Stay by Deb Caletti
YA
April 5, 2011
Hardcover
Simon Pulse
Reviewed by Tori
BLURB: 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….(Goodreads)
From the moment Clara locked eyes with Christian across a crowded room she know he was the one. An electric spark arced and tethered the two of them; taking them both into an emotional turbulent relationship. When the relationship takes an ominous tone Clara learns the difficulties of leaving a relationship.
When I appealed to reviewer friends about which Deb Caletti I should read first, I was told in no uncertain terms to read Stay. And I’m glad I did. Ms. Caletti has written a wonderful YA character driven contemporary that pulls you into her world and connects you intimately with her characters. Filled with raw emotion, Ms. Caletti takes a very common situation and tells it from the victim’s point of view in a haunting yet matter of fact way. This isn’t just a story-it’s Clara’s story and that is obvious right from the start. It’s not filled with over blown poise or stagnating teenage angst. Clara isn’t put on a pedestal. We see her emotions, thoughts, and yes, her mistakes. Alternating between the past and the present, we are shown every aspect of Clara and Christian’s relationship; from the first stirrings of love to the suffocating fear of being stalked.
Vivid and well fleshed out, Ms Caletti doesn’t give us flawless angelic people. These characters are flawed, show bad judgment, and keep secrets-rather like us in the real world. I found myself bonding with Clara yet also pitying Christian. It is intense and somewhat painful to watch Clara realize, day by day, that the one she identifies as her soul mate is slowly becoming the one person she fears with her life. And at the same time watching Christian morph from an intense young man to a clinging vine that tries to wrap Clara up and keep her with him forever.
Clara’s dad brings an adult influence into the story that I enjoyed. Part father and part friend, he offers wonderful straight forward advice yet takes a firm parental stand when he sees the depth of Christian’s obsession. Even though due to ARC restrictions I cannot do direct quotes, there is a scene where Mr. Oates offers Clara some advice that I found very telling. He tells her that if she finds herself falling into love at first sight then she needs to run. Because all that means is your dark places are connecting with someone else’s dark places and no good can become of that.
Various other characters are introduced that help round out the story and lay the foundation for the ending. Finn was a favorite of mine. His attitude helps show Clara and us that not every relationship is a battle and that you can’t stop living just because something bad happens in your life.
There are 3 story lines here; each offering insight to the main conflict. They bob and swoop in and out of the main storyline coming together at the end to offer some closure for everyone involved. The ending is climatic and satisfying. Ms. Caletti doesn’t give us a cut and dry solution but rather an acceptable conclusion to an unacceptable situation.
All in all I found Stay to be a thought provoking and intense contemporary that shows us realistically what can happen when a relationship crosses the line from love to obsession.
Rating: A
Recent Reviews:
The Unread Reader – 4/5
Books Complete Me – 5/5
Miss Remmers’ Review – A
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Great review Tori! I’ve never read anything by this author.
Thanks. Me neither but I plan on reading more by her.
Wow, what a heavy topic for a YA book, I’m intrigued. Great review Tori.
Thank you. :) I thought she did a great job giving voice to a 17 yr old going through it.
Great review, Tori! When I saw Mandi’s tweet that you’d reviewed a Deb Caletti book, I had to stop by and comment. I LOVE her books. As in, LOVE LOVE LOVE. I didn’t know she had a new book out, so I’ll be putting STAY on my list.
My favorite of hers is HONEY BABY SWEETHEART which, I think, was her 2nd published book. It also went on to become a National Book Award finalist. She captures the teen voice so well that you wonder if she’s actually 17! If you want to read more from her, definitely add that one to your list. The subplot is awesome…and where the title comes from. “I never wanted to be someone’s Honey Baby Sweetheart.” (Or something like that.) I can totally see it being made into a movie.
She lives in my area and it’s sooo fun reading how she twists place names and actual businesses in her books. When I was reading HBS, I was like, OMG that’s Hayes Nursery. I used to drive past it every day on my way to work. :-) Sorry I’m fangirling, but I just love her stuff.
Cheers!
Fan-girl away. lol I was really impressed with how this was written. Yes, she has a wonderful voice that translates well into the story. I can’t wait to read more by here.
This one sounds very intense! Great review Tori.
Thanks. I enjoyed it. The subject in intense but the story is really easy flowing.
“These characters are flawed, show bad judgment, and keep secrets-rather like us in the real world. ”
Those are my very favorite types of characters:) This is a beautiful review Tori, I have heard nothing but great things about this one so I can’t wait to read it.
Thank you Jenny. It stays with you a long time after you read.
Tori,
You are exactly correct. The beauty of this story, wasn’t just in the fact that the prose was simple and not over blown, but that the emotions were so raw and real. The characters are flawed and that is what makes them so easy to relate to.
The pity I felt for Christian really shook and startled me.
I just love this review. It’s stunning and reminded me of why I loved the book so much. It was my time reading Caletti too. I’m a big fan now.
Wow, thank you Missie. Yes, I felt a lot of pity for Christian.
Hey Tori, great review! I like to read YA authors once in a while, but usually only with a great rec like this one. I look forward to giving her a try.
Thank you. I have been so lucky in the YA I’ve gotten my hands on has been well written and absent of overblown teen angst. lol
An A sounds good to me. I do like a YA book that is deeper, and not just triangles and vampires
Then you will like this one. No sparkley emo vamps or other supes to be found here. :P
I don’t normally read YA but this one looks really good. I’m going to put it on my TBR pile and pray that I’ll have time to read it sometime in this century. God, my TBR pile is so long….
LOL I have enough books on my TBR to take me thru 2013.