If I Stay

By Gayle Forman

Heart-wrenchingly raw and heartbreakingly romantic, Gayle Forman’s international bestseller asks the ultimate question: What would you do if you had to choose?

“Beautifully written.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Every moment I spent reading Forman’s masterpiece drew me in more.”—NPR.com

Everything can change in an instant. For Mia, the day started like any other, surrounded by a loving family, an adoring boyfriend, and a bright future filled with music and infinite possibilities. What she never expected is the choice before her now. Caught between life and death, between a happy past and an uncertain future, Mia has to contemplate everything she holds dear and make a choice: to go or to stay. 

Adapted into a major motion picture starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
• Release date: Apr 2, 2009
• ISBN: 9781101046340

Gayle Forman

Award-winning author and journalist Gayle Forman has written several bestselling novels for children and adults, including Not Nothing, the Just One series, and the number one New York Times bestseller If I Stay, which has been translated into more than forty languages and in 2014 was adapted into a major motion picture. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.

Book preview

AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE

How am I supposed to decide this? How can I possibly stay without Mom and Dad? How can I leave without Teddy? Or Adam? This is too much. I don’t even understand how it all works, why I’m here in the state that I’m in or how to get out of it if I wanted to. If I were to say, I want to wake up, would I wake up right now? I already tried snapping my heels to find Teddy and trying to beam myself to Hawaii, and that didn’t work. This seems a whole lot more complicated.

But in spite of that, I believe it’s true. I hear the nurse’s words again. I am running the show. Everyone is waiting on me.

I decide. I know this now.

And this terrifies me more than anything else that has happened today.

002

ALSO BY GAYLE FORMAN

Sisters in Sanity

Where She Went

Just One Day

Just One Year

Just One Night

(e-special)

I Was Here

I Have Lost My Way

We Are Inevitable

If I Stay

SPEAK

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) LLC

penguinrandomhouse.com

A Penguin Random House Company

First published in the United States of America by Dutton Books,

an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2009

Published by Speak, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 2010

Copyright © 2009 by Gayle Forman Inc.

Waiting for Vengeance © by Oswald Five-O, Serenade, Grinning Idiot Records.

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices,

promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized

edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning,

or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers

and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAS CATALOGED THE DUTTON BOOKS EDITION AS FOLLOWS:

Forman, Gayle.

If I stay: a novel / by Gayle Forman.

p. cm.

Summary: While in a coma following an automobile accident that killed her parents

and younger brother, seventeen-year-old Mia, a gifted cellist, weighs

whether to live with her grief or join her family in death.

ISBN: 978-1-101-04634-0

[1. Coma—Fiction. 2. Death—Fiction. 3. Medical care—Fiction. 4. Violoncellists—Fiction.

5. Family life—Oregon—Fiction. 6. Oregon—Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.F75876If 2009

[Fic] —dc22 2008023938

Speak ISBN 978-0-14-241543-6

Copyright © 2014 by Gayle Forman, Inc.

Fireflies, performed by Bishop Allen, used with permission from

Justin Rice and Christian Rudder courtesy of Superhyper/ASCAP

Firefly, performed by Heavens to Betsy, used with permission from

Corin Tucker courtesy of Red Self Music/ASCAP

btb_ppg_c0_r10

For Nick

Finally . . . Always

002

Contents

Cover

An Impossible Choice

Also By Gayle Forman

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

7:09 A.M.

8:17 A.M.

9:23 A.M.

10:12 A.M.

12:19 P.M.

3:47 P.M.

4:39 P.M.

4:47 P.M.

5:40 P.M.

7:13 P.M.

8:12 P.M.

9:06 P.M.

10:40 P.M.

2:48 A.M.

4:57 A.M.

5:42 A.M.

7:16 A.M.

Acknowledgements

Discussion Guide and Bonus Matter

Story Behind the Story

Discussion Questions

Behind the Music

Author Q & A

Excerpt from We Are Inevitable

About the Author

7:09 A.M.

Everyone thinks it was because of the snow. And in a way, I suppose that’s true.

I wake up this morning to a thin blanket of white covering our front lawn. It isn’t even an inch, but in this part of Oregon a slight dusting brings everything to a standstill as the one snowplow in the county gets busy clearing the roads. It is wet water that drops from the sky—and drops and drops and drops—not the frozen kind.

