*REVIEW* If I Stay

Synopsis:

In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces - to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heart-wrenchingly beautiful, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.

If I Stay is an emotional book that gives readers an intimate glimpse into the life of Mia, a girl who literally watches as her existence hangs in the balance. Mia "wakens" outside of herself after a horrible car accident, an accident that strips her family from her forever. She gets to witness the aftermath of the accident in an out-of-body type of experience and it is through this that we learn Mia is faced with the ultimate choice: Does she stay, or does she go? The choice between life and death is an extremely difficult one as the life that Mia has known is gone.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a gripping read, I found it very difficult to put down. Mia's life unfolds before us through flashbacks that give us glimpses to the life she's led, the people she has lost, and the life possibilities that await her should she decide to stay.

While I enjoyed the book, and read it in a day since it's an easy and short read, I did find that the emotion in the story didn't grab at me the way that it seemed to for others who have read it. While I found myself touched and moved by the story, not once did I tear up. And for those of you who know me well, that is surprising considering everything seems to make me tear up! I just couldn't seem to get there with this book. I was invested, and I did keep flipping the pages, wanting to know what would ultimately happen, but I found that I didn't actually have a preference for the decision Mia would make. If she stayed, if she went, it didn't matter to me which way she chose. I think that fact alone is what made me rate it 3 of 5 stars.

All in all, I would still highly recommend this book as it's very different from many of the books out there right now. It definitely is thought-provoking and you will likely find it very hard to put down. I can't say grab the kleenex though, because I definitely didn't need any. But many, many others did so maybe have some nearby. You know... just in case. Happy Reading!! :)