Review: Where She Went

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Publication Date: 5 April 2011

Publisher: Penguin

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Goodreads description:

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.

My Thoughts:

I was a little nervous going into this one because I loved the first book so much.  If I Stay is one of the only books I’ve read in a long time that I can guarantee I will read again and again.  It’s also the first one to make a move for Lovely Bones’ spot as my favorite book in years.  I knew that Adam instead of Mia as the narrator would also bring a new perspective to the story, and I guess I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that.

When the book started out, I had a bit of a hard time getting into the new POV.  It’s not that I didn’t like Adam’s story.  I actually think that I was, for some subconscious reason, ANGRY with him.  I’m not sure why, exactly, but I so wanted him and Mia to be together and I couldn’t understand why his life was in such shambles if he was basically living his dream.  I had so many questions at the beginning when I realized they weren’t together and he was living on this celebrity image with the celebrity girlfriend and everything.  I think it broke my heart more than a little to see how Adam was living because I loved him in the first book.  However, the book really takes you through his story in his flashbacks and everything really starts to come together.  

I eventually really did fall in love with Adam as the narrator.  His flashbacks on Mia’s coma and recovery were so eye-opening and, well, heart-breaking.  

I loved how the author brought Mia back into Adam’s life and the way they spent what little time they each had together.  There isn’t an unrealistic, instant “I forgive you for everything because I love you” moment when they first meet again, which was good because I would have put the book down right then and there. These characters are real people with real issues to work through.  I mean, they haven’t seen each other for three years! 

Well, I think I should stop my ramblings before I start giving away the story~!  I really, really enjoyed this book.  It left me satisfied and with a smile on my face. I plan on buying this one when it comes out in paperback (because I bought the first one in paperback and I’m (a) OCD like that and (b) kind of broke right now).  Thanks a bunch to NetGalley and Tarah from Penguin Young Readers group for access to an eGalley of this book!