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Jan 28, 2012

Heather rated it:

There are two kinds of books, those that you finish reading and leave you with fleeting memories of the attractive hero, the silly heroine, and the overall storyline, or perhaps all you noted was the glaring plot holes, inconsistencies, ridiculousness or flat characters. At any rate, it’s a book that you read, either like or dislike, but no sooner than you have turned the last page, it is out of sight and out of mind. Then there is the other kind of book that will touch your heart, or awaken a More...

27 comments like (75 people liked it)

Apr 08, 2011

Tatiana rated it:

Update 3/23/2011. The sequel is a fabulous cryfest. Better than "If I Stay."

Update 3/2/2011. While I didn't love this book as much as many of my friends did, I still think that it has a lot of heart. Looking forward to the sequel.

Original review
It is always difficult for me to write reviews for books that do not have any flaws. "If I Stay" is one of those books. This story of love and family, of choices and happiness, is just so superbly written, More...

20 comments like (38 people liked it)

Feb 04, 2011

Flannery rated it:

Books about death and dying are particularly hard to review. The way we react to them is so deeply personal that I'm skeptical about the actual value of my (or anyone's) review of the work to other readers. When we read, we don't come to the book with a clean slate--we come to it with years of experiences, friendships, and memories that provide us with a vantage point from which to view the story. And if you have an awful tendency toward existentialism, like I do, these books only become more em More...

63 comments like (48 people liked it)

Feb 12, 2011

Jillian -always aspiring- rated it:

Okay, I didn’t expect to read and devour this book -- but I was in a weird mood this morning, at 5 a.m. when I couldn’t get to sleep. . .only for this book to call to me from my to-read shelf. For once, I obliged a book’s call easily. . .and I am left stunned. The final pages had me gaping.

If I Stay, quite honestly, was mesmerizing.

The review blurbs for this book tout it as being “[appealing] to fans of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight“ and “reminiscent of Alice Sebold’s The More...

2 comments like (30 people liked it)

Aug 30, 2009

Adele rated it:

I have had a continuous stream of tears running down my cheeks for the last few hours. Between Jenny Downham (Before I Die) and Gayle Foreman, I have cried a lifetime of tears in the past week. My house mate asked 'why do you put yourself through it?' I had to think about it, for a fraction of a second, before I answered 'because every word is worth it'.

Simply, this book wouldn't be the emotional cruncher it is without some superb writing from Forman. Without giving to much away, she More...

5 comments like (45 people liked it)

Feb 27, 2011

Kristi (The Story Siren) added it

Although I’d read the synopsis multiple times, I never really “got” what the story was until I read the first chapter when it all happens. When you find out Mia is making the choice as her body lays waiting in the ICU. She becomes an invisible observer, watching and narrating her tragic ordeal from the time the accident happens. And it is here that we join her on her quest. To ultimately decide to stay or to let go.

The choice is resonated through flashbacks, that feature Mia’s paren More...

2 comments like (19 people liked it)

Sep 28, 2011

Hope rated it:

I was speaking to a friend after I finished this, about different types of readers. I came to the conclusion that I apparently like being sad, because I’m constantly reading books that either make me cry or make me sad. Apparently I like reading about loss and catastrophes, because I seem to be drawn to books with a lot of emotional upheaval and heavy-handed themes. I like fairytales or fluffy chick-lit once in a while, but it’s the novels that lean heavily on the side of realism that always More...

1 comment like (9 people liked it)

Sep 09, 2011

Elizabeth rated it:

My God. I honestly cannot remember the last time a book touched me the way If I Stay did. I'd been hearing positive buzz about this book for quite a while, but for some reason or another I hadn't made the time to pick it up. Boy, was I kicking myself for having waited so long to read it.

If I Stay is the story of a young woman who, after a terrible car accident, is abruptly torn from her comfortable, easy life and loving family and forced to make an unbelievably difficult decision - More...

7 comments like (5 people liked it)

Sep 01, 2010

Annalisa rated it:

This book starts off all wrong. In the first paragraph, Mia (the MC) describes an Oregon snow storm with that mocking tone people who live in states with actual snowfall have. I flipped to the author's bio: Brooklyn, NY. I didn't believe the setting. Mia references her rocker boyfriend as wearing "pegged" jeans, not skinny but pegged, like I'm embarrassed to admit having worn in the eighties, and all the bands referenced are old-school bands. I didn't believe Forman got teenagers. And More...

0 comments like (15 people liked it)

Jan 23, 2012

ijul (yuliyono) rated it:

Mbrebes mili...

Summary
Mia Hall adalah seorang gadis yang beruntung. Dia punya Mum, Dad, dan si kecil Teddy yang menggemaskan. Tak hanya itu, Mia juga punya Adam Wilde, seorang rockstar yang sedang menanjak popularitasnya bareng band Shooting Star, yang sudah resmi menjadi pacarnya. Namun, sebuah kecelakaan tragis di suatu pagi yang dingin-musim-salju, merenggut kebahagiaannya. Dalam sekejap dia kehilangan Mum, Dad, dan Teddy. Bahkan, nyawanya pun dekat sekali jurang kematian.
More...

