Reviews - Where She Went | The StoryGraph

3.87k reviews for:

Where She Went

Gayle Forman

3.82 AVERAGE

kittcaat's review against another edition

4.25

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

wjreadsbooks's review against another edition

4.0

After having been underwhelmed by [b:If I Stay|4374400|If I Stay (If I Stay, #1)|Gayle Forman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347462970s/4374400.jpg|4422413], I was hoping that Where She Went would be a better novel and, weirdly enough, I did find myself enjoying Where She Went more. The earlier book was about Mia's story but this one is told from Adam's perspective, dealing with the fallout from his relationship with Mia Hall. Shooting Star, Adam's band, has now made it big and he's a huge rockstar, with a publicist, celebrity girlfriend and having to deal with the paparazzi as well. However, he's desperately unhappy and kinda self-destructive. All this because Mia broke up with him after the accident. Adam's still dealing with the fallout and the reason why Shooting Star had imploded into such a phenomenon was because of his songs about his anger and resentment about the break-up.

As compared to If I Stay, I think I enjoyed the companion novel more because of how raw Adam feels. My problem with the earlier book was that Mia's voice seemed very detached from the accident and I couldn't feel for her, even though I really wanted to. There was no such problem here. Adam's bitter, he's pissed off and he's struggling to reconcile his stardom with his passion. And that one night, where he happens to chance upon Mia's first concert changes everything. He sees her again and that night, they spend some time together again.

I really liked this book because it explained a lot about Adam's personality to me. It says a lot about Gayle Forman that she could make someone who's kinda selfish and self-destructive seem so sympathetic at the same time. Adam's got a lot of pent-up rage at Mia and self-hatred and when they interact, man it's like sparks flying and the chemistry is undeniable.

Where She Went, in my opinion, is a much stronger novel as compared to If I Stay. The ending was perfect, the setting was great and I liked how Mia and Adam's relationship was resolved by novel's end.

lulydieguez's review against another edition

4.0

SO MUCH BETTER! That's pretty much all I have to say. It was weird at first to read from Adam's POV but I got used to it and when I did the pain hit me all at once. So much pain. I haven't realized it was going to be this strong, I thought it was going to be an OK sequel but wow! I loved the explanation of everything. I suffer right with Adam as he was going through his life. And then that night was amazing. IT was perfect, and when they started really talking it was beutiful and painful but necessary and oh god I love it. I really don't know what to say, it was a beautiful beautiful ending to this story. I normaly like realistic endings but I allowed myself to be happy with such a perfect ending because they deserved it after all they went through. And when Mia explained that her family was with her all the time, that was so touching, I wish it was like that for everyone :(

Oh and the pieces of his songs at the beginning of some of the chapters. Pure perfection.

Anyway I loved it, so good. Oh and nothing beats reading a book on its original language. I truly believe that have I read If I Stay in english, I would have liked it more.

stfflndg's review against another edition

4.0

For the first time in months, I'm able to finish a book in one sitting. And 'Where She Went' definitely is worth my two teh tarik kurang manis at my favourite mamak shop, surrounded by friends arguing over money and property in Monopoly Deal.

I love this book better than the prequel. We're able to see things from Adam's perspective, and we're told of Mia's recovery and her life after the accident. In this book, Adam and Mia reunites in one night after three years of distance. Exes-without-closure reuniting was probably one of my favourite dramatic things to read. I'm truly heartbroken even after the first chapter. Heartbroken to see how affected Adam is regarding his past with Mia.

I'm hungry now.

_brii's review against another edition

4.0

emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

amymueggy's review against another edition

3.0

I liked the first one way better. Though this was a good story, I wish I hadn't read it and kept the last ending in my head instead of this one.

valeriecintron14's review against another edition

3.0

Omg. This book was a huge yes. I really liked it because we get soo much more Mia and Adam in like present day, and I also really liked how we got to explore more of Adam's feelings and his past, how he felt about Mia and about his music. Great sequel, so worth the read.