Stay by Deb Caletti

Title: Stay
Author: Deb Caletti
Published: April 5, 2011 by Simon Pulse
Pages: 320/Hardcover
Source: My Personal Library


Summary: Clara’s relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it’s almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is—and what he’s willing to do to make her stay.

Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won’t let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough....

Review: Before reading Stay I had only read one other book by Deb Caletti and, to be honest, I didn't really like it. That being said, I was wary of this book even though I had been hearing great thing about it. But I shouldn't have been worried at all, because all those good things I heard about Stay? All true.

I have a thing about flashbacks. If they're done right I love them, but they can be easily messed up for me. This book would go back and forth with flashbacks. Every other chapter would switch from the present and go back to when Clara was with Christian. The flashbacks themselves were wonderfully written, but the only time I really felt like Christian was obsessive or following Clara was in the flashbacks. I didn't get that same feeling when she was in the present.

I thought it was strange that Clara got into another relationship right after Christian, but when I thought about it it didn't seem so weird. She didn't automatically trust Finn 100% and she didn't try and act like someone else like with Christian. It could also be like people in traumatizing car accidents. They tell them to get back in a car ASAP so they're not scared of cars for the rest of their lives. Maybe Clara needed to be in another relationship so she wasn't afraid of relationships forever.

And while we're on the subject of Clara and her relationships, let's talk about characters. Finn was one of those characters that you care about and really like in the story, but you don't really get a sense of who he is. There's nothing that really sets him apart from other characters. I felt that connection and understanding with Christian, but only in the flashbacks because there wasn't really a sense of him in the present. Clara, oh Clara. Clara's one of those characters that you can connect with. She's running from her past while also trying to figure it out all without help from others. She tries to keep her secrets to herself, but she realizes that it's okay to let other people in and help her.

It seemed strange to have  subplot about Clara's mother because so much was already going on, and the mom-subplot didn't really seem to mesh with the Christian-plot. It's like they're two spheres that touched but didn't go together.

I was pretty wary of this book to begin with, but after hearing the good things about it I realized it had potential for me, and boy was I right. Stay may not be the most positive book in the world, but it's definitely a source of great writing and characters.


More Books by Deb Caletti
The Nature of Jade
Honey, Baby, Sweetheart
Wild Roses
The Fortunes of Indigo Skye 
The Secret Life of Prince Charming
The Six Rules of Maybe
The Queen of Everything