Hey, guys!
I know that I got distracted after the first chapter (which I must admit was a little slow-going), but I picked it back up and finished If I Stay by Gayle Forman in a matter of days.
I was motivated to buy this book on my Kindle when I saw the preview for the upcoming film based off of the novel when I went to the theaters to see The Fault in Our Stars. I thought it looked really good, so I bought it. Here's why it looked really good and why it turned out to be a really good book.
Mia has a happy life: her parents are music-lovers and supportive of her passion for playing the cello; she loves her younger brother, Teddy, who absolutely adores his older sister; she has a best friend, Kim, who knows her as well as she knows herself; not to mention, her boyfriend, Adam, is a punk musician who shares her love of music.
Then Mia's life is yanked out from under her in a severe car crash. She is orphaned and in critical condition and a comatose state. And she is watching it all unfold.
While her body is hooked up to IV tubes and in and out of the operating room, Mia is an out-of-body witness to the chaos that unfolds. She is able to see her grandparents even though her body's in the OR. Kim, ever the glue that keeps everybody from falling apart, talks to Mia as though she's still there, unaware that she is.
And Mia can even see Adam, trying desperately to get into the ICU so that he can see her and try to convince her to stay and to live despite the pain that living will bring her (emotional and physical).
Because the one thing that everyone seems to know is that it's Mia's choice to stay and live or leave and die. Staying will mean living without her family but dying will mean leaving everyone else behind, including her career as a cellist.
Will she choose to stay or would it be to much for her to live with? No spoilers, so read the book yourself.
As I said, the first chapter was a little boring, but it served its purpose to introduce the characters. As soon as the first chapter was over and done with, the novel was extremely fast-paced and captivating. As a result, it is a quick and compelling read.
I would definitely recommend this for music lovers: classical, punk, or otherwise. There is a reason that Mia is a cellist or even just a musician in general: it is such a huge part of her life that it becomes significant motivation for her to stay.
And you definitely don't have to play an instrument to understand the message about music. I am by no means a musical person (I just listen to it), but I still get it. You know?
Anyway, definitely for a high school audience and beyond. With high school seniors going off to college or high school juniors trying to decide which colleges to apply to, this book definitely has the element of major life choices which is designed to appeal to that kind of audience.
In addition, the book would appeal to high school audiences because there's the element of falling in love in high school knowing that significant others may be separated when they go to college. You guys have no idea how grateful I am to have met my boyfriend in college instead of high school.
Hope you guys will take a look at the book before you go and see the movie. I can't wait till I can go see the movie! Hope you enjoyed the review and that you'll check back for more reviews and writing exercises. Until next time.
Happy reading!!
I know that I got distracted after the first chapter (which I must admit was a little slow-going), but I picked it back up and finished If I Stay by Gayle Forman in a matter of days.
I was motivated to buy this book on my Kindle when I saw the preview for the upcoming film based off of the novel when I went to the theaters to see The Fault in Our Stars. I thought it looked really good, so I bought it. Here's why it looked really good and why it turned out to be a really good book.
Mia has a happy life: her parents are music-lovers and supportive of her passion for playing the cello; she loves her younger brother, Teddy, who absolutely adores his older sister; she has a best friend, Kim, who knows her as well as she knows herself; not to mention, her boyfriend, Adam, is a punk musician who shares her love of music.
Then Mia's life is yanked out from under her in a severe car crash. She is orphaned and in critical condition and a comatose state. And she is watching it all unfold.
While her body is hooked up to IV tubes and in and out of the operating room, Mia is an out-of-body witness to the chaos that unfolds. She is able to see her grandparents even though her body's in the OR. Kim, ever the glue that keeps everybody from falling apart, talks to Mia as though she's still there, unaware that she is.
And Mia can even see Adam, trying desperately to get into the ICU so that he can see her and try to convince her to stay and to live despite the pain that living will bring her (emotional and physical).
Because the one thing that everyone seems to know is that it's Mia's choice to stay and live or leave and die. Staying will mean living without her family but dying will mean leaving everyone else behind, including her career as a cellist.
Will she choose to stay or would it be to much for her to live with? No spoilers, so read the book yourself.
As I said, the first chapter was a little boring, but it served its purpose to introduce the characters. As soon as the first chapter was over and done with, the novel was extremely fast-paced and captivating. As a result, it is a quick and compelling read.
I would definitely recommend this for music lovers: classical, punk, or otherwise. There is a reason that Mia is a cellist or even just a musician in general: it is such a huge part of her life that it becomes significant motivation for her to stay.
And you definitely don't have to play an instrument to understand the message about music. I am by no means a musical person (I just listen to it), but I still get it. You know?
Anyway, definitely for a high school audience and beyond. With high school seniors going off to college or high school juniors trying to decide which colleges to apply to, this book definitely has the element of major life choices which is designed to appeal to that kind of audience.
In addition, the book would appeal to high school audiences because there's the element of falling in love in high school knowing that significant others may be separated when they go to college. You guys have no idea how grateful I am to have met my boyfriend in college instead of high school.
Hope you guys will take a look at the book before you go and see the movie. I can't wait till I can go see the movie! Hope you enjoyed the review and that you'll check back for more reviews and writing exercises. Until next time.
Happy reading!!
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