance is a delighted thing and this book is different. Different is great because you’re not reading the same loving story that everyone thinks and knows. It’s actually better because so many other things are happening. Stay With Me won’t disappoint the readers.
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Oct 06, 2012 Beau Hall rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone seeking a great romance novel.

Recommended to Beau by: No one

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. For a guy, I've always been a sucker for romance. I'm not always open about it with my other friends, but when I come across a great piece of romance, I must recommend it to those I believe are worthy of it and who I trust won't make fun of it and call it all sorts of negative things.

Recently, Stay With Me has become one of those pieces.

First off, the writing is superbly done. Paul clearly understands us teens; how we talk, how we act, how we see things, etc. Our parents always say, "I was your...more For a guy, I've always been a sucker for romance. I'm not always open about it with my other friends, but when I come across a great piece of romance, I must recommend it to those I believe are worthy of it and who I trust won't make fun of it and call it all sorts of negative things.

Recently, Stay With Me has become one of those pieces.

First off, the writing is superbly done. Paul clearly understands us teens; how we talk, how we act, how we see things, etc. Our parents always say, "I was your age once..." and we think, "Well, things have changed in the last twenty years." But Paul, it's like he has a whole army of us teens working for him, teaching him the ways of the modern teenager. But besides that, he keeps the writing simple. Sure, big words are used at times, but everything else is written so simply. He doesn't have to use long sentences to express the character's feelings. He just does it like its an everyday thing...

For characters who are almost nothing like me, I can really connect to Cece and Mack. I can't explain it, but it's like I have parts of them inside me, their views and beliefs. Mack is politer than you'd expect his character to be. You think of a school drop-out and you immediately image a teen drinking and doing drugs, flipping off anyone who even glances them. Yes, Mack has those flip-off moments, but when it all comes down to it, he's really respectable and polite. Cece... well, what can I say about Cece? Her character's difficult for me to put into words. She has some skepticism about Mack's character. She thinks he is going to rape or murder her, that he buys drugs, or that he'll just have sex with her and leave. All of which, given his past and his current situations, are not far from what you would expect. But even through all that, she loves him. It's a true love, and not just because the author wants it to be. It's realistic on its own.

And the whole plot with Boo #1 is fantastic. I've always loved dogs, and because of this novel, I think I can better understand my own. Even when Mack rescues dog after dog, he falls in love with each one. He cares for them, protects them, trains them. When Larry killed Boo and Mack murdered him for it, I have to admit: While I don't particularly agree with Mack committing murder, I... can't exactly blame him. For one, look at Mack's character. He gets angry when someone simply insults him. But Larry killed something--no, SOMEONE--he loved. Mack sees it as clearly as I do: "Eye for an Eye." I don't blame Mack, but when you look at it, I don't think it was logic influencing Mack. It was emotion. The loss of his Boo drew up so much emotion that it took control over him. That is why I do not blame Mack for his act of violence.

When Mack went to jail, I kept hoping that something would let him achieve parole before the end of the story. I hoped that he and Cece would be together again. But as the book came to its conclusion, I realized I was hoping for a fairytale. This story doesn't just allow its characters to get through everything so easily. Mack stays in jail, or the juvenile facility. He doesn't achieve parole (at least, not by the end of the story). He serves his full time, as far as we know. That's another thing I love about this novel. The main character stays where he has been sent. Most stories, when something like this happens, the other characters do something, anything, to get the other character out of their situation. But this story didn't do that. The story didn't take a modern-day TV/movie ending. Mack pleaded guilty, given twenty-five to life, and cast off. Nothing more. That's how the real world works. You don't get off easy for anything as severe as murder.

The conclusion, well, it left me speechless. Tears dwelled in my eyes when Mack wrote the note to Cece, the one in his handwriting. Paul didn't just stick with, "Okay, Mack has a reading problem." He showed it. He showed how Mack sees his written words. It was true to him--not just words typed on paper. It was a touching moment.

I was so hoping for Cece and Mack and get back together, as I said. But that didn't happen. Now that I think about it, I don't want it to. At least, not by the end of this story. Maybe when he serves twenty-five years, or after he achieves parole in a couple years. It ends in what I can predict as a new relationship for Cece, with Bobby. It might not become as strong as with Mack, but you can tell, just by a few paragraphs of encounters that they can work out. Or maybe it's just me... But either way, when they look up at the satellite, just like she and Mack did, I get that feeling that's what will happen. It doesn't seem like a forced scene, like Paul wanted it to happen. It just flows... And with Mack's Boo #3... well that just makes the ending even better. Mack's calling is clearly canine obedience, and even though its urged throughout the story, even though he doesn't open up a facility, Mack answers that calling. It's a new beginning for the both of them.

A story of first love... It's nothing if not that.

