Sunday, February 22, 2015

Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

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.
Sometimes a book just really means something. It tears open something inside of you and gives you answers to questions you thought you had buried a long time ago. We talk about feels a lot as fangirls (and boys) but this is something more. This rips something in you apart. A wound that while it had healed, hadn't healed correctly. It rebreaks that bone, so to speak, so that it can be set. That's what Where She Went did for me.

Ironically I almost didn't read it. I had picked it up used awhile back and had no urge to actually read it. If I Stay hadn't left much of an impact on me, I teared up more watching the one minute trailer than I did reading the book. It just didn't really do anything for me. There was no real connection. It was just a book I happened to pick up and read. There was no lasting after-effects. Then the real irony comes in, but only if you've read the book. I featured it on a "Should I Stay Or Should I Go?" post on my blog. Only one person commented but it was enough for me to crack open the spine. I read the first line, the second, and before I knew it I was Adam, I was reading those lines through blurry tear-filled eyes and it was almost over.

For me Where She Went was everything, and more, than what If I Stay was for the masses. It was more than just a case of the right book at the right time. It was more than needing a contemporary, or craving something quick. It was an experience. And even while it broke me I loved every moment of it. I'm not saying that it's for everyone. I'm not guaranteeing that connection. That's part of what makes reading such a magical thing, it's a different experience for everyone who picks up the book because their own personal experiences are different. Books, especially books like this, aren't like a pair of magical traveling pants that fit everyone; but, I would recommend at least trying it on for size because maybe you'll find your perfect fit too. 


5/5

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