When it came time to pick another book for this month’s Reading Rewind, it was an easy decision for Katie and I.
We chose the books that started the entire conversation and sparked this feature:
That’s right, we picked If I Stay and {if time was available} Where She Went. For me, I had heard a lot about the series, but I tend to stay away from angsty books and these have angst allllllll over them. Obviously. But, I had some friends who I trust really start to push them at me and I finally caved.
1. When did you originally read the book and what did you rate it?
I read IIS in early March 2012 and WSW in late March 2012. I rated both of them 5 stars and put WSW on my “all of the stars” shelf.
2. Why did you love it?
IIS had a unique format. I loved that we got Mia in “real time” as she watched what was going on at the hospital. The sort of out of order past chapters that gave the background captivated me. Mia was an amazing character with such a hard choice to make and I absolutely loved being in her head while she was on this heartbreaking journey.
When it came to WSW and we got the same past/present chapters plus Adam’s POV, I was instantly smitten. I always prefer boy POV and especially getting in Adam’s head was just perfect. I loved that it was set 3 years later and not immediately after IIS.
3. After the re-read did your rating/feelings about it change? Why or why not?
I will admit to being a little trepidatious about the reread. I saw the movie not too long ago, loved it {hello, Jamie Blackley}, and was seriously mildly obsessed with the soundtrack. {If Jamie ever decides to become a rock star, I’m fully prepared to quit my job and follow him around the country.} I binged them both in about 3 hours, still rated them 5 stars, and still loved them like whoa.
With the movie sort of fresh in my mind, I realized there was a lot of amazing scenes they didn’t show. {Mostly the “play me like your cello”, but I’m sure there were others.} I didn’t remember Adam being so bitter in WSW, but it felt authentic. His heartbreak was palpable. My favorite scenes and lines were still the same and I squeezed WSW when I was done with it. I know I’ll be reading them again.
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Have you read If I Stay? What was your favorite scene?
Want details on Reading Rewind? Check the original post!
Now. When I went to find these books on my bookshelf, I realized that I had an extra set and I want you guys to have them. They are paperback copies, the giveaway is international, and additional rules are here.
**Good Luck!!**
I loved If I Stay, but Where She Went is one of my favorites ever. Adammmm <3 And I feel the same about the movie, Jamie Blackley did an awesome job.
ADAM FOR THE WIN! And yes yes yes to Jamie Blackley. I need him to tour. Badly.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
I love it! I also had “all the feels” and awarded “all the stars” to If I Stay and Where She Went :-) Gayle just has a way with her characters, doesn’t she? I didn’t have a chance to re-read Where She Went, but that’s next!
How nice of you to offer a giveaway! :-) I hope the winner loves the books as much as we do.
I almost lost my mind when I found the second set because they weren’t signed. I couldn’t figure out how I had seen Gayle so many time and had not managed to get those two specific books signed. Then I realized they were duplicates. *face palm*
I read this awhile ago and I loved IIS so much!
Such a lovely post Stacee :D Yay for re-reading and still loving these books a lot. <3 That is the best feeling. I have not read them, but I am so curious about the first one :D I will never read them, though, because I do not approve of the plot of the second book. I hate drama. And my precious couple not being together. Not for me, hiih :D But the books do still seem so cute. <3 Thank you for sharing about them sweetie :)
I haven’t read them and I haven’t even seen the movie yet. Must be great series, thank you for the chance!
I read If I Stay a while ago (I lose track of exactly when), but because I knew so much about it before I read, I remember the preaccident scene and immediately afterwards as the most meaningful ones for me and therefore the ones that have stayed with me.
I read If I Stay a while ago before the movie was released, I still haven’t read Where She Went yet.
My favorite scene from If I Stay is when Adam visits Mia, and gives her his speech and sings a song he wrote for her! “I’ll let you go, If you stay!”
That scene devastated me in every way!
My absolute favorite scene is from WSW. It’s towards the end when they finally duet together. How they are just lost in the music and each other. That moment felt so powerful and intimate at the same time.
Like I said on IG, we definitely need a “Where We Are Now” book/novella/epilogue. Let’s keep bugging Gayle to do something for the 10th anniversary in a few years. That should be enough time for her to write something. (^_^)
I’m not familiar with either book but they look good. Thanks for parting with your extra copies!
I don’t have one, I’ve never read either but I’ve been meaning to Our!
The duet in WSW was my absolute favourite!
I haven’t read these yet though they’ve been on my TBR list forever! So, hopefully this will put the books in my hand to pick a favorite scene!
I haven’t read these yet but dying to get my hands on them!!
My fave scene in IIS was when adam visit Mia in the hospital and makes the deal with her and in WSW when they meet up again and she explains why she left
In If I stay when she came back that moment I was like holding my breath and it was filled with so much anticipation. And in Where She Went when Adam and Mia finally talk about why she left and she tells him that she needed to hate someone and so it fell on him. That’s one of my most favorite quotes.