This is my favorite romance novel. This story's got nothing on the Twilight Saga or any of those other teen works in today's pop culture. It might not stand out in pop culture, but to me, it rests at the top of my list of the best books I've read. I may not read many books, but I know a good book when I see one. I didn't even have to read the first page of Stay With Me when I spotted it in the library before I was already dying to read it. I already had two other books checked out that I was still reading, but after spotting Stay With Me, I said to myself, "Screw it. I gotta check this out." All I read was the synopsis, and my gut told me it was a great read. And it was... I might just read it again twice. Yeah, definitely. (less)

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Sep 23, 2012 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book because of its focus on pit bulls and rescue dogs. While it is not a very well-written book I enjoyed it. But I enjoyed the second half far more than the first half of the book. The first half of the book focuses on the love story between Mack and Cece but it is too quick and not particularly interesting as I did not find Cece to be as interesting as the other characters in the book particulary Vic, Mack, Carmella, Wash, and Tony. What is interesting is the author's knowledge an...more I read this book because of its focus on pit bulls and rescue dogs. While it is not a very well-written book I enjoyed it. But I enjoyed the second half far more than the first half of the book. The first half of the book focuses on the love story between Mack and Cece but it is too quick and not particularly interesting as I did not find Cece to be as interesting as the other characters in the book particulary Vic, Mack, Carmella, Wash, and Tony. What is interesting is the author's knowledge and love of pit bulls and the rescue dog, Boo, that this young couple bonds over. Griffin knows this breed of dog and I think anyone who owns a pit or has worked with dog rescues will enjoy his portrayal of pit bulls....or cupcakes as he calls them. Griffin details the plight of this beloved dog (dogfighting and negative reactions), breaks myths (NO they do not have lock jaws), and writes about their personalities (clowns of the dog world, embrace fun, love humans, essentially big cupcakes). Having worked with pit bull rescues and rescuing my Nubbies from a high-kill shelter I throroughly enjoyed the dogs in this book.....all named Boo.
Stay With Me is separated into two parts. I'll call it pre-incident and post-incident. Did Mack go to far? Yes. With his anger issues he went further than most of us would go. But I can't say that I completely blame him. Without giving anything away I can say that those of us who have loved ones, humans and animals, would have some sort of reaction but are able to reign in the anger that Mack is not able to. The relationship Mack shares with the pit bulls and Wash in this book was far more fascinating than his relationship with Cece.
I can say this book was very predictable but I gave it 3 stars based on the character of Mack, Boo, and the second half of the book. Griffin also mentions in his acknowlegments that if you want to adopt a pit bull go to your local shelter as about 1 million pit bulls are admitted a year. He knows his breed, loves his breed, and recognizes them for the cupcakes they are. It was nice to finally read a piece of fiction that paints these wonderful, comical, beautiful dogs in a positive light.(less)

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Jun 04, 2012 Kristin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 11th-grade-advisory

Stay with me is such a wonderful book because the plot isn't perfect. It's a realistic story that highlights the struggles teenagers go through. Cece is 15 and she's the ideal student; she's sensitive with straight A's. Mack, the boy she falls in love with is on the other end of the spectrum. He's a high school drop out, basically a "no-good" in the eyes of society. Out of all odds, they find each other and fall in love. They were brought together by rescuing a dog (which is so cute) and soon th...more Stay with me is such a wonderful book because the plot isn't perfect. It's a realistic story that highlights the struggles teenagers go through. Cece is 15 and she's the ideal student; she's sensitive with straight A's. Mack, the boy she falls in love with is on the other end of the spectrum. He's a high school drop out, basically a "no-good" in the eyes of society. Out of all odds, they find each other and fall in love. They were brought together by rescuing a dog (which is so cute) and soon they begin to share their lives. They talk about their secrets, experiences, and everything else that comes to mind. Stay with me is a very real book, it doesn't come with a sugar coated version of what we all want.
What makes me adore this book is the fact that I can actually see it happening. Being a high school student, we date, simple as that. And sometimes, we don't always date a person that is in our little clique or "group". Sometimes we wander and that's the most wonderful thing there is. Finding someone else that's so different from you, that's how you balance each other out. Then you're able to see everything from a different perspective and understand what life is like for the other person. After all, you'll never really understand someone's situation until you actually see it for yourself. I love how people from two different worlds meet and come to a mutual understanding in this book. This doesn't happen often in real life but when it does, it's wonderful. The straight A student doesn't have to even glance at the high school drop out and the high school drop out could just assume that the straight A student wasn't interested. This basic plot reminds me of one tree hill; when Hailey, a straight A student falls in love with Nathan, a failing athlete. Although this plot has been used before, Paul Griffin put his own unique spin on it. Stay with me isn't cliche at all and the twists and turns in the plot will keep you reading.
Stay with me is a book that everyone should read because it doesn't cover just one genre. It's young adult definitely; but also romance and non-fiction. I can not stress enough how realistic this plot is, it's almost as if it could happen to you or one of your friends. The greatest books are the ones that you are able to relate to, and that's exactly what Stay with me is. (less)

