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I Was Here

Gayle Forman (Goodreads Author)

3.75 · Rating details · 57,858 ratings · 6,419 reviews

Cody and Meg were inseparable.
Two peas in a pod.
Until . . . they weren’t anymore.

When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she dis ...more

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Hardcover, 270 pages

Published January 27th 2015 by Viking Juvenile

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Jan 29, 2015 Jesse (JesseTheReader) rated it liked it

hear more of my thoughts here: http://youtu.be/GiN-1CvvC2k

This book was so emotional! The only thing that I really didn't like about it was the romance. It was a major turn off for me, but other than that this book was fantastic, but sad, oh so very sad. ...more

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Feb 07, 2014 Emily May rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary, arc, 2014, new-adult

I told Joe and Sue that I was sorry, that I couldn't give a eulogy because I couldn't think of anything to say.
It was the first time I ever lied to them.

In the hands of most authors, this book would have been nothing more than a standard, trope-ridden NA romance. It almost was, anyway.

Forman's contempory novels have always contained a heavy romantic element that has propped up the central themes of grief, growing up and friendship. This book is no exception, but I felt that this time the story ...more

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Nov 16, 2015 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, 21th-century, young-adult, fiction

I Was Here, Gayle Forman

When her best friend, Meg, drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning?

But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her.

About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington.

About Ben McAllister I Was Here, Gayle Forman

When her best friend, Meg, drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning?

But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her.

About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington.

About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, and some secrets of his own. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.

"I Was Here is a pitch-perfect blend of mystery, tragedy, and romance. Gayle Forman has given us an unflinchingly honest portrait of the bravery that it takes to live after devastating loss."
—Stephen Chbosky

نویسنده: گیل فورمن؛ تهران، جنگل، 1395، در 288ص؛ زبان متن: انگلیسی؛ افست از روی چاپ 2015میلادی، نیویورک ؛ کتابهای قرائت انگلیسی (متوسطه)؛

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ششم ماه دسامبر سال 2016 میلادی

عنوان: من اینجا بودم؛ نویسنده: گیل فورمن؛ مترجم: اطلسی خرامانی؛ ویراستار محسن چراغپور؛ تهران، آذرباد، 1397؛ در 280ص؛ شابک 9786008537755؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 21م

فورمن درباره این کتاب گفته است: سال‌ها پیش گزارشی درباره دختران و زنانی که به سمت خودکشی می‌روند تهیه کردم؛ در بین تمام آن روایت‌ها، داستان «سوزی گنزالس» بود که مرا درگیر خود کرد؛ او به نظر با نشاط، شاد، و پرانرژی می‌رسید؛ اما در عین‌حال با شرایط فجیعی به زندگی‌ خویش پایان داده بود؛ سال‌ها بعد، روزی به فکر «سوزی» افتادم؛ با خود فکر می‌کردم مرگ کسی به آن شادابی، باهوشی، و کسی که امید افراد زیادی به اوست، بر دیگران چه تأثیری خواهد گذاشت، و بعد، «کودی» را در گوشه ‌ی ذهنم پیدا کردم؛ خودکشی به‌ نوعی رمزآلود است؛ چرا که قاتل، مقتول و انگیزه‌ ی قتل را با هم زیرخاک می‌برد؛ و هر چقدر «کودی» در این راه پرده از رازهای «مگ» برمی‌دارد، با حقایقی در مورد خود نیز روبرو می‌شود؛ شخصیت «کودی» برخلاف تمامی شخصیت‌ها در دیگر کتاب‌هایم، جنگجو، باهوش و احمق بود، و پدید آوردن او، در خود من شخصیت جدیدی به وجود آورد؛ دلیل اینکه داستان را از زبان بازمانده ی یک خودکشی، و نه از زبان قربانی آن نوشتم، این است که از دید من، بازماندگان خودکشی، دردی چندین برابر قربانی متقبل می‌شوند، و لازم است کسی این درد را به تصویر بکشد؛ این کتاب بر اساس دوستی نوشته ‌شده؛ دوستی همیشه برای من و در خانواده ‌ام رکنی اساسی و مهم بوده است؛ گرچه طی سال‌ها دوست‌هایی را ازدست‌ داده و دوست‌هایی به دست آورده‌ ام؛ اما همیشه رابطه‌ ای شبیه رابطه «مگ» و «کودی» از آرزوهایم بوده است؛ پایان نقل

