If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Pages: 196

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre:  Real life / Afterlife

Notes for Parents: Some mature themes

The Inside Cover

Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones. Stay true to her first love—music—even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind?

Then, one February morning, Mia goes for a drive with her family and, in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly, all the choices are gone, except one. And it’s the only one that matters.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This is a story about a teenage girl stuck between life and death. As her memories of what has happened unfold in front of her, she has to decide if she wants to die or live.

What’s good?

This bittersweet, emotional story has a powerful premise, strong, relatable characters, and some beautiful, even inspiring, moments. The theme of music is woven evenly throughout the story, strengthening and balancing the straight-forward but disturbing plot.

Best Part: The end.

What isn’t good?

I cringed a few times at some of the cheesy metaphors, and I found myself drifting off occasionally because of the slow pace.

Worst part: When she played him like a cello.

Recommendation þþþoo
The thought-provoking questions, strong characters, and the fact that it’s under 200 pages makes this a solid, fast, and easy read.

Forman, Gayle. If I Stay. New York: Dutton, 2009. (hardcover)