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Mar 27, 2012 Makenzie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Stay with Me is about how two peoples worlds change because of one another. A boy named Mack, who can't shake knowing he has a bad reputation and is unable to look anyone in the eye do to shame, meets the striking Cecé. Now Cecé doesn't see herself the way her brother or Mack does. All she can see and think is: "Damn I'm a loser." She has good grades and is seen to as ugly to most people she meets. She's more of a goody-two-shoes. As days go on Mack and Cecé become inseperable. They look out fo...more

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Mar 14, 2012 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I started crying 10 minutes before the end of the book and a good ten minutes after. That's how much the characters and their situation meant to me.

Two city kids fall in love. Cece and Mack have things in common - both have single parents with alcohol problems. Both live in tough, hard-scrabble neighbourhoods. But they are very different too - Cece is clever, and determined to study hard and get out of her going-nowhere school. Mack is illiterate. Cece's mother may drink, but she is loving and f...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Emma K rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

“Stay With Me” by Paul Griffin is a story about two teenagers living in the ghetto. One of the teenagers, Mack, has had a rough life. His mom died when he was young, leaving him with few memories of her. The only memories he has of her is her ability to train dogs. Mack has an incredible talent of working with and training dogs too. He’s nursed back to health dozens of dogs from dog fights and trained them so they could find a place to live. His dad, an alcoholic, is hardly ever home... If you c...more “Stay With Me” by Paul Griffin is a story about two teenagers living in the ghetto. One of the teenagers, Mack, has had a rough life. His mom died when he was young, leaving him with few memories of her. The only memories he has of her is her ability to train dogs. Mack has an incredible talent of working with and training dogs too. He’s nursed back to health dozens of dogs from dog fights and trained them so they could find a place to live. His dad, an alcoholic, is hardly ever home... If you can even call where they live a home. Mack sleeps on the floor with a sleeping bag. The landlord of the building where they live is a cruel man. The other teen is Cécé. She is a super smart girl, training for the Gifted and Talented program so she can get a scholarship to a private school. Her mom is also an alcoholic, but unlike Mack’s dad, she tries to be apart of Cécé’s life. Cécé works at a restaurant with her mom, and one day, Mack comes to work at the same restaurant. Between the two of them, it’s love at first sight. For a month, the two of them are in blissful happiness, always together. Their love would’ve gone on forever if Mack hadn’t lost it when his landlord purposely fed his dog anti-freeze so that she would die. Mack is so enraged by this that he looses all control of himself and subconsciously kills the him. Mack ends up in prison, leaving Cécé heartbroken. Mack refuses to see her when she visits him in jail and won’t take her phone calls, trying to protect her from hurt while he’s in jail.
“Stay With Me” was well written because the wording of the story worked well to get across it’s point... It was easy for me to tell that Griffin is exceptional at writing dramatic pieces, and “Stay With Me” was definitely full of drama. Griffin’s wording really succeeded in bringing the feelings that Cécé and Mack had to the readers lap. “Stay With Me” was written vaguely, Griffin expected his readers to pick up on his ambiguous writing, which I was able to do after becoming accustomed to the way it was written. I definitely think that this book is worth reading.
I rate “Stay With Me” 41/2 stars. I loved this book, the way it was written, how the author was able to evolve the characters and their emotions, the setting... I felt like I was each characters best friend because I knew them so well. I took off half of a point because this book had a depressing twist when Mack ended up in jail. Usually, when books have hardship in them, it’s hard for me to go to that mentally dark spot because I try to shade myself of bad things in the world. Books with distressing plots don’t usually stick out in my mind because I like to surround myself with positive things.(less)

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Nov 05, 2011 Richie Partington rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

28 June 2011 STAY WITH ME by Paul Griffin, Dial, September 2011, 304p., ISBN: 978-0-8037-3448-7

"I head downhill and cut along the highway, and of course they're at it again. The dog fighters. At the end of the alley. They got it going on in the back of a van with the seats ripped out. I see through the back doors left open. Men drinking forties and throwing cash and jawing into their phones. And the dogs.
"It's not loud at all. Pits don't bark much. They duck and twist like Galveston lightning ti...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A Love Story for Dog Lovers

