If I Stay by Gayle Forman | Rating: ★★★★★"It's okay,' he tells me. 'If you want to go. Everyone wants you to stay. I want you to stay more than I've ever wanted anything in my life.' His voice cracks with emotion. He stops, clears his throat, takes a breath, and continues. 'But that's what I want and I could see why it might not be what you want. So I just wanted to tell you that I understand if you go. It's okay if you have to leave us. It's okay if you want to stop fighting."
Every now and then, there comes a young adult novel that becomes beloved by people of all ages. If I Stay is certainly one of those books that captured the hearts — and tears — of its target audience and more. With If I Stay we see that sometimes the hype of a book is really, really worth it and I promise you, you’ll feel something by the final pages.
Whether that feeling is love or heartbreak or both.
Gayle Forman captures the feeling of loss incredibly and spins it into a unique story that shows us one girls struggle between life and death. Although the story is absolutely tragic, the way Gayle tells it is unique and inspiring: something about Mia’s story will make you truly think. It’ll touch your heart and make you wonder: is this what it’s like in near death experiences, for some people?
When you lose something, and are severely damaged yourself, do we have a choice in the matter when it comes to if we stay or go? And can you really recover, mentally, from something like losing your entire family?