18 comments like (6 people liked it)

Jan 24, 2012

Lisa rated it:

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

If I Stay by Gayle Foreman was a mixed bag for me. It was certainly a quick read and I enjoyed myself, but I wasn't blown away by it as many of my friends were. This novel tells the story of seventeen year old Mia Hall who is severely injured in a car accident that kills her parents and younger brother. While her body is comatose, Mia's spirit watches her friends and family rally in support of her while recalling poignant moments in her life as she decides More...

6 comments like (10 people liked it)

Jan 11, 2012

Kat rated it:

I played the violin for five years and the viola for three. It is the piano that only lasted for one year. My older brother and I began our lessons together when I was nine.

My brother was a smart kid, but he didn't know it then. It didn't help that his little sister was extremely competitive, precocious and bratty. I think he always believed he didn't have much going for him - but boy he has it where it counts.

Back then I thought I was so much smarter than him, and More...

13 comments like (32 people liked it)

Jan 22, 2011

Jessica rated it:

Rating clarification: 3.5 stars / TBR reduction challenge #2 (Alexa)

I found it hard to rate this book. While it did make me incredibly sad and made me cry; which was to be expected of course, our protagonist in this story is on the brink of death after a horrible car accident and struggles with the decision whether to stay and live or to let go and die; I still have to say that I found the flashbacks somewhat, well, not boring, but I found myself thinking "hurry up and get back More...

26 comments like (18 people liked it)

Sep 16, 2010

Josiah rated it:

A first thought: I heard a significant amount of 2010 Newbery discussion surrounding this book, probably because of how powerful a story it is, but I really would have been very surprised to see it get any form of Newbery recognition. If I Stay is most definitely a young adult novel, and with its not infrequent use of abrasive language and adult themes it is a book that might in the future be found on some Most Frequently Challenged Books lists. Ultimately, it's not the kind of novel that will More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Oct 02, 2011

Stephanie rated it:

A mediocre novel. I thought that the plot did have potential and from the description it sounded like it'd be very interesting. Unfortunately, it definitely wasn't gripping, though I did speed through it. Despite the subject matter, it didn't really provoke any strong emotions within me and I couldn't seem to connect with it. The main character did seem to have a connection with playing an instrument though and so if I could have related to this, perhaps i'd have enjoyed it more. It didn't have More...

3 comments like (11 people liked it)

Apr 02, 2011

Vote Whore rated it:

i'm at a loss as to why so many people love this book. i know it's about everyone's favorite topic, death and dying. and i do think that many of the scenes are written quite beautifully and realistically. but i thought that the characters were cardboard cutouts of real people.

such cliches. the precocious little brother and the cool-beyond-belief parents whose biggest complaint about their daughter is that she doesn't rock hard enough? i wish i could roll my eyes harder More...

11 comments like (33 people liked it)

Mar 23, 2011

Kate rated it:

For what I am sure are obvious reasons by now; I expected a lot out of this book. On top of that, the ungodly amount of time I was forced to wait to borrow 'If I Stay' from my sister, had me going a bit crazy once I finally got my hands on it. And I'm not here to say that I was disappointed, cuz I'm not. But I guess I'm just suprised because I thought I was opening a 5 star for sure book. I really loved some parts (umm, most parts) of the story, and others, not so much.

What I loved : More...

5 comments like (4 people liked it)

May 30, 2011

Zoe rated it:

My impression? It was good. Not fantastic, but okay. Decent. Tolerable. But I'm a bit irritated with this book right now, because it is one of those books that has been ridiculously overrated. Yeah, it was sad. But not 'devastating'. Not 'heart-wrenching'. People who called this book 'heartbreaking' have obviously never come into contact with a copy of Gone With the Wind. This book was fine, but I honestly think that if I had read the first chapter and then read the last chapter I wouldn't have More...

0 comments like (15 people liked it)

Jan 13, 2012

Mitch rated it:

This is, uncompromisingly and unforgivingly, the best book I've ever read. Never in all of the books that I've read has a book given me so much advice, so much heeartbreak, so much heart-rending words, so much laughter, so much sadness, so much happiness. Never has a book captivated me and captured the essence of such a sad and depressing book subject. Personally, I thank the author, Gayle Forman, for writing such an epic masterpiece. If I Stay makes you stop and think -- about your life, about More...

5 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 01, 2012

Becky rated it:

I admit it: I judge books by their covers. There, I said it. If it weren't for the cover of this edition, with the girl staring up into a blue-grey space, I'd have missed this book entirely. There is just something haunting and beautiful about the cover of the edition I read, and to me, it implies that the story within will be haunting and beautiful too.

Covers are important. This is the first impression that a potential reader has of your book, and so the cover must convey what you w More...

