If I Stay written by Gayle Forman

If I Stay is a young adult novel by Gayle Forman that was first published in April 2nd 2009 by Dutton Juvenile. The story is about a 17-year-old girl named Mia Hall as she deals with the aftermath of a car accident that killed her family. In a coma, Mia has an out-of-body experience, and watches as friends, family gather and boyfriend, Adam Wilde, at the hospital where she is being treated. Mia watches as them and at the same time her memories flash before her eyes as she comes to realize that she must decide if she is to wake up and lead a life far more difficult than she ever anticipated, or to slip away and die. A sequel was released in April 2011, titled Where She Went.

Although this was first published more than 5 years ago I had never heard of this book before. I had heard of this book through the teacher in charge of my school book club. At my school book club our teacher brings in sweets and then we discuss good books we have read and the teacher recommends some of her recent reads. When the teacher told us a short synopsis of the book, I was intrigued by it. I knew that it was a book that I had to read so I want to my school library to borrow it and I’m so glad I did.  The novel follows Mia's experience as she lies in a coma fully aware of what is going on around her and everything her visitors say and do. Feeling the agony of loss of those closest to her yet aware of the abounding love of those that remain, she must make the choice to hang on or let go.

There are many books in this world. There are books about handsome and sparkling vampires. There are also the other kinds of book that will touch your heart and will haunt you for the rest of your life. I enjoyed this book so much that it took me only 2 nights to read. I could have probably read it in one night, but I had a test that week and had to study. I loved the flash backs because it showed why Mia is who she is and why she plays the cello in a family that loved rock music. It also gave a look into how her life was before the accident. She was just a normal girl who had a bright future playing the cello. This book was so captivating because you can see the inner conflict within her about whether she wants to die along with her family or wake up and orphan.  Either way, she has something to gain and something to lose. This book was very endearing and tugged my heart strings deeply. This book had many classic clichés, but is still well written.

This book is beyond beautiful. It's heart-warming and heartbreaking at the same time. You'll laugh, you'll smile but you will cry or drop a tear now and then. This book made me wish that played the cello as exquisitely as Mia does. This book makes you think about your life and how it isn't easy but that, when you're surrounded by people you love, it's, somehow, easier to cross over all those obstacles life puts you through. Mia sure is constantly sharing wonderful memories with us, but what is so impressive is that the author subtly included a message in each of them. It is well-written, with a perfect atmosphere fitting the story and all the emotions of the characters.

This is the movie poster for the movie adaption that is going to be released in Australia on the 28th of August.

Mia’s parents were every child’s ideal parents. They were cool, know music, laidback, had wild childhoods and understand teenagers.  Mia is a big fan of classical music and Adam is into punk music. Their relationship is the cliché where the quiet girl and the dark and mysterious guy fall for each other. I didn’t mind the cliché though. Thanks to the flash backs you can see how much Mia and Adam loved music and how their strong passion for music bought them together. In some of the flash backs Mia and Adam have some very cute and adorable scenes. There are flashbacks from happy moments with her family, her best friend Kim and her boyfriend Adam. Mia's close relationships with her parents, brother, and with her grandparents were all wonderfully vibrant and amazingly realistic.

I enjoyed this book very much and I strongly believe this is a good book to read. My friend, who will remain nameless, loved this book almost to an obsessive level. When I asked her why she liked it so much she said that she nearly lost her dad so she connected to the character who she believed was like her dad in going through something though. She also said that the theme of this book is family and friends which is something she loves dearly so that’s why she loved this book so much. After talking to her I can to the conclusion that this book is so popular because most people can connect to it because it’s about losing family and grieving but has a strong sense of family and friends.

Books about death are sometimes hard for me to review to or form coherent thoughts on. The way readers react to them is so deeply personal and reflects on the reader. This book had its cute clichés and some parts which I can’t imagine any teenagers actually saying or doing, but I still thoroughly recommend this book. Overall I found the book very enjoyable and I would strongly recommend it to other teens and even adults.