Book vs. movie: ‘If I Stay’
“If I Stay” by Gayle Forman is a love story full of humor, romance and tragedy. An amazing story about how hard it can be to choose between family and someone you’re madly in love with.
This story follows 17-year-old Mia Hall’s life. Mia has always felt like an outcast in her family. They are all vibrant, lively people who love rock music. Mia on the other hand is shy and quiet, with a love for reading, classical music and her cello. The only person who she talks to is her best friend, Kim Schein, until Adam Wilde takes an interest in her. Kim is a photographer whose family doesn’t understand her artistic talents. Adam is the lead singer of a rock band known as “Shooting Star” who nobody quite understands.
When Adam asks Mia on a date she wonders, “Why would a guy like him want to go out with a girl like me?” They end up being exactly what the other needs. Mia starts to believe she isn’t as much of an outcast as she thought. Now she has an amazing family, best friend and boyfriend. It all seems so perfect – then she’s in a car accident that changes life as she knew it.
Chloë Grace Moretz and Jamie Blackley star in the movie version of “If I Stay.” I felt like they fit Mia and Adam nicely. The movie is full of dramatic, romantic and humorous moments.
It catches your attention from the very beginning. The movie doesn’t waste much time getting into it, so if you’re bored at the beginning, you won’t be for long. The story builds with every moment, but not so fast that you can’t keep up with it.
One thing I definitely liked about the movie is that it didn’t have any important parts of the book missing. Also, most of the major lines from the book were left in the movie, which doesn’t happen that often. During the book and the movie, flashbacks take place. In the book, they aren’t that hard to follow. In the movie, some scenes are a bit confusing.
One of my favorite parts of seeing “If I Stay” was not just the movie, but the audience. A group of girls in the theater would gasp, giggle and cry at all the same parts. When leaving the theater, one girl was telling her friends that it couldn’t end that way, and she needed to know what happens next. I walked up to their group and told her there was a second book already out that she could read to answer her questions. She was happy to find out there would be a sequel. She was even happier to find out it was a book.
Of course, not everyone had the same reaction. Some people thought it was cliché and like every other love story they have read or seen before. They still said it was enjoyable though.
I hope you go and see “If I Stay” or read the book – no promises you will enjoy it though. If you do follow my advice and end up enjoying it, look into the sequel, “Where She Went.”