نثل از نمونه متن: «فردای روزی که مگ مُرد، این نامه را دریافت کردم: متاسفم که این خبر را میدهم؛ اما مجبور شدم جان خودم را بگیرم. تصمیمی بود که در درازمدت گرفته شد و فقط خودم در آن نقش داشتم. میدانم موجب ناراحتی ات میشود و برایت دردناک خواهد بود و از این بابت متاسفم؛ اما خواهش میکنم سعی کن بفهمی مجبور بودم به دردم پایان بدهم. در این موضوع تو اصلاً نقشی نداری و همه چیز پای خودم است. تقصیر تو نیست. مگ»؛ پایان نقل

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 10/04/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی ...more

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Mar 28, 2015 Shelby *trains flying monkeys* rated it liked it

Recommended to Shelby *trains flying monkeys* by: Rachel Reads Ravenously

Shelves: liburry-book, read-2015, young-adult

May contain spoilery!

Cody's best friend Meg has gone off to college and then she ends up committing suicide. Cody feels the guilt of not doing all she could to save her friend. She feels that it is partially her fault that her friend is gone.

She begins her search for answers and ends up finding an encrypted file on Meg's computer. With some help she gets it open and finds out that Meg has been participating with one of those awful sites that assist people with suicide. It's hard to imagine that ...more

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Jan 19, 2016 Mandy rated it it was amazing

OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH, OH MY GOSH!!!!! Oh this book, all the feels...... Seriously how did I not find this book earlier? I have a book hangover. This novel surrounded my heart like a cloak. How will I go on?! Oh this book.....

Cody's best friend, Meg commits suicide in the worse way possible and Cody goes on a mission to find how how and why and ends up discovering herself in the midst of it. The characters are amazing and lovable and written so well.

I love Ben McCallister. Oh my gosh I want him ...more

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Nov 07, 2014 Whitney Atkinson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2015, sent-from-pub

4.5 stars

Oh, man. Gayle's books are just phenomenal to real because they're so real. The emotions are so raw, the characters are so fleshed out. This book reads like a murder mystery and I was captivated by page 30 and read it in a day. This book is so real and bittersweet, showing the aftermath of a suicide and not sugar-coating anything. Gayle's voice in writing gets stronger and stronger with each book and this one definitely had me thinking.
I took off half a star because I thought the end w ...more

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Jul 12, 2014 Kassidy rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015-release, for-review

*4.5*

A very engaging, beautiful, and touching story.

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Mar 06, 2015 Rachel Reads Ravenously rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library-checkout, young-adult, hardcover

4.5 stars

Suicide is a very popular topic in the young adult genre, and normally a topic I stay away from. But when I saw this book with the pretty cover I couldn’t resist.

Cody is astonished when she discovers her friend Meg has committed suicide. Meg’s parents ask Cody to go to Meg’s school and pack up her thing, which is where Cody discovers Meg held a very different life than the one she told Cody. Due to a weird phrasing in Meg’s suicide note, Cody investigates the circumstances of Meg’s de 4.5 stars

Suicide is a very popular topic in the young adult genre, and normally a topic I stay away from. But when I saw this book with the pretty cover I couldn’t resist.

Cody is astonished when she discovers her friend Meg has committed suicide. Meg’s parents ask Cody to go to Meg’s school and pack up her thing, which is where Cody discovers Meg held a very different life than the one she told Cody. Due to a weird phrasing in Meg’s suicide note, Cody investigates the circumstances of Meg’s death and discovers she was involved in a chat room where the participants support other users in taking their own lives. Cody becomes obsessed with one user in particular, and thinks they may hold the answers to her friend’s death.

