The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
lawbooks600's review against another edition
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Representation: Minor character with Down Syndrome
Score: Seven points out of ten.
I wanted to read this book for a while now and not long after I picked it up from one of the two libraries I go to and I noticed something, one issue (I'll get to that later) and the second is the book tried to be emotional. Tried. I don't know why, but I didn't shed a single tear during any part of the book, it might have something to do with the plot? I don't know. It starts with the main character Mia whose last name I don't remember and everything appears fine until she was in a car with her family when it ended up in a car crash. That accident killed Mia's parents and brother Teddy but she survived and now she is in this out-of-body experience which happens for most of the story. Now that I said that the book straight up turns from a linear to a non-linear one once it started putting in some flashbacks. There were a lot of them which almost made up half of the book and they told me about Mia's life before the accident, her relationships with her parents, brother and even Adam, and let me let you two things, one, I've seen a character like this before but it's rare to see a teenage character like classical music and two, I've seen books like this before in the form of Last Chance Angel by Alex Gutterridge and Broken by Elizabeth Pulford but they don't even compare to this. The first few pages revolve around Mia being evacuated and being on life support but after that the book slowed heavily from there but that didn't decrease my enjoyment of this though I would like it better if I could connect to the characters more. In the end Mia wakes up after only 200 pages and afterwards there were a lot of bonus content which I enjoyed reading. The entire book is dated but then again this was published a decade ago so there's that.
Score: Seven points out of ten.
I wanted to read this book for a while now and not long after I picked it up from one of the two libraries I go to and I noticed something, one issue (I'll get to that later) and the second is the book tried to be emotional. Tried. I don't know why, but I didn't shed a single tear during any part of the book, it might have something to do with the plot? I don't know. It starts with the main character Mia whose last name I don't remember and everything appears fine until she was in a car with her family when it ended up in a car crash. That accident killed Mia's parents and brother Teddy but she survived and now she is in this out-of-body experience which happens for most of the story. Now that I said that the book straight up turns from a linear to a non-linear one once it started putting in some flashbacks. There were a lot of them which almost made up half of the book and they told me about Mia's life before the accident, her relationships with her parents, brother and even Adam, and let me let you two things, one, I've seen a character like this before but it's rare to see a teenage character like classical music and two, I've seen books like this before in the form of Last Chance Angel by Alex Gutterridge and Broken by Elizabeth Pulford but they don't even compare to this. The first few pages revolve around Mia being evacuated and being on life support but after that the book slowed heavily from there but that didn't decrease my enjoyment of this though I would like it better if I could connect to the characters more. In the end Mia wakes up after only 200 pages and afterwards there were a lot of bonus content which I enjoyed reading. The entire book is dated but then again this was published a decade ago so there's that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Grief, and Medical content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Full trigger warnings: Death of parents, a child and brother in a car crash, near-death experience, coma, suicidal thoughts, out-of-body experiencealexmall029's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
I cry every single time
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death, Child death, and Death of parent
notyourhana's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Child death, Death, Grief, Medical content, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
ravenclaw_percabeth's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
abigail_af's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts
chrstnlvly's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This is a reread, and I still rate it 3 stars. It's a quick read, but I did not put much effort and time into finishing the book quickly.
I was hoping years after I first read it, I will change my mind.. but no. In my opinion, the depth is lacking. The writing is good, but the story is not that appealing. I remember I liked the second book more, and I'm planning to reread it within the year.
I was hoping years after I first read it, I will change my mind.. but no. In my opinion, the depth is lacking. The writing is good, but the story is not that appealing. I remember I liked the second book more, and I'm planning to reread it within the year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Sexual content
regalreads's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Car accident, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Title: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Series: If I Stay, #1
Genre: YA
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: April 2, 2009
T H R E E • W O R D S
Tragic • Simple • Emotive
📖 S Y N O P S I S
On a snowy day, Mia and her family set out to spend the day with family and friends. What ensues is a fatal car accident, which kills her family. As Mia is rushed to the hospital, between life and death, the past and the present collide. Mia is faced with the decision of being with her family and dying, or living with the heartbreak of losing her family. A story of memory and loving, and of living and dying.
💭 T H O U G H T S
If I Stay tackles a heartbreaking matter in a poignant and respectable way. Alternating between timelines, what unfolds is an easy read that is extremely thought provoking. The pacing and writing were decent. What impressed me the most was how the author created a huge cast of characters with ease, and without creating a chaotic reading experience.
Forman has weaved both sadness and hope into the plot. Overall, this was a solid YA read that filled me with emotion. The ending was quite abrupt, which makes sense given there's a sequel.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• YA readers
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"I realize now that dying is easy. Living is hard."
Author: Gayle Forman
Series: If I Stay, #1
Genre: YA
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: April 2, 2009
T H R E E • W O R D S
Tragic • Simple • Emotive
📖 S Y N O P S I S
On a snowy day, Mia and her family set out to spend the day with family and friends. What ensues is a fatal car accident, which kills her family. As Mia is rushed to the hospital, between life and death, the past and the present collide. Mia is faced with the decision of being with her family and dying, or living with the heartbreak of losing her family. A story of memory and loving, and of living and dying.
💭 T H O U G H T S
If I Stay tackles a heartbreaking matter in a poignant and respectable way. Alternating between timelines, what unfolds is an easy read that is extremely thought provoking. The pacing and writing were decent. What impressed me the most was how the author created a huge cast of characters with ease, and without creating a chaotic reading experience.
Forman has weaved both sadness and hope into the plot. Overall, this was a solid YA read that filled me with emotion. The ending was quite abrupt, which makes sense given there's a sequel.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• YA readers
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"I realize now that dying is easy. Living is hard."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Car accident, Grief, Blood, and Medical content
Minor: Ableism
sibling deathlauren_e_d's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
This book was… interesting. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, and honestly, I was expecting a little more. It was sad and emotional, but slightly predictable. The time jumps and memories confused me. There wasn’t always a clear signal to say “we’re switching back to the past”. I personally felt that Mia’s character was a little basic, although it was an interesting perspective to have on death. I do think I would have enjoyed this book more had I not known there was a sequel (something I just found out before starting to read it) because it would have left a lot more mystery and intrigue to the ending, while knowing there’s a sequel basically gives away the end. Overall, good book and emotional but the characters were slightly underdeveloped and the plot was slightly predictable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Minor: Alcohol and Drug use
vici24kl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Medical content, Death of parent, and Grief