Reaction: If I Stay

Hmm....I just finished If I Stay by Gayle Forman. I finally received it in the mail today and I read it in 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

It was a different kind of good. It was kind of like John Green book level good but more serious.

And like John Green books, I know I did not fully understand the meanings behind the words in this book, and it is for that reason that I will not be rating this book yet. I don't even think I have the slightest grasp on the meanings, as opposed to John Green books when I somewhat understand.

Some spoilery stuff below.






So, I heard about this book after a Facebook page posted the movie trailer. I watched it because I recognized Chloƫ Grace Moretz from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies.

I watched the trailer and it piqued my interest, so I asked so people over Facebook if they'd read it. One person recommended I read it, so I ordered it for like $5. Why not? Whenever I look into a book and I'm still interested in reading it, I am never let down. I don't think I've ever read a book by choice that I didn't like. 

I'm not going to lie, while I was reading this book, I legitimately had to wipe my eyes because tears obscured my ability to read the pages. It wasn't even about something that I have had to deal with first-hand. My closest experience would be through my best friend, and even then I'm just imagining what I think it would be like. 

Basically, this book is about Mia Hall, a 17 or 18 year old girl who plays the cello and plans to attend Julliard and has a boyfriend, Adam, who's a year older than her. One day, Mia's family goes for a drive and somehow ends up in a terrible accident that kills her mother, father, and a little later, her brother. Mia is in grave condition and has a sort of out-of-body experience as she watches everything that goes on in the hospital. The title refers to this choice Mia has, as a nurse puts it, that Mia decides whether to fight and stay alive or let go and die. 

I had a feeling that she was going to choose to stay, but the journey to get to the end is the part of the book that I like the most. I also thoroughly enjoy books that make you think, like John Green books. 

The ending. The book ends with Mia waking up after Adam comes back to the hospital and plays a song that the two heard when they went to hear Yo-Yo Ma (see? I don't know, they went to listen to a classical musician, however you're supposed to say that). I can respect it, but at the same time, I wanted a bit more than what happened. The sequel, Where She Went, takes place three years after Mia wakes up in the hospital. I will look into the sequel, if it looks good, I'll get it.

Here's the link to the trailer:


~Jasmine

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