A Review of 'Where She Went' by Gayle Forman (Audio Book)

"'My first impulse is not to grab her or kiss her or yell at her.  I simply want to touch her cheek, still flushed from the night's performance.  I want to cut through the space that separates us, measured in feet-- not miles, not continents, not years-- and to take a callused finger to her face...


But I can't touch her.  This is a privilege that's been revoked.'


It's been three years since Adam's love saved Mia after the accident that annihilated life as she knew it...


...and 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 L.A. 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, powerful 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."

I was nervous when I discovered that "If I Stay," one of the most eloquently written novels I have ever read, had a sequel.  You know that nervousness one sometimes gets when they walk into a movie that's based on a book that they really liked?  Yeah.  That doesn't change with sequels to books.  But luckily, I was pleasantly surprised!

Gayle Forman has never failed to deliver before (at least from what I've read of her writing), so my nervousness was for not.  I was just as attached to everything that Adam had to say as I had been to Mia's story.  I loved that music continued to play a huge role in this book.  It added an element of surrealism to the story.  It's hard to put into words, but if you are a musician yourself, I think you'll know what I mean when you read this (or listen to it, as I did).

Another thing that I appreciated that I remember appreciating in "If I Stay" was the realism of Adam and Mia's relationship (how it was, is, and will be).  They had history together, they had their rough patches and arguments, as well as their tender moments where they're just talking and being honest with each other or joking around.  It feels like the most flawless relationship in all of fiction, even though it's truly far from perfection.

I loved that we learn more that we knew from "If I Stay" and I also liked that this book didn't take place at the exact same time and place as "If I Stay."  This way, the two were connected, but it had a soul of its own, if that makes any sense.

"Where She Went" was a wonderful sequel that has just the right amount of "aww" moments balanced with unfortunate and/or less than desirable events.

I give "Where She Went":

Thanks for reading!

--Jude