Review: If I Stay
In Gayle Forman’s second novel, If I Stay, Mia is the kind of teenager we all love and hate at the same time. The seventeen-year old musician is beautiful and talented. She has a loving, supportive family, and an adoring boyfriend. Mia’s future holds unimaginable promise, right up until the moment she and her family suffer a tragic car accident. As Mia loses her loved ones, she must decide if she will live or die, if she will follow her family into death, or embark on a new life by herself.
This book is beautifully written and moved me to tears. We do not often see YA books with examples of good, loving parents and relationships. I knew it was too good to be true. I could not put the book down as I turned page after page, trying to find out what Mia would decide.
After finishing the book, I continued to enjoy Forman’s writing on her blog, where she writes about parenting, writing, and a variety of other topics in YA lit. One of my favorite posts concerned sex in YA books: read it here. You can also reread a chat with Gayle Forman over at Eve’s Fan Garden.
Forman is currently on tour for the publication of the paperback of If I Stay
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.If I Stay: The Musical Tour
4/5 Portland OR: Powell’s
4/6 Seattle: Third Place Books
4/7 Oakland, CA: A Great Good Place for Books
4/8 Tempe, AZ: Changing Hands
4/10 Houston: Teen Book Convention
4/11 Coral Gables, FL: Books & Books
4/12 Brooklyn, NY Bookcourt
4/22 Madison, CT: RJ Julia Booksellers
4/24-25 L.A. Times Festival of Books
4/26 Glendale, CA: Borders
4/6 Seattle: Third Place Books
4/7 Oakland, CA: A Great Good Place for Books
4/8 Tempe, AZ: Changing Hands
4/10 Houston: Teen Book Convention
4/11 Coral Gables, FL: Books & Books
4/12 Brooklyn, NY Bookcourt
4/22 Madison, CT: RJ Julia Booksellers
4/24-25 L.A. Times Festival of Books
4/26 Glendale, CA: Borders
I am planning to attend the LA Times Festival of Books, and hope to report back after that!
Tags: coma, death, family life, medical care, music
Filed under: Book Review
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This is a well written book for YA’s and parents as well. The lessons, values and love that we as parents show our children by our behavior go far beyond what we as parents will ever see or know. Mia and her family and all of the friends that they interact with form the basis of the story and yes you will turn the pages in discovery and wonderment. The character development is superb and this book is good for those in their teen years and beyond.
1 shofur4two said this (April 19, 2010 at 9:41 PM)