Find my reviews on Blogger ~ Reviews by Bookish Sarah 
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 This review may contain spoilers for If I Stay! 
 Where She Went takes place approximately 3 years after the tragic events of If I Stay, which ended with Adam's band just being signed to a record deal, and Mia finally waking up from her comatose state. As it turns out, this didn't exactly leave the couple with a "happy ending" - as the two separated very soon after Mia's health improved. 
 Fast forward to the present: Adam is absurdly famous. The fame of he and his band skyrocketed after Adam turned his pain over Mia into song lyrics that went on to become the tracks of a bestselling album. Adam has everything he thinks he could want - money, women, possessions, etc. Unfortunately, the things that truly matter have fallen by the wayside. He's miserable. He's addicted to a myriad of substances. His band mates don't even speak to him anymore, nor he to them. He isn't happy with his current significant other, and most of all, he misses Mia even though she cut him off cold three years ago. 
 Mia: After finishing up at Julliard, she went on to become quite the successful classical musician. She plays major shows in major cities - including New York, where she and Adam finally meet up again, unexpectedly. 
 While catching up, the two are forced to take a look into themselves and each other; to learn where things went wrong and how they can ultimately redeem themselves. 
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 *SPOILERS AHEAD* 
 This book was insanely dramatic to me. Not that it's a bad thing. I like drama just as much as the next gal. The only place I feel it went overboard was with Adam's fame. It seemed too manufactured and fake, and much too stereotypical. The drug addiction, the sleeping around with groupies, the trouble between he and the rest of the band, the angst, the anger, the depression, etc., etc. I guess I was just sort of upset that he turned into this jerk who got away with everything and justified it to himself without a legitimate reason to do so. It made me dislike his character sometimes. I did, however, enjoy that this follow-up was narrated by him. I loved being able to see Mia and the entire situation between them in a whole new light. I can see how Adam turned so angry after Mia moved away and stopped speaking to him. I was almost just as angry with her as he was! From the outside looking in, she did seem pretty terrible. I'm so glad, though, that we learned the why of it and that Adam was able to have that closure. I felt very close and connected to these two characters and I would've been really upset had they not been able to get past everything they went through separately as well as together. 
 Just as with If I Stay, the flashback set-up was wonderful. It helped me understand Adam better and sympathize with the situation he was in to the extent that I could. I think it brings the story to a whole new level, being able to see some of the moments between Adam and Mia that ultimately began to change their dynamic as a couple. If Forman hadn't written the book this way, I think it'd be quite boring and insubstantial. 
 Gayle Forman really knows how to bring out the emotion in her characters; to make her readers feel it themselves. This book had me in tears just like it's predecessor, but for entirely different reasons. Instead of sadness over the death of loved ones, it was heartbreak over a true love lost and found again. When the moment happens; the moment these two admit their feelings without even saying anything - oh my gosh, I burst into tears. Loud tears... sobbing, really. It was so powerful and so beautiful. That single moment - and you will know the moment - was one of the most amazing moments I've ever had the pleasure of reading in any romance novel. I feel like I'm being incredibly over dramatic here, but I have to express how moving it was.. and it just was. 
 Overall, this was the perfect follow-up to If I Stay. It's full of powerful moments for Adam alone, as well as together with Mia. The romance is beautiful and moving. The pace is perfect and intense, especially considering this book covers just a 24-ish hour period of time. Forman fit a whole lot of story into that small time-frame. The ending was also extremely satisfying to me. Unexpected, but satisfying. I definitely recommend it if you were a fan of If I Stay, or just YA Contemporaries in general. 
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 Book source: Personal collection 
 Publisher: Dutton Juvenile/Penguin Group USA