I think the thing I loved most about this book was how it is set in the first year after high school. There are so few books like this out there, I can really only name one or two others, and they don’t address the issues that come after graduation. For many teenagers, just getting into college is the endgame and they don’t consider what’s next. Life doesn’t always turn out how we expect, and I felt that was a small theme of this book. But the important thing is to embrace the change and either accept our path or change it ourselves. I liked the fact that Forman’s main character attended community college, because many teens choose to do this over a four year university. Cody was an intelligent young woman, but if everyone who was intelligent was able to go to college we would all be living in a different world.

I’m going to get a little bit personal here, but I want to put it out there. My first year of college was tough, really tough for me. I went to a school 7 hours away from home and only one other kid from my high school went there and he dropped out. I had an easy start making friends, but I soon learned that not everyone is as nice or actually cares about you as much as you think they do. I remember feeling so alone that first year, and it really didn’t get better for me until my freshman year was almost over. My friends from home had their own things they were dealing with at home or at their own colleges and it became hard to stay connected with them. So, in a small way I can relate to Meg, in that I felt incredibly lonely in a place where I was surrounded by people all the time. I’m very different from Meg in that I never, NEVER contemplated suicide. But my experience reminds me that it’s easy for young college students to become vulnerable in a new place with people they don’t feel connected to. And that’s where the predators can strike.

Basically, I really connected with this book and loved it. I realize this book might not be for everyone, but as I always say about books, you never know until you try.

Some people who reach out for help sometimes reach to the wrong person or place, and it’s important to remember that suicide is not the answer. It gets better, it did for me, it will for you. No matter how you feel, there are people who care about you, whether you know it or not, whether you believe it or not.

And if you do know someone, or loved someone who took their own lives, it’s not your fault.
...more

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Jan 28, 2015 Laura rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Anyone

Shelves: contemporary, ebooks-i-own, romance, so-happy-i-read-this, depression-awareness

Warning: this book may trigger suicidal thoughts. Please read as well the Author's Note.

To say I was excited about reading this book isn't exactly wrong at all, Gayle Forman is an amazing storyteller but also I was pretty nervous. I Was Here is about a topic I've found myself thinking, not now but way back and so I felt this book was going to be totally great or a disaster. For me there wasn't an in-between.

I Was Here is about Cody, a young girl who is facing her best friend's suicide, they were ...more

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May 25, 2015 Sarah rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: z2015, overrated, ya

Thank God that is over. I could have finished this in a few hours but instead it took me 3 days. I'm getting worked up just thinking about how frustrating this book was. This is more like a rant rather than a review...

Things I did not like about this book:
1) Cody. She was so immature and childish. She constantly slut-shamed everyone. She thought she was amazing just because she was a virgin (she wasn't). She was irritating and self-centered.
2) Ben. Ben started off as a promising character. He Thank God that is over. I could have finished this in a few hours but instead it took me 3 days. I'm getting worked up just thinking about how frustrating this book was. This is more like a rant rather than a review...

Things I did not like about this book:
1) Cody. She was so immature and childish. She constantly slut-shamed everyone. She thought she was amazing just because she was a virgin (she wasn't). She was irritating and self-centered.
2) Ben. Ben started off as a promising character. He seemed more realistic than the perfect Adam from If I Stay anyway but eventually Gayle Forman made him into a horrible cliché. His character just wasn't consistent.
3) Cody & Ben's relationship. Their relationship was definitely the most annoying thing about this book. Gayle Forman was trying to write an "opposites attract" kind of romance and it just did not work. They were so incompatible. Their exchanges made me want to burn this book and throw it down a well. It was so clichéd and frustrating.
4) The execution of the plot. The plot sounds intriguing but the story was not interesting whatsoever. This book was boring and flat.
5) The fact that the horrible love story took over the plot. The "love story" should have taken the backseat in this novel. It would have been so much better if it focused more on Cody & Meg's friendship.
6) The big pretty bow used to wrap this book up with a happy ending. COME ON GAYLE FORMAN! (view spoiler)

Things that were tolerable:
1) The writing. It was just okay. Some of the descriptions of Ben made me want to puke everywhere and a lot of it made me roll my eyes too but I wouldn't call the writing bad per say. It certainly wasn't gripping or interesting and there was a lot of pointless waffle just to fill pages.

