If I Stay in Penguin's Point of View Books

Jul 17, 2010 Lisa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, feels, y-a, re-read

So. The first time I read "If I Stay" was almost two years ago. When I rated it, I rated it 3 stars because at that time, it didn't do much for me.

I saw it in the library last week and thought I'd give it a second chance(which I don't do often for books that disappoint me!)

So now I'm changing the star rating to a 4, maybe even a 4.5! Yeah, 4.5.

It might be because I've gone through two life-changing years of my life but this book really touched me the second time around.

You see Mia go through So. The first time I read "If I Stay" was almost two years ago. When I rated it, I rated it 3 stars because at that time, it didn't do much for me.

I saw it in the library last week and thought I'd give it a second chance(which I don't do often for books that disappoint me!)

So now I'm changing the star rating to a 4, maybe even a 4.5! Yeah, 4.5.

It might be because I've gone through two life-changing years of my life but this book really touched me the second time around.

You see Mia go through this horrible event and wonder if she is going to be strong enough to want to live. You see her memories of all the people she loves in her life. You see everything she has to live for and everything she has to die for.

So she has to decide. Live or die. Stay or go.

This book is not easy to read at times. It tears your heart out a few times. At the end, I had to hold back my tears when her boyfriend gave his beautiful plea. I felt her pain when she remembered people she had lost.

"If I Stay" is about the importance of the people in our lives and how much pain a single event can bring. It's heartbreaking. It's also joyous and lyrical. The memories she has show how much love a person's life can contain. It shows how lucky we are to have people in our lives that love us no matter what.

My favorite part of this book was the characters, or Mia's memories of the characters. Her parents were the coolest parents I've ever read about and I fell in love with them. Teddy was described with such love and tenderness that I really cared about him. I loved how Mia said she read him Harry Potter. Kim and Mia's story of how they became friends made me laugh. Their friendship seemed so real. Adam had his good moments as well. He was my least favorite character, though. Probably because Mia's feelings are so mixed up about him.

So yes. This book was completely heartbreaking but also lovely. I'm really glad I gave it a second chance. I appreciate it now. I could feel everything Mia was feeling. The writing was incredible and descriptive of Mia's feelings. I loved it. Maybe someday I'll decide to give it 5 stars. I have to think about it.

I'm a little unsure of how I feel about the idea of a sequel. Part of me wants to read it and part of me doesn't know. It's an odd feeling.
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Feb 18, 2011 MissSusie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, audible-books, reviewed

This is another one of those books with a lot of hype but this was just ok for me. Yes it is a sad story and heartbreaking and odd because she’s like a ghost but her body is still alive. However it just didn’t grab me it was a bit boring at times, and there were times I was tempted to fast forward to the end just to see what she decides, yet when I did get to it, it was anti-climatic and not very satisfying. Not much more to say, except the narration by, Kirsten Potter was really good!

2 1/2 sta ...more

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Sep 26, 2010 Chelsea Fought added it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, penguin, 2009-publication-date, afterlife

Title: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Speak (Imprint of Penguin)
Format: Paperback
Length: 272pgs

Today I'm reviewing one of my favorite reads of 2010 - If I Stay by Gayle Forman.

From Goodreads:
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...
A sophisticated, layered, and hearta Title: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Speak (Imprint of Penguin)
Format: Paperback
Length: 272pgs

Today I'm reviewing one of my favorite reads of 2010 - If I Stay by Gayle Forman.

From Goodreads:
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...
A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.
I could not put this novel down. When I read the premise I figured it would be good, but I hadn't anticipated how good. I read it in one sitting, I was that pulled into the story.

The novel is from Mia's point of view. It starts off with an ordinary day - there's enough snow on the ground to cancel school. Her family heads off to visit some friends, but they never get there. Mia remembers getting in the car and heading out, but the next moment she's watching her body being pulled from the wreckage. From that moment on the novel follows her through the agonizing process of deciding whether she should stay in a world where she would be alone, or to pass on, leaving earth behind.

If I Stay is a crafted by a combination of what Mia is thinking of and considering in the present, and her flashbacks to memories of the past. So while we're experiencing first hand what's happening to her right this moment, we also get to know and understand her better by seeing the past. I really loved Mia. I loved being on the emotional roller coaster with her. Because it's from her perspective the reader gets to go through all the ups and downs of making this huge decision. We also learn about her family, friends, and her boyfriend, Adam.

Adam is a really great guy. He's in a band that is slowly rising to fame, people are starting to actually recognize his name. He is also in love with Mia. So when he finds out she's literally sitting in the hospital on the brink of death, he's there for her in an instant. Because of how the story is designed, we also get a look into their relationship, such as how they met and how they interact with one another. They're very cute and understand each other. I know I couldn't not hope that she would at least wake up to go back to him (my hopeless romantic side strikes again!).

So, overall, I found this novel to be fantastic. It consumed me, and I read it in one sitting. There's going to be a sequel, it's title is Where She Went and is coming out Spring 2011 - needless to say I'm super excited. ...more

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Dec 16, 2010 Natshane rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Is it possible for one to be shocked, caught off guard after just reading a few pages into the book? Barely even getting the hang of things and then had their jaw dropped so wide open that it might pop off any second? I did. This is nothing I've ever expected, nothing in comparism at all.

How often that you read a book about the realm of purgatory? The clash between science and religion? Facts and spiritualism? Fiction and non-fiction? As how Kim and Mia grouped things, everything in the world mo Is it possible for one to be shocked, caught off guard after just reading a few pages into the book? Barely even getting the hang of things and then had their jaw dropped so wide open that it might pop off any second? I did. This is nothing I've ever expected, nothing in comparism at all.

