If I Stay by Gayle Forman

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Publisher: Dutton Books
ISBN: 9780142415436
Pages: 272

Mia had everything: a loving family, a gorgeous, adoring boyfriend, and a bright future full of music and full of choices. Then, 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 one decision she has left - 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.

This book was AMAZING. For starters, the characters were all so fabulous that I feel like they should all have their seperate review. Unfortunately, I really don't have the time or patience for that (and I doubt you do either!) so I'll just gush all at once. I loved just about everyone in the book: Mia, her family, Kim, Willow, the nurses... you name it. However, the one that I especially adored was Adam.


How great is he? Maybe it's just me (doubt that) but I seriously want one. He's sweet, funny, confident, the lead singer and guitarist in a band and just my kind of guy all-around.


Outside of the characters, Forman's writing was just excellent. The novel was highly compelling and the story flowed with a beautiful ease. I really liked the style of the story with the flashbacks where certain characters were showcased because I felt like with each one, we got closer to the character at hand.


Finally, Mia and Adam's story. I know, I know - I said I was done with characters, but I couldn't resist! Although lots of other themes are no doubt explored, I felt as if their love story was the major foundation for the book.

I wish I could pinpoint more exactly what it was that I loved about this book but for now, you'll have to settle for... everything. Wow.

Cover Comments: I like it… I don’t love it but it’s a nice and simple cover. I like the question that they have under the title and the smoky colour scheme. I’m really not loving the review that they chose to blurb on the front about Twilight because the books to me were universes apart. That said, I do understand how great of a marketing tool it is. Overall, not one of my favourites but still likeable.