If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Hello Everyone, today I will be reviewing and completing a small rant on the book If I Stay by Gayle Forman. From first impressions and suggestions from people I know, I expected far more from this book. There are spoilers so if you would like to read the book, I suggest not looking at this review as I highlight a few plot points that should be kept secret. 

OVERVIEW: In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

REVIEW: After a horrible accident, Mia, the main character of If I Stay is within the intensive unit of a hospital. Whilst she is in the form of a coma, part of her is aware of everything that is going on outside of her body. Apart from reading a few books with a slightly similar concept and other films, I found this technique and idea refreshing - although the execution is something to be questioned. So often the reader only gets to see what is happening from an outside watcher, where in this book the reader gets to journey with her as she struggles to make the decision of whether to stay or go. Throughout the novel, Mia was weighing her options on what to do and I myself was not completely sure up until the very last minute. Most of the relationships in If I Stay seemed unatural, I found at times the book an dialect to be forced, fake and cheesy. 

Mia is eighteen years old and has the ideal family and a boyfriend that can only exist in an unrealistic and fictional world. Her talents include her being a very talented musicians and is about to be accepted into Julliard. The book revolves around her choice to stay or go. She can follow her love for music and accomplish her goals and fulfil her cellist dreams, or she can follow her family and lose the love of her life. Either way, she has something to gain and something to lose. When a tragic strikes Mia’s life and word, everything she knows changes. The only thing that remains and is continually questioned is if she should stay or if she should go.

The negatives of the novel included the overall character of Mia. To me she seemed a little too perfect, and that her idol status around those who knew her didn’t seem real. I found it odd that Mia's parents and brother recently died, yet none of the family reacts to it. It is all about Mia. Although the focus should have been on her since they were at the hospital visiting her, I felt that there should have been more acknowledgement of the three members of the family who didn't make it. Also, in the flashbacks Mia seems to be at the centre of everything in a way that screamed Mary Sue to me.

What didn't work for me in this novel was Mia, and to a smaller extent her immediate family. I did not relate to Mia at all and I found her mostly unlikable. Part of this was because her character was inconsistently written. There was a disconnection between what we're told about Mia and what we're actually shown. For example, Mia constantly brags about how humble she is. Someone who is truly humble doesn't brag about it. Additionally, I didn't think her actions showed her to be a modest or humble person. 

The story is told in a serious of flash backs where we get to see that Mia is a normal teenager, living in Oregon, with a bright although conflicted future ahead of her. She is a brilliant cellist with the prospect of going to Julliard, across country in New York, once she graduates. She has a boyfriend, Adam, with a common passion for music, albeit opposite genres. If fact, if it weren't for music they probably wouldn't have got together, Mia starts noticing him stare at her while they practice. Her with cello, him with guitar. Adam's future is also on the rise but in a very different direction. He is the lead singer/songwriter of a rock band on the verge fame. 

In conclusion this book was of average appeal to me. Most of the time the characters personalities clashed and were very obnoxious and very annoying. I appreciate the effort Gayle Forman applied to writing this book, but I felt as if there were so many things missing. I have decided to read the sequel, so I can see if the plot and character development gets better.

OVERALL RATING:

★★ 

Two and a half stars