Book Thoughts: If I Stay

Title: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Series: If I Stay #1

First off, I have to say how much I love this cover of this book. I love the texture of the font that makes it look so handwritten, I love the simplicity, I just love it. That said, the paperback cover is beautiful too, but I think I like this one better.

And the story is just beautiful. The narrative is nonlinear; a series of flashbacks is intercut with the story in the present, and it's not broken into chapters but rather divided by time stamps. Not everyone can pull off such a complex structure, but Forman certainly does. And the characters are so beautifully, wonderfully real. The choices Mia is forced to make are very real ones, and her reactions to them are so starkly human and so well-tied to her personality that she could very easily come to life. And even the smaller characters - Adam, Kim, Mia's family, Henry, Willow, everyone - are well-developed. Readers see them through the filter of Mia's narration, but we are shown (not told: important distinction) enough that we really get a sense of who these people are and what Mia's life is like.

Mia's relationships to her family and her boyfriend were refreshing, too. Her love life isn't perfect; far from the I-have-the-perfect-boyfriend or I-have-the-perfect-secret-lover relationships shown in a lot of books, Mia's relationship with Adam has the same ups and downs that any normal relationship has. They are in love, but their relationship is flawed. They fight and argue, but it's something they can work through. And it's wonderful to see a teen who doesn't totally hate her parents. Mia experiences the same feelings of loneliness and misunderstanding that most teens experience, but she still loves her parents, they are very present in her life, and she has a very protective and sisterly instinct toward her younger brother.

My only complaint was that it seemed to take a very long time to get to the heart of the major choice Mia was facing, but the story is absolutely worth reading in spite of that. It's beautifully written, heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. I have to confess to crying like a baby at parts of it. Definitely read this book if you get the chance.

Book Thoughts: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour

Title: Amy and Roger's Epic Detour
Author: Morgan Matson

I read this book on Simon & Schuster's PulseIt site over a couple of hours (when I should have been doing summer homework. This was much more interesting, though). It absolutely kept me hooked - even though I predicted pretty much by the end of the first chapter what would happen, I still was excited to find out how it happened, and it's really more of a character novel than a plot novel anyway. And the characters are great, so it's awesome.

Amy Curry's father died in a car accident three months ago. For the last month, she's been on her own in their California home: her mom is in Connecticut, and her twin brother is in rehab in North Carolina. In all that time and then some, she hasn't driven. Amy doesn't drive anymore, not since the accident. So when she has to get the car from Cali to Connecticut, her mom calls in the son of an old family friend: Roger. Roger's driving the car for her, because he'll be staying at his dad's house in Pennsylvania for the summer, but he only agreed to drive the whole way because he's hoping to encounter his ex-girlfriend, Hadley. What neither of them realize is how much they'll end up helping each other with their issues.

The characters are really relatable; I especially related to Amy, because even though she's very different from me in a lot of ways, her feelings are so real and understandable and human. And Roger, too - he's flawed, he's sweet, he's one of the most real fictional male leads I've encountered in a long time, which makes him really quite awesome. And the story is simple and sweet and cute, just like a fun summer read should be, but it also deals with a lot of deep dark issues.

The five words I would pick to describe this book: heartbreaking, heartwarming, sad, sweet, and smiley.

The phrase I would use to describe what you should do now: Go read this book ASAP, because it's awesome.

Oh! And I almost forgot to mention the playlists! Amy and Roger spend a lot of time on their road trip making playlists. Roger's playlists include Jack's Mannequin - a band I really like that hardly anyone at my school/church/etc ever seems to have heard of - as well as other alternative bands that are awesome (and some I don't know - new music yay!) and Amy's are comprised of show tunes and Elvis. Need I say anything more about how awesome this is?