Book Reviews: If I Stay / Where She Went

If I Stay / Where She Went
By Gayle Forman

It’s not often that I finish a book in one day. I like to savor books, give them time to breath. But sometimes it’s not possible. Sometimes I can’t pause the book and put it down, sometimes I just need to keep reading. That happened twice this past year, both times with books by Gayle Forman.

(If you haven’t read If I Stay, stop reading because I’ll be writing about the sequel. And the sequel gives away the first book’s major question. For some reason, I never wrote a review on If I Stay, so here’s my reaction.)

If I Stay
After suffering a catastrophic car accident, which leaves her family dead, 17-year-old Mia Hall is left in a coma. As friends and family gather in the hospital to mourn what happened, she experiences an out-of-body experience and witnesses everything happening. She comes to realize that she must decide what to do - let go and die with the rest of her family, or hold on and fight. I cried through probably 30% of this book, it was just that good. (Also, I read it on a plane, so you can only imagine how embarrassing that was). The book, told through Mia’s point of view as she witnesses everything, is raw, beautifully written, and emotionally poignant. Forman did an amazing job bringing the characters to life (and then, well, killing them). And I loved Adam, Mia’s boyfriend, and how he handled the situation (almost literally breaking into her hospital room to see her), and Mia's rock n' roll parents. Told both in present tense and past, as Mia reflects on her life pre-car accident in between chapters, it’s emotionally charged and leaves you wondering – what would you do? And I honestly didn’t know what Mia would do until the last page. I absolutely adored it.

With that, I was completely shocked that a sequel was in the works. I felt the book ended solidly, and a sequel would only give away Mia’s choice. Forman stated she, too, was surprised she was writing a sequel. But she felt she had to – the characters were still around, wanting to be heard. So, I had to read it.

Where She Went
Where She Went takes place three years later, and is told from Adam’s point of view. It’s revealed that after Mia decided to live, she went through rehabilitation and then promptly moved to New York City to attend Juilliard. In the process, she leaves Adam. Now, a major rock star with a very famous girlfriend, Adam is living the life, yet is still hurt from the break up three years ago. He’s suffered a major downward spiral, and still has questions, but knows they cannot be answered. Then, when in New York for a day, he happens upon Mia’s performance at Carnegie Hall. So he goes inside. And thus starts a night that re-awakens what was lost, and brings them so far from where they started.

The second book definitely added to the story, finalizing it in a way, and I’m so glad Forman wrote it. It once again showcases her brilliant talents, bringing these characters, this night, to life. Once again, the book was amazing. I didn’t cry as much, but there were definitely tears. Tears as I learned how much Adam and Mia hurt, and how they had so far to go. Once again told in both present and past tense, chapters in-between the main plot explain what happened in the three years missing. The back story gives so much meaning to where Adam has come in his life, how hard it is for me to get by day to day.

New York City was the perfect setting for their reunion. Gritty and dark, like their past, it offered momentary lapses of bright lights and hope. Just what they needed. And the ending was absolutely perfect, if not better. And once again, music plays a huge role in the book, bringing them together and helping them take the next step.

When I finished Where She Went yesterday, I had to remind myself that I was in my bedroom, and not roaming the streets of New York, or not in the audience of a Shooting Stars gig in London. The characters aren’t real, and neither is their story – but for one day, a few hours, I felt part of everything. Completely engrossed in their night, I felt like part of them, and even as I read the last word and knew it was over, I didn’t want to let go.

The two books are sad, yes, but they’re also full of hope and wonder and love and joy and music. Pick them up. Have a box of tissues ready. And let Mia and Adam into your life. You’ll be happy you did.

Excerpt of If I Stay
Excerpt of Where She Went