I should have known better, honestly.
Context:
Mia is a 17-year-old high school senior and cello prodigy. She has her whole life in front of her--she's been accepted to Julliard, she has a great boyfriend, and life is just starting when she's involved in a car wreck that claims the lives of her parents and young brother. Mia then has an out-of-body experience where she observes her family and friends and she must make the decision whether she stays on Earth with them or lets go and moves on.
My thoughts:
Sigh. Okay. My main issue with this book is that it's so predictable. Of course Adam's love for Mia saves her in the end. Of course Mia is a teenage heroine who is "so different" from other teenage girls. The symbolism her memories of the past represent pretty much slaps you in the face, never letting you figure out the themes for yourself.
I think I would have preferred this novel as a sequel to a novel that follows Mia in her pre-tragedy life only. Forman has to set up so much back story that you start feeling like she's telling the wrong story. I do enjoy some of those memories, which is one of Forman's strengths; she is good at writing poignant familial moments. Sometimes the dialogue feels forced, however. Especially in the beginning of the novel, I had a hard time believing in Mia's "cool, hip" parents. Their dialogue made me feel like I was watching one of those really bad car commercials where the actors are smiling but their dialogue is clipped and cheesy, and you can tell they're reading from a prompter. It did get better as the novel progressed, though. I ended up liking her parents, but it took half the book for me to feel comfortable with them.
I do like that it's not a stereotypical ghost story. Mia can't walk through walls or magically appear in other places when she's having her out of body experience. The novel also surprised me in its gruesomeness. The car wreck was pretty intense; I mean, her father's brain peppers the road. Though I am a little disturbed by her lack of response to that. She kind of...observes the cauliflower-like pieces of brain scattered about and....doesn't react? Pretty sure that if I saw my dad's brains decorating the pavement I'd probably...scream? Cry? Faint? I realize she was a spirit at this point but some type of reaction other than mere observance would have been more believable.
I do like that Mia seems mature for her age. She's not your Twilight Bella flinging herself off a cliff and parkouring through courtyards in Italy in her love induced craze. She and Adam seem to have a mature relationship, and I was impressed with how Mia is very self-aware; she realizes that some of her behaviors are unhealthy and unfair and she takes steps to change. She works for her relationship. I can admire that.
I also like her obsession with music. I wonder (and am too lazy to Google and find out) if Forman was a musician, because her prose regarding Mia and her connection with the cello and music is absolutely gorgeous.
My Rating:
On a scale of 1-5, I give If I Stay a 2
Forman writes beautiful memory and music scenes, but falters in creating a believable family and characters that the audience can connect to. The plot meanders through present day and memories, never becoming cohesive enough to give the novel purpose. Though there are some emotional scenes that cause brief teary-eyed moments, it's not enough to make up for the cheesy dialogue and painfully predictable YA tropes.
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