Published: January 1, 2009/April 1, 2011
Pages: 201/264
Source: Gifted
Rating: 4 Stars
Synopsis for If I Stay:
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.
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.
In short: If I Stay and Where She Went are beautifully poignant reads with many great character building moments thanks to Gayle Forman's expert handling of emotionally intense situations.
Of course, "enjoy" may not be the right word choice for a book that ripped your guts out. Perhaps "appreciate" is more apt. If I Stay tells the story of Mia, whom, after a critical car accident with her family, ends up in a coma with a choice. Either she can stay in a world where she's lost nearly everything or she can go to the next great beyond. Where She Went then tells Mia's boyfriend Adam's side of the story in the aftermath of Mia's decision. Neither book deals with easy subject matters, but in both the emotional repercussions are dealt with remarkably well. The drama is genuine, not forced, and I absolutely appreciated Gayle Forman's expert handling of tough situations and questions.
There is not much in the way of plot in either If I Stay or Where She Went as the bulk of the story line in both novels takes place in the form of flashbacks. In this case, the plot is the sacrifice paid for the many excellent character building moments spread throughout. We barely see Mia's family before the accident and yet Gayle Forman is somehow able to forge not only a believable bond between family members, but also a connection between the family and the reader, making the read that much more poignant. I felt like I knew what made these characters tick and yet they weren't entirely predictable either. They were complex and real and absolutely my favourite thing about Gayle Forman's writing.
My second favourite thing about Gayle Forman's writing is her clear appreciation and understanding of music and the effect that it has on people. Music plays a huge part in the If I Stay duology as both the driving force behind Mia and Adam's connection and their division. It occurs to me that I don't get to read many books in which music is such a key component and I would like to do so more often because I really loved that. I think the music and poignancy and thoughtful questions behind If I Stay have the potential to make a truly beautiful movie, but the jury's still out on whether it will play out as I hope. I really hope the movie doesn't disappoint!
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I'm one of the few that's yet to read this series, but I'm so glad to see such a high rating from you, Aylee. I've heard nothing but good things about Ms. Forman's writing, so I guess I'll have to try it soon!
ReplyDeleteYeah, definitely! I think you would like it at least as much as I did!
DeleteI loved both books. If I Stay really hit close to home with me because of my cousin.
ReplyDeleteThey're just two of those books that I know are going to stay with me for a long time.
Aww, it must have been a very emotional story for you then. I can definitely see why they would stay with you!
DeleteLook at you gobbling up some contemporaries! I have to say you're much better than I am at broadening your horizons :) I haven't read anything by Gayle Forman (big surprise right?) but clearly she is on my radar and seeing how much you enjoyed these makes me feel sure that they're worth checking out...when I actually get a craving for a contemporary read of course xD The characterization sounds especially brilliant and I like your comment about music and how important it is to these stories. When words fail, music speaks. Anyways my feels might not survive these but I'm determined to give them a go all the same. Eventually. ;-) Lovely review Aylee ^^ xx
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! Well, the main reason I read these ones is because the movie is coming out, or else I probably would have kept putting them off! When you do get a contemporary craving (surely it'll happen sometime!) I would definitely recommend these as they're short, but powerful. The subject matter isn't easy, but Gayle Forman handles it especially smoothly, I think, so hopefully they aren't too scary for you to read!
Delete"Of course, "enjoy" may not be the right word choice for a book that ripped your guts out."
ReplyDeleteSee, that right there is why I'm so scared to read this book Aylee! I've been delaying and delaying it for years despite the fact that everyone seems to love it, and it's because I know it's going to destroy me. I do want to read it eventually though, and maybe now that the movie is coming out it's the perfect time. Can't wait to hear if you think the movie does it justice!
Ha, it's been basically the same deal with me for years and years! Kept putting it off because a) it's contemporary and b) it's heavy contemporary. But I am so glad I finally did because it was definitely worth it! i'm a bit nervous about the movie though... we'll see.
DeleteI listened to If I Stay on audio while at work one day, and bawled my eyes out. I made so many bathroom trips that day. Gayle did such an amazing job with that one. Such a heartbreaking story. I am SO glad to see that you connected with the story. I was so afraid you were going to come back and say you didn't really like it. While I enjoyed Where She Went, I wasn't as enthralled with is as I was If I Stay, there was just something special about it. I worry about the movie though (I still have every intention of seeing it).
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
Ooh, I've heard the audio is really good! Maybe I'll try it sometime... in private. I also worry that you won't like my books... But I always like to keep an open mind when I'm going into something that's outside my comfort zone! And I'll definitely see the movie too even though I'm a bit worried about it.
DeleteI'm glad you liked it, Aylee!!!!
ReplyDeleteI really loved this book and how Gayle Forman didn't go for the easy choices, like it would have been easy to make us hell Bryn and make her a total witch but she wasn't; and the accident was really just an accident, not some drunk driving incident or something to make it more dramatic.
And i get you on the music! I loved how they described how music made them feel.
Yeah, great way of putting it, Alex! Gayle Forman definitely seems like the ideal character writer. They were all so genuine! And she knows her music :)
DeleteI really need to get around to reading these books. I did not realise Where She Went was from the perspective of Adam (shows how much I read blurbs), but with the film coming out, I hope it pushes me to get the books and read them. I am glad you could appreciate these books so much.
ReplyDeleteI hope so too! Because they are books that definitely should be read. And I'd love to hear what you think!
DeleteI loved both these books too, especially If I Stay because of the characters. I cried so much while reading it a few years ago and hope the movie does the book justice. If plans work out, I'll be seeing the movie in a week with a friend :)
ReplyDeleteAww, it was so sad because I loved the characters as well. I probably won't have a chance to go see the movie for a while, but I hope I hear from you that it was amazing!
DeleteI started If I Stay and then ended up reading an egalley that was being released soon instead. I need to get back to it because I always like reading the book before watching the movie. I don't know why, but I do. lol And this duology has received so much hype, that there's really no explanation why I haven't read it yet. I intend to soon! I'm glad you enjoyed these! Lovely review, Aylee :D
ReplyDeleteOh definitely. I always feel the need to read the book first. It's important to me! I hope you can return to If I Stay soon because it's a quick read and I'd be super curious to hear what you think!
DeleteI've always known that this was a good book - your appreciation of the novel(s) only proves that - but I still don't think I'll ever end up reading the book or watching the movie. I know sappy isn't the right word for the story at ALL, but I don't usually read books like this unless I'm reviewing them (which I may actually end up doing one day). Still, wonderful review; I literally felt your emotions.
ReplyDeleteAww thank you Preethi :) I can understand why you might not want to read this one though. It's not my usual kind of read at all either! So I was actually surprised at how much I liked it.
DeleteI'm so very excite to see what the movie turns out to be like- I think it looks really promising, and I think the last time that happened with a book to film adaptation for me was with The Hunger Games. I think the way it's filmed, or at least the way the trailers so far have all been presented, looks really fantastic- it could even be I'll like the film just as much as I liked the book.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad these were good reads for you- the detail of music, the way it's intricately, almost invisibly at times, weaved into the story is so beautiful. I almost want to get the books out from the library and read them all over again!
Yeah, I'm pretty hopeful about the movie. There's some great imagery in the book that I hope is translated well to the screen because it will be so beautiful if it is.
DeleteI was deeply moved by these two books and I am glad to hear that you were too. I literally lived the stories when I read them few years ago, and it took my breath away. I hope against hope the movie is released here in India. Amazing review, Aylee!
ReplyDeleteSarika @ The Readdicts
Aww, that's so nice to hear! They were definitely very moving reads.
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