Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Title: If I Stay
Author Gayle Forman
Publisher: Dutton
Date Published: 2009
Type of Book: Young Adult
Main Themes: Death, Loss, Grief, Choices, Love, Music
Pages: 200
Plot:
From inside cover: "Just listen," Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel. I open my eyes wide now. I sit up as much as I can. And I listen.
"Stay," he says
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."

I almost made a huge mistake. I almost didn't get this book. Because, it is, quite simply, amazing. Totally and completely. I loved it. LOVED IT!

When I stay follows Mia as she hovers outside her body after a devastating car accident that will leave her life, if she lives, irrovocably changed forever. The book is told from Mia's point of view as she reminices on memories, watches friends and family anxiously await her fate, and decides, ultimately, if she should stay, and live, or join her family lost in the crash.

If I stay was definitely emotional, but it wasn't all sadness. Their was humor, joy, and anger. It was a roller coaster of emotion that only served to bring the reader closer to Mia and her impossible choice.

If I Stay was beautifully written and the characters were perfect. I will most definitely recommend this book to not only teens, but to my mother and other adults.

Ratings (out of 10):
Plot: 10
Characters: 10
Writing style: 10
Romance: 10
Memorable: 10
Total: 50/50 (A)

It isn't often that I recommend buying a book, but this is one that I definitely want on my bookshelf - and you will too!