A teenager, Mia, who plays the cello, is the only survivor of a car accident that took the lives of her parents and little brother. Barely a survivor though, since she is critically injured and in a coma. Nevertheless, she is also the narrator of the story in the present tense, as her mind/spirit/soul floats in a pre-ghost state near her physical body, watching everything that happens after the accident. In a state of shock, Mia tries to cope with her situation and struggles to decide whether she should stay in life or not. At the same time, she recalls bits and pieces of her life up to the moment of the accident, turning the book into a story both of loss and bliss, providing a concise portrait of herself, her family, her friend Kim, her boyfriend Adam, her interactions with them, and everything a girl of her age hopes for and fears.
Although the premise sounds grim—and it is at times—the book doesn't become melodramatic or corny, and it carefully avoids both over-optimism and heavy pessimism. The dilemma Mia faces may seem superficial at first (who wouldn't choose life over death?), but the reader slowly understands that even if it is physically possible to survive, it isn't easy to bear the burden of being the only survivor in such a happy and caring family.
Gayle Forman does a great job of giving voice to Mia, who sounds like a genuine teenager of her background. Furthermore, she portrays —through Mia's eyes— the people around her in vivid colors, bringing them to life rather than keeping them as mere vehicles for expressing Mia's feelings.