What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedIf I Stay
Gayle Forman · Book · 2014
If you loved If I Stay, start with If I Stay (R. J. Cutler, 2014) — a film from the same story. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to If I Stay across media.
What hooked you in If I Stay was the way a single, life-altering moment forces a fragile, profound confrontation with mortality.
Start with the source
Adaptation
If I Stay
R. J. Cutler · Film · 2014
Films on the same thread
The Fault in Our Stars
Josh Boone · Film · 2014
Explores: Terminal Illness, Young Love, Existentialism.
Much like the protagonist of If I Stay, Hazel navigates the heavy weight of a terminal diagnosis while finding deep, existential meaning within the vulnerability of young love.
A Star Is Born
Bradley Cooper · Film · 2018
Explores: Fame and Addiction, The Price of Fame, Intergenerational Romance.
If I Stay centers on the intersection of music and personal crisis, a core tension that drives the creative collaboration and emotional stakes found in this musical drama.
Reminders of Him
Vanessa Caswill · Film · 2026
Shares a thread with If I Stay: Contemporary Romance.
Both If I Stay and this story explore the ache of grief and the difficult, necessary journey toward redemption after a family unit is irrevocably shattered by tragedy.
Five Feet Apart
Film · 2019
Shares a thread with If I Stay: Coming-of-age.
If you were moved by the delicate balance of love and medical crisis in If I Stay, you will appreciate how this film treats the boundaries of physical connection.
Series on the same thread
My Life with the Walter Boys
Melanie Halsall · Series · 2023
Explores: found family, grief and healing, small-town life.
This series echoes the central journey of If I Stay by placing a young person in the midst of sudden, life-altering loss as they navigate a new family landscape.
Heartstopper
Alice Oseman · Series · 2022
Shares a thread with If I Stay: Identity.
The tender, high-stakes exploration of first love and self-discovery in this series mirrors the intimate, coming-of-age emotional landscape that defined Mia's experience in If I Stay.
Six Feet Under
Alan Ball · Series · 2001
Explores: Death and Grieving, Dysfunctional Family, Mortality.
If I Stay forces a confrontation with the suddenness of death, a theme this series explores with raw honesty through the lens of a family-run funeral home business.
This Is Us
Dan Fogelman · Series · 2016
Explores: Intergenerational relationships, Family secrets, Trauma and healing.
Like If I Stay, this narrative weaves together past and present to examine how trauma, family secrets, and the passage of time define the people we eventually become.
Podcasts on the same thread
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
Exactly Right and iHeartPodcasts · Podcast · 2026
Explores: mental health awareness, female friendship, coping mechanisms.
If I Stay deals with the heavy burden of processing tragedy, and this podcast provides a similar, communal space to explore coping mechanisms through the lens of true crime.
We Can Do Hard Things
Treat Media and Glennon Doyle · Podcast · 2026
Explores: Vulnerability, Personal growth, Emotional support.
The emotional vulnerability and raw honesty required to survive personal hardship in If I Stay are the same qualities that drive the candid, supportive conversations found in this podcast.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is If I Stay based on a book?
Yes, the 2014 movie If I Stay is based on the 2014 novel written by Gayle Forman. Both versions follow the story of seventeen-year-old Mia as she faces difficult choices regarding her future, her music, and her family following a tragic February morning.
What is the main conflict in the book If I Stay?
The central conflict in If I Stay involves seventeen-year-old Mia struggling to choose between pursuing her true love of music, which may require leaving her family and friends behind, and the life she currently knows before her world is altered by a car accident.
Who is the author of the book If I Stay?
The book If I Stay was written by Gayle Forman and published in 2014. The story centers on Mia, a young musician who must make a life-altering decision after she and her family are involved in a car accident one February morning.
Is there a movie adaptation of If I Stay?
Yes, a movie adaptation of If I Stay was released in 2014. It portrays the narrative found in the original novel, focusing on Mia's internal struggle and her relationship with Adam, who urges her to stay after her family is involved in a car accident.