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Where She Went (If I Stay, #2)
by Gayle Forman
by Gayle Forman
Missie's review
bookshelves: legen-wait-for-it-dary, contemporary, ya, ugly-face-cried
May 03, 11
bookshelves: legen-wait-for-it-dary, contemporary, ya, ugly-face-cried
Read in April, 2011
Ramble warning! I wasn't sure if I should post my thoughts on WSW or not, but since I use my blog as my book diary, I thought I'd give it a go.
WSW was the #1 book I'd been highly anticipating more than any other for the year. Before its release, I'd been careful not to read too many reviews of it because I didn't want my expectations to be spoiled or disappointed.
Since its release, I've read the book in it's entirety three times and every time my thoughts have changed.
The first time I read WSW, I was only about two pages in when Adam said something that turned me off immediately. I don't know how to describe it; only that he didn't really feel like Adam (and yes, I consider myself an Adam expert. LOL). Still, it was kind of a brilliant move on Forman's part because why should he feel the same? He's not the same, not anymore. Three years have passed. He has changed. Because of this, I read the story in a detached sort of way, almost with a hallowness. I mean, I knew that I would feel sorrow for him, but I never expected to pity him.
The second time I read WSW, I was able to mellow out a bit. I didn't feel rushed. The "need to know" craving went away, and I relaxed on my expectations. What I hoped would happen, happened, so I was happier knowing what was coming.
On my third read of the book, the dam that kept my emotions back finally cracked and I was able to really connect with the story the way I hoped, which is to say I cried like a baby!
What astonishes me the most about WSW is that with only 260 pages, Forman writes a complicated love story in the most uncomplicated way. Its beauty is in its simplicity. The tragedy that tore Mia and Adam apart, now brings them together. Hard truths are revealed, providing an open space for healing, forgiveness and renewed love and hope. It was cathartic, not only for the characters but also for me as a reader.
This is not to say I didn't find faults I could do without. I felt the only thing really cliché about Adam was the way he kept referring to himself as a rockstar cliché. Also, he had a diva/feminine flare about him that reflected in the way he dramatized things. I was surprised and amused to find that he could irritate me on occasion.
Despite this, or maybe because of it, the story resonated with me in a very real way. The imperfect nature of the characters made them kind of perfect, and I feel like I will carry pieces of them with me always.
WSW was the #1 book I'd been highly anticipating more than any other for the year. Before its release, I'd been careful not to read too many reviews of it because I didn't want my expectations to be spoiled or disappointed.
Since its release, I've read the book in it's entirety three times and every time my thoughts have changed.
The first time I read WSW, I was only about two pages in when Adam said something that turned me off immediately. I don't know how to describe it; only that he didn't really feel like Adam (and yes, I consider myself an Adam expert. LOL). Still, it was kind of a brilliant move on Forman's part because why should he feel the same? He's not the same, not anymore. Three years have passed. He has changed. Because of this, I read the story in a detached sort of way, almost with a hallowness. I mean, I knew that I would feel sorrow for him, but I never expected to pity him.
The second time I read WSW, I was able to mellow out a bit. I didn't feel rushed. The "need to know" craving went away, and I relaxed on my expectations. What I hoped would happen, happened, so I was happier knowing what was coming.
On my third read of the book, the dam that kept my emotions back finally cracked and I was able to really connect with the story the way I hoped, which is to say I cried like a baby!
What astonishes me the most about WSW is that with only 260 pages, Forman writes a complicated love story in the most uncomplicated way. Its beauty is in its simplicity. The tragedy that tore Mia and Adam apart, now brings them together. Hard truths are revealed, providing an open space for healing, forgiveness and renewed love and hope. It was cathartic, not only for the characters but also for me as a reader.
This is not to say I didn't find faults I could do without. I felt the only thing really cliché about Adam was the way he kept referring to himself as a rockstar cliché. Also, he had a diva/feminine flare about him that reflected in the way he dramatized things. I was surprised and amused to find that he could irritate me on occasion.
Despite this, or maybe because of it, the story resonated with me in a very real way. The imperfect nature of the characters made them kind of perfect, and I feel like I will carry pieces of them with me always.
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