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If I Stay (If I Stay, #1)

Gayle Forman

Start date: April 1, 2014

Finish date: April 30, 2014

Discussion: Group Read

Why we're reading this: Contemporary Book of the Month
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December's Book of the Month: The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
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last updated Dec 06, 2014 07:58PM

December's Book of the Month: Where She Went by Gayle Forman
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last updated Dec 06, 2014 06:03PM

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What Members Thought

Jul 13, 2011 Annie Brewer rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-on-my-shelf

It seems I am branching out into other genres. Of course I will always love the paranormal romance genre the best. But it's good for the brain to explore a bit. I found I could really relate to these non fiction characters in so many ways. Anyhow back to my review. I just finished this incredible masterpiece If I Stay by Gayle Forman in 24 hours. That is a record for me. Of course it is not as long as every other book I've read thus far. But it's definitely the most emotional, heartwrenching sto It seems I am branching out into other genres. Of course I will always love the paranormal romance genre the best. But it's good for the brain to explore a bit. I found I could really relate to these non fiction characters in so many ways. Anyhow back to my review. I just finished this incredible masterpiece If I Stay by Gayle Forman in 24 hours. That is a record for me. Of course it is not as long as every other book I've read thus far. But it's definitely the most emotional, heartwrenching story I've ever read. It deals with life, death, loss, pain, courage, sacrifice and most of all, love. So here goes......

For seventeen year old Mia Hall, life in Oregon couldn't be better. She's got a great family, including her little brother Teddy, a loving and gorgeous rockstar boyfriend Adam who is in a band (gonna be big one day) and a love for music which she is awaiting her acceptance into Julliard as a professional cello player. Life couldn't possibly be better. But in one instant, all of that changed when she and her parents were on a trip to go visit her grandparents in Portland, a couple hours drive and a 4 ton truck plowed into them going 60 miles, killing her parents on impact. It was a gruesome view in my opinion and horrifying. Her brother was no where to be found but she found herself standing on the outside watching the ambulence take her parents away in a gurney. "Am I dead?" she asked herself. Then she saw her body in a tree, and Willow(a nurse and very close friend of the family) careflighted her lifeless body to the nearest hospital to do some emergency procedures. She was stuck between life and death, able to see everyone and hear people talking but couldn't touch or talk to them. It was an out of body experience and very bizarre. When her grandparents got the call from Willow, they rushed to the hospital. Along with aunts, uncles and cousins. I can imagine how weird it would be to see yourself on the outside. She was badly bruised all over her face and it repulsed her. They were all weeping. But she is weeping because realization has set in that her parents are actually dead and Teddy didn't make it either. Poor Teddy, only 8 years old. It is so sad how quick your life is turned upside down. When she hears her grandparents talking to the nurses and social worker, she hears one nurse tell them that it's up to Mia whether or not she wakes up. Not the nurses or doctors or even God, but her. It is her fight. A choice she is forced to make, living without her family or never waking up again. What a tough choice for a 17 year old. She is not very religious but wonders where she'd go if she never did wake up. And life without her boyfriend Adam is hard for her to imagine.

In the midst of all this, she is in a coma after having surgery, a splenectomy. And her brain is partially damaged and her right leg had to be repaired by screws. Would she ever fully recover from this trauma? Emotionally? Physically? Psychologically? She'd have to have therapy and alot of rehab. It's a lot for a 17 year old to deal with. And who knows if she'd ever be able to play cello again. So what else is there to live for? Getting visits from her grandparents and even Adam and her best friend Kim are hard for Mia to watch and makes it harder for her to make the decision when she tries to let go. So, does she wake up?