And that is about it for my rant. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. ...more

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May 22, 2015 Maureen rated it really liked it

Well I wasn't expecting to finish this book in one day but HERE WE ARE. I listened to the audiobook which I think added to my experience a lot. Overall, I thought this book was pretty good. I liked the main character alright and her journey was really interesting, as well as the minor characters. I also think this is a really important book for its focus on suicide and it's effect.
In the end, I liked it alright it wasn't the BEST but I'm still pretty emotional.
Tw: suicide ...more

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Feb 09, 2017 Aj the Ravenous Reader rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, physically-owned-books, somebody-s-sick, young-adult

3.5 stars

I Was Here is a very poignant story about suicide and depression and one that doesn’t attempt to romanticize these things either. It’s raw and yes, very sad but also very relatable and at times I find myself laughing at the main character’s sarcasm. It’s not hard to empathize with a girl whose best friend and probably the most important person in her life, more like her other half, took her own life.

I like what the story is trying to achieve and I appreciate the plot devices the autho ...more

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Nov 19, 2016 Maria Espadinha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Fatal ou Evitável?

Meg e Cody são ervilhas da mesma vagem. Amigas de infância, cresceram inseparáveis até que um daqueles designados motivos de força maior, finalmente as descola!
Concluído o secundário, Meg parte para uma Universidade situada numa cidade distante, mas Cody fica.

Meg era divertida e extrovertida. Dispunha bem os que com ela privavam, agradando naturalmente, sem esforço...
O suicídio e ela não combinavam! Não!... Não com a Meg que Cody tão bem conhecia!
Era inacreditável! Impensável! ...more

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Jul 24, 2018 Maddie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Heartbreaking, delicate and determined, I Was Here will stand out in my mind when I think back on what I've read this year. Gayle Forman's writing style is something I can only aspire to. ...more

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Jun 10, 2014 Thomas rated it really liked it

Shelves: own-physical, realistic-fiction, young-adult, romance

Meg and Cody have been best friends forever, until Meg kills herself in a hotel room and leaves the maid a sizable tip. For the past few months, Cody has kept her distance from Meg, separated by all the miles between their dead-end town in Washington and Meg's prestigious college. But when Cody gets the news from Meg's automated email and goes to pack up Meg's remaining belongings, she finds that her best friend has kept secrets from her she never would have expected. Cody embarks on a mission t ...more

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Aug 22, 2014 Aly (In Wonderland) rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, contemporary, netgalley, young-adult

To read the full review, CLICK ME!

I tried to write a eulogy for that service. I did. I pulled out the disc Meg had burned of firefly songs for inspiration. The third one up was the Bishop Allen track "Fireflies." I don't know if I had ever really listened to the words before, because when I did now, they were like a smack from the grave: It says you can still forgive her. And she will forgive you back.

Suicide is a sensitive, difficult subject to write about and only a handful of authors can ...more

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Jan 24, 2014 Christine Alibutud rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I felt calm, peaceful, and full of love. And in that moment, I was reminded just why God wants us to forgive. Not simply because it’s the key to a better world, but because of what it does for ourselves. Forgiveness is God’s gift to us. Christ forgave us. He forgave our sins. That was his gift. But by allowing us to forgive each other, he opened us up to that divine love. The article had it right...

description

...Forgiveness: It’s a miracle drug. It’s God’s miracle drug.

description

Before anything else, ...more

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Mar 25, 2017 Monica rated it liked it

