I've not seen the movie "If I Stay" and don't intend to; however, I love this book as a counter-point to the infamous [b:Thirteen Reasons Why|29844228|Thirteen Reasons Why|Jay Asher|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1496655158s/29844228.jpg|2588213]. Both books are about life and death, but where one (at least in film form) justifies suicide, this one grapples hopefully with the inverse question of whether continuing life is worth the pain and struggle. Like others of my favorites, this is a fairly cerebral approach to story-telling that uses an out-of-body vantage point and non-linear memory-hopping to good effect. It has language, and might be argued to pander to the juvenile with the weight it puts on a single romantic relationship. However, in the book I didn't find that relationship to be overburdened. The climactic decision-making near the end was handled a little more trivially than I felt did the rest of the book justice, but overall it was definitely a positive reading experience.