Review: Where She Went

Book: Where She Went (If I Stay Book 2)
Author: Gayle Forman

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: April 5, 2011
Pages: 264
Source: My Kindle
Date Read: April 5, 2011

It's been three years since the devastating accident ... three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.


Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

Yani's Analysis:

Please Do Not Read Unless You Have Read If I Stay

I thought I loved Adam in the first book, but I never connected fully until I felt his pain, anger, and frustration in this book. I now understand how Mia's choice affected others in her life. The choice was never the easy part, but you never realized the after would be this hard.

Adam has changed since Mia's accident and their subsequent break up. He is bitter, angry, and all of a sudden superstitious to the point he almost seems a little crazy. At first I was like who is this guy?  What happened to him? And then you learn more and more about what has happened since we last saw Mia and Adam. In a short span of time Adam lost Mia, Mia's family, and his love of music. I feel his hurt,  and I begin to cry for a whole different reason than If I Stay. Frustration and regret can eat a person till all that is left is a hollow shell. That was Adam at the beginning of this book.

A beautiful journey and a perfect companion to If I Stay. Adding both of these books to my favorite shelves.

Ratings:

Plot: 5/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Characters: 5/5

Memorable Quotes:

"Whoever said that the past isn't dead had it backward. It's the future that's already dead, already played out. This while night has been a mistake. It's not going to let me rewind. Or unmake the mistakes I've made. Or the promises I've made. Or have her back. Or have me back."

Enter the Where She Went Here! 

Review: If I Stay

Book: If I Stay (#1)
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: January 1, 2009
Pages: 196
Source: My Kindle
Date Re-Read: April 4, 2011

What if you had everything:

A gorgeous boyfriend who was madly in love with you?
Quirky hip parents who totally got you?
A musical talent that could take you anywhere?
What if your biggest problem in life was choosing which path to take?
Follow your first love--music-- to New York City?
Or stay with your boyfriend, friends, and family?


What if one day, you went out for a drive...

And in an instant everything changed?

What if suddenly all the other choices were gone?

Except for one--the only one that truly mattered?

What would you do?

A sophisticated, layered, and heart achingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands. Summit Entertainment has rights to 'If I Stay' for the movie. (This is my favorite of all the If I Stay synopsis)

Yani's Analysis:
If I Stay is a powerful moving novel unlike anything you have ever read. There have been other emotional novels, but Gayle is the master of bringing you inside the mind and memories of her characters.

Last time I read this book was more than a year ago. I am reading it now to remind myself the details before I start Where She Went, but its funny how much I remember. A couple of pages in and it all starts coming back and I am dreading the emotion I will feel once I flip this page. Mia’s pain, her family’s pain, Adam’s pain… I will always remember. That’s how great of a writer Gayle Forman is. Mia, her family and friends, are no longer characters in a book. They are people that have been struck by tragedy, and as I read I grieve with them,

Mia’s family is one of my favorite literary families. They are not just blood. They are one unit. So you can imagine the pain Mia feels being separated from them. When I picture Mia and her family, they couldn’t be more different, but they have so much love between them.

And Adam, oh Adam, his love for Mia isn’t instantaneous. It grows from a mutual love for music and admiration. I love that the romance wasn’t perfect, it was sweet and genuine. And the way he interacts with her family, I need a guy like that in my life.

As if I didn’t love the story enough, the writing is what seals the deal. This is a unique story, but it wouldn’t be what it is without Gayle’s writing. It is witty, super smart, and haunting. She creates images using words and not because she describe every little detail. She creates images of human emotion and that connects with the readers the most.


Ratings:

Plot: 5/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Characters: 5/5

Similar Titles:

Other Memorable Quotes:

"We are like Humpty Dumpty and all the king's horses and all the king's men cannot put us back together again."

Enter the Where She Went (Sequel to If I Stay) Here!