Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Quite often, I find myself liking a sequel more than the original book it succeeds.  Maybe I am more invested in the story or feel a deeper connection to the characters because I already know something about them?  For whatever reason, that is the case with Gayle Forman's Where She Went, which I related to a little better than its predecessor, If I Stay.

While I liked If I Stay, it was almost too emotional for me.  I had to keep backing away from the story because it was just so incredibly sad.  Where She Went, on the other hand, is the story of a much more manageable sadness.  There is tragedy in this book as well--the lingering tragedy of the accident that claimed Mia's family members three years prior and tragedy in the fact that Adam and Mia lost any semblance of the beautiful relationship they once had.  I can deal with the young-adult-heartbreak type of tragedy, which claimed more of the focus here.

I enjoyed seeing the older versions of Mia and Adam, although his "rock star" persona drove me crazy at times.  (I don't care much for any kind of rock star storyline, whether in fiction or in reality.)  I can't say I particularly liked Adam much at all through most of this book, but I did get caught up in the emotion of his narrative.  I enjoyed seeing things from his point of view, and I ended the book with hope that Adam would pull himself together and be awesome again.

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This is a paid review for the BlogHer Book Club, but any and all opinions expressed are my own.  Find additional discussions and reviews related to Where She Went here.