Stay

Reader: Ada
Age: 17
Title: Stay
Author: Deb Caletti
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pub Date: 04/05/2011
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens Top 10: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: I think Deb Caletti's voice and style of writing is so unique and so appealing. She somehow is able to insert all of these anecdotes about life and her characters that you would think would slow down the pace of the story. But they don't. If anything, they keep you more hooked into the plot and the characters. You connect with them more because Caletti makes you go there. She reveals something about humanity in her little musings. I ended up just looking out for them, the little one or two sentences that would tie me into the novel. I would become invested suddenly into the character because Caletti described something about her that I could relate to.
Compelling aspects of the book: I thought the flashbacks into the relationship between Clara and Christian were really disturbing but also really fascinating, in a sick twisted way. It was clear to the readers that "DUH!!!! HE'S A STALKER PSYCHO!!!!" But that's because we had the beauty of hindsight. Clara didn't have that. I thought Caletti artfully showed how realistic that relationship was, how true to life. It really was an eye-opener, to be stuck in a relationship and then to get a wake-up call and realizing how blinded by "love" you've been this entire time. It also showed how powerful love can be, in any form.
Were you disappointed withy the book at all: I wasn't disappointed at all. I felt like I had uncovered a whole new world that I could just dive into. I love Caletti's style of writing, and her plot and characters were fantastic. I was surprised that I fell so in love with her writing.
Cover: I thought the cover was interesting. It didn't intrigue me to read it; the book jacket description did that. However, the cover was still nice and was definitely unique.
Age Range: 14-18+
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
Comments: The relationships that she crafted were so real because they were complicated. She made reality seem almost like a fantasy, this complex mysterious dream that you never wanted to wake up from. She transformed the realness of life, its harsh contours and grief-stricken moments, into something beautiful, something to hold onto.