What’s Up With the Ending?

And You Say, "Stay."

The book is called If I Stay, and everyone wants Mia to stay, including Adam, who explicitly says "Stay" (17.8) at Mia's bedside. Perhaps his band should cover the classic Lisa Loeb hit?

Lisa Loeb would be a little too on point, so instead, Adam plays a Yo-Yo Ma track called "Andante con Moto e Poco Rubato," which is a movement from a classical piece. He also squeezes Mia's hand, but it's clearly Yo-Yo Ma who brings Mia back to life.

The book ends with Mia waking up, and we don't even get to see how she reacts. Will she stay with Adam, or will she go to Juilliard? Will she tell people about her out-of-body experience? Will Nurse Ramirez have time to fix her manicure?

All these burning questions are left unanswered, forcing us to read the sequel.