Title: If I Stay
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Series: If I Stay #1
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publication Date: April 6, 2010
My Rating: 5 Adam Stars
The critically acclaimed, bestselling novel from Gayle Forman, author of Where She Went, Just One Day, and the forthcoming Just One Year.
On a day that started like any other,
Mia had everything: a loving family, a gorgeous, admiring boyfriend, and a bright future full of music and full of choices. In an instant, almost all of that is taken from her. Caught between life and death, between a happy past and an unknowable future, Mia spends one critical day contemplating the only decision she has left. It is the most important decision she'll ever make.
Simultaneously tragic and hopeful, this is a romantic, riveting, and ultimately uplifting story about memory, music, living, dying, loving.
If I stay is one of the most unique, crazy, powerful and emotional books that I have ever read!
I read this book for the wrong reasons, but I definitely don't regret it! I read this one when I heard that Gayle Forman was coming to the Philippines. I figured that her coming here would be a one-time thing, but I didn't really like Just One Day, so I decided to give this one a shot. Because if I were to make her autograph a book, it has to be one that I like, right?
So then I started reading If I Stay. I admit I was skeptical at first because a friend from school warned me that she didn't really like this one, and also because of the bad rating on Goodreads, but I'm incredibly happy that I, being my stubborn self, ignored all those.
Mia, a cellist, drove with her family to her grandparent's house one day when suddenly they got into a car accident. Mia was surprised when she saw herself bleeding in the car, and she wondered if she was already dead. Both her parents were killed immediately, but Teddy was able to make it to the hospital. Mia was then transported to a hospital in Portland because of her grave condition. There, Mia learns that she is the one who controls her own destiny, and she has to make a decision - whether to stay or not.
"If I stay. If I live. It's up to me. I decide. I know this now."
Because this book was told in alternating chapters between the past and the present, I got to know Mia's best friend, Kim, her boyfriend, Adam, and her family.
Mia's parents are both totally awesome! They don't hesitate to used swear words, even if they're around the kids. Yeah, they're just cool and honest like that. They were fun, and seemed more like friends than parents. Teddy was totally adorable too!
Kim, Mia's headstrong best friend was totally admirable! She has strong principles and is not afraid to voice out what she thinks to Mia. She held it together when they visited Mia in the hospital, even though her mother was a sobbing mess.
Adam, Mia's boyfriend, is my favorite character in the whole novel. Adam, who was considerate, understanding, effortful (if there even is such a word), caring, and all that I could ever want in a guy. He saved up two weeks worth of delivery tips so he could take Mia to Yo-Yo Ma's concert for their first date. He warmed Mia's hands even if she didn't ask. I totally loved Adam, and even more when he said what he said at the ending of the book. (Which I won't post because people might say it's a spoiler.)
Reading If I Stay is not only reading about whether Mia would stay or not. It was also reading about love, life, family and friendship. I got into a roller coaster ride with this one, but it was amazing! I don't even know how to find the right words to describe what I felt when reading, and also how amazing this book is! It was just, you know, amazing!
This is definitely one of my favorite 2014 reads! Even though it's just March, I know that it's true because this book had impact. I definitely recommend this to everyone. Not only teens, but literally everyone. Yes, it's that amazing! Go, buy a book now, or else you might regret it later on.
“Sometimes you make choices in life and sometimes choices make you.”
“If you stay, I'll do whatever you want. I'll quit the band, go with you to New York. But if you need me to go away, I'll do that, too. I was talking to Liz and she said maybe coming back to your old life would be too painful, that maybe it'd be easier for you to erase us. And that would suck, but I'd do it. I can lose you like that if I don't lose you today. I'll let you go. If you stay.”
“And that's just it, isn't it? That's how we manage to survive the loss. Because love, it never dies, it never goes away, it never fades, so long as you hang on to it.”
“Please Mia," he implores. "Don't make me write a song.”
Labels: 5 Stars, Contemporary, Review, Romance, Young Adult
