If I Stay - Movie Review

If I Stay

Director: R.J. Cutler

Written By: Shauna Cross (screenplay), Gayle Forman (based off the novel by)

Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Mireille Enos, Jamie Blackley

Released: August 22, 2014

106 minutes

Produced By: DiNovi Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), New Line Cinema

Here's my book review of If I Stay.

Ok so it's been a year since I've read If I Stay. And I've probably read 150ish other books since. I say that not because If I Stay wasn't memorable--it definitely was--but because I'm definitely missing some of the finer details of the book. I can usually only remember all the little details when I've read a book multiple times, and even though I can see myself reading If I Stay multiple times, I just haven't had the opportunity to do that yet. So...how that relates into the movie review is that I can't accurately tell you how much was different from book to movie. I can tell you that there were some differences--there always are--but I feel like I probably missed most of them. That being said, I don't think anything too major was different.

I teared up while reading the book, but really the only tears I shed was during the scene with Mia's grandfather. You guys know the one. But while watching the movie, I was not quite a wreck...but tears were shed at mutliple scenes. Shoot, pretty much from right before the scene with Mia's grandfather (*sniff* Teddy) until the end I was misty eyed and sniffling. Yet, even though I found myself more emotional while watching the movie, I still think If I Stay was better as a book than a movie. But isn't that the way it usually happens?

The actors you guys...those guys made this movie. Seriously. Mia's parents, played by Mireille Enos and Joshua Leonard, were so spot on. They're quirky. They are NOT what you picture parents to be. They push Mia out of her comfort zone. They curse. They encourage Mia to go out and party and stay out all night. While I won't be adopting my own parenting techniques after them, you could see the love they have for their family and friends. It just fit. And the "we made that scene" gave me chills. Jakob Davies plays Teddy, and he did a cute job. I wanted to pinch his cheeks.

But I know you guys really want to know about Chloë Grace Moretz (Mia) and Jamie Blackley (Adam). *sigh* You guys, they did so good. Their chemistry was pretty spot-on. Mia being all shy and a bit awkward, but totally in love with playing music. Chloë Grace Moretz did such a great job! I bought her as this character. There was never a time when I was pulled out of what was happening on the screen. And I never had a moment that I didn't believe her conviction in playing Mia. Even the cello scenes were pretty awesome. And Adam...Jamie Blackley...wow. He put that character on and I don't know if he'll ever be able to take Adam off again. I just don't even have words. The fight scenes were intense and emotion-filled. Even when you wanted to smack one or both of them. The romance scenes were pretty great too.

And I really felt like the creators were doing everything they could to set up If I Stay for the sequel, Where She Went. I felt like this might be the biggest area where the creators made changes. I thought they pulled in too much conflict between Mia and Adam from Where She Went, but I could just be mis-remembering If I Stay. Either way, I definitely think they have plans to make the second book into a movie as well. And I'm jumping up and down for that.

If I Stay (the movie), gets 4 Stars from me. The actors totally embraced these characters and brought them to life. I didn't see too many changes that put me off. And I found seeing If I Stay (the book) turned into a visual format brought out even more emotion from me. Have you seen If I Stay? What did you think? Let me know!

Top Ten Books That Will Make You Cry

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Books That Will Make You Cry.

1) Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
2) If I Stay (If I Stay, # 1) by Gayle Forman
3) Point of Retreat (Slammed, # 2) by Colleen Hoover
4) Reason to Breathe (Breathing, # 1) by Rebecca Donovan
5) Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky, # 2) by Veronica Rossi
6) Shadow Kiss (Vampire Academy, # 3) by Richelle Mead
7) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
8) Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes
9) The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity by William Paul Young
10) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
11) Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
12) Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
13) Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

I cannot seem to stick to ten books. Of course, there are TONS of other books that have made me cry, but these are some of my favorites. Which books are guaranteed to make you cry? Let me know!

Where She Went - Review

Where She Went (If I Stay, # 2)

By: Gayle Forman

Published: April 5th 2011 by Dutton Juvenile

264 pages

Genre: YA, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from my local library

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future-and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

Unlike If I Stay, Where She Went is told from Adam's point of view only. Where She Went takes place three years from the accident that changed both Mia and Adam's lives. Without going into too much detail, we find ourselves in Adam's head after his and Mia's relationship has fallen apart and Adam really has no idea why.

Where She Went was an emotion packed read just like If I Stay, but filled with very different emotions from the ones we witnessed in If I Stay. Where She Went deals with the aftermath of putting one's life back together after such a tragic loss.

I thoroughly enjoyed being in Adam's head throughout this process. He's found himself lost in a life that's just sort of happened around him but isn't what he wants for himself at all. He's filled with anxiety, regret, confusion, and so much more.

