If I Stay

By: Gayle Forman

Narrated by: Kirsten Potter

Publisher's summary

'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.

Everybody has to make choices. Some might break you.

For 17-year-old Mia, surrounded by a wonderful family, friends and a gorgeous boyfriend, decisions seem tough, but they're all about a future full of music and love, a future that's brimming with hope.

But life can change in an instant. A cold February morning...a snowy road...and suddenly all of Mia's choices are gone.

Except one. As alone as she'll ever be, Mia must make the most difficult choice of all.

Gripping, heart-rending and ultimately life-affirming, If I Stay will make you appreciate all that you have, all that you've lost - and all that might be.

©2009 Gayle Forman (P)2009 Penguin Audio US

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5 out of 5 stars

By Caroline Greyling (Author of Five: Maor book one) on 01-24-15

Decisions

Stay or Go?

In the blink of an eye, Mia’s life has changed. All her decisions in life have been stripped down to one. It’s the most important decision she will ever make in her life and as she lies unconscious on her hospital bed, sorting through memories, only she can make the ultimate decision.

Live or die?

Get your tissue box ready for this one! What an emotional and yet beautiful story. I must admit to being a little skeptical with the ‘out of body’ point of view of Mia, but it was surprisingly well done and nicely offset by the flash backs.

I truly enjoyed the characters in this novel, and particularly, the dynamics of Mia’s hippie family. The little descriptive touches of clothing and quirks really did it for me, as did the incorporation of music into the character development and storyline.

On a deeper level, I was forced to think about the choices we make in life, what really matters and how ultimately, only we can decide what happens to us.

I did feel that the story was a little too short but this is a sure sign of a gripping, well-written, emotive story.

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3 out of 5 stars

By L on 07-09-10

If I Stay

The story was good but the thing that kept me from loving this book was the language used by the main character - I found it hard to relate to a 17 year old who would use a phrase like "squalling in his bassinet" pretty sure I don't know any 17 year olds with that sophisticated a vocabulary.

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5 out of 5 stars

By Amanda on 07-14-13

Highly Recommend

What did you love best about If I Stay?

Everything, the narrator, the story, it was all amazing. I just finished it and then wanted to sit and think about it. I'm definitely a Gayle Forman fan!

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2 out of 5 stars

By Ashleigh on 06-16-14

If I Stay, Hopefully not though...

What would have made If I Stay better?

Mia, the main character, and to be honest, ever character was way to perfect. Everything about her life was meant to make you say "Oh, what a perfect life! What a lucky Girl", how ever that's not what it feels like. It felt like I was listening to a story about a stepford wife of a teenager and her "Hip", "Cool" and other buzzwordy parents.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Sometimes Kirsten Potter takes the reading to a weird level, she put quite a lot into this as you can tell, however there are some points where I couldn't tell if she was really crying reading the book aloud or if she was really getting into character, either way, it can be kind of tone-breaking if she's deciding the "sad" parts for you. Also, she does some odd voices, also sometimes character breaking.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I don't actually think I could give the story any redeeming qualities, this is the first book I've read/listened to in a long while that I didn't at-least appreciate the story of. The reader, Kirsten Potter, was okay as long as she wasn't getting too into it, or she wasn't putting on accents however I think those are personal gripes, so she was atleast a somewhat redeeming factor, though, I'm not sure how many people would listen to a book for a narrator.

Any additional comments?

Over all, if your interested in the Movie that's coming out soon I'd suggest waiting for the Movie, because I cannot see this book helping you decide to go see it. If you do decide to read it, try not to over-think how perfect Mia's life was before the events in this book, it'll leave you rather annoyed knowing no one single person has lived such a perfect sheltered life.

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