Stay (edition 2011)

Uma leitura rápida, quando eu li a premissa do livro pensei que ele fosse "pesado", mas a autora soube deixar a leitura agradável e em certos pontos divertida. ( )

When Clara meets Christian her senior year of high school, their connection is immediate and their relationship is intense. She falls in love with him, and he with her, but it becomes clear that Christian’s devotion to her is different from how she feels for him. As he becomes more jealous and obsessed with making her stay, Clara realizes that her safety might be in danger. When Clara and her dad leave the city and don’t tell anyone where they’re going, Clara hopes that it’s the end of her contact with Christian, but she doubts that simple distance will keep him away from her.

Although I am a fan of several of Caletti’s other books for teenagers, I have to admit that I was apprehensive about the basic premise of this one. Creating a story about a girl whose boyfriend becomes an obsessive stalker can become fodder for a bad Lifetime Original Movie, and in a lesser author’s hands, this probably would have happened. Luckily for readers, Caletti is an extremely talented writer with a remarkable talent for writing authentic teenage voices.

Clara tells the reader her story by flipping back and forth between present and past. She lets the story of how she and Christian met unfold, and it’s clear that the attraction that the two felt was immediate and intense, as first loves often are. By allowing the reader to see why Clara fell for Christian and then also allow them to see how his behavior began to spiral out of control, Caletti has created a stronger narrative. It’s easy to say, “He’s crazy. Get out.” It’s a lot harder to actually act on those words. The struggle that Clara goes through feels real, and the reader is just as frustrated as she is by setbacks and mistakes.

Caletti has a great many strengths, and one of those is present in her clear, crisp writing. This is an author who truly loves words, and it shows. From the clever footnotes populated throughout the story (these might actually be my favorite part) to the weird quirks that Clara’s writer father has, readers can see that a love of words, of reading, and of writing is present both for the characters and for Caletti herself. There’s a richness to this story that is often missing from other novels in the YA world.

Although the ending unfolded a little too predictably and a little too conveniently for me, I chalk that up to my extremely jaded tendencies. Most readers will devour this book, and rightfully so: it’s really, really good. Suspenseful, beautiful, and full of real observations about life and love, this is a remarkable book.

Highly recommended. ( )

***Beware of mild spoilers, i.e. nothing that's going to really ruin it for you***

Here's what I thought:

Story - ★★★★★
Characters - ★★★★★
Writing - ★★★★★
Ending - ★★

The novel was absolutely wonderful until the ending that never happened. I mean, there was no resolution and there really needed to be when you're dealing with this kind of story. May I just say, [a:Deb Caletti|135786|Deb Caletti|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1208363352p2/135786.jpg] writes so beautifully; she makes each chapter read like poetry.

"I saw it as praise, falling down now like glittering snowflakes. But it was something else. A drop of poison on that gathering snow. That moment in the fairy tale when we know what just happened but the princess doesn't."

The lyrical flow of her writing was the first thing I noticed but the story was equally as strong, it was sad, moving and often creepy too. It's about how someone can find themselves gradually led into a controlling and unhealthy relationship, especially through carefully manipulated power dynamics within the relationship. Clara makes the first move with Christian, she sees from their first few meetings that she has captivated him... and she likes the powerful feeling this gives her. But it's this level of Christian's emotion that later becomes a danger to her when he starts to be jealous of every boy she speaks to.

It works as a gripping novel but also as a cautionary tale applicable to real life situations. You might judge someone who has allowed themselves to be caught up in a controlling or abusive relationship, but this book shows how subtly circumstances can change, leading to people who thought they were in a happy, loving relationship suddenly facing a partner they no longer recognise and are inable to escape.

The feeling of being trapped and having nowhere to run makes [b:Stay|8527904|Stay|Deb Caletti|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1301850508s/8527904.jpg|13394950] at times quite a frightening story to read. Christian, at first a charming Danish boy with pretty eyes and an accent to die for, turns into a stalker-ish did-something-just-move-outside-my-window kind of character. In my opinion, he was terrifying! But then, all of you who thought it was cute when Edward snuck into Bella's room at night might like this sort of thing (sorry, couldn't resist). I am actually thankful that a young adult novel has finally shown the creepy side of the boyfriend who is that dark shadow over there watching you.

While I'm here I'm going to be my usually awkward, picky self and point out the other small negative I found. And that was certain random side stories that didn't add anything to the overall plot. Like ghost stories and the amount of time spent on whats-her-face at the lighthouse. Yeah, that could have been cut out...

But otherwise, I really really loved this novel. If the ending had been better it would have been a full 5 star rating easily. But don't be put off: read this book!

One more quote:

"But if fate is a shape-shifter, then love is too. It can be, anyway, in its most dangerous form. It's your best day, and then your worst. It's your most hope and then your most despair. Lightness, darkness, it can swing between extremes at lightning speed - a boat upon the water on the most gorgeous day, and then the clouds crawl in and the sky turns black and the sea rages and the boat is lost." ( )

This is the first Deb Caletti book I’ve ever read. I’ve been wanting to pick up one of her books for a long time and I finally got around to doing it. I am super glad I did.

I enjoyed Stay more than I thought I would. I thought it was a great story with interesting characters and was very well written. However, I found it slow at some parts and at one point near the end the main character, Clara, does something that just made me shake my head.

Overall, I though it was a good book and I think it’s worth a read. I will definitely be reading more by this author in the future. ( )

"My father said that love at first sight should send you running, if you know what's good for you. It's your dark pieces having an instant recognition with their dark peices, he says."
In Deb Caletti's realistic fiction novel, Stay, two teens love is intense at first but quickly becomes obsession. When Clara first met Christian she was in a state of blind ecstasy, but soon enough his true colors began to show, and after some time Clara realizes she needs to get away. That may sound easy but not when dealing with someone who is emotionally unstable as he.
Clara is a confused girl, she doesn't know where she wants to go or what she wants to do. She even blames herself for Christians actions after multiple people tried to reason with her. Her father, who is a well known author, and her go away for the summer leaving her hometown in Washington behind just to run from her ghosts. Everyday for Clara is a day of looking, listening, and being alert for fear of Christian finding her. The book goes back and forth between Clara presently and her when she was with Christian in the first few chapters to give a clear overview of what she was and is feeling along with why she needs to get away from him so bad. In the waterfront town they are staying in, Clara and her father meet a friend of his who knows all his secrets along with two brothers, Finn and Jack. Finn and Clara begin to connect and soon enough a romance is built, but there's still the feeling of her ex watching her. Then Clara's phone rings and it's a number she'll never forget and panic consumes her. All of the paranoia Clara felt was foreshadowing the moment when Christian was in town, watching her with Finn and arriving at her house only to end in a mad chase that mad everyone frantic. Deb Caletti is very similar to Sarah Dessen in the way of pulling the reader and being a book that just amazes the reader.
Stay would have to be in my top five of favorite books. With all the details and the way Caletti makes you realize how people can stay in an abusive relationship. Romance mixed with drama are always eye catching to me. This book is perfect for teen girls who enjoy a fast pace drama with fun characters in terrible situations just trying to start over. ( )