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pyress21's review against another edition
4.0
Another book that was great, but did not really hit its stride until about the middle. Then the rest was beautiful.
valiant's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of those books that when you turn the final page, you sigh in disappointment because it's over. When You Were Here is poignant (I feel like I write that in every review but it actually does have a lot of reflection that just punches you in the heart) and hilarious all at the same time.
All Danny wants is for his mother, diagnosed with terminal cancer, to make it to his graduation. She died two months short. This hit home for me because I've had friends and loved ones in this situation and it sucks. He goes to Tokyo and discovers that emotional and spiritual healing can be almost as therapeutic as physical healing.
Okay. Now that the sappiness and cliche is out of the way, this book was great. The writing and voice were believable, with a unique mix of tragedy and humor. I truly felt for Danny and for Holland and I could empathize with Kana who was the perfect addition as a female BFF for Danny in Tokyo (take that, naysayers who say guys and girls can never truly just be friends!)
This book just left me wanting more.I want to know every detail of Holland and Danny's relationship, I'm dying to know if Kana ever gets out of Tokyo like she wants, I want to know if the lilacs ever bloom in the graveyard... So many things!
All Danny wants is for his mother, diagnosed with terminal cancer, to make it to his graduation. She died two months short. This hit home for me because I've had friends and loved ones in this situation and it sucks. He goes to Tokyo and discovers that emotional and spiritual healing can be almost as therapeutic as physical healing.
Okay. Now that the sappiness and cliche is out of the way, this book was great. The writing and voice were believable, with a unique mix of tragedy and humor. I truly felt for Danny and for Holland and I could empathize with Kana who was the perfect addition as a female BFF for Danny in Tokyo (take that, naysayers who say guys and girls can never truly just be friends!)
This book just left me wanting more.
missusb21's review against another edition
4.0
Gosh we have one angry sad boy here, and rightly so. Danny's life is pretty much in pieces, and we watch him self destruct. His only comfort is his dog, which sums up his life.
Danny heads over to Japan in search of something to give his life meaning. He finds it, and I am glad to say he does find that his life can be back on track.
I really enjoyed this powerfully emotional and moving narrative.
Danny heads over to Japan in search of something to give his life meaning. He finds it, and I am glad to say he does find that his life can be back on track.
I really enjoyed this powerfully emotional and moving narrative.
nicoles_card_catalog's review against another edition
5.0
Completely amazing, I loved it. Similar to How to Save A Life in the way it made me feel. Beuatiful, relatable, profound but not pretentious. I loved this book!
jenmiller253's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked the story but I wish there hadn't been such an causal attitude about sex. His mother not caring if his girlfriend spent the night bothered me. And the doctor, ok resident but still - Adult woman seducing teenage boy (with a dying mother no less) at the hospital and gives him prescription drugs - not ok
smhq089030's review against another edition
4.0
Danny lost his mother to cancer before he could walk across the stage for high school graduation- the day she really wanted to see. He is lost after her death since there is no one left. His sister moved overseas and his father died long time ago, and his ex dumped him. All he wants are answers and so he goes overseas to where his mom found peace. Whitney writes an aching tale about moving on and truthfully letting go of what has happened.
abookishaffair's review
4.0
"When You Were Here" is the story of Danny, who loses his mother to cancer. All he has left is his mom's best friend (Kate), her daughter (Holland), and his dog. He is trying to deal with loss but it feels like the odds are stacked against him. When he inherits his mom's apartment in Tokyo, he flees to Japan, a place of happier memories in order to figure out his mother a little more. He will end up unraveling even more mysteries than he ever expected.
This was a strong story but there was so much going on with it. There is Danny trying to figure out what his mother was going through before her death. There is Danny's relationship with his adopted sister who originally came from China and in Danny's view all but abandons the family to find her roots rather than helping the family first mourn their father and then Danny to mourn their mother. There is Holland and Danny's relationship, which has a lot of twists and turns that I won't go too far into in order to save the surprise for you. All of these stories are great and could have made up a book themselves so the book sometimes felt rushed as all of the ends were tied together.
I loved the parts of the book that are set in Tokyo. Not only do you have an exotic setting with a lot of interesting characters, Tokyo also represents Danny coming to terms with being on his own but also that he has a lot of people in his corner if he will let them in. I really liked the growth that we see in Danny throughout the book. Overall, I enjoyed this story; I just wish that there would have been a little more room to stretch out some of the stories.
This was a strong story but there was so much going on with it. There is Danny trying to figure out what his mother was going through before her death. There is Danny's relationship with his adopted sister who originally came from China and in Danny's view all but abandons the family to find her roots rather than helping the family first mourn their father and then Danny to mourn their mother. There is Holland and Danny's relationship, which has a lot of twists and turns that I won't go too far into in order to save the surprise for you. All of these stories are great and could have made up a book themselves so the book sometimes felt rushed as all of the ends were tied together.
I loved the parts of the book that are set in Tokyo. Not only do you have an exotic setting with a lot of interesting characters, Tokyo also represents Danny coming to terms with being on his own but also that he has a lot of people in his corner if he will let them in. I really liked the growth that we see in Danny throughout the book. Overall, I enjoyed this story; I just wish that there would have been a little more room to stretch out some of the stories.