“A hundred and two days.” So begins Paul Griffin’s young adult novel, “Stay With Me” (Dial Books, 2011). That’s probably about the length of the average teenage romance, Griffin writes, but the relationship between Mack Morse and Céce Vaccuccia is anything but average.
Mack is a shy fifteen year-old high school dropout with a learning disability and a criminal record. His mother has been AWOL since he was eight, driven away by his brutal, alcoholic father. But he has g...more A Love Story for Dog Lovers

“A hundred and two days.” So begins Paul Griffin’s young adult novel, “Stay With Me” (Dial Books, 2011). That’s probably about the length of the average teenage romance, Griffin writes, but the relationship between Mack Morse and Céce Vaccuccia is anything but average.
Mack is a shy fifteen year-old high school dropout with a learning disability and a criminal record. His mother has been AWOL since he was eight, driven away by his brutal, alcoholic father. But he has gift: he has a way with dogs. He rescues, rehabilitates, and trains abused and abandoned fighting dogs.
Fifteen year-old Céce is no child of privilege, either; she lives with her loopy mother and brother, just barely making ends meet. But their goodbyes always end with, “Love you like a crazy person,” and Céce is a straight-A student hoping to be able to transfer to a school for the gifted and talented.
Written in chapters that alternate between Mack’s and Céce’s points of view, “Stay With Me” is the story of the star-crossed teens’ 102-day romance. Mack is strong-armed into looking out for Céce by her brother (who also happens to be Mack’s friend) when he enlists in the Army. Despite a rocky start, the two are soon a couple, and they begin to dream of a future together. Mack is training a rescued pit bull that he calls Boo. He hopes to gives it to Céce, who has grown to love the dog. And then Mack makes a terrible mistake, and suddenly their future together is impossible.
Griffin has such a way with characters. Mack is deeply conflicted and struggles with his anger, yet he has a huge heart. His tenderness and love for Céce and his dogs is touching. Céce is funny, insecure about her weight (one of the things I love about Mack is that he doesn’t seem to notice that she’s a little overweight), and cares deeply about her family.
Even the supporting characters are complex and memorable. Anthony, Céce’s older brother, and Vic, the kind-hearted owner of the café where they work, are steady moral compasses throughout the story. Céce’s mother dyes her hair crazy colors, drinks too much, and bakes inedible holiday-themed cornbread to cope with the anxiety of her son’s impending deployment.
“Stay With Me” contains sexual themes and some violent scenes that make it appropriate for older teens. The book does not have a “happily-ever-after” ending, but it is full of heart, redemption, and hope for a better future. It may just make you want to take in a rescue dog.

Advance review copy provided by the publisher. This review originally published in The News-Gazette, Sunday, October 9, 2011. (less)

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Oct 03, 2011 John Wetterholt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Cece and Mack are two teens who meet while working in a small busy restaurant in an unnamed big city (which I took to be New York). Cece is a gifted student, and Mack is a "bad boy" with anger-management issues, an arrest record, and a knack for training dogs. They become a couple, and their relationship is immediately tested by an incident of rage that lands Mack in jail. Written from alternating points of view, with well-drawn characters, insightful writing and a strong plot that plays up the...more

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Jul 02, 2011 Vennesa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As a teenager, I fell head over heels in love with a man. With me he was sweet and gentle and loving. On his own, he was someone else. As I read Stay With Me, I connected with Cece and fell into the story as hard and fast as Alice fell into Wonderland.

Cece is just living life, trying to stay afloat yet trying to do something to make her life better. Along comes a long a boy who has a sorted past. The two fall in love and have this passion for each other and life. Mack has a gift working with do...more

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Jun 29, 2011 Lucy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A well written and touching story, Stay With Me tugged at my heartstrings. This realistic coming of age book has a compelling story, vivid characters, and lovable rescue dogs. I was hooked on this emotional story immediately and found it to be a moving and inspiring read.

Our protagonists’ story is told over 102 days. Céce (pronounced Chee Chee) and Mack are 15 and in the throes of first love. Even though they are from different worlds, they are drawn to each other and spend every moment they can...more A well written and touching story, Stay With Me tugged at my heartstrings. This realistic coming of age book has a compelling story, vivid characters, and lovable rescue dogs. I was hooked on this emotional story immediately and found it to be a moving and inspiring read.

Our protagonists’ story is told over 102 days. Céce (pronounced Chee Chee) and Mack are 15 and in the throes of first love. Even though they are from different worlds, they are drawn to each other and spend every moment they can together. Mack has a big heart but a troubled past. He comes from a broken home and struggles with anger management. Spending time with Céce and her brother Anthony, and working and training rescue dogs have helped him to stay out of trouble. His problems come back in a big way though and he and Céce must try to cope through it.

