Main Character: Adam Wilde
Love Interest: Mia
Series: If I Stay, Book 2
Author: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads
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.Told from Adam’s point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.
When I finished reading If I Stay, I didn’t know that this book was coming not too long after. I remember finishing the book and wishing that I got to know Adam more and Gayle Forman gave me more Adam by writing this book and I swear that I’m going to name my next baby after her. Unless it’s a boy than I’ll probably name him like Forman or something, anyway you get my drift. I wanted this book and finally got it and I freaking loved it.
Every freaking minute of it, I loved.
This book takes place three years after Mia’s accident and it shows us what happened from the time Mia left the hospital til now. Sure, it’s strung along differently but still, we got the scoop and I ate up every word. The story is told by switching back and forth from present day to the past and Adam fills in the blanks for us. I’m a huge fan of the way that this book was written, I loved getting to know Adam, getting into his head and experiencing everything through Adam’s eyes.
I thought I loved him in If I Stay but nothing prepared me for how much I loved him in this book.
What really got to me was seeing how everything turned out. It was so different from what I thought would happen after I put down If I Stay. After If I Stay, the ending was a happy for now kind of ending and I thought that Adam and Mia would be together forever, only in this book we’re shown that they didn’t end up together and it tore Adam up.
You knew that they had that once in a lifetime love in If I Stay but to see them go through the last couple of years in this book made their journey to that true love all the more enjoyable because when you finished If I Stay, their romance made sense. Their love is what got Mia through and what kept Adam going.
But in Where She Went, Mia distanced herself from Adam. They didn’t end up together and your heart broke all over again and the feelings that you felt when you were reading about Mia’s horrible experiences from then and seeing the aftermath and what her disappearance did to Adam, it was like your heart was bleeding all over again. And damn if Gayle Forman didn’t pick those pieces up and show you that though love is real, it’s not always rays of sunshine.
Seeing where time has taken both Adam and Mia’s life and seeing how far they’ve both come was such a wonderful roller coaster of emotions. I felt it all while reading this book and I couldn’t read this book fast enough. I was so locked in Adam’s world, my heart hurting for him and putting the book down was just not an option for me. I loved every minute of this book, getting to see everyone again from the band, getting to hear about Kim and see what she’s up to, seeing Mia and Adam meeting up again – goodness, I could go on but I won’t because really, just pick this book up and see for yourself. You won’t be sorry, Gayle Forman can weave the heck out of a story and she’ll make you fall in love with her characters and before you know it, you’ll be hooked.
This book was a wonderful addition to a fantastic book and the characters that you came to love in If I Stay will warm your heart all over again. There were times when it was hard to get through this book because of all of the new people that came into Adam’s life, seeing how low Adam had gone in his grief, seeing the distance that he created for him and everyone around him because there was this huge wall separating him from the world. But reading through everything, seeing Mia again and coming to realize why she did what she did to him. It all made the reading experience that much greater to me. I loved it all. I think what I loved most of all was that Mia finally recognized that she wasn’t the only person that lost her family. Her grandparents weren’t the only people outside of her that loved her parents and Teddy. Adam lost them and loved them too. He grieved for them to and she wasn’t there for him. After everything he did for her, he needed her and she wasn’t there. Seeing them work through their problems struck me where it hurts but man did I love it all anyway.
I know that this review is all fan girly and I’m sorry but I can’t help it. I absolutely adored this book and want everyone to read and love this book too. What are you waiting for, run out and get these books and read them. You won’t be sorry!
This book is suitable for the 13 and up crowd, it’s got mature themes and lots of teenage angst and language.
..and that’s your scoop!
Book cover and blurb credit: http://barnesandnoble.com
*nods nods*
I agree with everything you said.
Adam’s side of the story broke my heart over and over and yet managed to put it back together.
And I also loved that I didn’t have to like Mia all the time, I mean she was a great character in If I Stay, but seeing how she could actually hurt people, seeing her flaws – like leaving without a word, like how deep down she was a bit snobbish about rock – made her more real to me.
And I loved that it shows that regardless of how genuine their feelings were, it wasn’t a walk in the park.
I have both these books and hope to read them soon. I’ve heard wonderful things about them. Can’t wait to read them!
Diana
@Alex: Didn’t it though? I mean, I loved Adam in the first book but nowhere near as much as I loved him in this one (broken and all), this was a wonderfully written, emotionally packed story that I couldn’t get enough of.
@Diana: Hey girl, long time no chat! I hope you’re doing well. You should definitely read these books, they’re wonderful!