In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, this will change the way you look at life, love, and family. Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.
This is a spoiler-free review
My favortite aspect about this book, was the close bond Mia had with her little brother Teddy and with her parents. They all loved and cared for each other, which I think is something you don't see very often in young adult/teen books. The family members seemed all very real and I wanted nothing, but to be a part of their family. It's actually not just the family members, but all the characters in the book seem like people you could meet in your everyday life.
Music plays a big part in this book and I loved how, eventhough everyone didn't like the same music, they connected trough the fact that they all liked music.
I found Mia a pretty strong main character for a young adult novel. She wasn't being dramatical all the time, but instead she was a very serious girl who thought a lot about her life and her future. In the book she is seventeen years old, and for once she is a character that actually comes across as a seventeen year-old.
The flashbacks and memories that Mia experienced were a nice interruption of the part of the story which plays in the hospital. If that would have been continuous it would probably have become boring.
I thought Forman did a good job by not making the book overly philosophical, but I would have liked to see Mia ponder a little bit more about her decision whether or not to stay. Eventhough it's mentioned that she thinks about it, it is not exactly clear what her thoughts about it are. How does she envision her 'life after death', or how does she envision her life if she stays?
It's funny because I was one of the few people who didn't really like this book (although I liked the sequel). And some of the reasons you liked it are some of the same reasons I didn't! :-) I actually really didn't like Mia's family for some reason. They all seemed a little TOO hip and cool and I just found myself thinking they were kind of weird. But, I think most people agree with you, not me. Our different opinions are what the world go round, I guess!! :-)
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction