Review: If I Stay

Title: If I Stay (If I Stay #1)
Author: Gayle Forman
Publication Date: April 2, 2009
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Just listen, Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel.

I open my eyes wide now.

I sit up as much as I can.

And I listen.

Stay, he says.

Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones: Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind?

Then one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters.

If I Stay is a heartachingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make.

Review

I was so mad with this book, that I had a love-hate relationship with it. It drove me insane because I was halfway through it, but I still don’t feel anything. There was nothing that drove me to continue reading it. I felt that the secondary characters were running the show, rather than the protagonist. Well, I guess it’d be that way because Mia, a cellist, got into a car accident, and is in a comatose state. But really. Mia, the protagonist? Two words. She’s annoying. Okay, I may not be in any position to say this, but so what if your parents are dead. It doesn’t mean that you have to stop living your life. Life is harsh that way. There are still helluvah tons of people rooting for you. It was just so sad to see her starting to give up, and having all those doubts, when she’s just so young and still have a long way to go. Although, I love how she is very family-oriented; always choosing her family over anything else, even if it might be something related to music (her passion.)

I think the only few things that really kept me going was,
   1. The characters were cute.
   2. The book is a very short read.

Oh, Adam. Can I have him, please? He’s SUPER DUPER HYPER MEGA ULTRA effort. *thumbs up* That pizza delivery money thingy, and the hand-warming action, ohmycrappola. He’s sweet, caring, understanding and supportive. Okay, the list goes on.

Kim, the awesome friend! I love the backstory of her friendship with Mia. It was hilarious, cute, and amazing. They were just meant-to-be (in friendship language, okay.) Teehee. I love the way she thinks, and the things that she says to Mia. Those were the ones that hit closest to home, for me. They were really true, especially about the bonds and all those stuff. She’s one of the friends that I’d really love to have.

But all the negative thoughts I had for this book evaporated when I reached the end of the book. That ending? AWESOME. I’m not going to say anything about the ending (yuck, spoilers,) but it’s REALLY AMAZING. That love-hate relationship I had while reading If I Stay strengthened my feelings towards the ending even more.

If I Stay is a roller-coaster ride that conveys a story about family, friendship, love, and making life-changing choices. You should go grab a copy of this, and READ IT NOWWWWWW. Go, go, go!

Rating