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A review by impressionblend
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
3.0
This book and I didn't get along very well at first. Somehow I managed to know nothing about it and the first thing that threw me off was that it's told from Adam's perspective. Don't get me wrong, I like Adam, but I was expecting a continuation of Mia's story—her recovery, how she deals with her world being turned upside down, etc. Instead I not only get Adam, but also a "three years later" jump, and I really don't like when that happens—I tend to view time jumps as plot patching for not knowing how to get from point A to point B. Now, later in the book everything is explained and just like in the first book there are plenty of flashbacks, but I still never felt quite satisfied.
So here is the deal: three years later Adam is this rockstar with raging emotional issues. Picture your stereotypical jaded and depressed celebrity: girls, pills, drama within the band, and rocky interviews—that's Adam for you. And apparently Mia dropped him like a hot potato once she moved to New York. Then, surprise: they meet—what a coincidence. Can you tell how "excited" I was about this plot?
What brought this together for me was, once again, Gayle Forman's writing—just as excellent as it was in If I Stay. And I'll admit, Where She Went grew on me a lot in the second half of it, particularly because Adam's experience with the accident and the way he was reworking his feelings was an interesting angle to see the story from. I wasn't into all of the details about the band, but once the book got on with Mia's story and working through past and present feelings (not a spoiler—you KNOW it's coming), I was on board. If you're looking from closure after the first book, you will not be disappointed—the story gets wrapped up in a nice little bow.
Even though I eventually warmed up to Where She Went, I'm still not entirely sure it was necessary to continue the story this way. The way I see it, If I Stay is a standalone book and can be enjoyed on its own, but Where She Went is definitely a "follow-up" novel that didn't really have a big impact on me. Maybe I'm just not into emo boys and damaged goods stories?
So here is the deal: three years later Adam is this rockstar with raging emotional issues. Picture your stereotypical jaded and depressed celebrity: girls, pills, drama within the band, and rocky interviews—that's Adam for you. And apparently Mia dropped him like a hot potato once she moved to New York. Then, surprise: they meet—what a coincidence. Can you tell how "excited" I was about this plot?
What brought this together for me was, once again, Gayle Forman's writing—just as excellent as it was in If I Stay. And I'll admit, Where She Went grew on me a lot in the second half of it, particularly because Adam's experience with the accident and the way he was reworking his feelings was an interesting angle to see the story from. I wasn't into all of the details about the band, but once the book got on with Mia's story and working through past and present feelings (not a spoiler—you KNOW it's coming), I was on board. If you're looking from closure after the first book, you will not be disappointed—the story gets wrapped up in a nice little bow.
Even though I eventually warmed up to Where She Went, I'm still not entirely sure it was necessary to continue the story this way. The way I see it, If I Stay is a standalone book and can be enjoyed on its own, but Where She Went is definitely a "follow-up" novel that didn't really have a big impact on me. Maybe I'm just not into emo boys and damaged goods stories?