If I Stay (If I Stay, #1) by Gayle Forman

Rating: 5/5
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 heart achingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman is a great read, even though it's not my particularly favorite genre of book. I prefer paranormal and supernatural romance, preferably involving vampires, werewolves, witches, et cetera, et cetera. If I Stay is about a seventeen-year-old girl named Mia who, one morning, is riding along a wet, rainy, slick, snowy, icy (LOL) Oregon road with her family when they are hit, head-on, by an eighteen wheeler. Everyone in Mia's family dies, except for her. She is in coma and can hear and see everything like she is awake, but it's merely her spirit, having an out-of-body experience. Mia has flashbacks of her home-life, her relationship with her loving boyfriend, Adam, etc.
Mia is faced with a choice: return to earth to live out the rest of her life with Adam or go to Heaven where her mother, father, and little brother are waiting for her. I read this book in about an hour, because it was such a fast, easy read. I enjoyed the pace of the book and found myself slightly teary eyed at the end. It is a coming-of-age story about love, loss, pain, and choice. I highly recommend it to everyone, because it literally relates to every single genre. Yes, even non-fiction. Why/how non-fiction, you ask? Well, it's simple, and here's why: scientists, both supernatural and theoretical, and medical doctors have concluded that during coma, 99.9% (I made up that percentage to show how much a person can respond to actual events happening around them...well, that percentage might be true. Oh, well, who really knows? I'm babbling...I'll continue with my review now...) Okay, so, seriously guys pick up this book it's very good. I love the characters, the emotion, the pure blood and spirit of the book. I'm just speechless. Literally, go buy a copy today. OH, and buy the sequel: Where She Went (If I Stay, #2) by Gayle Forman.

*I'm currently reading Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves. When I am finished with it, I will get a review up for you guys. xD

xoxo,
Casey :)