It is enough snow to cancel school. My little brother, Teddy, lets out a war whoop when Mom’s AM radio announces the closures. Snow day! he bellows. Dad, let’s go make a snowman.

My dad smiles and taps on his pipe. He started smoking one recently as part of this whole 1950s, Father Knows Best retro kick he is on. He also wears bow ties. I am never quite clear on whether all this is sartorial or sardonic—Dad’s way of announcing that he used to be a punker but is now a middle-school English teacher, or if becoming a teacher has actually turned my dad into this genuine throwback. But I like the smell of the pipe tobacco. It is sweet and smoky, and reminds me of winters and woodstoves.

You can make a valiant try, Dad tells Teddy. But it’s hardly sticking to the roads. Maybe you should consider a snow amoeba.

I can tell Dad is happy. Barely an inch of snow means that all the schools in the county are closed, including my high school and the middle school where Dad works, so it’s an unexpected day off for him, too. My mother, who works for a travel agent in town, clicks off the radio and pours herself a second cup of coffee. Well, if you lot are playing hooky today, no way I’m going to work. It’s simply not right. She picks up the telephone to call in. When she’s done, she looks at us. Should I make breakfast?

Dad and I guffaw at the same time. Mom makes cereal and toast. Dad’s the cook in the family.

Pretending not to hear us, she reaches into the cabinet for a box of Bisquick. Please. How hard can it be? Who wants pancakes?

I do! I do! Teddy yells. Can we have chocolate chips in them?

I don’t see why not, Mom replies.

Woo hoo! Teddy yelps, waving his arms in the air.

You have far too much energy for this early in the morning, I tease. I turn to Mom. Maybe you shouldn’t let Teddy drink so much coffee.

I’ve switched him to decaf, Mom volleys back. He’s just naturally exuberant.

"As long as you’re not switching me to decaf," I say.

That would be child abuse, Dad says.

Mom hands me a steaming mug and the newspaper.

There’s a nice picture of your young man in there, she says.

Really? A picture?

Yep. It’s about the most we’ve seen of him since summer, Mom says, giving me a sidelong glance with her eyebrow arched, her version of a soul-searching stare.

I know, I say, and then without meaning to, I sigh. Adam’s band, Shooting Star, is on an upward spiral, which, is a great thing—mostly.

Ah, fame, wasted on the youth, Dad says, but he’s smiling. I know he’s excited for Adam. Proud even.

I leaf through the newspaper to the calendar section. There’s a small blurb about Shooting Star, with an even smaller picture of the four of them, next to a big article about Bikini and a huge picture of the band’s lead singer: punk-rock diva Brooke Vega. The bit about them basically says that local band Shooting Star is opening for Bikini on the Portland leg of Bikini’s national tour. It doesn’t mention the even-bigger-to-me news that last night Shooting Star headlined at a club in Seattle and, according to the text Adam sent me at midnight, sold out the place.

Are you going tonight? Dad asks.

I was planning to. It depends if they shut down the whole state on account of the snow.

"It is approaching a blizzard," Dad says, pointing to a single snowflake floating its way to the earth.

I’m also supposed to rehearse with some pianist from the college that Professor Christie dug up. Professor Christie, a retired music teacher at the university who I’ve been working with for the last few years, is always looking for victims for me to play with. Keep you sharp so you can show all those Juilliard snobs how it’s really done, she says.

I haven’t gotten into Juilliard yet, but my audition went really well. The Bach suite and the Shostakovich had both flown out of me like never before, like my fingers were just an extension of the strings and bow. When I’d finished playing, panting, my legs shaking from pressing together so hard, one judge had clapped a little, which I guess doesn’t happen very often. As I’d shuffled out, that same judge had told me that it had been a long time since the school had seen an Oregon country girl. Professor Christie had taken that to mean a guaranteed acceptance. I wasn’t so sure that was true. And I wasn’t 100 percent sure that I wanted it to be true. Just like with Shooting Star’s meteoric rise, my admission to Juilliard—if it happens—will create certain complications, or, more accurately, would compound the complications that have already cropped up in the last few months.

I need more coffee. Anyone else? Mom asks, hovering over me with the ancient percolator.

I sniff the coffee, the rich, black, oily French roast we all prefer. The smell alone perks me up. I’m pondering going back to bed, I say. My cello’s at school, so I can’t even practice.

