Review Detail

I appreciate books like this. There are stories that bring fantasy, a reality that could never be our own, to life, and give us a chance to escape the realism of our day to day chores. Then, there are stories like this particular novel. Books that bring perspective to life, make you appreciate how lucky you can be to have friends and loved ones that surround you, support you, and love you unconditionally, and the type of power that can stem from that is intense and awe-inspiring.

Now that I've finished the story and dried the tears from my face, I've tried to put myself in Mia's position, tried to imagine what my choice would have been? Would I be willing to fight for the life I was supposed to have, fight for the family that's still here, and fight harder for the ones that didn't make it? Or, despite my fierce determination to thrive and my aversion to death, would it simply be easier, whether physically or in matters of the heart, to be at peace with the life that I was given and rest eternally? To be honest, I still don't know... I'd want to say, undoubtedly, that I'd want to live, but truly, it all depends on circumstance.

Forman did a magnificent job of weaving the past in with the present. Each recollection flowed easily without seeming forced, and made my heart thud harder in my chest and caused the coil of nerves and knots in my stomach to tighten. Sometimes I found myself laughing through the tears at her memories of her family and her life, & this made me want to encourage her to fight harder, to do it for them.

So, to keep from spoiling her decision, I'll finish up by saying that this is definitely a book that will stick with me for a long time. I'm very much looking forward to reading the sequel now.

Also, Adam is my favorite.

"Adam is mumbling something now. In a low voice. Over and over he is saying: please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Finally, he stops and looks at my face. “Please, Mia,” he implores. “Don’t make me write a song.”"