Stay by Deb Caletti

Published: April 19, 2011

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pages: 352

E-copy: Courtesy of Simon and Schuster Galley Grab

Summary: Goodreads

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....


This is the first time I have read anything by Deb Caletti, but it definitely won't be my last.  Stay was a beautifully written contemporary suspense novel, that captured my attention right from the start, and didn't let go.  The story is written in two parts, present and past, and the two mingle freely in every chapter.  It should be confusing, but it manages not to be.

The story is about true love, and what a short step it is from there to obsession. I found when I was reading that I would be nodding my head in agreement. Several parts of the book brought back memories of my own teen years and situations I had been in myself.  I had never really thought about how easy it would be to change from a healthy relationship to a twisted one.  The main protagonist, Clara, lives alone with her Dad and comes across as a very sensible, normal teen.  She meets and falls in love with Christian at a basketball game.  On the face of it, Christian seems like a normal teen too, but as the story progresses, his darker controlling side starts to show through.  By the end of the book I was very glad that none of my relationships had progressed the way theirs did.

Clara's best friend Shakti and her boyfriend Luke were fun and I particularly enjoyed the arrival of Finn and his brother John.  Something that was interesting was the strong adult presence in the book.  There was a small thread of story that just concerned the adults, and I really enjoyed that.  Let's face it, parents are a big part of our lives, and as much as we'd like to see less of them, it doesn't often happen.  This made the story very real for me.

All in all in interesting and engrossing story, that I am happy to recommend. Thank you Simon and Schuster for the opportunity.