Well this book had me crying most of the way through. I'll be honest, I was skeptical about reading this. I don't generally like to read books through cloudy eyes from crying so much. But I am glad I did. It was beautifully written and such an incredible journey. While Mia was comatose, she was sharing her world with me. Her relationships with her parents, Teddy, Adam, Kim and her start as a cello player. I felt like we became instant friends. What got to me was when she decribed her life before she met Adam and how they first started out. You got to see how their love blossomed into something so magical and beautiful. When he came to visit her in the hospital begging her to wake up. He said he'd do anything for her, he'd even let her go if that's what she wanted once she understood the pain reality that her family is gone. As long as she woke up. His love for her was real and strong, I became envious of Mia. Stupid I know. But I couldn't help being in love with Adam myself. All in all, I enjoyed this rollercoaster of an emotional ride. I mean, I finished this book within 24 hours of starting it, so it was a I-can't-put-this-book-down-I-want-to-see-what-happens-next kind of story. I'd go to bed dreaming about the characters sometimes crying for Mia because I know what it's like in some ways to feel the pain and loss of loved ones to some extent. I lost my father when I was 18 to cancer. In a way it was worse because he was sick for 3 years and I had to watch him slowly die everyday. Her parents went quick and together, still sad of course. But my mom has to bear the pain the rest of her life. Anyway, it just made me think back on my own life in my teenage years. How uncomplicated things were to how things can change in a blink of an eye. I am reading the sequel to this, almost done with it and it was only 12 hours since I picked it up. I love them both so much.

It is going to be a movie as well. So very excited about that. But I wanted to say that I would recommend these books to everyone. But I will tell you first that there's some profanity and some sexual explict in there. But none of that bothered me because it was well written anyway. But it is for anyone 13 (a mature 13 that is) to adult.
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Nov 11, 2012 Kimberly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Official rating would be 4.5.
Its been quite some time since I read a contemporary book. I've been reading a lot of fantasy kind of book. So its nice to read this book for a change.

The story alternates between Mia's present and her past. The present Mia is involved in a car accident and she is in a um....ghost-like form. In this ghost-like form, she sees everything that happens around and to her body. While Mia is doing that, she recalls her pasts with her family, Kim (*her best friend*), Adam ...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Cassie rated it really liked it

Shelves: own

More like 3.5. I liked it, but the trailer elicited far more emotion from me than the book. I also felt that this book was overrun with flashbacks, without a complete story arc. I wanted more after it ended, so I guess it's a good thing that there's a sequel. ...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Katie_la_geek rated it liked it

For this review and more visit my blog

I am always wary of reading books that are surrounded by a lot of hype because I almost always end up disappointed. I was told that I would love this book, that it would break my heart and make me cry. I built it up to be something extraordinary, and in the end ruined it for myself because I didn’t love it, and it didn’t break my heart, and I didn’t cry. This book was good, very good but it was not extraordinary. I almost feel cheated out of an experience, m For this review and more visit my blog

I am always wary of reading books that are surrounded by a lot of hype because I almost always end up disappointed. I was told that I would love this book, that it would break my heart and make me cry. I built it up to be something extraordinary, and in the end ruined it for myself because I didn’t love it, and it didn’t break my heart, and I didn’t cry. This book was good, very good but it was not extraordinary. I almost feel cheated out of an experience, maybe if I hadn’t heard the hype I would have fallen head over heels for this book like everyone else.

I did like this book I thought parts of it were amazing but I thought some were not. It is a beautifully written book that studied life and death with care and consideration. I loved that there was no un-needed drama. I half expected Mia to find out her boyfriend was cheating on her or something, because YA has a habit of going overboard with the dramatics, but this book did not.

I liked the characters everyone was well built and likeable. I thought the romantic elements were pretty good as well. I loved the ending; I thought it was a perfect ending for this book. (I read the synopsis for the second book and wish I hadn’t because I had a perfect vision for where I wanted this story to go after the end and the next book is not it.)
So where did it go wrong?

I think my main issue with this book is that it is very slow. It meanders along and is more about thoughts than action. I would have preferred it to be a little faster paced. There were times that I struggled to engage and times where I was bored. Also Mia’s life was a little to pristine and perfect. Her parents were a little too cool, her best friend a little to awesome and understanding and her boyfriend just a little too amazing. I wanted a little more depth to her relationship I guess, and for her to have a few more faults.