How often that you read a book about the realm of purgatory? The clash between science and religion? Facts and spiritualism? Fiction and non-fiction? As how Kim and Mia grouped things, everything in the world mostly consists of two groups. It's a question of yes or no, and once again, it's a question of if, it's a question about choice.

I am attracted to how the author had written the story, how I feel Mia being so present yet distant at the same time. Those flashbacks held the key that unlocked my emotions when I was reading this book. When I read the accident scene, I was struck shockingly, as I mentioned before, just a few pages into the books and the grief had seized me, amazing. And as a matter of fact my jaw did popped wide open and my mind raced to sort things out. It's not possible! What? How? The accident took me by full frontal surprise and also spin me off the emotional roller coaster, I found myself to be stiffling a sob when I create the image of Mia finding out about her parents death, horrid. I could just throw up but I didn't. And as I proceeded through the story, I felt Mia's emotional turmoil even more, her concerns, her worries, her desires, her feeling tired and just wanted to get on with it, I felt her frustration. And with the 'aid' of her flashbacks, I felt myself connecting to the story even more, as if I was bonded mentally (and emotionally) with it. Everytime when she recalled her memories with her parents and Teddy, I had the urge to cry, how could such awesome parents die? It seemed impossible, but that's the moral isn't it? That Death is unpredictable?

Having to feel their closeness and then to relate to the present moment when the ties is broken, it's depressing. How would you feel when you woke up one day and find yourself an orphan? it was as if you have no more reason to live, and that's what Mia was pondering - to give up. But giving up means dying, and dying means leaving the ones who loved her, not really her family but means as much as her family does to her -Adam, Kim, Gran, Gamps...She would hurt them as well. That was why Mia had to choose, to face the unknown, a new realm for her to explore....or....to face the challenge of the known world. And she sure took a long time to figure that out.

I broke down when Kim professed her love (in a weird way) towards Mia, they were best friends and I was also picturing myself as Mia, will I have a friend like this? I cried when Gramps had given his permission, knowing that he is telling her to let go, if she wants to. And even harder when Adam cried, because guys don't cry, and when they do....it means something deep, and I knew that he loved Mia with his whole heart. Yet, I was surprised once again at how everything ended, I think I should put it like this: The ending was predictable but how it ends was unpredictable. Got it? Haha.

Right after Adam confessed his 'soul' to Mia semi-lifeless body, something happened, Mia had choosen - and yes, you probably guessed it right. That's the predictable part. But then, I was thinking that maybe the ending would be more elaborated, but it ended with a simple 'Mia?' and I don't condemn that, I loved the way it ends! So......unresolved, which puts me in a junction of an amazing 'what-the-hell?' moment and also a 'Oh-My-Gosh!!!!' minute. And this is the exact quote of what I said when I finished the book 'How can it just end like that?!' in a shocking yet amused tone.

As for the characters, everyone was different and yet fun to read at the same time. All the while while I was reading, it's like every flashbacks tell us more about someone's personality. Mia's (according to Aunt Glo's theory) quirkiness of liking classical music and plays the chello when her family members and boyfriend Adam prefers punk; Grans and Gramps, Adam- why he fell in love with Mia, Mia's mum, dad, Teddy - I felt their connection, the family bond is strong and it ached me to know that it had been broken. And Kim. I didn't and couldn't in a million years guessed that Mia's and Kim's friendship was started off with resentment. I supposed so since negative repels negative but multiplies to form a positive. Math theory works in real life! Ha!

If I stay- The title itself is enough to guarantee myself to cuddle up with this book and escape to a few hours of 'reading wonderland' and promising me that I will ruin my face for this one. If you had a rough day and find yourself wanting to cry but couldn't, Try reading this. It managed to make me shed tears, haha. - I think I've been repeating that plenty times already!

To sum it all up, this is a book about choices, life, and bonds. Pick it up, you might find yourself being insightful later, haha. A standing Oviation to Gayle Forman for the extraodinary plot and characters. It was a blast and it's a good way to start my sleep:) - I can't sleep if I don't read, haha. Habits.
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Dec 30, 2010 Candace rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow! I'd heard so many things about this book. Heart-wrenchingly beautiful. Heartbreaking. The list goes on, but you get the idea. And yes, it was all those things, but it was also about life, about living, about accepting and about family. It's about a girl who is looking back at her life and all the wonderful, and less wonderful, experiences she's had in her short life. It's her watching herself dying and having to make a decision whether to live, or to die. And it is all in one day (well 24 h ...more

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Jan 09, 2011 Nancy rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is an interesting premise. Mia is in a horrible car accident and steps out of her body. She follows herself to the hospital and watches as the drama continues to unfold. The story is told from memories and the current moment. Mia is in a position to choose whether she stays in her body and goes with her family. It's not a religious or spiritual book. It's YA Literature.

Although the premise is heart-wrenching and the descriptions gut-twisting, I just didn't connect to Mia or her parents. I f ...more

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Jun 25, 2010 Dana Wright rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: teen

This book had me hooked from the first page. What would you do if in a split second, almost everyone you cared about was killed in a car accident? What if you were hovering on the brink of death and could choose either way? Death to have no pain and to be with your family or life, full of pain and the possibility of being alone?

This book is about love and life and the choices we make.

What I liked about it:
Everything. The author weaves a tale of past, present and a possible future that is belie ...more

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