If I Stay

by Gayle Forman

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis: 

In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen ­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.

My Thoughts:

This story is about a teenage girl, Mia, who is on the cusp of womanhood and looses her family in a car accident. She is trying to decide if she should stay... meaning choose to live or choose to die. There is a book reviewer who calls the book, "achingly beautiful." I agree 100%.

I love how Forman created the cello as an instrument the central focus of her likes in life. I feel connected to the cello after reading this book... even though I play piano and not the cello. It made me put in a Yo-Yo Ma CD after reading a few portions.

It pained me to read what happened to Mia's family. I want them to be my family, too. Even though there were only snippets of these other characters, their development was detailed and developed in a succinct manner. It was hard for me to read certain parts concerning the family. I felt like I had to plow through some of the scenes so I didn't get too sad.

Overall, I would recommend this book to a stable young adult with a well-developed maturity. Younger or unstable readers may be shaken by this story.