Dear Gayle Forman,
I read the If I Stay series
expecting greatness. The first book met my expectations—great.
The second, on the other hand, was so scattered and
pointless that it brought the value of the first book down at least a thousand
notches.
The plot of If I Stay
is very creative, so kudos to you Gayle, if I may call you that, for writing a
book with an intense plot, lovable characters, and deep themes.
However, whatever creativity points you gained from writing
the first were DEMOLISHED after you wrote the second.
I would bet some good money that you were pressured to write
a second book by publishers and so, inspired by the money, you wrote an ending
for Adam and Mia.
And what a lame ending you wrote, my friend.
Part of the beauty of a tragic novel, one of injury or
sickness, death or hurt, is the fact that complete healing isn’t always found
in the end.
The fact that the reader is unaware at the end of the first
book whether Mia chooses Adam or chooses her career is a beautiful thing.
We, as the readers, are left to ponder the choices in our
own lives. Will I choose those I love, or a career I love? Is it possible to
mesh the two? Can I have both my loved ones, and my dearest passions?
By wrapping up the series with a sequel that details Adam
and Mia’s continued hurt and struggles, you lost some of the magic of the
unknown.
But hey, I would have given you even half credit had you written
a second book with ease and flow.
Alas, you did not.
And what the readers are left with is a brief view of the
destruction of everything we loved about Adam: his character, his love for others,
his humour, and his passion for music.
We see Mia, who we before handedly assume to be mourning her
family and missing life with Adam, but who in reality is talking to them daily,
hearing their spirit voices in her mind.
Like. What. The. World.
When did Mia become some animist? Oh right, I remember. The
same time Adam was sleeping around, getting drunk, and becoming a superstitious
freak.
Was the second book really necessary, Gayle? Because your readers
don’t think so.
Sincerely a reader who liked the first book, hated the
second, and is praying there won’t be a third,
Jessica
