Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Hello Everyone,

Today I have a review for Where She Went by Gale Forman. I didn't mind this book, yet I could depict many flaws in the writing style and character development. I still believe this plot had a lot of potential, and that it was no executed as well as it could have been. 

OVERVIEW: 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.

REVIEW: After reading If I Stay not long ago, I found it appropriate to pick up the sequel. I never like reading only one book in a series. Even if it was not tht appealing, I try to finish the series so that I know what happens in the end. That is what I did with Where She Went. The first book was certainly not my favourite, at times the writing style and characters were so frustrating I just had to put the book down. I found this to happen with this book too, and bellow are my reasons why.

Firstly, this book was from the point of view of Adam Wild, the main character’s (Mia) ex-boyfriend. I found his character very cliché: the unhappy rock star and the typical music career problems .It feels like pandering to a fame-crazed young audience.  Forman taps into this dualism with Adam’s story. And the content is slightly gritty. He sleeps with groupies. He starts smoking and popping anti-anxiety pills. Why I am unsatisfied? Because it wasn't “real” enough? Does Adam need a cocaine addiction too? I don’t know. That said, he was really annoyingly babyish at times, with his temper tantrums and the back and forth between him and Mia. Yeah, he's still young, but he's living an adult life. You think he'd be able to deal a bit better.

A sense of boredom was felt for the story. There was just too much about the same things: fame, fans, stardom, lack of privacy. The transitions and flashbacks did not really move me or matter. . One moment it was Adam and Mia in the present bowling then it switched back to 4 years ago. One moment they were making up, the next they were having sex and the next second after that they were arguing – it was very inconsistent. However, I did like the flashbacks at first, it was a nice view into Mia and Adam's previous relationship but however, I still did not feel the chemistry between Mia and Adam and just like with If I Stay, the flashbacks got annoying because I just wanted to see Mia and Adam in present time and how they're dealing with being around each other.

The love story aspect: Usually even if am not a fan of the couple I still root for them and life would not be complete if they don't end up together but with Adam and Mia, if they didn't end up together I would be happy.  This was a better-written book than If I Stay, undeniably. It's because the characters are given some personality. However, I do find it problematic that the main character of the first book and the "she" of the title is basically sidelined. In the first book we didn't get to see much of Mia's character because much of the story was focused on her reacting to her situation. In the second, we don't get to see much of it because the story is told from the first-person perspective of her ex-boyfriend, Adam.

It's not really Where She Went, it's where Adam went and how he crosses paths with Mia again. I don't like that her voice was taken away from her when it was ostensibly her story. And I don't like that yet again we get a book where we have to have these people get together because they're meant to be. I don't like that Adam gets tons of lovers, while Mia has apparently been waiting for him. But, again, it was a better book. There are just some feminist issues for me. 

 This book came highly recommended, which is why I thought I was going to like it more than I actually did, so I felt a little disappointed. Not to say this is a bad book, it’s actually pretty good. Overall, I liked it, just not as much as the first. 

OVERALL RATING:

★★★ 

Three Stars