4 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 28, 2009

Ivy rated it:

Mia is a young woman who has dreams of becoming a great musician. Life is wonderful---she has cool parents, an adorable little brother, a great BFF and the most loving boyfriend a girl could ever ask for. Adam sings in a band that is becoming very popular, the girls are always flocking around him, but he has eyes only for Mia. Life can't get any better than that, can it? Yes, it can. Mia is on her way to Julliard and if she gets accepted, she is going to have to make some really tough choic More...

6 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 15, 2012

HappyHippo rated it:

Hadeuh, ditagih repiu ternyata ;))
baiklah...

*dah lama gak bikin repiu*

Ketika nyampe tengah2 buku ini, entah kenapa tiba2 potongan lagu punk legendaris yang ditulis duet Mick Jones dan Joe Strummer dari band punk 70an The Clash terus2an nyelonong dikepala dan gak mau ilang2 *kebetulan ada beberapa karakter di buku ini yang menggemari musik punk*

Darling you got to let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
If you say that you are mine
I'll b More...

8 comments like (8 people liked it)

May 08, 2011

Speakercoret rated it:

hiks hiks...
ceritanya sih sederhana, cerita tentang mia yg mengalami kecelakaan bersama keluarganya, koma, terus "gentanyangan" di rumah sakit, ngeliat dirinya sendiri dioperasi, dirawat di icu, ngeliat kakek nenek n kluarganya yg lain di ruang tunggu rumah sakit, ada juga flashback kehidupan mia sebelum kecelakaan..

cuma penuturan si gayle ini ampun deh bener2 bikin mata berkaca2 melulu ;(
sedih hiks hiks...

inti ceritanya sih soal mia memilih untuk te More...

4 comments like (5 people liked it)

Dec 13, 2011

Skyla (Happy Go Lucky and Lost in Books) rated it:

http://happygolucky-skyla.blogspot.com/2...

Okay my best friend already yelled at me for rating this only 3 stars as he thought I should have rated it higher, but I just didn't love it enough to do that, so if you don't like my rating tough luck because if he can't change my mind no one can =P

Point #1: I had no idea what this book was about, but people kept talking about it and I kept seeing it...EVERYWHERE...so I finally caved and picked it up.

Point #2: Before More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 26, 2011

*Christie* rated it:

I read the first 50 pages of this book before bed and it kept me awake in panic and fear. Because I know that it's true. I know that you can be sitting around eating burned pancakes with your family one hour and your life can be forever changed the next.

I loved the writing. I loved the characters. I loved it. It was such a fascinating journey. I actually liked that the author didn't try to ascribe to one value system or ideology. She just told the story of a girl who decides More...

3 comments like (4 people liked it)

Aug 13, 2011

Erin rated it:

Maybe it's a bad idea to write this immediately after finishing the book, but whatever. I'm doing it.

My copy has this dumb blurb, "Will appeal to fans of Stephenie Meyer's TWILIGHT." on the cover. Stupid, lame, and false. They have so little in common it's laughable. I'm going to get to the actual review ASAP, but first I have to say this... It seriously bothers me that all these Twilight comparisons get thrown around so much. It's like this knee-jerk, money-grubbing reacti More...

3 comments like (6 people liked it)

Aug 08, 2011

Emma rated it:

If I Stay... I liked the title. And the original cover with the white tree. The paperback version is... rather depressing looking, honestly. But it fits, I suppose.

All of the reviews I read for this say it's one of those tear-jerkers that just make you cry and cry. Honestly, I didn't think so. I didn't cry once. I didn't even feel obligated to cry. Emotionally, it didn't seem all that deep. Mostly, she walks around the hospital and reminisces her past. Not really in a sad way, though More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jan 08, 2012

nina rated it:

Waktu jalan-jalan ke Toga Mas, aku sengaja menghindari bagian novel-novel berat--you know what I mean--karena ingin mencari buku ‘ringan’, habisnya aku baru kena terjang ujian fisika. Saat berputar-putar di bagian buku baru, novel ini menarik perhatianku. Covernya menarik—bangku yang ditutupi salju. Judulnya pun membangkitkan rasa penasaran, dan saat membaca sinopsisnya, aku merasa buku ini layak dikoleksi.
Walaupun saat itu aku sudah memegang empat novel, rasa penasaran menang ~~dan menjebo~~ More...

3 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jun 18, 2011

Missie rated it:

Review:
Oh the agony! I totally need a hug right now.

Have ever wondered what an out-of-body experience would be like? If so, then this book is a must read! The aftermath of a horrible car accident finds Mia utterly helpless to do anything but watch as her life is literally torn apart. Not fully understanding what is happening to her, she shuffles through memories of her family and friends, of things that made her life perfect before everything changed.

I can't help the nag More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 26, 2011

Sarah rated it:

This review is also posted at Smitten over Book

Excerpt: Then the musical instruments appeared. Dad’s snare drum from the house, Henry’s guitar from his car, Adam’s spare guitar from my room. Everyone was jamming together, singing songs: Dad’s songs, Adam’s songs, old Clash songs, old Wipers songs. Teddy was dancing around, the blond of his hair reflecting the golden flames. I remember watching it all and getting that tickling in my chest and thinking to myself: This is what happine More...

7 comments like (5 people liked it)