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   Summary and Book Reviews

If I Stay: Summary and book reviews of If I Stay by Gayle Forman, plus links to an excerpt from If I Stay and a biography of Gayle Forman.

If I Stay

If I Stay
by Gayle Forman
Hardcover: Apr 2009,
208 pages.
Paperback: Apr 2010,
208 pages.

Publication information
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Reader Reviews

Author Biography
Author Interview
Books by this Author
Critics' Opinion:   very good
Readers' Rating:  Five Stars
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BOOK SUMMARY

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...

A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make - and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

BOOK REVIEWS

Very Good BookBrowse
I closed this book without a single criticism or negative comment. I think Forman is a skilled and funny writer who captivates her readers from the first page to the last. The book is tightly constructed and thought-provoking, and will leave you wrestling with Mia's dilemma even after the book's resolution.  (Reviewed by Allison Stadd).
Full Review Members Only (922 words).

Media Reviews

Very Good  Kirkus Reviews
Forman excels at inserting tiny but powerful details throughout ... which will draw readers into this masterful text and undoubtedly tug at even the toughest of heartstrings.

Very Good  Booklist
Starred Review. Laced with insight, good humor, and wonder..

Very Good  VOYA
Starred Review. 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.

Very Good  School Library Journal
Starred Review. Both brutal and beautiful, this thought-provoking story will stay with readers long after the last page is turned. Grades 5+

Very Good  Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Intensely moving, the novel will force readers to take stock of their lives and the people and things that make them worth living.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Amanda
Awesome
This is the best book I've read in a long time. I read the whole book in one day I can't wait until I can get Where She Went. My uncle needs to stop being a bum and buy it for me..lol



Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Louise Jolly
Beautiful Novel!!
If I Stay is a tear-jerker that will illicit emotions about things buried deep inside you. There are so many words I could use to describe this story: inspiring, funny, visceral, humbling, touching, powerful, sad but yet calming.

Young Mia...   Read More

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