Este fue el primer libro de Gayle que leí y me gustaría decir que fue una gran experiencia.. pero no.
La trama en realidad es muy buena y la forma de escribir es un acierto total, lo único que no me pareció fue el como se abordaron ciertos temas, muy sacados al aire como si no fueran la gran cosa, y el temperamento de la protagonista no me ayudó para nada.
Una chica envidiosa, egoísta y que sentía que las cosas eran tal como las pensaba ella y nadie más y punto. Super inflexible y el hecho de que ...more

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Feb 06, 2014 Tatiana rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015, ya, 2, starred-2015

2.5 stars

Some new to me info about "suicide support groups," but otherwise the novel is remarkably average and formulaic - your average narrative voice and even more average i-am-so-special-i-will-turn-a-bad-boy-good romance, of course accompanied by a losing-virginity road trip. ...more

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Nov 25, 2013 Claire Robinson rated it it was ok · review of another edition

2 - "If that's what happens to normal, what hope is there for the rest of us?" Stars.

I think I should firstly say that I am a huge fan of Gayle Forman’s books. She somehow manages to take a bunch of fairly unremarkable, usual characters and give them what starts out as an ordinary story, but with one unique twist, turns them into extraordinary books. I am guaranteed to need tissues and want a hug after finishing a book by her, but I always feel I am a better person for having read the story she 2 - "If that's what happens to normal, what hope is there for the rest of us?" Stars.

I think I should firstly say that I am a huge fan of Gayle Forman’s books. She somehow manages to take a bunch of fairly unremarkable, usual characters and give them what starts out as an ordinary story, but with one unique twist, turns them into extraordinary books. I am guaranteed to need tissues and want a hug after finishing a book by her, but I always feel I am a better person for having read the story she has given me.

You get all of the above with I Was Here with the exception of needing tissues and wanting a hug. This book left me cold; I know that is a pretty blunt summation, but that’s how I felt. I am not sure what went wrong but for me there was no emotion from me or the characters, I felt no empathy or sympathy for what any of them were experiencing, and I could find no real solid reasoning for half of the things Cody did, thought or said. I would go as far as to say disliked her, her mother, their attitudes and just them in general intensely.

Ben didn’t evoke much from me either, in fact no one in the book did really, apart from Meg’s little brother Scottie. Meg’s suicide and the reasoning behind it, her family’s behavior in the aftermath, and the actions Cody took to try and get to the bottom of the mystery… nothing. I felt absolutely nothing, I kept reading as I was sure that at some point something would happen to give me that lump in my throat, bring on that lip wobble or just a slight tear to the eye.

I have absolutely no doubt that I am probably in the minority with my feelings about this book, Gayle is, and will always be an author I am happy to read a book by. I guess that sometimes, some subjects and the story and characters an author chooses to build around them just don’t work for even their ardent fans. That is definitely the camp I am in on this occasion.

”I have time.”

ARC generously provided via Netgalley, in exchange for the above honest review. ...more

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Oct 25, 2015 Lara rated it really liked it

“I failed her in life. But I won’t fail her in death.”

I have no words left in me to explain how heartbreaking this book was.

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Jun 15, 2016 Kelli rated it liked it

Shelves: audio, ya

Can I just speak to the Author's note? It defies description. It was careful, gentle, thoughtful, respectful. It was long, meaningful, different, relatable. It cited many examples, it offered numerous resources. It screamed: YOU ARE NOT ALONE. PLEASE SEEK HELP. THINGS WILL GET BETTER.

This story was decent. The evolution or uncovering of the main character's relationship with her mother was very well-done. Her grief, confusion, isolation, abandonment...all believable. The narration was excellent. ...more

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Sep 22, 2019 Janete rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-books, favorites

This was my first book from Gayle Forman and I loved it. I wanna read other books from her, but I hope that these will be so meaningful as "I Was Here". ...more

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Dec 16, 2016 may ❀ rated it it was ok

Shelves: 200-pgs, bye, contemporary, incomplete, meh, n-o-p-e

I dunno if I am allowed to have an opinion on this book since I've only reached like 25% but I couldn't go farther. It was supposedly about her best friend committing suicide but she's just whining the whole time. Other than that, there's really nothing wrong with the book, just not for me.

