Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Published: April 2011

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Pages: 264

Copy Provided by: Library

Summary: 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.

Review:
I don't purchase many books unless I love them.  Usually I take most of my TBR titles out of the library but if I find a series that I love then I purchase it.  I will be purchasing this series.

Wow.  Where do I even begin with this one?  Gayle Forman wrote this book as a follow-up to If I Stay, a story about Mia, a girl in a car accident and locked in a coma.  Her entire family has died and she has to decide whether or not to return to her body or move on with her family.  If you thought that If I Stay was good, I think you'll enjoy Where She Went.

Where She Went is from Adam's perspective.  He has stayed by Mia's side throughout the entire tragedy and she has unceremoniously dumped him on the curb like yesterday's trash.  But wait, she didn't even officially dump him.  She just let him go and stopped communicating.  I'm not sure which is worse.  It has been several years now and they are leading separate lives.  This is the story of how they came apart and how they came back together.

My favourite quotes
Page 231
Go back to your ghost

page 235
Concert doesn't mean standing up like a target in front of thousands of strangers.  It means coming together.  It means harmony.

Page 253
"The band.  When you're with the band, I already have to share you with everyone.  I don't want to add my family to that pot, too."  then she lost the battle and started to cry.
All my annoyance melted.  "You dumb-ass,"  I crooned, kissing her on the forehead. "You don't share me.  You own me."

I am a romantic at heart and I have always loved a happy ending.  I even love a tragic ending when it is tragic and romantic.  Most women I talk to have those "great loves" in their lives.  The one who was unforgettable, the one who got away, the one you wished you could have said something to or maybe just "the one".  People change and grow up, grow together and grow apart.  Mia and Adam needed to grow before they could come back together to talk about what went awry.  Sometimes it is hard to walk away from the people you love.  Even when you see that you were meant to be together and they don't.  This is a love story and Ms. Forman etched these characters in words for us readers to feel the hurt, betrayal, denial, anguish and all of those ugly tormented feelings that come with disappointment.  But she didn't stop there.  She built the relationship back up to something new and wonderful and full of hope.

The summary of this story really does tell the story but it's the journey that I think you'll enjoy...if you're a romantic at heart like I am.  Ms Forman, this was a home run for me.  Thanks for making me remember what true love is really all about.