Not practice? For twenty-four hours? Be still, my broken heart, Mom says. Though she has acquired a taste for classical music over the years—it’s like learning to appreciate a stinky cheese—she’s been a not-always-delighted captive audience for many of my marathon rehearsals.

I hear a crash and a boom coming from upstairs. Teddy is pounding on his drum kit. It used to belong to Dad. Back when he’d played drums in a big-in-our-town, unknown-anywhere-else band, back when he’d worked at a record store.

Dad grins at Teddy’s noise, and seeing that, I feel a familiar pang. I know it’s silly but I have always wondered if Dad is disappointed that I didn’t become a rock chick. I’d meant to. Then, in third grade, I’d wandered over to the cello in music class—it looked almost human to me. It looked like if you played it, it would tell you secrets, so I started playing. It’s been almost ten years now and I haven’t stopped.

So much for going back to sleep, Mom yells over Teddy’s noise.

What do you know, the snow’s already melting. Dad says, puffing on his pipe. I go to the back door and peek outside. A patch of sunlight has broken through the clouds, and I can hear the hiss of the ice melting. I close the door and go back to the table.

I think the county overreacted, I say.

Maybe. But they can’t un-cancel school. Horse is already out of the barn, and I already called in for the day off, Mom says.

Indeed. But we might take advantage of this unexpected boon and go somewhere, Dad says. Take a drive. Visit Henry and Willow. Henry and Willow are some of Mom and Dad’s old music friends who’d also had a kid and decided to start behaving like grown-ups. They live in a big old farmhouse. Henry does Web stuff from the barn they converted into a home office and Willow works at a nearby hospital. They have a baby girl. That’s the real reason Mom and Dad want to go out there. Teddy having just turned eight and me being seventeen means that we are long past giving off that sour-milk smell that makes adults melt.

We can stop at BookBarn on the way back, Mom says, as if to entice me. BookBarn is a giant, dusty old used-book store. In the back they keep a stash of twenty-five-cent classical records that nobody ever seems to buy except me. I keep a pile of them hidden under my bed. A collection of classical records is not the kind of thing you advertise.

I’ve shown them to Adam, but that was only after we’d already been together for five months. I’d expected him to laugh. He’s such the cool guy with his pegged jeans and black low-tops, his effortlessly beat-up punk-rock tees and his subtle tattoos. He is so not the kind of guy to end up with someone like me. Which was why when I’d first spotted him watching me at the music studios at school two years ago, I’d been convinced he was making fun of me and I’d hidden from him. Anyhow, he hadn’t laughed. It turned out he had a dusty collection of punk-rock records under his bed.

We can also stop by Gran and Gramps for an early dinner, Dad says, already reaching for the phone. We’ll have you back in plenty of time to get to Portland, he adds as he dials.

I’m in, I say. It isn’t the lure of BookBarn, or the fact that Adam is on tour, or that my best friend, Kim, is busy doing yearbook stuff. It isn’t even that my cello is at school or that I could stay home and watch TV or sleep. I’d actually rather go off with my family. This is another thing you don’t advertise about yourself, but Adam gets that, too.

Teddy, Dad calls. Get dressed. We’re going on an adventure.

Teddy finishes off his drum solo with a crash of cymbals. A moment later he’s bounding into the kitchen fully dressed, as if he’d pulled on his clothes while careening down the steep wooden staircase of our drafty Victorian house. School’s out for summer . . . he sings.

Alice Cooper? Dad asks. Have we no standards? At least sing the Ramones.

School’s out forever, Teddy sings over Dad’s protests.

Ever the optimist, I say.

Mom laughs. She puts a plate of slightly charred pancakes down on the kitchen table. Eat up, family.

8:17 A.M.

We pile into the car, a rusting Buick that was already old when Gran gave it to us after Teddy was born. Mom and Dad offer to let me drive, but I say no. Dad slips behind the wheel. He likes to drive now. He’d stubbornly refused to get a license for years, insisting on riding his bike everywhere. Back when he played music, his ban on driving meant that his bandmates were the ones stuck behind the wheel on tours. They used to roll their eyes at him. Mom had done more than that. She’d pestered, cajoled, and sometimes yelled at Dad to get a license, but he’d insisted that he preferred pedal power. Well, then you better get to work on building a bike that can hold a family of three and keep us dry when it rains, she’d demanded. To which Dad always had laughed and said that he’d get on that.