This author has a great way with writing characters. There is a wonderful cast of imperfect characters written with colorful details that make them come alive. My heart ached for Mack and I was rooting for him to succeed. His gifted way with training dogs is a treat to read. Mack struggles with anger, family drama, and a learning disability but has dreams to someday work training dogs professionally. Céce is an A-student who studies her vocabulary for the gifted and talented exam, indulges by sneaking pieces of cheesecake at her workplace, loves The Outsiders movie, and thinks she may have ESP. Together they have chemistry and mesh well together. I like that the story is told in alternating perspectives and I enjoyed each of their character voices equally.

The secondary characters are well drawn and help bring the story to life. Anthony is Céce’s perfect beloved older brother and Mack’s friend. He enlists in the military and she worries about him constantly. Céce’s mother changes her hair color as often as she comes up with new holiday themed cornbread recipes. She worries about her son and is drinking to soothe the pain. Vic is the restaurant owner with the heart of gold that is the glue that keeps them together. All of the characters are endearingly flawed and won me over with their quirky character traits.

I think many readers will relate to insecure Céce and her embarking on first love, dealing with family difficulties, and striving to succeed academically. She is written in a sweet, sensitive and flawed way that is endearing. Although Mack has some big problems, readers can relate to his struggles, his good heart and his love for dogs.

Although the story is heartbreaking in many ways, there are some rays of hope that keep it from being too dark. The conclusion is satisfying, yet bittersweet and a perfect end to the story. This emotional read hit me in the gut with the realistic story and wonderful cast of characters. Recommended for older teens due to mature situations, this realistic book is an emotional and beautiful read. This story of heart and redemption is a treat and I’m so glad I had the chance to read it. Keep an eye out for Stay With Me this fall.

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Aug 20, 2012 Hayley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A story about doomed love, and pitbulls. About abuse of animals, and people. As vulnerable as it is heart-warming.

Mack's got a shady past, a stint in juvenile justice and the static in his head that he can't always control. He doesn't hold anything against his mother for leaving him with his bitter, alcoholic father. Says he would have done the same thing.

His greatest gift came from his mother, because she taught him the way of the dogs. How to speak to them, earn their trust and obedience. And...more A story about doomed love, and pitbulls. About abuse of animals, and people. As vulnerable as it is heart-warming.

Mack's got a shady past, a stint in juvenile justice and the static in his head that he can't always control. He doesn't hold anything against his mother for leaving him with his bitter, alcoholic father. Says he would have done the same thing.

His greatest gift came from his mother, because she taught him the way of the dogs. How to speak to them, earn their trust and obedience. And Mack has a special place where he takes abused dogs and retrains them. He has a name for his abused dogs too. Boo. They're all called Boo. He fixes them, and gives them to people to love them right. Pit Bulls are his favourite.

Cece's got a fear of dogs. Especially pits. When Cece's brother joins the army, he asks the one guy he can trust, to look after her. But Mack, with his history of violent crime, hardly seems like the right person. He meets a stranger in an alley every week, and they swap hands. Money... for what? Drugs? He never invites Cece to his house, and won't go into hers, even when her Mum invites him.

She's the most perfect girl he's known. And he struggles to be good enough, but can't be. She's smart and warm and has a great family. Mack can't even look her in the eye. But he walks her home from work, like Tony asked. And he's falling for her. Cece sees the pure beauty in Mack that the rest of the world stamps out. She alone can quiet the static in his head. The rest of the world expects little of him, but Cece knows he's gifted. Mack's a healer.

When he finds another pitbull discarded after a pit fight, Mack knows he must rescue another Boo. And train her. This dog's purpose is clear. Coaxing Cece and the dog, Mack becomes a healer of both. But then it all goes wrong.

What follows is graphic violence, scenes of anticipation and anxiety that leave your heart thudding, and the knowledge that Mack and Cece's problems can't be fixed.

All characters in this book are believable, and integral to the plot. The story doesn't shy away from tough issues of abuse, alcoholism and reversed parental roles. Griffin plays the character's lives like a sad piece of music. He shows the humanity and flaws in every character, and yet he leads us to love them all. He does what Nicholas Shakespeare said is demanded of fiction, by sharing a cigarette with his enemy. Because each character is broken, and none are two dimensional.

Paul Griffin wants to teach his readers, and he does it beautifully. His dialogue is among the most realistic I've read, characters are well developed and interesting. Storyline sucks you in from the first page.

Written from the perspective of Cece and Mack in alternate chapters, we witness the confusion, honesty and heartache unfold. Rejection is the most bitter pill. So is facing up to human brutality. Griffin seamlessly weaves together the brokenness of the Boo dogs with Mack. Mack is a Boo in need of healing. We all are.

