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A review by wingedcreature
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
5.0
After listening to If I Stay, I knew I had to read Where She Went to see what happened to Mia. And while I really liked If I Stay, I just LOVED Where She Went.
Where She Went takes place 3 years after If I Stay. We see what life is like for both Adam and Mia, but Where She Went is seen through Adam's eyes and we learn what happened after Mia decided to stay.
I just...I loved that we learn about Mia's recovery through Adam's memories. Life has taken them in very different directions, and at the start of the novel, they are no longer a couple. In fact, they broke up several years earlier, and that's another thing we learn as the story progresses- why they broke up...and the happy ending for them...because they end up getting back together!
It's such an emotional book- in some ways, it's just as emotional as If I Stay, because you see the aftermath of Mia's decision and Adam's promise. And in some ways, it's even more emotional because you see how much things have changed. Just thinking about Where She Went is making me all teary-eyed!
I'm kind of feeling like nothing I say can describe how heart-breaking but completely amazing this book is. Where She Went has some similarities to If I Stay, and it's pretty much in the way both stories are told. You see Adam reflecting on the last few years, and past and present are woven together really well, in the same way you see Mia reflect on memories of her family and struggling with the decision to live or die.
It's so hard to believe that Where She Went takes place over 2 or 3 days, because so much happens. But it didn't feel like everything was crammed together- everything just worked so well and unfolded so naturally. I really do love how we learn things in bits and pieces.
And I SO COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY LOVED all of the songs at the beginning of each chapter. They're from the fictional Shooting Stars album and they...I can't even begin to describe how much I FELT just reading them. I so wish they were real songs...and knowing me, I'd be a complete mess if I listened to them.
It's so weird that I got a lot more emotional reading Where She Went. I mean, it's pretty much about an angsty musician, and you'd think the one where a girl is in a coma and loses her parents and brother would have me crying throughout the book. That's what you'd think, right? And yet Where She Went...there's just something about the pain Adam's in- the despair, the sadness, the anger- you feel it all, and you just can't help but FEEL for him.
I totally wanted to dislike Mia in Where She Went. Y0u see how confused Adam is, and that he has no clue as to why Mia broke up with up him, or what's going on with her. It all makes sense in the end, and while I understand why she acted the way she did, I just didn't like her as much as I thought I would. Don't get me wrong, I like her, and find her interesting, but there's something so much more interesting about Adam's story.
Final Thoughts:
Is it obvious that I loved Where She Went? Because I do! It's a little weird to me that I loved Where She Went SO MUCH MORE than If I Stay, but I really did like it a lot more. If I were to do a favorite books of the year list right now, Where She Went would most certainly end up on that list. It's an emotional roller-coaster, and I just love that we see past and present and how the characters got to where they are. And the songs really added to Adam's story and made it more heart-breakingly real. Where She Went gets 5 stars.
Where She Went takes place 3 years after If I Stay. We see what life is like for both Adam and Mia, but Where She Went is seen through Adam's eyes and we learn what happened after Mia decided to stay.
I just...I loved that we learn about Mia's recovery through Adam's memories. Life has taken them in very different directions, and at the start of the novel, they are no longer a couple. In fact, they broke up several years earlier, and that's another thing we learn as the story progresses- why they broke up...and the happy ending for them...because they end up getting back together!
It's such an emotional book- in some ways, it's just as emotional as If I Stay, because you see the aftermath of Mia's decision and Adam's promise. And in some ways, it's even more emotional because you see how much things have changed. Just thinking about Where She Went is making me all teary-eyed!
I'm kind of feeling like nothing I say can describe how heart-breaking but completely amazing this book is. Where She Went has some similarities to If I Stay, and it's pretty much in the way both stories are told. You see Adam reflecting on the last few years, and past and present are woven together really well, in the same way you see Mia reflect on memories of her family and struggling with the decision to live or die.
It's so hard to believe that Where She Went takes place over 2 or 3 days, because so much happens. But it didn't feel like everything was crammed together- everything just worked so well and unfolded so naturally. I really do love how we learn things in bits and pieces.
And I SO COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY LOVED all of the songs at the beginning of each chapter. They're from the fictional Shooting Stars album and they...I can't even begin to describe how much I FELT just reading them. I so wish they were real songs...and knowing me, I'd be a complete mess if I listened to them.
It's so weird that I got a lot more emotional reading Where She Went. I mean, it's pretty much about an angsty musician, and you'd think the one where a girl is in a coma and loses her parents and brother would have me crying throughout the book. That's what you'd think, right? And yet Where She Went...there's just something about the pain Adam's in- the despair, the sadness, the anger- you feel it all, and you just can't help but FEEL for him.
I totally wanted to dislike Mia in Where She Went. Y0u see how confused Adam is, and that he has no clue as to why Mia broke up with up him, or what's going on with her. It all makes sense in the end, and while I understand why she acted the way she did, I just didn't like her as much as I thought I would. Don't get me wrong, I like her, and find her interesting, but there's something so much more interesting about Adam's story.
Final Thoughts:
Is it obvious that I loved Where She Went? Because I do! It's a little weird to me that I loved Where She Went SO MUCH MORE than If I Stay, but I really did like it a lot more. If I were to do a favorite books of the year list right now, Where She Went would most certainly end up on that list. It's an emotional roller-coaster, and I just love that we see past and present and how the characters got to where they are. And the songs really added to Adam's story and made it more heart-breakingly real. Where She Went gets 5 stars.