But when Mom had gotten pregnant with Teddy, she’d put her foot down. Enough, she said. Dad seemed to understand that something had changed. He’d stopped arguing and had gotten a driver’s license. He’d also gone back to school to get his teaching certificate. I guess it was okay to be in arrested development with one kid. But with two, time to grow up. Time to start wearing a bow tie.

He has one on this morning, along with a flecked sport coat and vintage wingtips. Dressed for the snow, I see, I say.

I’m like the post office, Dad replies, scraping the snow off the car with one of Teddy’s plastic dinosaurs that are scattered on the lawn. Neither sleet nor rain nor a half inch of snow will compel me to dress like a lumberjack.

Hey, my relatives were lumberjacks, Mom warns. No making fun of the white-trash woodsmen.

Wouldn’t dream of it, Dad replies. Just making stylistic contrasts.

Dad has to turn the ignition over a few times before the car chokes to life. As usual, there is a battle for stereo dominance. Mom wants NPR. Dad wants Frank Sinatra. Teddy wants SpongeBob SquarePants. I want the classical-music station, but recognizing that I’m the only classical fan in the family, I am willing to compromise with Shooting Star.

Dad brokers the deal. Seeing as we’re missing school today, we ought to listen to the news for a while so we don’t become ignoramuses—

I believe that’s ignoramusi, Mom says.

Dad rolls his eyes and clasps his hand over Mom’s and clears his throat in that schoolteachery way of his. As I was saying, NPR first, and then when the news is over, the classical station. Teddy, we will not torture you with that. You can use the Discman, Dad says, starting to disconnect the portable player he’s rigged to the car radio. But you are not allowed to play Alice Cooper in my car. I forbid it. Dad reaches into the glove box to examine what’s inside. How about Jonathan Richman?

I want SpongeBob. It’s in the machine, Teddy shouts, bouncing up and down and pointing to the Discman. The chocolate-chip pancakes dowsed in syrup have clearly only enhanced his hyper excitement.

Son, you break my heart, Dad jokes. Both Teddy and I were raised on the goofy tunes of Jonathan Richman, who is Mom and Dad’s musical patron saint.

Once the musical selections have been made, we are off. The road has some patches of snow, but mostly it’s just wet. But this is Oregon. The roads are always wet. Mom used to joke that it was when the road was dry that people ran into trouble. They get cocky, throw caution to the wind, drive like assholes. The cops have a field day doling out speeding tickets.

I lean my head against the car window, watching the scenery zip by, a tableau of dark green fir trees dotted with snow, wispy

Reviews for If I Stay

[Visol · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My first love Adam, I must say that I read this book when I was a teenager, and it makes you value family. The moments we share with our loved ones are the things that should keep us strong to remember the good and the bad when we miss them. I feel that this story shows us that and that every decision we make will have consequences for everyone. It is a sad story with much reflection. (Translated from Spanish)

[NuryBook · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Last night I received signs and calls to read "If I Stay," a book that was on my shelf, in my list of things to read; my mind was picturing its image, my heart was inviting me to read it, until I gave in to the call and even though I cried (a lot), I was really captivated by the story, and I couldn't put the book down until I finished it.

Probably someone reading this has seen the movie; I confess I haven’t because I wanted to read it first.

"If I Stay" tells the story of Mia, a 17-year-old girl who has a car accident with her parents and her 8-year-old brother. Throughout the book, we accompany her from the series of events that lead the family to a car outing, to her debate between life and death. Her body is in a coma but she, as a disembodied being, is aware of everything that happens around her and observes her loved ones, while she remembers aspects of her life that will make you connect with her and her loved ones.

Here’s a fragment that broke my heart (spoiler alert):

"... When he was a baby and had trouble sleeping at night, he would only calm down if I sang him a lullaby with the cello. When he started to get interested in Harry Potter, only I could read him a chapter every night. And when he scratched his knee or bumped his head, if I was nearby, he wouldn’t stop crying until I gave him a magic kiss on the wound, after which he miraculously healed.

I know that not all the magic kisses in the world would have helped him today, but I don't know what I would be capable of for having been able to give it to him."

