I understand this movie is based on a book (maybe a two book series) but I never read it, mostly since I can't put any more books on my already over crowded book shelves. Knowing that, I can't say if the book was better than the movie or if it was true to the book.
A young girl, Mia, waits anxiously for her letter to Julliard. Instead of letting her sit at home on a snow day and wait her family decides to take a day trip, enjoying the time together as a family. Unfortunately a major car accident cuts that trip short and the next we see of Mia she is standing in the snow with the wreck all around her.
This movie takes us through Mia's life as she decides whether to live or die. Her story is mostly that of her love Adam, a young rocker who falls madly in love with her and to whom she falls madly in love with as well. While most of the movie shows the development of Mia and Adam's relationship, it also shows the love of her family, how things change over time, the beauty of life. The movie has a lot of pretty good music in it, the acting was well done, and while I would have liked to see Mia's best friend a little more developed (she kind of disappeared into the background) this wasn't a bad flick at all.
Several of the other moviegoers were crying, sniffling, or sucking in the dripping snot from their faces. So if you want to see this I suggest taking some Kleenex. I lost my girl card so I didn't cry, but I understand how the movie could have been a tearjerker.