Sunday, September 22, 2013

Where She Went (If I Stay #2) by, Gayle Forman

























Summary: 

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 Juilliard'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.  

(Via Goodreads.com)

 

Pages: 264

 

Published: April 5th, 2011

 

Review:

     The initial reaction I got from reading the beginning of the book was depressing. Seeing Adam struggle to keep his head above the surface of his emotions. To anyone else not looking from his point of view would have assumed Adam as your typical rock star. Those of us who read If I Stay knew that was not like Adam.
     When the novel first opens up we are aware that Adam and Mia are no longer together. The reason they are not together is unknown to both Adam and the reader. As the story progresses, we find out that Mia just stopped calling Adam altogether and she was really angry at him for making her stay. He is unaware that she understood he made a promise to her while she was in a coma. 
      Anyone could have read this book without having read If I Stay but I believe it would be better to read If I Stay first, to have more background on the characters and their stories.
     Speaking of stories, during Where She Went Adam had several different flashbacks on different dates and that Mia and Adam went on. Or just different memories that came back that related to what was currently happening. I liked the flashbacks but sometimes they were just random and did not have to do with the current situation, but they were still nice to have a better understanding of their relationship through Adam's perspective.
     I am not necessarily one for happy endings. To me it all depends on the characters, I want characters that work hard and have been through a hard life and prevailed to have a happy ending than a rich, snobby character that gets handed everything. With that logic in mind, I am thrilled that both Adam and Mia got their happy ending, it was truly deserved. I hope that Kat, Danny, and Ted are smiling as they are watching over Mia and Adam. 
     Overall, Where She Went was tear-jerking, an emotional rollercoaster, heart-felt, the start of a new beginning, and cute. I hope that everything worked out for all the characters in the end and that they all got their happily ever after!
~Casey

1 comment:

  1. Ohhhhhh, yeah! My favorite books of all time! This book...ripped my heart out and then shoved it back in with this...sappy awesomeness! Haha :) The happy ending was so much deserved. Adam's new girlfriend and her "baby bump" was just sickening, and then he sees Mia at one of her concerts, and she automatically knows he's there! True lovers! She then takes him to her favorite resturaunt and they hit it off from there! It was that beautiful bitter-sweet moment, knowing Adam couldn't stay forever, yet, in the end, he does. He takes Mia by the heart, and she falls for him all over again, and they make it happen! It was destiny! I love it! What a wonderful happy ending :) The beginning was rediculously sad, but then... Then the love unravels, and Mia and Adam meet like starcrossed lovers, and they end up back together :') makes me feel so good, knowing that through all of the hardships, they finally get the break they needed <3 so cute! I love the part where Adam's band sees Mia, and they all become shocked, and then Mia visits monuments and historical places, and Adam's love for Mia soars higher and higher and it... tweaks at my heart hehe :) They belong together, and when I shut that book after I was done with it (read it all at night at 3 in the morning before a school night) I went to bed satisfied and happy, knowing that they got the happy ending! I also love the connection to Nirvana throughout the book, as you know, Nirvana is one of my fave bands... It really made me connect to this book, through music and love! It screamed my name when I read it :) I'll never find another book like this one!
    ~Kylee

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