Also, I feel like a very unnecessary romance is going to form and I'm just not into it. I'll pass.

“It’s an act of bravery to feel your feelings.”

1.5 stars.

...more

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Mar 19, 2018 Emerald Sue rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, important-issues

“Anything that kills hope is a sin.”

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Jan 31, 2014 Shannelle marked it as to-read

Update #1

Cover. Rant.

When I think of this book, I just think yellow. That horrible yellow shade does not compliment the colors of the photo at all and it clashes in the most horrible way. Leaving it white would have been better instead of dropping the fugliest bright yellow possible in there.

And then who puts the NYT bestselling line in between the author's name? It would be fine if it was aligned or something, but there's just the biggest awkward space after "Gayle" and then it just looks so a ...more

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Nov 21, 2013 Rose rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, better-than-i-expected, ya-a-z-reading-challenge-2015, coming-of-age, contemporary, drama, favorites, grief, new-adult, pretty-cover

Initial reaction: This was a very realistic, while flawed look into one young woman's grief over her best friend's suicide. I liked the attention brought to her grief as well as journeys to understand it, even if some of those steps were rough around the edges and tested my suspension of disbelief.

Full review:

Gayle Forman's "I Was Here" took me by surprise with how much it resonated with me. While I've appreciated Forman's attention to grief and the emotional journeys her flawed characters have Initial reaction: This was a very realistic, while flawed look into one young woman's grief over her best friend's suicide. I liked the attention brought to her grief as well as journeys to understand it, even if some of those steps were rough around the edges and tested my suspension of disbelief.

Full review:

Gayle Forman's "I Was Here" took me by surprise with how much it resonated with me. While I've appreciated Forman's attention to grief and the emotional journeys her flawed characters have taken in her past narratives, "I Was Here" brought yet another potent story over several tough subjects: depression, suicide, and dealing with grief over the loss of a loved one.

Cody lost her best friend Meg to suicide. Sent to collect Meg's remaining valuables at college, Cody journeys while she grapples with the loss. She struggles to understand how Meg executed a carefully plotted route to her death - from timed emails sent to her loved ones, to ordering the poison that led to her death. Cody's journey leads her through tough encounters with the people Meg left behind as well, in a life that Cody though she knew for her best friend - but truly didn't.

In a sense, I understood Cody's starting point - she's angry, in disbelief, and feels powerless as she wonders what more she could've done to save Meg. Cody also recognizes that Meg was her better half - from getting a scholarship to college to her seemingly boundless energy and a caring family at her side. Cody's life has had some other rough spots, including having a distant relationship with her mother, an absent father, and struggles to make ends meet as a professional cleaner (she cleans homes for a living).

The story moves forward to showcase not only a story of grief and dealing with the aftermath, but also combines elements of a mystery and romance in the unfolding story. This has some mixed results, but I found I liked the overarching journey when it was all considered. The mystery aspect involves taking Cody on a journey to discover what led up to the moments of Meg's death - missing emails unaccounted for, a suicide support group (meaning a group who encouraged Meg to take steps to commit suicide), and a confrontation with a man who might've had a hand in Meg's death. The romance aspect involves Cody metiing Ben, a musician who was involved in a temporary relationship with Meg before her suicide.

I definitely loved the cast of side characters in this book (i.e. Stoner Richard, Harry Kang, who was one of my favorite characters, etc.) and I liked how the mystery was a coming of age/grief journey for Cody as she navigated the relationships and events leading up to Meg's death. It felt realistic for the emotional journey with the people Meg left behind.

