If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Everyone thinks it was because of the snow. And in a way, I suppose that’s true. I wake up this morning to a think blanket of white covering our front lawn. It isn’t even an inch, but in this part of Oregon a slight dusting brings everything to a standstill as the one snowplow in the country gets busy clearing the roads.

Set against the backdrop of a lone cello, If I Stay traces the journey of Mia, seventeen years old and having to make the choice of her life. Literally. Beautifully written and thought provoking, the relationships are beautifully woven throughout the story and the characters are completely believable and voluptuous. Comforted by a nurse, who is an old family friend, and a passionate boyfriend, this is a book that questions the meaning of life and death and all that is in between – Definitely a novel for those who loved Jenny Downham’s Before I Die.

If I Stay is longlisted for the Silver Inky