Title: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Pages: 261
Genre: YA Fiction
Source: Owned Print
Rating: C
Review: Some books are really excellent as books, and some books would be better as a movie (and no, I haven’t seen this movie yet). This book falls into the latter category (so says my gut).
Don’t get me wrong. I was touched. I cried. But, for me at least, there was a bit of a disconnect. No, that’s isn’t the right word. Or maybe it is. Ugh. I want to say there was an occasional lack of maturity that I struggled with, but… this is YA, right? Insert the regular argument against adults reading YA and then my defense that YA is SO wide-ranging that there is plenty out there for adults (or my argument that screw you, I’ll read whatever I want), but like any genre, every book isn’t for every person. Then again, some things get labeled YA that maybe should be considered Juvenile instead. And this is one of those books that is definitely not Juvenile, but it also isn’t the kind of YA I typically read.
Ugh. I struggle. Which is why the C rating. I enjoyed the book. I wanted to love it. Had it been one step up on the maturity level and lost a cheesy sequence or two, I would have loved it. But, I think this is simply a case of my not being the intended audience. I can fully understand why someone 20+ years younger than me would love it, and I’d recommend it to someone in that age group, not anyone in my own.
I tried reading this book. Absolutely could not get into it. Unfortunate, because I thought I would love it!
Thanks for visiting and commenting! Yeah, I was disappointed, especially after all the hype. The concept was really intriguing, but I don’t know if I’ll pick up the next in the series.