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Most Helpful Favorable Review
23 out of 25 people found this review helpful.
Excellent
I loved reading this wonderful book! It is a story that keeps you entertained for hours.
posted by theReader278 on June 23, 2011
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26 out of 94 people found this review helpful.
A dissapointment
I got this book expecting It would be interesting and mature for teens, I was dissapointed to find that this book was all about switching from the present to the past on and off again. I would never reccomend this to anyone since this was one of the WORST books I have e...Read More
I got this book expecting It would be interesting and mature for teens, I was dissapointed to find that this book was all about switching from the present to the past on and off again. I would never reccomend this to anyone since this was one of the WORST books I have ever read. There was no point to it at all. I finished it and I went "Wow. I just wasted my time"Show Less
posted by ArtisticNotations on May 14, 2010
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ArtisticNotations
Posted May 14, 2010
A dissapointment
I got this book expecting It would be interesting and mature for teens, I was dissapointed to find that this book was all about switching from the present to the past on and off again. I would never reccomend this to anyone since this was one of the WORST books I have ever read. There was no point to it at all. I finished it and I went "Wow. I just wasted my time"
26 out of 94 people found this review helpful.
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theReader278
Posted June 23, 2011
I Also Recommend:
Excellent
I loved reading this wonderful book! It is a story that keeps you entertained for hours.
23 out of 25 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com
Mia has a lot to love in life. She is a cellist who could be on her way to Julliard. She has a wonderful, loving, and supportive family. And she has a boyfriend who is perfect. But as wonderful as Mia's life is, she has choices to make. Should she go to Julliard and leave everyone behind?
When a terrible accident occurs, Mia suddenly finds herself with only one choice left - should she stay?
This book is just WOW! Do not read this in public because this one will bring tears to your eyes - I'm warning you! That doesn't mean it doesn't have humor though, because there were many times I found myself laughing out loud. This is an intense story that will not only appeal to teens, but have a lot of crossover adult appeal, as well.
Gayle Forman does an excellent job going from Mia's present to Mia's past and drawing the reader in so they truly understand her love for the cello, her family, and Adam, her boyfriend. As I was reading, I felt like I really got to know Mia and her family and found myself grieving along with Mia - the writing is just that powerful.
IF I STAY is a short read, but it packs so much in and I wanted to savor every moment. At times I found myself reading slower and drinking in the words because I didn't want the story to end.
The story centers around music: Mia with her cello, Adam with his band, and Mia's dad being a drummer, and Gayle Forman's writing felt lyrical. She was able to capture music and put it into a book. I don't know how to describe it, but it was like I was reading a song - hopefully that makes sense! Music is such an important part of the book, Gayle Forman has included a playlist for the book on her website. I loved checking out the songs that went along with the story and listening to them when Mia did.
IF I STAY is a must-read. The themes of love, loss, grief, and hope are so powerful and beautifully written that this story will stay with you long after you finish the last page.16 out of 19 people found this review helpful.
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Amazingly Beautiful
All I can say is WOW. I finished this book at 2 AM this morning and I'm still thinking about how much it moved me. I cried several times and just fell in love with Mia and all those who surrounded her, "her family". It's a truly touching and a wonderful story, when I finished I was left wanting to know more about her families past adventures. And how Forman describes the families love of music drives you to want to pick up an instrument and learn to play. I enjoy all types of music and can't wait to check out Yo-Yo-Ma, aka "Yo Mama" per Adam. This is a great read and you will not be disappointed.
12 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
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Should I Stay or Should I Go?
I've been wanting to read this book since it first came out, but was good and waited until it came out in the cheaper paperback.
If I Stay is about 17 yr old Mia, a talented celloist, who is in a coma following a car accident that kills her entire family. While in this coma she must make the ultimate decision: stay alive with grief and an uncertain future or join her parents and brother in death
I have to say this book isn't at all what I expected, and because of that, I may be a little disappointed. It was a surprisingly simple story. There was nothing supernatural about it and all the conflict was an internal struggle. It went back and forth between Mia's stay in the hospital, and her memories which only seemed to complicate her decision.
Truthfully, I didn't find it all that entertaining. Good thing it read very quickly, or else I probably wouldn't have finished it. For some reason, it never asorbed me. Perhaps it was the meandering pace. Even the question of Mia's choice couldn't make me feel interested.
Mia's memories served the purpose to give some background to Mia and help flesh out the story. I kind of felt that they were repetitive. They didn't show anything that couldn't be guessed atfrom the first chapter. Mia's loves her little brother. Mia loves her "hip" parents. Mia loves her punk boyfriend. Mia loves music. That's about it.
I guessed I just missed out on the genius of it all. I'm hearing that it was "beautiful" and "beautifully written, and while I admit that it had more substance than most YA literature, I still wasn't feeling it. A blurb on the front cover said it "will appeal to fans of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight", and I don't see that at all. I didn't like Twilight, but these books are nothing alike. On top of it all, I hear Summit bought the movie rights to this book. Did I miss something?7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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jessicuhh
Posted September 6, 2009
hmm.
i skipped around a lot because it was super slow paced. the storyline was just that this girl had to decide if she wants to wake up or not. boring.