For me, a touching and heart-wrenching story, I connected with it in many ways, I recommend it to you. (Translated from Spanish)

[Andreapg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It is a simple yet emotive novel that, thanks to the author's narrative style, makes the reader feel each of the protagonist's emotions. The flashbacks throughout the novel reveal a truly touching family relationship, while also demonstrating how difficult it is to make a decision. With the many reflections we encounter and some very special characters, If I Stay is a novel full of emotions that leaves no one indifferent. (Translated from Spanish)

[billiejean · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

At the time, it made me reflect a lot, but despite being like an autobiography told by the protagonist, sometimes it is boring (-1 star) and I feel it could have had more. (Translated from Spanish)

[leilaw03 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I saw a reel about the movie and I liked it, so I looked for the book and just finished reading it. I'm not crying but it's close.
Everything that happened was very unexpected; I hadn't even read the synopsis.
I recommend it to get out of a reading slump and to see something different about life. It's very well written and the characters are relatable ? (Translated from Spanish)

[leandrolll · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A story that shows us how easily our life can change, difficult, strong, full of love and drama. Highly recommended. (Translated from Spanish)

[Sofijimenez21 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4/5⭐
A beautiful story, with well-developed characters that convey wonderful feelings. Mia's relationship with her family felt so real, her relationship with her boyfriend, the immense love she feels for him feels so genuine. A book with great reflections that will make you think about everything you have around you and the importance you should give to each of those things, because you never know when it will be too late. (Translated from Spanish)

[ThanyMely · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

First, I watched the movie and many years later I read the book. Obviously, the book is much better and you understand many things about Mia's life... I cried a little, so I recommend having tissues nearby. Also, it's a book that you finish reading in one sitting. (Translated from Spanish)

[itssabru · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Original plot and raise awareness about suicide. (Translated from Spanish)

[Rob001 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is art, I loved it. (Translated from Spanish)

[Lulu05 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read it a while ago and I loved it. I don't remember much, but I did love the way it expresses the fragility of life and how the protagonist views the people around her. I devoured that book in less than a day, and I would do it again without hesitation. (Translated from Spanish)

[RocioAnahi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Writing a book where the plot is sad is difficult... very difficult; it requires that its content, its characters, and its overall context weigh enough to captivate and hold the reader. "If I Stay" was a sad book... a book that raises questions about our own selves regarding things that seem so simple that we end up underestimating them, but that in reality are everything. This second book, however, is an explosion of anguish... a rollercoaster that exposes a heart in such an exquisite way that one is overwhelmed by realistic and complicated emotions. TRULY BEAUTIFUL. (Translated from Spanish)

[Bre0498 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked the story; despite being sad, it was a light read that simply leaves you thinking. I will definitely read its continuation because I can't leave the story like that. (Translated from Spanish)

[lexReader · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A very light book in which, on one hand, I found an entertaining story, and on the other hand, I think the plot could have offered much more. I believe the premise it started from was very good, and I like the medical information it provides about the state of our protagonist, but precisely I found it lacking more narration of the present, more drama and mystery, and a bit less of what I would call "high school stories" (friendships and boyfriends). (Translated from Spanish)

[JAQM · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The truth is that I loved the way the story unfolds and how the writer manages to transmit the characters' feelings, making you get familiar with them through flashbacks, since the story starts abruptly. Despite being a short book, as the format I read has only 128 pages, the truth is that these pages are filled with many emotions and family experiences. The way each of the themes in this book, such as future decisions, young love, family ties, and friendship, are portrayed feels very real and makes you think a lot.

It's very interesting to know that life cannot be bought, that things in your life can change in a moment, in just a few seconds that you could spend with your family. The book, although it didn't make me cry (believe me, I'm a crybaby), did touch a sensitive nerve, and scenes like Mia and her grandfather, Teddy's birth, the barbecue, and at the end of the book, the words Adam says to Mia for her to reconsider staying deeply resonated with me.

I understand that there is a film adaptation with very mixed reviews, but you know what? I simply don't feel like watching it. The book is beautiful, and I prefer to conceive it this way, although I did see that "Say Something" by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera is in the soundtrack. I couldn't help but listen to the lyrics, that piano... and see how much the song's lyrics align with the book—simply sensational. Also, this book has a strong theme of music with Mia's story about her cello and the fact that her father was part of a Punk-Rock band, and her boyfriend Adam is also in a band of the same genre. I have always thought that stories with music as a central theme are great; I have always considered that books and music are an art that is enjoyed, and if both go hand in hand in a story, it's a real treat for me. (Translated from Spanish)

