Review: Stay by Deb Caletti

Stay-Deb Caletti
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: April 5, 2011
Source: Simon & Schuster's Galley Grab
Author Website

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....
(Amazon)

Stay was my first Deb Caletti book and there's no way it'll be the last. I had preconceived notions about this book might be. I had visions of Mark Wahlberg, after his pants dropping days, but before his Academy Award days in the early 90's movie Fear. Stay is nothing like that. Sure, Christian is the kind of boyfriend you wouldn't want to have, but he's damaged soul that I couldn't help but feel for. Clara loves him so much and his insecurities become part of her new normal. Love can make us all do stupid things.

When Clara breaks up with Christian, he doesn't take it well. Her father takes her away for the summer and she starts to breathe again. Both Clara and her dad break out of their respective shells, and Clara must not only deal with the Christian issue, but her father is keeping a big secret from her as well. Her world starts to crumble, and Finn, the lovely boy she meets that summer helps ground her for awhile, but her life spins out of control.

Stay is an addictive read that will make your heart ache quite often as you read it, but it's not all sadness, there are a lot of great, quirky characters that will make you laugh as well.