When we finally get to hear the whole of Mia's story, you can't help but feel sorry for Mia, yet completely understand her reasoning at the same time. Gayle Forman did an excellent job tackling the feelings that Mia has had as a result of being the sole survivor in the car accident that claimed the lives of her entire family. Each emotion is raw, real, and on display.

I've heard several say that they enjoyed Where She Went more than If I Stay, and while I did enjoy Where She Went immensely, the emotion wasn't quite on the same level for me as If I Stay. I choked up at one part in Where She Went, but I wasn't bordering on tears the whole time as I was when reading If I Stay.

Either way, Where She Went is an fast paced, emotional read. Where She Went has every good thing contained within it's pages. I highly recommend both If I Stay and this worthy sequel. Where She Went gets 4 stars. Have you read Where She Went? What did you think? Let me know!

Top Ten Books I'd Recommend to My Sister

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Books I'd Recommend to My Sister.

So my sister is a reader, but we're not typically on the same page with genre. She's a big fan of James Patterson, Mary Higgins Clark, Nicholas Sparks, etc. She leans more toward adult books than young adult, and she hates all things paranormal, dystopian, or post-apocalyptic, which rules out 60-70% of the books that I read. SO, if I could recommend 10 some (because I know I can't stick to ten) books to my sister to read so that we could have some books in common to talk about, I'd recommend the following (all contemporary reads because I'm not going to recommend something I know she'll hate):

1) Slammed by Colleen Hoover - Because Colleen Hoover rocks!

2) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - Great book!

3) Hopeless by Colleen Hoover - See reason for number 1!

4) The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen - I think Jessica Sorsensen is a perfect author for my sister.

5) The Secret of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen - See number 4!

6) Breaking Nova by Jessica Sorensen - See number 4 again! (review coming soon)

7) The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay - One of my favorite reads from last year!

8) Ten Tiny Breaths by KA Tucker - Really digging this series so far.

9) Rule by Jay Crownover - Just because this series is about tattooed guys. What's not to love?

10) Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry - One of my favorites from last year and book 3 is a favorite from this year.

11) Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham - Because she loves Lauren Graham as much as I do, and because this is actually similar to something I think she would read normally.

12) If I Stay by Gayle Forman - Great book. Also a favorite from this year.

13) Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles Just because.

14) Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell - Another favorite from this year. (review coming soon)

15) Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein - This one might be a stretch, but I really enjoyed it.

What books would you recommend to my sister based off what I said above and my recommendations? Let me know!

If I Stay - Review

If I Stay (If I Stay, # 1)

By: Gayle Forman

Published: January 1st 2009 by Dutton Juvenile

201 pages

Genre: YA, Contemporary

Source: Borrowed from my local library

( Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository | Booksamillion.com )

*Note: The above links to Amazon, Book Depository, and Booksamillion.com are affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...

A sophisticated, layered, and heart-achingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make, and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

I've seen If I Stay on many people's top lists for various Top 10 Tuesday topics so I knew that I wanted to read it. However, I was browsing my local library's ebook catalog and came across book 2, Where She Went and decided to search to see if they had book 1. Well they did. But in audiobook version. I like audiobooks because I can listen when doing other things. Specifically while I work. However, I find that the story doesn't sink in as much as if I had read it myself. I also find that the narrator doesn't always add emphasis where I would read it--or sarcasm or any other emotion. But I didn't find the narrator of this book, Kirsten Potter, lacking at all. She does a great job infusing emotion into this narration. I almost felt like she might have enhanced the story for me.

I knew that this book was about a girl whose life changes due to a car accident from reading the description above, but I didn't realize what all that would involve. If I Stay is a story about a girl who's having an out of body experience trying to decide if she should stay and live or let go. She watches the events after the accident from the outside of her body. These events mixed with flashbacks from her past help her to make this ultimate of all decisions.

If I Stay is a different kind of book that brought out some deep emotions from within me. I didn't cry throughout the whole thing, but I definitely teared up, and I got chills a couple of times. If I Stay will make you stop to think about what's important in your own life and what you can no longer afford to take for granted. And I love books like that...books that make an impact on how I live my life. I don't want to go into more detail because this book needs to be experienced.

If I Stay lived up to the hype it's received. I highly recommend this book and I can't wait to start Where She Went--will be borrowing that from the library ASAP. If I Stay gets 4.5 Stars. Have you read If I Stay? What did you think? Let me know!

Top Ten(ish) Books I've Read 2013 So Far

Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten(ish) Books I've Read 2013 So Far.

1) If I Stay by Gayle Forman (review coming soon)

2) Under the Never Sky & Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

3) Dare You To by Katie McGarry

4) True by Erin McCarthy

5) The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden by Jessica Sorensen

6) The Secret of Ella and Micha & The Forever of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorsensen

7) Grave Mercy by RL LaFevers

8) The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

9) Cinder & Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

10) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

11) This Girl by Colleen Hoover (review coming soon)

12) The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

13) Delirium by Lauren Oliver (review coming soon)