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Zoe Russo's Reviews > If I Stay
If I Stay (If I Stay, #1)
by Gayle Forman
by Gayle Forman
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'.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 missed much. Yes, her parents were both beautiful people who will be missed. And I have to admit the whole story of he brother's life and death tugged at my heartstrings. But at the end of the book, I found myself feeling more bored than anything. This book wasn't new, or original, or groundbreaking. It was a way for me to kill time while I waited for my Mom to pick me up from school. I've seen stuff like this novel a million times before, and most of them were a lot more sad. Sorry Forman, but I'm not impressed.
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Comments (showing 1-11 of 11) (11 new)
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Eden
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rated it 2 stars
Sep 24, 2012 05:31am
AGREED!
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youre not alone. the best part for me was when her gramps gave her permission to let go. that was the only time I really felt somethong for the book.
Completely agree. I thought this book would have more heart. Also the description of what the book is about is completely off base.
Kirstenhinesgmail.com wrote: "Completely agree. I thought this book would have more heart. Also the description of what the book is about is completely off base."^Exactly. This isn't a bad premise at all, but when the entire book is riding on you being sad that these people are dead, but the people themselves aren't very interesting characters, it isn't likely to turn out very well.
Thank you!! I can't tell you how frustrated I was with how boring the book was and everyone telling me it's heartbreaking. Before I Fall did it better, I thought. Better characters.
I agree. Sure, the book was fine. But it wasn't great or really heartbreaking. Some sad stuff but that's mostly it. Besides, I think her life was a little too close to perfection and she's somehow one-dimensional. Maybe I'll read the sequel. Maybe not.
I respect your opinion, but in order to like the book, you must feel how deep it really is and put yourself in her situation
Zoë wrote: "I respect your opinion, but in order to like the book, you must feel how deep it really is and put yourself in her situation"It's the duty of the author to write a character that is compelling enough for me to be able to put myself in her situation. If I can't connect to the main character emotionally, then that's the author's fault, not mine.
Yes, intellectually, I know that losing your entire family is a very tragic and painful thing, and I would never want it to happen to me. But the simple fact that a tragic event happens doesn't mean that the author handles it well, or that the mere inclusion of that event makes it 'deep'. I can feel sorry for the main character in the distant sense that I wouldn't want this to happen to anybody, but the book didn't make me care about her enough for it to really matter.
