Where She Went

  Where She Went

If I Stay by Gayle Forman is a novel about a girl who ends up in a coma from a car crash that killed the rest of her family, and she is trying to decide whether or not to live. It’s a beautifully written book, and I would highly recommend it. Now, I know this isn’t the title that I put in the blog post, but it has a lot to do with Where She Went. Where She Went is the sequel to If I Stay and in being a sequel, it kind of gives away the ending of If I Stay. At least, if you think about it. I was weary of it at first, but ended up rather enjoying the book, even if it was kind of depressing.

Where She Went follows the story of Mia and Adam three years after that horrible accident. They’re both 21, and living completely different lives. Adam is a famous rockstar, barely able to go anywhere without being recognized. Mia has become a famous cellist, getting ready to travel the world and perform. Oh, and they haven’t seen each other since Mia left for Julliard. She completely cut Adam from her life, and it left Adam devastated (the book is told from his point of view, by the way). However, both Adam and Mia are in New York for various reasons, and they end up seeing each other again. And all the old memories come back again, painful things that they both would rather be left in the past. Everything kind of goes downhill from there.

What I like about both of these books is the way the past is revealed. It starts out with the present, then the character telling the story will encounter something that reminds them of a memory, which they will then go on the describe. It’s very much like the actual thought pattern of humans, and I liked the feel of it. I also thought that Gayle Forman created very real emotions. Reading Adam’s story, I felt so sad for him, it’s like I could feel his misery pouring out of the book. It was so sad. You could almost feel his pain from having Mia leave him. A writer that can make you feel that is a great writer. I’m glad I read this book, even though I was a bit skeptical in the beginning. It ended up being a fantastic read.

What will I be reading next? City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare.