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Book Review of If I Stay (If I Stay, Bk 1)

If I Stay (If I Stay, Bk 1)
emilyjane avatar reviewed on + 19 more book reviews


I wanted to read this book because I have heard so many people talk about how much they liked it. Three stars is a very low rating for me - I generally give books the benefit of the doubt and try to emphasize their positive qualities.
This book just did not resonate with me. First of all, it isn't that original. It seems like the idea of a person walking around outside their body "deciding" whether or not to pass on has been done so many times before. The dialogue was, in places, very unrealistic and irritating. In the first few scenes/flashbacks, the interactions between her and her parents almost made me put the book down - no one is that witty/sarcastic. I kept imagining her dad as Ron Burgandy. Her dad was a character that I actually liked despite all of that but her mother, on the other hand, I could not stand. I was getting really fed up with all the feminist, pro-abortion, Planned Parenthood, and atheism references. It was very difficult for me to relate to her family at all (which I think was a necessary part of evoking emotions during this story). At NO point did I feel sad for her or her family. Her relationship with her boyfriend was very strange.

Overall, a book that just flat out missed the mark. It was a quick read but not worth it in my opinion.