[Oniria · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Honestly. I never knew which of the characters I fell in love with the most. It was a tough novel to read because of how it begins, but undoubtedly, it drew me in. When I finished it, the first thing I needed to know was if there was a second part and what it was. (Translated from Spanish)

[giulyayala · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

First I saw the movie, and the book seemed very similar to me. (Translated from Spanish)

[Kamilini1112 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read it 1 or 2 months ago and I really didn't like it much, and although it was strong at first, I found it to be a very flat and boring read. (Translated from Spanish)

[☀️ Sol ☀️ · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

READ 11/16/2013
A beautiful, short, and super well-written book. The truth is that it is very sad, but it is told in such a lovely way that it makes everything less horrible than it is. It's the first book I read by this author, and I loved her writing style!!!
The characters are divine, all of them, I loved them, and they made me cry obviously.... a moving story, different, with a difficult decision to make but one that is undoubtedly very valuable. (Translated from Spanish)

[raykoybooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

If I decide to stay | @gayleforman | EDITORIAL @salamandraed

Review: It is a quite interesting book, I started reading it because it was somewhat sad and made me cry. When I read enough, I realized that it is a really good book with great thoughts. There were parts that I didn't particularly like, as it told the protagonist's past, something that I, especially, do not like; it is true that it goes by quickly, as the reading is short and captures you. (Translated from Spanish)

[AleDuran · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this story for the first time years ago; at that time, it was extremely enjoyable to read, and even now I have liked it, but in a different way.

It is a tragic story, losing your entire family, having to decide whether to stay or go.

I love the passion, commitment, dedication, and love that Adam and Mia have for music, so much so that it was precisely that which brought them together. Their relationship seems good to me until she decides to go to New York, and everything becomes complicated. (Translated from Spanish)

[Ro.Bookish · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Despite telling us a love story that is both unbelievable and very predictable, its reading captivates you for how relatable and amusing it becomes, especially in the moments led by the overwhelming Sammy, where I admit I couldn't help but laugh more than once. Recommended for reading if you're looking to be entertained for a while. (Translated from Spanish)

[Hercules · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At the time, I abandoned it, but I think I picked it up at the right moment. I won't deny that this thing hurts, it burns and hurts in various parts, and I don't know why I understood Mia's feeling of whether to keep fighting or to let go. The flashbacks seemed to make no sense, but at the end of each one, they did connect with Mia's "now." What I do not forgive is the ending... I don't want to ruin it for that. Could it have been deeper and cover more on these types of themes? Yes, but for having only "scratched the surface" of the topic, it was fine, not excellent, just okay. I enjoyed it a lot anyway. I highly recommend it. (Translated from Spanish)

[MartitaButterfly · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A novel that moves you from within. It tells the story of an unusual teenager with problems that are beyond the norm. She is at a crossroads that will determine her future. You laugh, cry, and feel everything deeply. I loved how it's written, blending the present with her memories. Very original and beautiful. (Translated from Spanish)

[MizferCergar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I saw the movie before reading the book, I can say almost the same. The book I liked a lot, it's a lovely love story, it addresses themes like family love and support and how sometimes you have to sacrifice time with friends or a partner to achieve our goals. I highly recommend it, it's a quick read. (Translated from Spanish)

[Evelyn2317 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I cried with the last chapters. (Translated from Spanish)

[DayanaDayana · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

At first, it doesn't seem interesting; I was about to abandon it, but I don't do that. Then the spark came, and I'm not so engrossed in reading this book, but it entertains me. (Translated from Spanish)

[Lupitahdz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's very strange here because when I watched the movie, I cried, but I just finished the book and didn't feel like crying, only sadness. On the other hand, the characters, I don't know, everything was very quick; I felt it was all rushed, but I liked it a little bit. (Translated from Spanish)

[khristall · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I want to say that I really liked the way the story is told, how Mia's feelings are portrayed, the relationship she has with her parents is very strong, the connection she has with Adam seems special and very real to me, with normal conflicts in any relationship. I felt a lot of sadness upon learning that Mia had lost her parents and her brother; it almost brought a tear to my eye. The friendship with Kim seemed real and honest; their not liking each other immediately when they met felt very realistic. Highly recommended. (Translated from Spanish)

[mariafernandezz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At first it was good, a bit unbelievable but good. It became somewhat boring at times, although every now and then it was interesting and hooked me. Honestly, I expected a better ending. (Translated from Spanish)