Today's post is a review of a book that I read a couple of years ago for a bookclub. The book is If I Stay by Gayle Forman which was a very popular book at the time due to the movie which came out that same year. I have yet to see the movie but I've heard nothing but good things about it.
Let's get straight into it!
Title: If I StayAuthor: Gayle Forman
First Publication Year: 2009
Publisher: Definitions
Goodreads Link:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6740549-if-i-stay
Plot Summary: Seventeen year old, Mia Hall had a pretty average life filled with great family, amazing boyfriend and an undying passion for music. That was until the fateful accident occurred. Now lying in a coma on a hospital bed, Mia finds herself being able reflect on her life up until this moment as well as observing how everyone she cares about is dealing with her current state. It is up to Mia to decide whether she will ever wake up again.
Full Review: Okay, so at the beginning I did have some problems with this book, mainly because it had quite a slow start which resulted in me having to keep putting it down and reading something else before attempting to finish it again. It wasn't until about half way through the book, did I start to feel more connected to Mia and her story.
After I got past the beginning part, I did really begin to enjoy the book and there were quite a few things I liked. One thing that really stuck with me was the writing style as it was beautifully written in an almost poetic style as she writes about the out of body experience of the main character. I was able to really connect with Mia during this part of the book as all her feelings and thoughts were explained about the situation. The writing was so easy to get into and the paragraphs flowed quite well, it was really just the layout of events that I had issues with.
One of my main issues with the book was the sequence of the past events that were presented through flashbacks. The layout of real time events and past events were difficult for me to understand at some points as I found that the flashbacks were written out of sequence throughout the book which made some things really confusing and strange. I don’t want to spoil things but for example I would read about reactions that characters had about something but then in a later chapter, these same characters would know nothing of it and Mia would be worrying about it. Because of this, I would find myself getting confused and irritated as it didn't quite make sense to me. I also felt that some of the flashbacks were placed quite poorly as I found that in some cases, it would occur right at each moment when I was starting to connect myself to the story. As a result of this, I felt that once it was back to present events, I would just be back to feeling disconnected and uninterested.
I did enjoy reading about quite a few of the characters and how they were connected to Mia. I especially liked reading about the adults in her life who were all presented at times of humour as well as seriousness which were brilliant. Mia comes from an interesting family of musically talented people. You get to read more about her family throughout the book as well as her upbringing and how she felt about them. I really liked reading about her parents and their friends as they seemed to have such a carefree type of attitude which is quite different from the main character’s. It was fun to read the contrasts between them and how she felt about how they were compared to herself. I only wished there was more written about her childhood than there was, as it was not a huge part of the plot but it was what I enjoyed reading.
I wasn't a huge fan of the romance which turned out to be the main plot of this book besides her choosing to stay or go. Adam was definitely not a character I enjoyed reading about as he didn't really appeal to me as a character. It upset me at times that Mia seemed too rely on him and care what he thought of her as she was such a strong character and so at these points I would find her quite annoying. I didn't feel very much about their relationship throughout the book but in saying this there were some really sweet moments which made me like them a little bit. I kind of wanted the relationship between Mia and Adam to be more of a less important role in the story as I much more preferred to read about her relationship with her family.
I really loved the great emphasis on family that was presented in this book despite it being more of a minor part of the plot. It perfectly showed how family isn't limited to just those who was blood related to a person but also includes people who are important in one’s life and who play an huge role such as long-time friends. The family elements of this book were fantastic and I would read a whole book about them.
I overall liked this book despite the problems I had with it. I really liked the whole concept of the book being about a girl choosing whether she should stay or go but felt like it could have been executed a different way. In saying this I did really enjoy reading parts of the story line but just wanted a little bit more. I do plan to read the second book soon and find out what happens next so be sure to keep an eye out for that review. Gayle Forman is a great writer and I will definitely be checking out more of her work.
Hope you're all having a wonderful day!
~Louise
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