A very complex and complicated novel, that definitely took some getting into. I persevered and eventually enjoyed the story, but not a relaxing read.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately this is not the book for me. DNF @ 21%.

I did not like this book that much. The story felt a bit unbelievable to me and the characters were way too blah.

This was definitely an introspective book, and I was curious to see what Clare would learn about herself. However, it was just really slow, and I had trouble staying interested.

I loved the fact that this novel was really a deep and thought churning insight into how one choice can monumentally impact life in domino effect sort of way. I really enjoyed this exploration into that and I look forward to reading another Karen Day.

This was a very introspective book and the tension is there because you really do not know what Clare was going to discover about herself. The book certainly leaves you with much to think about and seemed very honest in the hidden depths of experiences and how even those closest to us can remain unkown.

The first chapter of I'll Stay was incredibly promising. The stage was just about set for something menacing to happen. Then the book seemed to sort of plateau and became a tad dull. I went into this read expecting a thriller and now I'm not even sure what genre this was trying to be. This was not the right book for me, perhaps due to my expectations going in.

Kensington Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of I'll Stay. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

I'll Stay is the story of how secrets can destroy relationships, families, and lives. Clare Michaels has had to manage her mother for years, navigating her moods like a ship on the ocean. When a violent act during spring break derails both Clare and her best friend Lee, will the picture of their future lives be forever changed?

There are two main plot lines running throughout this book, which takes away from the compelling nature of both stories. The addition of the mystery surrounding Clare's mother's book takes away from both the mystery surrounding the events of spring break and Clare's years of denial. I did not feel that the two stories were successfully integrated, leaving the book disjointed in places. Lee's story could have been developed more, as her character development did not feel complete. Readers who are fans of characters with psychological scars may find I'll Stay to their liking.

Karen Day produced an impressive book here. The thought processes and motivations behind each character were spot on - Lee and Clare, and their relationship as it played off each strength and weakness they possessed, were just exquisitely drawn.

Lee in particular spoke to me - I've been her, so big surprise - but the way she was so sad for the goose left behind; that's the kind of small moment that speaks of a writer who really knows what she's talking about. Clare and her guilt at owing quite possibly her life to someone she'd been trying to shrug off, as well as the guilt and obligation and resentment that now sprung from being saved - all so beautifully done.

I've tried not to spoil anything with this review as it's a book that you shouldn't read too much about before you go into it. But believe me when I say if you're intrigued, you should dive right in.

I'll stay by Karen day.
Clare Michael’s takes a spring break with 3 other girls. including her best friend Lee. after a tragic accident she ends up taking care of Lee. can she untangle the guilt she had from loyalty?
a good read. I liked the story but just couldn't get into it. 4*.

Two girls get into a spot of bother on a college trip with friends. This comes back to haunt them, years down the line. This book is about women, friendships, mothers, daughters, sisters.

A really good debut novel!

Terrible events happen in the initial scenes which impact the lives of Clare and Lee during a college road trip with friends. This read is heavy going at times. Clare spends a lot of time navel gazing, pondering her inability to find happiness thanks to her complicated relationship with her mother, the gifted and remote author and her best friend in college, the complex enigma that is Lee. I get what the author was trying to convey, the inner turmoil of those people in our lives we assume are so steady and stable that we look to them to solve all of our problems. Clare struggles to be the that rock for Lee. Instead she drifts through life living in fear that others will judge her for her actions in the past.

This novel felt repetitive at times and I found it hard to maintain interest in a character who was adrift and conflicted. The story is easy to visualize but the narrow perspective thanks to first person POV made for a depressing read.

ARC received from publisher via NetGalley for review.

The story goes thus: during  college break 4 friends take a trip to Florida for partying, where they behave stupidly and two of them Clare and Lee end up in a dangerous situation leading to the entry unsavory characters, and Lee offers herself allowing Clare to escape. Clare manages to get help and somehow rescue Lee, but something happens to her that day. The whole book then follows the life of Clare with Lee and other friends in bits and pieces.

First book by author Karen Day and probably my last book, unless there is improvement in the future books. I skim read the entire book in one hour. The story in the blurb is the only good part. They form the barebones which could have been built up into so much more. The author did try to create an air of mystery, but it became an air of boredom.

That event in Florida is the backdrop on which the story is built upon. But neither the event nor the after-effects of the incident are dealt with properly or sensitively. The book goes into routine life of Clare — where is the story in that, I wonder?? The book is written in 3 timelines — why is it needed, I wonder?

None of the characters show any growth.. They only keep on wondering amongst themselves as to what happened with Lee that night in Florida. Is the mystery supposed to be generated from that??

Clare, as the caretaker, does not come across as helpful or caring. The parts which I managed to read had her either crying or avoiding Lee due to her guilt. The rest of the time, she was comparing herself to a fictional character of her mother's book.

