Tears Are Inevitable With 'If I Stay'

Are you still sobbing over the ending of The Fault In Our Stars? You better stock up on tissues, because the latest YA novel adaption is guaranteed to keep the tears flowing. Gayle Forman's 2009 novel If I Stay has its own film version headed to theaters on Aug. 22, and it is guaranteed to end our summer the way it started — with a collective movie theater sob fest.

For those of you who haven't read the novel, the novel is about a teenage girl named Mia who must make a very serious decision after her entire family is in a devastating car crash. Mia is rushed to the hospital following the crash that claimed the lives of the rest of her family, but while her body remains in a hospital bed, Mia's spirit roams the halls of the hospital. She realizes quickly that she is in control of her fate — she can choose to let go and die alongside the rest of her family, or choose to stay with the people who still love her, including her musician boyfriend, Adam. The concept alone could get you choked up, but these moments are here to make it all the sadder. Here are the reasons that will make If I Stay ruin anyone's mascara.

The Car Crash

Mia's entire family is killed in a car crash, which is sad in its own right. What makes it absolutely devastating is that, in the novel, we get to know each member of Mia's family through flashbacks. We know that living without her family will be awful for Mia, which makes her choice between life and death all the more difficult.

The Boy

Unlike The Fault In Our Stars, this novel isn't a solely a love story. Instead, the love story works to add another layer to the already painful decision that Mia has to make. Through flashbacks, we see Adam fall for Mia, someone who, on paper, should be his complete opposite — he's a rebellious wannabe rockstar while she prefers classical music and playing it safe. Somehow these two find their way to one another, and Adam's refusal to lose hope over his ailing girlfriend is guaranteed to bring tears to your eyes.

Mia's Identity Crisis

Adam adores Mia, but Mia often feels like she can't stack up to the rocker-chic girls that Adam hangs out with. Mia goes so far as to change up her look for Adam, only for him to tell her that he loves her just the way she is. (Aww!) You'll cry because teen love is adorable... on screen, anyway.

The Choice

The final lines of the novel reveal Mia's decision, but the moments leading up to the choice are particularly devastating as they involve Mia weighing the pros and cons of her two options. Nothing about the scene in the novel makes Mia's decision appear obvious or easy, and I can imagine it would be all the more heartbreaking when visualized.

The Potential For A Sequel

(Warning: Major spoilers for If I Stay and its sequel Where She Went ahead.)

The sequel to If I Stay, titled Where She Went, hit shelves in 2011 and the synopsis of the novel will surely break the hearts of anyone who loved the relationship between Mia and Adam. In Where She Went, Adam is left heartbroken after Mia walks out of his life. The novel picks up three years after Mia's car accident, in which time Adam and Mia have not spoke. They meet in New York City, where Mia is a student at Juilliard (Adam has gone on to rockstar dreams on the west coast) and rekindle their romance. But, umm, can we just discuss the fact that these two broke up for three years? That's enough to make anyone cry.

Images: Warner Bros.