If I Stay

For 17-year-old Mia Hall, life is good. She is a gifted cellist and might just get in her dream school, Juilliard. Adam, her boyfriend, loves her. Most of all, she has a wonderful family - the coolest parents and an adorable little brother.

But one snowy day, life suddenly becomes a nightmare. She gets in a car accident with her family which puts her in a coma. And as her body lays in the hospital bed, she learns that she has to make the ultimate choice: whether to stay or go.

Once again, I was mesmerized by Gayle Forman's writing in her first bestsellers, If I Stay and its sequel, Where She Went. If in Just One Day I was amazed by how she describes places, here, I was awestruck by how she describes life. The many contradicting things about it. How short it is yet lasting. How it changes but somehow is still the same.

I also admire the music in the books and am impressed with Gayle's emotive, rock-lyric writing. I could almost hear the classical pieces even though I don't know them. Yes, a little bit of rock, a little bit of classic. And then, something in me felt warm at the blending of the two. Genius.

As Mia flashbacks on her life's picturesque moments, you are transported back to your own. It reminds us of the important things and how to cherish them. The aftermath of her struggle is bittersweet and tender. Truly, it is a touching story of love, loss, and more.

-Martha