Title: Where She WentAuthor: Gayle Forman
Series: Sequel to If I Stay
Pages: 258
Published: Available April 5, 2011 by Dutton
ISBN: 9780525422945
Source: Star Book Tours
Description: 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. It's been three years since the devastating accident ... three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.
I Give This ...
I thought the ending was perfect for If I Stay. I wasn't itching for a sequel, in fact the thought never crossed my mind. But, I learned that there would be one shortly after finishing it, and told from Adam's point of view no less!
I was sucked in to the story right from the start. I really enjoyed Adam's voice and the style of the story is no different from If I Stay. I love catching up with characters you've come to really enjoy. But, its not long before we learn that the 3 years since the events in If I Stay have not been kind to Adam. He's on edge and having a hard time coping with all the events that have left a superstar. You can really feel his struggle and I completely understood how he ended up at Mia's concert. I really loved his internal dialogue the entire evening he spends with Mia. I felt him come to terms with everything that happened since the accident.
I was actually most surprised by Mia herself. I didn't expect her character to put so much distance between herself and her past. She hasn't even been back to Oregon once since she left for Julliard. I was afraid that she had completely cut everyone out of her life, but we learn that's not the case. It's just Adam that she left. It turns out that Mia had to come to terms with a lot of things that concerned Adam.
The heartbreaking part of the story was watching both of the emotions come to head. They both feel so much. While Adam wears it on his sleeve (and the music gives it to everyone), you can tell Mia has been bottling it up for 3 years. I really loved watching them both hash it all and realize that they still really do love each other. There was a particularly touching moment involving Adam's guitar!
I ended up loving this book way more than I thought possible. Almost a 5 butterfly, but there were times that Adam's character was a little too whiny for me. Not being able to let go and move on is a trait you tend to see in girls after devastating breakups, and it was a bit much at times to have it be the guy instead.
The heartbreaking part of the story was watching both of the emotions come to head. They both feel so much. While Adam wears it on his sleeve (and the music gives it to everyone), you can tell Mia has been bottling it up for 3 years. I really loved watching them both hash it all and realize that they still really do love each other. There was a particularly touching moment involving Adam's guitar!
I ended up loving this book way more than I thought possible. Almost a 5 butterfly, but there were times that Adam's character was a little too whiny for me. Not being able to let go and move on is a trait you tend to see in girls after devastating breakups, and it was a bit much at times to have it be the guy instead.
Ah, I really can't wait to read this. Jealous of your ARC.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I agree that If I Stay didn't need a sequel, but I LOVED this one! I thought Forman stayed very true to Mia and Adam's characters. Sigh. It made me so happy! :)
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