If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Book Blurb

In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.

My Review

This book made me cry, at the airport, in front of complete strangers.  I had it on my Kindle for awhile, but when I went to read it, I couldn't remember what it was about, so it was a blind read.  For some reason, I thought it was about faeries, but not so much in reality.

Characters

Wow.  The characters in this book felt so real to me.  Tons of character development weaved in throughout the story.  Every character, major and minor, had a story and was unique.  The characters are what made this book great.  Only minor complaint is that sometimes they felt really perfect- not as many obvious character flaws which help lend credibility to the characters.  

Plot

The story is told as Mia recalls memories of her family when she is in an "in between state" of life and death.  Beautiful narratives of her family, friends, and boyfriend.  That's the main plot of the story.  

Relationship

Mia and Adam had a solid relationship.  They weren't the perfect couple, and Mia had some insecurities, but Adam was a good guy throughout the story that she depended on.  It was clear that the two had a love that is rare in high school relationships, but it wasn't over exaggerated to be an EPIC ROMANCE.  It felt very real.

Overall

I enjoyed this book- definitely worth 4 stars.  I'm embarrassed by my public weeping, but it's cathartic.  I looked up the next book in Mia's story, Where She Went, and I can not wait to read it (it comes out April 5th). It'll be told from Adam's perspective, 3 years later.