The author to her credit tried to make the book suspenseful—

What happened to Lee at Florida? (I came to know the secret in the last 8%of the book, I skim read the novel for the ending)

Who wrote Clare's mother's book really? (there was actually a secret in that, but dealt quite poorly)

Who is the Phoebe character? (that turned out to be a no-brainer, she was a character in the book)

What genre is this book?? Family saga?? Suspense?? Contemporary?? Thriller?? Women's fiction??

It doesn't fit any category. I have no idea why I finished this book!! Ah yes... I wanted to know what happened to Lee and I did not want a DNF in the beginning of a new year.

What a pity! This book could have been written so well, with strong characters, stronger friendship and a suspense which should have been exhilarating.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Kensington, and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

"The unexamined life is not worth living. For your life and sanity...you must learn about yourself."

Set in the 1980s and moving forward, this is a story about friendship and about mothers and daughters. A role in a relationship assumed and taken on, sometimes without little to no understanding about how it came to be. Intense emotional impact!

The best friends are Clare and Lee and the narrative is told in first person by Clare. The girls go with two other sorority sisters on a spring break trip, ending up in Florida, where a life -- and friendship -- changing event takes place when Lee say to a trio of young men, "Let her go, I'll stay." Traumatized emotionally by what occurred in Daytona, their relationship collapses and for many reasons, they never discuss it. Time goes by as Clare and Lee navigate their lives after college without ever confronting each other and they don't understand why each is broken inside until much later.

The story is profound, if a bit slow moving, as Clare examines her relationship with Lee and with her mother -- a needy and somewhat narcissitic famous author. The book written by the mother features prominently in the novel and only at the end does its true meaning become clear enough to help Clare figure out who she is. "Maybe there was a difference between saving people and taking care of them."

I don't usually read contemporary women's fiction, but I found this one very thought-provoking and enjoyed it much more than I expected. It would make a great book club selection because of all the issues and themes to discuss and debate. I'd recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This moved too slow for my taste. I found myself not caring what happened to any of them. Not for me.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and Karen Day for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The book is told from the perspective of Clare Michaels, one of a group of 4 sorority sisters in they early 1980s, including her best friend Lee. They are on spring break in NC when they decide to make an ill-fated trip to Daytona. Clare and Lee find themselves in a horrible situation and Lee changes the nature of their friendship. Clare has always been the one to take care of everyone and when Lee sacrifices herself for Clare's sake, neither can get past it. The book goes forward in various times in the future where this one episode continues to haunt them all.

This would be a great book club selection because there is a lot going on with these characters. Relationships between friends and mothers play a key role as does forgiving ourselves and each other.

Clare and Lee are tangled together in what you might see as a mutually destructive relationship based primarily on a choice they made when they were in college. The trauma Lee suffered as the result of offering herself up to save Clare from assault has defined her life and in many ways it has trapped Clare as well. Clare has also tied herself down in other ways. Day has written a novel where the story spool out slowly. There are times when you will want to send both of them to therapy (a lot of times). Clare also seems emotionally immature. That said it's a well written novel of survivor guilt. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I’ll Stay by Karen Day is a contemporary fiction read that centers around the main character Clare Michaels. The story is about friendship and family and the choices made surrounding those relationships. It brings to mind those what if moments in our lives that we can’t help but think how things would be if any other choice had been made.

The story starts with Clare and her friends on a trip during their last year of college. A time in their lives when decisions are being made for the future with those years coming to an end and not knowing where the friendships will be as that time ends in their lives.

Clare and Lee had grown close at college but their friendship was struggling at the time of the trip. When the girls find themselves in an intense situation Lee sacrifices herself to save Clare which sets off a domino effect in their lives for years to come.

The story is told in parts with each taking a bit of a time jump to follow Clare through different parts of her life. And I would warn that this one needs a trigger warning for rape for those that need to avoid those type of stories although this one is not on the overly graphic side with the details.

The book had several different sides to it looking into the main characters life through the years. There is the friendship and the choices she made but as the layers are peeled back family plays a huge part in the story too or more specifically her relationship with her mother. There were a few points in which it seemed a tad slow for my taste but there was also a pull to keep reading to find out just what had really happened with the event on the girls trip so I found that overall this one was an engaging read and would try something from this author again in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This was just ok. I honestly found the story a little boring after awhile, although the characters were well-developed and the writing is good. I just got tired of waiting for something to happen; perhaps this type of story just isn't for me.

I thought this one started off promising, but soon fell flat. Same old, same old. Childhood deprivation, dysfunctional families, so on and so forth, by the time I had read three-quarters of the book I was dozing, I finished it because I didn't think it was fair to write a review unless I had gotten to the ending, but basically a waste of time. Not recommended. Sorry.