Book Review - If I Stay & Where She Went

If I Stay has been on my To-Read list since September.  I think it was on some list of YA books that grown-ups might like.  When I was planning on driving by myself to Minnesota earlier this month, I wanted to get an audiobook, but most of them are too long, so I sorted by number of pages, and searched the library website until I found something that would work out.  At 4 hours, this seemed perfect for the 6-ish hour drive.

The story is basically about a teenage girl who ends up in a coma, but her spirit is somehow separate from her body, and she is aware of everything going on in the hospital, with her family/friends/boyfriend, and ultimately gets to decide whether to stay or die.  Suspending any theological and philosophical concerns, it's an interesting idea.  I liked it, but I think it would have been better if I was just reading.  The reader was a bit obnoxious at times.  I mean, I just want them to read the book to me, but they find it necessary to do silly voices, and actually make sobbing sounds when the people are crying.  Not necessary!  I know the character is sad and crying, because it says she was sobbing!  I just find it distracting when the reader acts out the story.  I think I would have cried reading it, but listening to the reader crying was just awkward.

Where She Went is the sequel, and focuses on the boyfriend and how he has dealt with the aftermath of the whole situation.  I liked it much better (maybe because I read it like normal?).  I was happy to get more closure after the end of If I Stay.  I do have to complain about the cover art - I don't like when the cover has real person on it.  Mia was supposed to be kind of geeky - that girl looks like a model (which, of course, she is).  So just don't put a face on the cover if it's going to be completely different than the description of the character. 

I just learned that the If I Stay movie is coming out this fall, so I'll have to check that out!