Readers are not left with a happy ending, but a real one. In brokenness, there can also be healing. This novel does indeed stay with me, long after the last page.(less)

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Jan 05, 2012 Anna (Gatsby's Girl) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cece (pronounced Che-Che) is on the track to make something out of her life other than popping out babies and waitressing on the wrong side of town. Mack is a high-school dropout who has a talent with dogs, but can't look people in the eyes. Neither wanted to go out with the other - but when Cece's brother Tony goes into the Army they begin to connect like he said they would. It starts with Mack walking Cece home from work at Vic's Too, the diner they both work at. Then they work to rehabilitate...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Daniela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: american, animals, fiction, mental-health, realistic-fiction, romance, young-adult

Age Group:
Young Adult

Genre:
American Literature, Realistic Fiction, Mental Heath, Romance

Summary:
Stay With Me is the story of a very troubled young man and his struggle to have a normal relationship. Mack is a high school dropout who’s been to juvie and back. Now he’s working at a restaurant and dog walking – trying to make the best of his sad past. When a girl named Cece awkwardly enters his life, Mack finds the inspiration to be a better person. But can the good behaviour last for long?

My Thoug...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Brandi Kosiner added it · review of another edition

This is a very fast paced story that deals with tough but real life issues. It is gritty, and I recommend for mature teens. The characters are very believable, down to earth and authentic, and even though I didn't relate a whole lot with some of their circumstances, I really felt for them and wanted for them to come out on top.
Tony and Vic are two of the minor characters who really got to me.. Their ability to see the best in people, work to bring it out, and selflessly give really impressed...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Shania Stickley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Couldn't put this book down! I cried towards the end! Sad but yet exciting! Really gets your heart going!<3

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Jan 19, 2012 bjneary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, multicultural-fiction, realistic-fiction, romance, urban-fiction, ya

Loved, loved, loved this book! I loved Paul Griffin's Mack Morse and the slow way he is drawn to CeCe (even though her older brother Anthony sees them together)but this is a very tough book to read; at one point I was so unsettled, I was unsure if I wanted to continue to read. I am so glad I did! Mack has a record, he doesn't look you in the eye, and he has a father who is mostly drunk (that is why mom left)but Anthony sees the good in Mack and it is this good that the reader must constantly go...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Courtney rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: potential-gateway-noms-2013-14, teen-fiction, realistic-fiction, romance

When Mack and Cece began working in the same restaurant, they never thought they'd be falling in love. Mack is quiet and has difficulty looking anyone in the eye. He also has a record, which he is certain will prevent anything good from happening in his life. Cece is a hard-working girl who hopes her studying will be her ticket out of her life. Mack's saving grace is his habit of pit bull rescue. It's the only thing that makes him feel calm. That and his best friend, Anthony, who also happens to...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Lett' rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://letteraturaa.wordpress.com/201...

Un petit livre lu très vite mais qui n’en reste pas moins intéressant. On a tout ce qu’on veut dans ce petit livre, de l’amour, de la passion, de la tristesse, un drame et voilà tout.

Il commence un peu comme tout les livres, avec une fille, un garçon, des problèmes, des tas de problèmes, on ose pas, et on s’habitue, on commence à aimer et ça avance…voilà un peu le topo du début. Mais le problème c’est qu’on s’attache trop à ces personnages, surtout à Mack...more http://letteraturaa.wordpress.com/201...

Un petit livre lu très vite mais qui n’en reste pas moins intéressant. On a tout ce qu’on veut dans ce petit livre, de l’amour, de la passion, de la tristesse, un drame et voilà tout.

Il commence un peu comme tout les livres, avec une fille, un garçon, des problèmes, des tas de problèmes, on ose pas, et on s’habitue, on commence à aimer et ça avance…voilà un peu le topo du début. Mais le problème c’est qu’on s’attache trop à ces personnages, surtout à Mack qui est bon dans le fond mais pas vraiment dans la forme. Vous verrez ce que je veux dire en le lisant…

La petite touche d’originalité est peut-être la présence des chiens, cette passion de Mack. Les chiens et en particulier quelques uns qui vont bouleverser la vie de Mack et de Céce dans tout les sens possibles. Vous verrez que l’amour pour les chiens, c’est mignon, et que ça peut être symbole à tant de choses.

Ce livre, vous l’oublierez, et moi aussi, mais l’important, ce n’est pas ça, l’important pour moi, dans cette lecture, c’est de vivre avec les personnages en même temps qu’eux, s’émouvoir mais aussi être heureux avec eux. Et c’est ce que j’ai réussi, j’ai rigolé, un peu pleuré, sourit avec Mack et Céce et ça, ça me suffit amplement ! Il faut pas en attendre trop, ce n’est pas un tel livre, c’est un livre pour s’envoler chez eux et vivre leurs histoires pour ensuite les quitter avec un petit sourire nostalgique.