5 out of 15 people found this review helpful.
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6632882
Posted March 6, 2011
if i stay
this book was really hard for me to read because over three fourths of it was flashbacks and it started at a really confuzing point...
4 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted June 16, 2011
Worst book I have ever read.
This book was boring and slow from chapter 1, I suffered while reading it. I didn't stop because if I start any book I must finish it, weird habit I have. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
3 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Not that great
I don't really know what I expected but this wasn't it. It wasn't a bad story, just not the story that I wanted it to be. I thought there should have been more to it and I couldn't really get into it.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted March 27, 2012
If i stay
Blahhh.
2 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted February 17, 2012
Not bad not great
Was ok...the story didnt really get to me
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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ReadingRenee
Posted September 20, 2011
I Also Recommend:
Amazing and a must read!
Seventeen year old Mia Hall has it all. A loving family, an awesome best friend, and a wonderful boyfriend, but one mistake changes it all. Mia and her family get into a car crash with an unknown reason how. While Mia is rushed to the hospital all she is wondering is what happened to Teddy her ten year old brother . Once she figures out Teddy passed away and her parents died on the spot she can't think of a reason to stay. Of course her best friend and her boyfriend want her to stay, why wouldn't they. Mia's left fighting for her life while trying to think of a decision . Along the way she asked herself the same question that begins with "If I Stay".
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted August 8, 2011
I Also Recommend:
If I stay...
This book was SO good. I liked the way it switched back and forth. I know some people didnt like the back and forth but I did.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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ehh
So for whatever reason i didnt like this book. the summary sounded promising but then i read it and was all what happened? I dont know if i didnt like the writing or the flashbacks or maybe just the story itself. I have no idea. I just want the author to come out with a new book so i can read that and see why i didnt like this one
2 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted May 24, 2012
Anonymous
You would be missing out on a fantastic book if you pass this up!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted April 20, 2012
How many pages people???????
I read a quick read. How many pages???????
1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted March 19, 2012
If I Stay...
I got this book for Easter last year, and I began reading it right away. I couldn't stop. I re-read it, overlooked it, and I'm looking forward to Summit's film adaption of this. I must say, however, I like the other cover for the book. It shows more meaning behind it. []
This book explains Mia, a musical girl with many dreams, having her life torn apart by a car accident that kills her parents and her brother. She doesn't quite know how to take it, since she is the last one in that family group. Why did she live, and they die? She ponders this question as memories are flooding, good and bad. Will she die? Or will she live?[]
Honestly, I can't even begin to put myself in her position. She lost her family, and can't seem to go anywhere. I just wouldn't be able to greive with that sorrow, let alone not have anyone there that can't give empathy. The sympathy we have for Mia is real, whether she is fictional or not.[]
Summit, the company that produced Twilight, bought the film rights to this book. I just wonder when they'll make the movie! The actresses who were considered are Miley Cyrus(she is amazing for this part) and Dakota Fanning. Can't wait![]
TheBombJD
Find me on Words With Friends!1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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from missprint.wordpress.com
"Everyone thinks it was because of the snow. And in a way, I suppose that's true."
When Mia and her family go out for a drive that snowy morning, none of them realize everything is about to change in If I Stay (2009) by Gayle Forman. It was a freak accident. A random act. But suddenly, a truck swerves into their car. The next thing Mia knows she is staring down at the dead bodies of her mother and father. She can't find her younger brother, Teddy. What Mia does find is her own broken body being rushed to a hospital.
Before the accident Mia had a lot of decisions to make about her future. Should she follow her first love--music--to Juilliard in New York? Should she stay on the West Coast to be with her boyfriend? But after the accident, Mia only has one choice. Should she stay?
Readers learn about Mia's past while she tries to make this impossible decision. Present scenes of Mia watching her body at the hospital are interspersed with snapshot flashbacks of the life Mia used to have: discovering the Cello, meeting her best friend and her boyfriend, and memories of her idyllic family. Separated from the "current" story of the plot these segments could almost be jewel-like short stories on their own.
Mia's relationship to music adds another dimension to the story and makes it a likely choice for musicians. The romantic aspect of the story is another strong point. Finally, it's probably a really good choice for anyone who has found themselves waiting for good news outside and Intensive Care Unit.
I barely have enough words to say how much I loved If I Stay. Everything about this book is beautiful from the cover to last line. There was an authenticity to the hospital side of things that was simultaneously jarring and comforting. At the same time, this is also a wonderful story. Forman's writing is lovely, evoking all of the characters in vivid detail throughout the story. While Mia's loss is devastating, the story ultimately also has a calming quality that only helps to underscore the beauty of the writing and comfort readers that, no matter what her decision, Mia will find peace.1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted February 18, 2012
Ugh.
I had to read this book for my school, and Gayle Forman was coming to see us. I saw on the cover a review comparing it to Twilight. I groaned, but decided o give it a chance, because i had to read it anyway. This is one of the boringest books I've ever read. I didnt even finish it. It was horrible. Horrible. Andd Gayle Forman is a stuck up female dog.
1 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted December 16, 2011
QUESTION!!!!!!!
So how many pages does this book have?
1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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