Review: Where She Went (If I Stay #2) by Gayle Forman

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Release date: September 13th, 2011

Hardcover: 264 pages

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Source: Bought
Amazon ││ Goodreads

Goodreads Summary: 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.

Thoughts

Three years after the car accident that killed Mia’s family, both she and Adam have gone separate ways with their lives. Adam is now a rock star and Mia is already making a name in the classical music industry. Adam is still clueless as ever as to the reason why Mia left him and never heard from her again. As he and Mia find each other one lonely night in New York, Adam finds out the answers to his questions that were left hanging for three years.


I thought IF I STAY was really good, but WHERE SHE WENT turned out to be one of my favorites ever. I’m overwhelmed with too much emotion right now and still dazed after finishing it. I haven’t read a book in three and a half hours and greatly impacted me like WHERE SHE WENT did. It’s so hard to put down, in which case I did not. It broke my heart and patched it up again. A sequel that not only met my expectations but successfully went beyond them. 

Part of the reason why I loved it so much is because it was written from Adam’s POV. I adore Mia but it’s a great change to see through a guy’s mind. Adam’s pain of losing her was so evident that I almost felt it. I knew from the beginning that he’s still miserable and not at all happy despite his rock star status. Sure, he has a celebrity girlfriend, but that doesn’t fill the void in his chest. On the other hand, I didn’t hate or dislike Mia. I know she has a reason for leaving him. One that would be enough for his forgiveness. I’m not surprised that she has somehow got over the tragedy that happened to her family. The first book was a tear-jerker, but this one… I had to stop myself from losing it and bawl in front of my brothers. The confrontation tore me up to pieces and I almost lost hope that they will ever make up. The ending was also exactly the way I always wanted it to be. 

Beautifully written and emotionally moving, WHERE SHE WENT is a kind of book that will always stay with me.

Completely Smitten!!