If you are reading this review and you haven’t read the book please do not be put off. Just because it didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for you. I know this book touched many people and I wish it had done the same for me, but it didn’t so this book remains good and not amazing.
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May 14, 2011 Erin Schneider rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorite-reads

Goodreads Summary:

In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

My Review:

Beautifully written, this story enveloped me fro ...more

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May 20, 2011 Talia Dominguez Castro added it

Shelves: to-reread-one-day, series-i-finished, zread-in-2011

When 17-year-old Mia wakes up on a snowy morning, her family celebrates their unexpected holiday with chocolate chip pancakes. As her mother, father and little brother Teddy plan what to do with their time off from work and school, Mia looks in the newspaper for news about her boyfriend Adam's band. She is planning to go to their concert that night, but she also wants to practice her cello with a pianist. Mia is a passionate and gifted cellist who is fairly confident that her recent audition has When 17-year-old Mia wakes up on a snowy morning, her family celebrates their unexpected holiday with chocolate chip pancakes. As her mother, father and little brother Teddy plan what to do with their time off from work and school, Mia looks in the newspaper for news about her boyfriend Adam's band. She is planning to go to their concert that night, but she also wants to practice her cello with a pianist. Mia is a passionate and gifted cellist who is fairly confident that her recent audition has gained her an acceptance from Juilliard, based on comments from one of the judges. But today, with her cello at school and unavailable, she has some time on her hands.

Mia's family decides to go for a ride. They can visit old family friends, stop by an enormous bookstore, and then swing by to eat dinner with Mia's grandparents. In the car, each family member battles for his or her favorite music to play on the stereo. Their tastes reflect their personalities, with mom requesting NPR, bow-tied dad wanting Frank Sinatra, and Teddy asking for SpongeBob. Mia, as always, wants to listen to the classical music station. Beethoven's Cello Sonata No. 3 is playing when Mia closes her eyes --- and her life is abruptly and forever changed.

The car is decimated after the accident, but the radio continues to play Beethoven. At first Mia is reassured and decides everything will be okay. After all, she's standing by the vehicle, hearing the music. But then she sees her father. He is dead. Next, she finds her mother, who has also died in the collision. Now Mia is desperate to find her little brother. She spies a hand in a ditch and runs toward it, calling his name. When she reaches the person in the ditch, she realizes she is looking at her own mangled, bleeding body.

As Mia reels in disbelief, wondering if she is actually dead, the paramedics arrive on the scene. She watches them attend to her body, frantically performing emergency medical care, and then transporting her speedily to the emergency room. There, she hears a paramedic report that her parents are dead, but her brother is also being rushed to the ER. Eventually, Mia follows her body as it is transported to an intensive care unit in a big city hospital, all the while reflecting on her first date with Adam and how their musical passions are completely different and yet unite them.

Mia --- the one lying in a coma in an ICU bed --- is in serious condition, with a collapsed lung, ruptured spleen, internal bleeding, and damage to her brain. As the doctors work to repair her shattered body, the conscious Mia reminisces about her life and watches her grandparents and other relatives visit her. Mia learns further devastating news about the consequences of the car accident. She also realizes that she has a pivotal decision to make ---her own life or death choice. With so many overwhelming tragedies and tremendous setbacks, her life will never be remotely the same. Is it worth struggling to re-enter life and live it? Should she stay…or should she go? ...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Renuka rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, romance, tragedy, chick-lit, e-book, survival, cliff-hangers, owned, contemporary, reviewed

This was a very sad book. Hopes get crushed and the fleeting nature of life really smacks you in the face. I didn't bawl, but this book really makes you tear up and feel very heavy.

Mia, a regular girl who loves music, has a boyfriend, and has an adorable doting family, finds her life changed in mere seconds. The real struggle arises when she finds herself staring at the aftermath, and is forced to decide whether she wants to stay in this life, or join her family in death.

It's definitely deep s ...more

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