If I Stay

If I Stay
Reviewed by: Courtney
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Dutton Penguin
Pages 210

If I Stay is a novel geared towards teens, that was actually just recently turned into a movie. I haven't seen the movie yet, but i couldn't put the book down. The book is about a teenage girl name Mia with a promising future, looking forward to what's in store, when suddenly her whole world is turned upside down. Mia and her family get in a car accident, and she instantly falls into a coma. The only thing is, she's watching everything that's happening; having an out-of-body experience. In doing so, she hears from her loved ones that they need and want her to stay with them, but it would be okay if she decided to go. Mia discovers that it is up to her - if she stays (hence the title), or if she goes

The story line spans over only a few days, but those few days are captivating as she wrestles with the decision to leave the pain behind, or stay with those who love her and continue living. At first, I wasn't sure if I would like If I Stay because I had seen previews for the movie and it seemed a bit over the top. Once i decided to pick up the book though, I really enjoyed it. It is a romance, and there are definitely some areas in the book that could be considered "cheesy", but in the end, it was a bit of a tear jerker. I was really impressed with the author's character and story development when it was such a short book and I liked her writing style. I would recommend this book to those (probably female unless there's guys out there dying for a romance novel) looking for a good, emotional read because it definitely pulled on some heart strings. And of course, read the book before seeing the movie.