Some issues I had in the novel had to do with the lead up to the confrontation with the man involved in Meg's death. That took some suspension of disbelief on my part because of the risk and danger involved with it, though I understood it was a part of Cody coming to terms with Meg's death. The event had symbolic value, but it was still something of a push to not believe something worse could've happened with that, and that the adult reactions weren't more urgent (though Cody's, what, 19?). The other factor was the romance, which involves Ben McCallister. I liked Ben's character well enough progressively, but I think the romance aspect happened really quickly in the scheme of the novel's events. Some of it was realistic, other parts of it sagged from the lack of development. It could've been a little smoother for showing. Plus there was the factor that Ben was in a relationship with Meg before. It was addressed, but I don't know if I was ever fully able to connect with the relationship between Ben and Cody to believe in it without qualms.

That said, I did enjoy the novel for its emotional coming to terms and insights on grief and the measure of moving forward. For me, especially with the very nicely performed audio reading, it was well worth the time taken to read.

Overall score: 4/5 stars. ...more

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Oct 07, 2014 Pinky rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-want-to-own

I would like to warn those who wish to read this book that this novel is dealing with suicide

This was something that I don't usually read. It was a heart-breaking novel but I really enjoyed it. I had mixed feelings about this book but I learned so much. It was really different and now I know a little bit about those who deal with depression. This isn't something that I would usually read, but I surprised myself and picked this book up. This book was really dark and it's not one of those cute I would like to warn those who wish to read this book that this novel is dealing with suicide

This was something that I don't usually read. It was a heart-breaking novel but I really enjoyed it. I had mixed feelings about this book but I learned so much. It was really different and now I know a little bit about those who deal with depression. This isn't something that I would usually read, but I surprised myself and picked this book up. This book was really dark and it's not one of those cute contemporary books.

Meg and Cody were planning on going to the same school after they graduate. Since Meg found a better school, they both parted ways but still kept in contact. They were best friends and knew each other since they were children. But one day, a few months after they both started school, Cody discovers the news that Meg has died because she killed herself. When Meg's parents ask Cody to bring back all of Meg's personal belongings from the motel that she was living in, Cody discovers so many things she never knew before about her close friend. After discovering these things, Cody realizes that Meg had a different life and questions why she didn't know all these things. Cody wants to figure out the reason behind why Meg chose to suicide...

The plot was very different and unique and it was really interesting, I had to know the ending. The more I read and discovered, the more I wanted to know. It was fast-paced but had so many intense moments. One of the things I really liked about this book was how realistic it was, aside from the romance (which wasn't realistic at all). But at times, I had to stop reading and take a break from the intense situations.

Most of the characters were realistic and I did like Cody. I wasn't too attached to any of the characters. Ben was one of the characters that I felt wasn't realistic and all. All of Cody's other friends were so real and awesome! I loved Meg's family but I wish they told Cody things instead of making her go through what she did. I loved what happened in the end with Cody and her mom. I don't think the romance was really needed in the book. I learned so much about how people deal with something when their friend suicides. I also learned more about depression and what thoughts run into the certain person's head.

Overall, this book was good, but it wasn't amazing. I give it a 3.5 stars, it is my third favorite-book by Gayle Forman. It was fast-paced, dark, a little bit mysterious, and really interesting. I don't know if I want to read this book again, but I think I might. I would recommend it to those who want to read something dark and different for a change. ...more

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Oct 03, 2014 Whitney rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015-publication, contemporary

I love Gayle Forman's writing. Her stories are so powerful and interesting to read about.

This book deals with a big issue: suicide. I've read a few contemporary YA novels that deal with suicide (like Saving June which is a great book) and they all have different ways of going about the topic.

The main character and narrator, Cody, is dealing with the recent death of her best friend, Meg. Cody has had a hard life in a very small town and the only stable and constant thing she has had throughout h ...more

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Mar 14, 2017 Kim rated it really liked it

A truly touchingly sad story.

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About Gayle Forman

Gayle Forman

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Award-winning author and journalist Gayle Forman has written several bestselling novels for young adults, including the Just One Series, I Was Here, Where She Went and the #1 New York Times bestseller If I Stay, which has been translated into more than 40 languages and in 2014 was adapted into a major motion picture.

Gayle published Leave Me, her first novel starring adults in 2016 and her latest ...more