Publisher: Dutton
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 208
Source: My local library.
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 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.
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. (From gayleforman.com)
_______________________________________________I made time for Where She Went back in the craziness of April when school was still in session, and I've been waiting to pull out my notes and rave about it ever since.* Whenever I opened it, I always read for longer than I meant to. That said, there seemed to be many natural stopping points. I rotated between being glued to the pages and wanting to put the book down for awhile, but Gayle Forman's characters and the delightful atmosphere of Where She Went were always on my mind.
The same economical, beautiful prose in If I Stay is present in Where She Went, only Adam plays the narrator, instead of Mia.
*Spoiler alert: People who haven't read If I Stay may want to quit reading now, although the biggest spoiler--the fact that Mia stays--is already evident from the existence of Where She Went. This warning is only a little unnecessary. . .*
I have much respect for Forman's unconventional handling of Mia's and Adam's romance. Where She Went is a funny (at times bitterly so), ultimately feel-good novel populated with realistic, imperfect people who don't always deal with each other and their situations in the best possible ways. Adam's voice comes across as realistically upset and depressed as he makes sense of the downside of rock 'n roll fame and Mia's inexplicable rejection of him. (Translation: He swears. A lot. But never for no reason.)
Where She Went is intense, yet cozy. Even when it's strained, Mia's and Adam's relationship feels like a well-worn pair of shoes. I imagine the coziness is amplified for readers who are already acquainted with these characters, but enough background information is provided for readers to read the two books out of order.
Where She Went is a graceful novel that explores changes and ups and downs in relationships while allowing the reader to vicariously experience the exciting lives of two remarkably successful twenty-one-year-olds: a rockstar and a classical cellist. Forman highlights beautiful details, like how the sounds of the crowds at concerts for Adam's band changed as the band grew in popularity. I recommend Where She Went to readers who like contemporary fiction with a dash of inspiration, as well as readers interested in romance and family dramas. Where She Went is a book that affirms that people can get back together and grow and change. And the writing is GORGEOUS.
_______________________________________________
The same economical, beautiful prose in If I Stay is present in Where She Went, only Adam plays the narrator, instead of Mia.
*Spoiler alert: People who haven't read If I Stay may want to quit reading now, although the biggest spoiler--the fact that Mia stays--is already evident from the existence of Where She Went. This warning is only a little unnecessary. . .*
I have much respect for Forman's unconventional handling of Mia's and Adam's romance. Where She Went is a funny (at times bitterly so), ultimately feel-good novel populated with realistic, imperfect people who don't always deal with each other and their situations in the best possible ways. Adam's voice comes across as realistically upset and depressed as he makes sense of the downside of rock 'n roll fame and Mia's inexplicable rejection of him. (Translation: He swears. A lot. But never for no reason.)
Where She Went is intense, yet cozy. Even when it's strained, Mia's and Adam's relationship feels like a well-worn pair of shoes. I imagine the coziness is amplified for readers who are already acquainted with these characters, but enough background information is provided for readers to read the two books out of order.
Where She Went is a graceful novel that explores changes and ups and downs in relationships while allowing the reader to vicariously experience the exciting lives of two remarkably successful twenty-one-year-olds: a rockstar and a classical cellist. Forman highlights beautiful details, like how the sounds of the crowds at concerts for Adam's band changed as the band grew in popularity. I recommend Where She Went to readers who like contemporary fiction with a dash of inspiration, as well as readers interested in romance and family dramas. Where She Went is a book that affirms that people can get back together and grow and change. And the writing is GORGEOUS.
_______________________________________________
*Any book I made time for in that whirlwind of a month had to be very, very good, and Where She Went was evidently good enough to come between me and my textbooks.
Previously by Gayle Forman: If I Stay
Previously by Gayle Forman: If I Stay
1 comment:
oh wow. I loved the first book and I'm really glad to hear that you liked the sequal. ;) I can't wait to read it. I love their relationship.
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