If I Stay by Gayle Forman

From Barnes & Noble

Mia has no memory of the accident that changed her life. This inexperienced 17-year-old only recalls riding on that slippery Oregon road with her family, then, in an instant, seeing herself lifted from the twisted wreck. This affecting story of one young woman's struggle through tragedy and grieving will appeal to readers of books like Thirteen Reasons Why.

From the Publisher

A critically acclaimed novel that will change the way you look at life, love, and family.

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. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.

Publishers Weekly

The last normal moment that Mia, a talented cellist, can remember is being in the car with her family. Then she is standing outside her body beside their mangled Buick and her parents' corpses, watching herself and her little brother being tended by paramedics. As she ponders her state ("Am I dead?I actually have to ask myself this"), Mia is whisked away to a hospital, where, her body in a coma, she reflects on the past and tries to decide whether to fight to live. Via Mia's thoughts and flashbacks, Forman (Sisters in Sanity) expertly explores the teenager's life, her passion for classical music and her strong relationships with her family, friends and boyfriend, Adam. Mia's singular perspective (which will recall Alice Sebold's adult novel, The Lovely Bones) also allows for powerful portraits of her friends and family as they cope: "Please don't die. If you die, there's going to be one of those cheesy Princess Diana memorials at school," prays Mia's friend Kim. "I know you'd hate that kind of thing." Intensely moving, the novel will force readers to take stock of their lives and the people and things that make them worth living. Ages 14-up. (Apr.)

Booklist

...laced with insight, good humor, and wonder...

Horn Book

. . . the stakes are poignantly conveyed through Mia's vivid memories of a rich, rewarding life.

Children's Literature

This moving first person novel, told by seventeen-year-old Mia, begins as a carefree, unexpected holiday. School is called off because of snow, leaving Mia, her eight-year-old brother Teddy, and her teacher father free for the day. Her mother takes the day off work, too, and since the snow melts off the roads almost immediately, the family piles into the car to visit friends and grandparents. When a pickup truck smashes into the passenger side, Mia's mother and father are killed outright, her little brother is critically injured, and she finds herself standing over her own body as rescue workers fight to save her life. The book continues through the harrowing day and night with Mia's descriptions of current horrors in present tense sections identified by clock time followed by past tense sections devoted to her memories of family and friends. Through this narration, we learn about her eccentric but loving parents, her affection for Teddy, her deep friendship with her classmate Kim, her strong relationship with her rock-musician boyfriend Adam, and her own promising future as a classical cellist. Throughout her day and night in the operating room and the intensive care unit, she observes her unconscious self in the bed and—after hearing a nurse tell her grandparents that whether she lives or dies is up to her—wrestles with her decision. She is torn between fearing that she cannot bear to live with the loss of her parents and brother, and aching to stay with Kim and Adam and her grandparents. The resolution comes when Adam brings in a recording of Yo-Yo Ma, the cellist he took her to hear on their first date. Adam's tears and the sound of the cello combine to bring her back toconsciousness. Well-chosen scenes and details make Mia and the other characters both vivid and appealing. Reviewer: Judy DaPolito

VOYA

Beginning with the idyllic chocolate-chip-pancake morning, seventeen-year-old Mia recounts the twenty-four hours surrounding the tragic car accident that kills her parents and leaves her comatose in an ICU ward. In a manner that is not stilted, Mia becomes the invisible observer and narrator of her roadside rescue, emergency surgery, and the waiting room vigil of family and friends. Expertly woven into the detail of medical procedures and heart-wrenching visits by loved ones is the story of Mia, her parents, and ten-year-younger brother Teddy; her passion for the cello; and the unlikely but true boyfriend Adam. And although Forman's novel is about what might go through the lucid mind of a teen who finds herself in Mia's horrific spot, it offers even more. It is a story about the difficult choices facing teens everyday - even those who, like Mia, are part of a supportive family and have everything going for them. Mia's retelling of her own history is not a lament. At times, the reader will forget the narrator's present circumstance and get completely lost in the description of her first date with Adam at a Yo Yo Ma concert. Still the accident and Mia's condition provides a powerful backdrop that brings the history into frighteningly sharp focus - especially at the novel's conclusion. Forman's characters are smart and solid. There is little wasted prose, and not a single event rings false. Music lovers will appreciate the passions of Mia, Adam, and her family, who adopt an eclectic mix of favorites. Reviewer: Lauri J. Vaughan

VOYA

Forman's If I Stay is portrayed as just another coming-of-age, pseudo-dramatic teen story in the back cover paragraph. In this case, first impressions are painfully incorrect. Original and exciting, it is a novel about relationships, life, and the people involved in both. The characters are tangibly real; the plot is fascinating and will cause pages to turn rapidly. Teens and adults alike will find themselves falling in love with Forman's stunning novel. Reviewer: Isabel Crevasse, Teen Reviewer

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up

Forman creates a cast of captivating characters and pulls readers into a compelling story that will cause them to laugh, cry, and question the boundaries of family and love. While out on a drive with her family, 17-year-old Mia is suddenly separated from her body and forced to watch the aftermath of the accident that kills her parents and gravely injures her and her younger brother. Far from supernatural, this shift in perspective will be readily accepted by readers as Mia reminisces about significant events and people in her life while her body lies in a coma. Alternating between the past and the present, she reveals the details and complexities of her relationships with family and friends, including the unlikely romance with her punk-rock boyfriend, Adam. An accomplished musician herself, Mia is torn between pursuing her love for music at Julliard and a future with Adam in Oregon. However, she must first choose between fighting to survive and giving in to the resulting sadness and despair over all she has lost. Readers will find themselves engrossed in Mia's struggles and will race to the satisfying yet realistic conclusion. Teens will identify with Mia's honest discussion of her own insecurities and doubts. Both brutal and beautiful, this thought-provoking story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.-Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD

Kirkus Reviews

When snow cancels school, Mia and her family pile into their beat-up station wagon for a drive. Unlike most 17-year-olds, Mia is secretly enjoying hanging out with her quirky family until an oncoming driver shatters their lives, leaving the gravely injured Mia with the ultimate decision: Should she stay or go? As a spirit-like observer, Mia narrates the next 24 hours, describing how her medical team, friends, boyfriend and extended family care for her each in their own way. Woven into her real-time observations are powerful memories that organically introduce Mia's passion for classical music, her relationship with her boyfriend and her bond with her parents and brother. These memories reinforce the magnitude of Mia's decision and provide weight to both sides of her dilemma. Forman excels at inserting tiny but powerful details throughout, including the realistic sounds, smells and vocabulary of a hospital, which will draw readers into this masterful text and undoubtedly tug at even the toughest of heartstrings. (Fiction. YA)

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