April 15, 2011

Where She Went - Gayle Forman






Where She WentYoung Adult
Pages: 208
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Release Date: April 5, 2011

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 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.

I was expecting this to be good, obviously. But, wow, I was not expecting it to be THIS good. I have this weird obsession with a pair of movies that none of my friends like and I find fascinating. Before Sunrise and Before Sunset marked me in a way few movies have. Because I believe we've all been there, at least I have. In magical days of just hanging out with someone and being right where you want to be. One day that changes things. When lives come together and blur the lines between the past and the present. When truths inevitably come out stirring lives. Conversations and moments, silences and looks, just being next to someone and being... happy. And this book made it all come back, in book form, which made it feel even more perfect.

After being separated for three years, Adam and Mia have taken completely different paths. But seeing each other again and being together for one day, changes that. The story is told from Adam's pov, and turns out that Gayle Forman managed to do Adam's voice so amazingly well done, that I sort of forgot all my former empathy for Mia, and dove into Adam's mind, feeling his hurt and his attempts to hide them as if they were my own. It never felt forced, he never seemed weak or unlike himself. Her writing became to me so clearly Adam, that I still crave another book with his voice. He is an amazing narrator, plus he still kept his yummy hotness and multiplies it.

The writing, the plot, the events, the setting; everything worked perfectly to create one of the most beautifully romantic and utterly real books I've ever read. The emotions bloomed out of the pages. Depth is the word that describes it. The depth of the characters, the depth of the story, the depth of the feelings and interactions. Everything stirred up more feelings, more words than the ones that were written. I felt a whirlwind inside of me. And darn, that is something very hard to achieve in an avid reader. This book with its all-over depth and gut-wrenching emotional baggage, completely surpassed my love for If I Stay. This story ruined all other love stories for me. And ruined me.

These feelings, this book, this story... they will always haunt me. These feelings linger just like our own feelings. The tension was so palpable and the story was so memorable that I doubt I will ever read such a majestic book again. I have my hopes, though.

Given the fact that no matter what I say, it will never be enough nor will it ever do the book justice, I think YOU should read this.


9 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great book.I love books told from different POV's especially if the voice of the narrator is believable

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  2. Ahhh this was PERFECT! You said it 20x better than I could. I hope one day Gayle decides to just write another Adam book because I loved reading from his POV.

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  3. Both these books on on my TBR list for the summer. I missed reading If I Stay last summer and after reading numerous reviews for it and now for Where She Went, I must correct this mistake. Great review and I will read both books...cross my heart!

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  4. Holy moly, your review made me heart swell! I could practically see the love blooming from your words. Ahh! This WILL be the next thing I buy. :) Thanks so much!

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  5. I finally read If I Stay a week ago and I'm so happy that you say Where She Went is even better. I love Adam so I'd love to read more about him. But I'm sure I'll be crying when I read Where She Went.

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  6. I have been dying to read this for months, and you just made the desire that much stronger. Thank you for such a moving review.

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  7. I couldn't agree more! This is a truly amazing book.

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  8. If you are looking a sun set and sun rise from the north pole during the winter solstice, from which exact direction ca we say the sun rise and sets?

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  9. This book was WAY better than If I Stay. That first book left me feeling okay...but this one left me sad it had to end! Adam does have an amazing voice that is realistic and honest. I loved how songs from his album were at the beginning of the chapters. AMAZING. Great review! I hope everyone reads it!

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