Review: Stay with Me

Stay with Me by Paul Griffin

Summary: Fifteen-year-olds Cece and Mack didn’t expect to fall in love. She’s a sensitive A student; he’s a high school dropout. But soon they’re spending every moment together, bonding over a rescued dog, telling their secrets, making plans for the future. Everything is perfect. Until. Until. Mack makes a horrible mistake, and in just a few minutes, the future they’d planned becomes impossible. In this stark new reality, both of them must find meaning and hope in the memories of what they had, to survive when the person they love can’t stay.

My Thoughts: Stay with Me by Paul Griffin is both sweet and heartbreaking. Firstly, if you’re sensitive to mistreatment of dogs, beware. There’s not a lot of it, but enough to bother someone with a more sensitive nature. Fortunately, it’s not the focus of the story – just one of many threads. Paul Griffin is an excellent writer. He crafts a great story, and writes beautifully.

Mack and Cece (pronounced Chee-chee) are an interesting pair. We are told that Mack is slow and quirky. The characteristics shown make me think he has undiagnosed Aspergers Syndrome, but I’m not certain that was the author’s intent. It’s just the impression I got. He’s generally a good guy who makes a terrible mistake. Although, in his defense, it’s understandable. When you read it, you’ll probably agree. Heck, if I was faced with that situation, I might be tempted … and I’m stopping there to avoid spoilage.

Cece. I’m not sure what to say about her. She’s got a bit of a messed-up family, but her brother appears to be a rare gem of a guy. Nice, driven, and very kind. And it’s very surprising, given that their mother is an immature drunk. Cece herself is somewhat of a typical teenage girl. She’s insecure, worried about her future, and doing her best to survive.

The story itself is very interesting and keeps you going. You want to see how it plays out. What happens with Cece and Mack – and with Mack separately. As things get moving, about two thirds of the way in, the book gets mildly predictable. There are two things I was able to figure out what would happen ahead of time, but it didn’t ruin it for me. I was pleased with myself for figuring it out! LOL The way everything comes together is masterfully done, and I really enjoyed the writing.

Favorite Quotes: These are just two examples of why I love Griffin’s writing! (For the record, this is the first of his books I’ve read.)

Outside the hutch window, the sheets are blowing horizontal. A dark gray one takes leave of the dry line and flies off like the Reaper starved for a fresh soul.
~ page 117 (ARC)

I thought that was just amazing. The imagery is fantastic – and so creative. I would not have thought to describe it that way, but it is the perfect description. I can see it in my mind as though I’m there watching it float away.

She drags me to the city pool. Bazillion little kids screaming, sounds like ninety-nine cats shredding each other. ~ page 186 (ARC)

This one made me chuckle. It’s another description I never would have come up with on my own, but I think is perfect. I can hear those kids as though I’m right there at the pool!

Source: Received through Smitten with Books ARC Tours for review.

Read It: Stay with Me is scheduled for release on September 8, 2011. You can pre-order your own copy HERE. (This is a Book Depository link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission at no cost to you. Your support is appreciated!)

Challenges: Counts for the 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge.

Find me on Goodreads.com >>

♥

FTC Disclosure: All items reviewed were either obtained by me for my own enjoyment or sent (from the author, publisher, publicist, via tour sites, etc.) in exchange for an honest review. I receive no monetary compensation for my posts. All opinions expressed are my own.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.