Author: Gayle Forman
# of Pages: 262 (paperback)
Genre: YA, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: On a day that started like any other, Mia had everything: a loving family, a gorgeous, admiring boyfriend, and a bright future full of music and full of choices. In an instant, almost all of that is taken from her. Caught between life and death, between a happy past and an unknowable future, Mia spends one critical day contemplating the only decision she has left. It is the most important decision she'll ever make.
Review: What happened to the development?
That was my first thought after I read the first two chapters of If I Stay. I had already seen the trailer for the movie that is being made based on this book, so I knew a little bit of what was going to happen. But there were a few parts of the trailer that popped up in the book earlier than I expected.
It turns out that the development of the characters occurs throughout the book through flashbacks (which also happen to be what makes up at least 50% of the story). While switching between the past and the present is an interesting writing technique that is not seen very often (thank goodness), it makes the plot a little confusing. Some flashbacks went farther back than others, and it made it hard for me to pin point exact how old I'm supposed to be picturing Mia at the time.
Since the character development is incomplete for a good portion of the book, it is harder for me to feel a connection with Mia and her friends and family. Many people have said that this book made them cry, but for me, I might have felt a little bit sad. The best part in the whole book was the very last bit/chapter. By then, the characters were all fully developed, and I can finally sympathies with them!
This is not necessarily the author's fault, but I was disappointed to find that the last seventy pages or so were just extras (acknowledgements, question and answer, study questions, and previews to the author's other books). I was hoping for a little more story!
Be warned that you will be left wanting to read the next book, especially since this one is just the development for a real story to come (I hope!).
Although I was disappointed by this book, I do still recommend due to the potential I can feel for the sequel.
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