Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Source: Library
Publisher: Dutton (Penguin)
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 264

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.

Gayle Forman is a literary genius, in every sense of the word.

Where She Went was as beautifully heart-breaking and moving as its predecessor. It is the combination of solid, well-rounded characters, lyrical writing and outpouring of emotion that make this book what it is.

The main character, Adam, is fascinating to read about. He is bitter and angry and has pushed everyone away from him after Mia left. The frustration and grief he feels is palpable and my heart ached for him. Even through all of this, I was still as drawn to him as I was in the previous book.

Gayle Forman's writing is superb. She has the ability to convey truckloads of emotion in a few short sentences and everything just flows so seamlessly. I can't imagine a better person to tell Adam and Mia's story.

The actual timespan of the events in the novel is short but it didn't feel at all rushed to me because of the use of memories from the past. There are parts that made me cry, some that made me smile and a few that made me want to pull out my hair (no worries - my scalp remains unharmed). In the end though, everything was wrapped up nicely and I am completely satisfied with how everything turned out.

If you haven't picked up one of Gayle Forman's novels yet, I hope you do soon! If I Stay and Where She Went are two favourites of mine and I can't recommend them enough.

Cover Comments: I like it a lot more than the paperback of If I Stay for some reason. I actually really love the BACK of the book, where all of the praise for If I Stay is. Oh, the jacket flap on the inside of the book is really pretty, too! It looks like bubbles in different shades of blue. Yeah, so - pretty cover.

My review of If I Stay can be found here.