L’écriture est légère, un peu trop par moment, surtout quand on sort d’un Tolstoï, la différence est flagrante ! Mais bon, au moins, elle nous dérange pas pour la compréhension de l’histoire, et le minimum syndical m’a suffit. Quand au contenu, j’aurais apprécié qu’il soit plus long…

En lisant ce livre on se dit que l’amour n’existe que dans les livres, surtout de tels histoires, qui dépassent tant de préjugés pour donner de l’importance à l’intérieur. C’est beau, c’est mignon, et ça m’a fait passer un très bon week-end.

En fait, je ne sais pas trop quoi dire, puisque je l’ai lu, je l’ai aimé, mais en parler, c’est un peu plus compliqué parce que je sais que l’histoire n’a rien de très original. Et c’est le cas, c’est une histoire de plus, mais bien menée, qui sait nous divertir et nous émouvoir en même temps.

D’ailleurs, je ne vous parlerai pas de la fin, ça serait trop spoiler, donc je vous le conseille, mais je vous jette dans l’eau sans rien vous dire ! Sachez que le tout est génial ! Et petit bémol, la couverture, je ne comprends pas trop le rapport, mais bon ^^

Je vous le conseille, mais sachez que c’est hyper léger, une petite lecture du week-end Carpe diem (profitez bien du moment de votre lecture quoi !)(less)

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May 16, 2012 Hannah rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

I will update this with a review later, but seriously I wish I could get back the hours i spent listening to this audio book!

Mac is 15, a drop out, and a dishwasher who has a way with dogs unlike any other. Cece thinks she has ESP, is an A student, and works as a waitress at the same restaurant as her mother. These two teens are nothing alike but Cece’s brother is leaving for basic training and wants to make sure someone is looking out for Cece so when Mac has to switch to the same restaurant th...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Jenia. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: drama, realistic, romance, ya, crime

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Stay With Me was one of the novels, which I was glad that I came across. Stay With Me came as recommendation to me on Goodreads, so when I saw it in library, I checked it out. I was hooked from first sentence, making me curious right away what happened with the couple. The writing style was unique and filled with so much emotion, action. It made me fall in love with characters and found myself rooting for characters.

Fifteen year old Cece & Mack never planned to fall in love. While Cece i...more Stay With Me was one of the novels, which I was glad that I came across. Stay With Me came as recommendation to me on Goodreads, so when I saw it in library, I checked it out. I was hooked from first sentence, making me curious right away what happened with the couple. The writing style was unique and filled with so much emotion, action. It made me fall in love with characters and found myself rooting for characters.

Fifteen year old Cece & Mack never planned to fall in love. While Cece is A student, Mack in high school dropout, yet he knows that he wants to be with her the moment he meets her. Even though he knows that he isn’t good for her. Soon Cece and Mack find themselves spending most of their time with each other. They find themselves bonding over rescue dog, telling each other secrets and even planning their future together.

That is all taken away, when Mack loses his temper and makes a horrible mistake, sending Mack behind bars, only leaving Cece of memories of their time together. Will their love survive?

Griffin’s writing their style was unique; I found it entraining that he wrote the novel by days and fact that he wrote both from Cece and Mack’s point of view. I felt like I got to know both of them more, better and felt as I could imagine what they both were going through, feeling. I loved the relationship between the two of them. It surprised me to find Mack falling in love with Cece so fast, he just didn’t seem the type of guy to fall in love, and that fast too. I also found it cute how much he cared about Cece. I could see how different person Mack was when Cece was around, he was able to control his anger more while she was around. It made me wonder if things turned out differently if Cece was around when Mack lost his temper.

I felt like I wanted to kill Larry too after he killed Boo. I love animals, especially dogs as much as Mack did. I think maybe Mack should though of Cece when he went out to get revenge, to me it felt like he didn’t even care about anyone at that moment, only about getting revenge. I wasn’t happy how he treated Cece when she visited him either, even thought I understood why he acted, way he did. Bond between him and one of the Guards, I thought that was something different, not someone that you see often, I was glad to see that he at least got to make one friend, a loyal one.

The ending made me cry, especially when Cece went running after the bus, to say goodbye. I wanted to stop the bus myself, just so she could get to say her goodbye. I was happy when Mack came to his senses, apologizing for his actions and when they finally got to say their goodbyes. It made me smile and cry at same time. It was the right ending. It’s a book worth reading.

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Jan 03, 2012 Lisa (Badass Bookie) rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Short Story? – A powerful novel about first love, loss and hope. Griffin has written a moving coming-to-age novel that will influence readers of all ages. A bittersweet love story, a mutual heartbreak and the painful process of moving on. Stay with Me is an excellent work of fiction that discusses issues that are faced by teenagers all around the world. Beautiful and heavily influential, Stay with Me is fantastic!

