Where She Went (If I Stay #2) By Gayle Forman

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Romance, Contemporary

*If you have not read If I Stay, please do not read this review, as it may contain spoilers*.

Years have gone by after Mia Hall's tragic accident that left her an orphan. The story picks up when Adam, her ex-boyfriend, is living the rockstar dream. Selling out shows, and with a movie star girlfriend. Adam is lonely and tired. He frequently has panic attacks, and he struggles with addiction. Meanwhile, Mia is a classic music superstar, who graduated from Julliard. Both think that the other is doing fine without them, until fate brings them back together for one night. Told from Adam's point of view, Where She Went tells the story of two broken people, and their fight for their love.

I LOVED this book, perhaps even more than the first book. While If I Stay was about life and death, Where She Went was about finding yourself. While both books carried harsh topics, I found Where She Went to be much lighter than If I Stay. I thought that this book would have been very sad, as it picks up after Mia loses her family, however I was quite surprised to see that Mia was a very happy person. I admire her as a character so much.

One thing that I didn't like about the book was Adam, but only in the beginning. When I first started reading, I found his character to be very frustrating. He seemed very obnoxious and rude. However, once I got into the book, I could understand how hard Adam was suffering. I could see that he still had trouble letting go of the past. By the middle of the book, I was hooked on his character.

My favourite thing about this book was by far, Mia. She was so strong and powerful. I think that she may be one of my favourite female protagonists of all time. (Sorry Katniss and Tris.) Even though she had lost her entire family, she knew that they were with her and she didn't let grief take over her entirely. She also helped Adam with his own demons. I think that Mia saved Adam in this book, and for that, I thank her.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with this book. While still dramatic and sad, the story did have a happy ending. I was happy with how everything turned out. Adam and Mia were such strong characters. Bravo Gayle Forman! I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Bye For Now!
Paperback Princess
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If I Stay By: Gayle Forman

Genre: Young Adult Romance, drama

If I Stay is a book that I have wanted to read for a long time. The book follows Mia, an aspiring cello player, who's life is turned upside-down when she and her family get in a car crash. Her family is killed, and her soul  is left to choose between life or death.

At first I was reluctant to read this book. I don't like sad stories, and a book about death freaked me out. I have to say I was quite surprised. I found the story very emotional, but a bit confusing at first, however, as the book progressed, I could understand the feelings of Mia and the other characters. I also fell madly in love with Mia's boyfriend, Adam. I found Adam to be so caring towards Mia. They were so cute together!

Even though the book contained a lot of drama, I still found it to be a heartwarming story. The love between Mia and her family was unbreakable. Her protectiveness over her brother was very strong. Even the love between her and Adam was undeniable.

The story of life and death was very thought-provoking. I am not a very emotional person, but I did enjoy this book because of the romance between Mia and Adam. I am all about  a good love story. I think that the book is quite mature, because of the theme.

Gayle Forman did a great job at capturing the emotion, love and life throughout this book. A movie of this book will be coming out this month, however I recommend that people should read the book before seeing the movie. Overall, I thought that this book was quite emotionally-charged, because of the suspense created to see if Mia "stays". I think that you will like this book if you enjoy a dramatic novel. I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Bye For Now!

Paperback Princess