2014
4.5★

This has turned our to be one emotional roller-coaster like story for me. With a tissue box at hand.
I think it effected me more because I was in a big car accident in 2003 (car flipped over three times). I stayed overnight in the hospital with multiple major muscle strain in my neck and back.
And then a couple years ago my sister and (then 2 yo) niece was in a major car accident. They survived. Sister didn't have to stay for observation like I did though. She just had to stay awake most of the night poor thing, getting shuffled off to various doctors. And my niece (now 4) told me recently that she still remembered driving in an ambulance.

Thankfully Forman describes just the after effects. A tragic event is usually experienced (or felt that way) in slow motion, at least it did for me. So in a way, it's a blessing that Mia doesn't remember the car accident. The out-of-body experience storyline isn't a new one (there was even a show like this called Saving Grace). The writing is Young Adult and has flashbacks to help explain some parts in the now. I also felt that Mia was using these flashbacks as a way for her to ignore her current dilemma - should she stay alive or not? I think that whole what if thought had me in tears, along with the emotion of what happened to Mia's family.

I'm still haunted by this book, so I'm not in a rush to read the second one. I don't think this book left off with any cliffhangers. I will recommend this book, but with the understanding that it is a Young Adult theme with the teenager and love angst bits. I really liked all the characters. I thought the flashbacks slowed the pace a little, but the book was still a good suspenseful read