The Long Story? – I didn’t cry but I think that if I didn’t read the ending fir...more The Short Story? – A powerful novel about first love, loss and hope. Griffin has written a moving coming-to-age novel that will influence readers of all ages. A bittersweet love story, a mutual heartbreak and the painful process of moving on. Stay with Me is an excellent work of fiction that discusses issues that are faced by teenagers all around the world. Beautiful and heavily influential, Stay with Me is fantastic!

The Long Story? – I didn’t cry but I think that if I didn’t read the ending first I would have. I’m not a fan of coming-to-age novels, sob stories or anything that can be classified as real teen fiction. All of which can be used to describe Stay with Me yet I really enjoyed the novel. It’s the kind of novel that really makes an impact on you and makes you think again how your life could have turned out to be like - makes you appreciate the lifestyle you have. It deals with a lot of serious teen issues like neglect, sex, juvenile behavior and more importantly how to work your way through those issues. Stay with Me was really an excellent balance of romance and the coming-to-age aspects of the novel. Towards the end with all the heartbreak I found it a little hard to read because I’m a huge fan of happy endings and the ending of this novel can only be described as bittersweet. However, overall Stay with Me was a brilliant novel that I’m sure many of you would find very refreshing. It’s a great novel, very powerful.

In Stay with Me, the characterization focuses less on the physical appearance of the characters and more on their emotional state. The novel is written so that the story is told from the perspectives of Cece and Mack, two teens who are in love. The alternating perspectives work really well with the novel because you needed both Cece and Mack’s point of view to get a grasp of the whole story. What really did show through the story was that Cece and Mack had a very close relationship and that they really do love each other. Both characters have their own personal demons and it was a really nice touch to have them help each other through their individual issues. Boo is another character that’s very important because she was the glue that stuck the whole novel together. She played a very important part in the novel in bringing Cece and Mack closer together and she shaped how the novel ended. Overall it’s a very complex characterization however I feel they were necessary in giving the novel personality.

For me when it got the heartbreak and the separation, it was really hard to read. One of the main reasons I don’t like to read real teen fiction is because of the bittersweet endings. It’s realistic but it’s not fiction and it’s not happy. However Stay with Me was definitely a very influential novel with a lot of value. It teaches about love, loss and hope and it’s a great coming-to-age novel. Beautifully written, Griffin has written a bittersweet love story with a deeper and more important message behind it. For fans of Judy Blume and Sarah Dessen.

What's it's Worth? - Squeeze into the Budget/ Hand Over the Paycheck
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May 25, 2012 Jordan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was about to give up on this book,I wasn't that into it.But I really fell in love with mack,cece,and boo. The way Mack and Cece bonded through Boo.Cece was the only one that could stop the hissing. When Mack was with her,everything was okay and under control.He made Cece believe that not all pit bulls are really aggressive. I love how much Mack cared for cece and boo. I love how mack killed Larry because he killed Boo.But I was so devastated that he went back to jail. In the mist of all that,C...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Tasha rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought this book was terrible. i had higher expectations for it, that's for sure. In the summary for this book, I thought it sounded interesting. When you open up the book it has a little prologue i guess saying that everything ended in one hundred and 2 days..

*SPOILERS COMING*

I thought that everything would be good and then something would happen like on the one hundrendth and 2nd day, not something would happen at like the 40th day which is Mack going to jail for 25 years to life and he's...more

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May 15, 2012 Pragya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, library

This is such a cute book. I don't think I have ever read a more cute childhood/ teenager romance without it being mushy or in-your-face. This one's really balanced. You get to see both aspects of the teens - the childish as well as the mature ones.

It is a very beautiful love story that is not seen much in today's teens but I hope it exists somewhere because it's just so adorable. Love the dog's part too and he has an extremely important role to play in this book.

The book shows how one decision/...more

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Crazy for Young A...: Stay with Me by Paul Griffin	7	26	Nov 12, 2012 05:26pm
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About Paul Griffin

Paul Griffin lives, writes, and trains dogs in New York City. His previous novel, The Orange Houses, was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults Top Ten, an International Reading Association 2010 Notable Book for a Global Society, a Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Book of 2009, and an Amelia Bloomer Project Award winner.

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Quotes from Stay with Me

“I bet when you hold hands with a girl that cool you wonder if it's possible you're going to levitate like that one of them monks I saw on a TV commercial once, which don't you wish that was real?
- Mack” — 2 people liked it

“I stole looks. First was her hair, long and loopy and pulled back.
Second, she has the prettiest face, oopen-like and up-looking.
Third time I looked she was studying that satellite and I saw her eyes, deep brown, almost black. She has these little scars on her chin.
I like that.
When a lady isn't perfect, she's a lot more perfect, I believe.
- Mack” — 1 person liked it

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