This could not be fiction. It could so easily be non-fiction it's scary. Caletti's voice is bulls-eye accurate. There are people who love words and people who love words. Calletti loves words. She can string a set of words together and paint the most vivid picture in her readers heads.
I probably read a great portion of this with my mouth open in amazement. I had no idea what I was in for when I opened this book. I not only found a new favorite author but a new all-time favorite book in Stay. This is sure - sure - to be a hit with young adults and older adults alike.
The most important aspect about Stay is that this will hit home with women. And, if even one person listens, it just may save her life.
Caletti has a rare talent to take something seen as normal in this day and age and make the reader see it for what it is - abnormal. She picks it apart with her beautiful words and strings it back together - if possible even more beautifully.
Clara's Dad? A favorite all-time character of mine. Someone you might wish your Dad was a little like. Clara and her Dad's relationship is something to be envied and at the same time relatable by so many.
Stay is one of those books, one of those rare books, where I found myself struggling to leave the last sentence and go on to the next, and, at the same time, trying to keep my eyes on the sentence I was reading because my instinct was to jump ahead - just a little bit! - to find out what happened.
This is simply and truly amazing. A true piece of art sailing in a sea of average.

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Wow. Wow wow wow. I think Id use the following words to describe STAY: disturbing. Beautiful. Painful. Delicately strong. STAY eloquently captures the tremulous aftermath of an emotionally harmful relationship, told in a beautiful and not overbearing prose.

The sad and scary fact is that people go through Claras situation every day. I know several friends who are in such relationships. And the terrifying thing about it is that there is only so much you can do to help those people. I wish I could give them all a copy of STAY. Deb Calettis latest offering spins a heartwrenching portrayal of Clara and Christians relationship, and Claras subsequent healing process. We feel the intensity of Claras attraction and caring for Christian, despite the fact that we know from the start that he is Bad News Bears. The horrible spiral that the relationship goes down is spun out subtly and convincingly.

The characters in STAY are lovely. Clara is a fairly relatable protagonist, not knowing exactly what she wants from her future, but smart enough to know what she does NOT want from her past. The thing is, any one of us could easily be Clara: theres nothing about her that makes her stand out, that labels her immediately as a target for such a type of relationship. Clara handles the things within her control as best as she can, and I have to respect her for that.

I also love Claras relationship with her father. Claras father, a famous writer, is one of the most well written parent figures I have read recently in YA lit. He has a personality! He has his own interests and dreams and aspirations! He has his own quirks! Awesomeee.

I was less impressed with Claras new romance. Come on: the girl just went through the most difficult thing shes had to go through in her life; doesnt it make sense for her to take a break from romance? The romance just felt like it was in the story only because it is expected of YA stories to contain a romance. So, yeah. Not impressed. Clara also discovers shocking revelations about her family history, which was a side plot that wasnt set up as well as the main one. Its not bad, per se: it just felt like a lot of drama that didnt entirely live up to its shock value.

Overall, however, STAY is one hell of a read. Its beautiful, moving, and sometimes hurts to the bone to read. But at the end of it all, it is powerful and importantand best of all, its written well. Pick it up or buy it as a present for someone, please.

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