Description

Just listen,' Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel. I open my eyes wide now. I sit up as much as I can. And I listen.'Stay,? he says.Everybody has to make choices.Some might break you.For seventeen-year-old Mia, surrounded by a wonderful family, friends and a gorgeous boyfriend decisions might seem tough, but they?re all about a future full of music and love, a future that?s brimming with hope. But life can change in an instant. A cold February morning . . . a snowy road . . . and suddenly all of Mia?s choices are gone. Except one. As alone as she?ll ever be, Mia must make the most difficult choice of all.Gripping, heartrending and ultimately life-affirming, If I Stay will make you appreciate all that you have, all that you?ve lost - and all that might be.

Promotion info

What would you do if you had to choose? A haunting novel about the power of love and loss - a story that won't quite let you go.

Reviews

This cleverly constructed novel will have, deservedly, widespread popular appeal, especially, perhaps, with young female readership. School Librarian 20090701 This sensitively written story of the power of love and loss presses all the right buttons ... the intensity of feelings and tragic suddenness with which life changes will strike a chord with teenagers and the young at heart. Read it, as they say, and weep Daily Mail STARRED REVIEW - laced with insight, good humor, and wonder Booklist (US) This is a wonderful, beautiful book; so gripping, so wise and oh, so heart-breakingly painful a compulsive read This is a haunting and heartbreaking novel reminiscent of The Lovely Bones ... Impossible to put down Bookseller It reminded me very much of THE LOVELY BONES. I found it uplifting and satisfying You really care about the characters and it makes you question what you would do in the same circumstances. My heart was in my mouth at the end of it Beneath this dramatic storyline, which will resonate with older teen readers, Gayle Forman cleverly explores the fragility and uncertainty of life. She does so in an emotive and thoughtful manner that will persuade even the most cynical reader of the importance of friendship, family and love Waterstone's Books Quarterly 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 Publishers Weekly (US) The author endows the narrative with as much humor as poignancy and lays bare the challenges Mia has encountered in each of her relationships as well as the breakthroughs, leaving readers in suspense until the final bars. www.shelf-awareness.com 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 VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates - US) www.voya.com STARRED REVIEW - 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 Kirkus (US) This is one of the most amazing books I have had the pleasure of reading. The author's note informed me of how many readers Foreman had reduced to tears and naively, I doubted I would be one of them! However, I did find myself crying over the pages late at night and the journey I took with Mia and Adam is one I will not forget. If you're a fan of romance, music, a little comedy and extreme tragedy, you will love this book! Waterstones online For the first few pages, If I Stay comes across like a light hearted story about a teenager, her love life and her kooky family, but from the moment Forman hits you with the devastatingly detached description of the aftermath of the crash, you know you've picked up something special The Book Bag - online A beautifully written book with moments of real sadness, hope, laughter, tragedy and joy, which make you appreciate all the little things you love, as your eyes brim with tears Booktrust online A beautifully-crafted, heart-breaking look at love and loss Western Daily Press

Author description

GAYLE FORMAN is an award-winning author and journalist whose articles have appeared in numerous publications, including Seventeen, Cosmopolitan and Elle in the US. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.