Tuesday, January 27, 2015

BOOK REVIEW: I Was Here by Gayle Forman

This is a book review for I Was Here by Gayle Forman. When her best friend, Meg, drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cosy is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything -- so how was there no warning? But when Cody travel to Meg's college town to pack up her belongings left behind, she discovers there's a lot Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, and some secrets of his own. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can't open -- until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend's death gets thrown into questions. 

It is hard to put into words how I feel about this book. Maybe underwhelmed would be the best one. The book starts right after Meg's suicide, with Cody trying to make sense of why her best friend would do what she did. When she discovers a mystery computer file that indicates there was more to Meg's life than Cody knew. The good thing about this book was that it dealt with suicide in a realistic way, in my opinion. I recently had someone who I used to be close to commit suicide. This person was a big part of my life growing up and we had chatted and kept in touch through Facebook over the years. I understand the feelings Cody was going through: the grief, the anger and the question of whether it could have been prevented. I even understand wanting to believe that someone else was responsible because suicide seems like such an unbelievable choice for someone to make. The mystery that Cody throws herself into is a result of her grief. Cody wanted someone to be angry at, someone to blame besides herself or Meg. Even though this mystery was fairly predictable, I think it was important to allow Cody to get to a point where she could properly grieve. 

One thing that was hard in this book was that I couldn't really connect to Cody. Yes, I understood what she was feeling but I think that is because I had been through something similar. But because the book was about Meg's life and her suicide, I knew more about Meg than Cody, even though Cody was the one telling the story. I also think the addition of the romance was unnecessary and it was a bit cliche. There were a couple of points during reading in which I wanted to stop just because it was getting a bit dull. I am glad I held out though because the ending was where Forman packed the most emotion. I won't give away any major spoilers, but Cody was finally able to grieve and forgive Meg 

Buy, Borrow, or Skip: Borrow. It is a good read by Forman and she handles a sensitive topic well, but it lacks the depth of If I Stay.

28 comments :

  1. I haven't read any Gayle Forman books yet as when I read the synopsis, I always think they sound very depressing. It's a pity you couldn't connect to Cody and it's a pity a romance was added as it sounds like there was enough going on without it. I don't know why romances are nearly always added into YA contemporary books, books about friendship and family are enough sometimes. Great review, despite the issues you had, I would like to check this one out sometime.

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    1. Thanks Trish! Maybe romance is added to try to sell more books? I am writing a YA right now and honestly I am torn about adding unnecessary romance. I would rather just leave it out because my main character is already dealing with so much.

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  2. Most of the reviews that I've read share the same sentiment with you. I'm frankly disappointed, but oddly, unable to resist buying a copy, nonetheless. I think that speaks more about the author.

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    1. Joyous Reads, yes you are right about that. Even though I had red similar reviews I still didn't hesitate to buy the book. I really love her work. I hope you enjoy it!

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  3. I'm very intrigued by this book as so many people seem to feel a little let down. I may still check it out!

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    1. Chrissireads, I hope you enjoy it! It isn't a bad read, just not as good as her other stuff (in my opinion).

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  4. Awww sorry it's a bit underwhelming. I haven't read anything by Forman yet, but I really want to give her books a try. Lovely review!

    Rachel @ A Perfection Called Books

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    1. Thanks Rachel! I do hope you enjoy her books. I absolutely loved If I Stay.

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  5. I struggled a great deal with If I Stay. I also found it extremely difficult and exhausting even to connect with the characters and their story line. At the end, I concluded that Gayle Forman is simply not for me (shakes head). Is this novel connected to the series at all?

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    1. Claudia, oh no this book is not connected at all. It is a different story with different characters. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy If I Stay. I loved it, but I have heard from others who didn't like it. You are right: she may just not be for you. :)

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    2. Interesting, I was under the impression that it was :P Still, Gayle Forman? Nuh-uh

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    3. Well If I Stay DOES have a sequel. The name is Where She Went. Maybe that is the one you are thinking of?

      This one is the same author, but different characters. :)

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  6. It's too bad this book was underwhelming. I'm so sorry you had to deal with your loss. I went through a similar experience recently, and I was kind of in shock, but I'm glad to hear this book captures the feeling well.

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    1. Thanks Ana! I am sorry for your loss as well. Even though the story was a bit underwhelming, I do think she handled this topic very well.

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  7. This one seems to be disappointing for a lot of people! It's made me curious about it. I want to see if I'll have a similar reaction as you, so I'm definitely going to read it. :)

    Great review!

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    1. Kaitlin, I love the author so I wanted to read it even with the mixed reviews I read. I certainly hope you enjoy it!

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  8. First off, I am so very sorry about your friend. That is just heartbreaking. I am nervous about this one, because I have heard the same things: people underwhelmed and not really feeling a lot for the characters. That is kind of important in a book with this kind of topic, so I am a bit hesitant to read it. But great review, I think I will heed your advice and not buy this one just yet!

    Shannon @ It Starts At Midnight

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    1. Thanks Shannon! I was definitely disappointed with the underwhelming characters. If I were to make the choice again, I would either borrow it or wait until the price drops drastically. :)

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  9. It's good to see a positive review of this, because so many I've seen lately have been heavily critical and seem to be so let down. I have the E-ARC and was total put off reading it because of all the negative reviews.

    Thanks for perking my interest back up!

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    1. Thanks Allie! I really do not think it is a bad book; just not as good as her others. I hope you enjoy it!

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  10. Hmm, I'm still rather on the fence about reading this one but I am so glad that you enjoyed it for most of the part, Cynthia! I think I'll be heading into this one with lowered expectations.

    Fantastic review hun <33

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    1. Thanks Melanie! I think it's good not to get your hopes up too high. I hope you enjoy it though. :)

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  11. The reviews do seem to be mixed on this one, but it sounds like it is worth a try. Thanks for sharing Cynthia

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    1. Thanks Diane! It is not a bad book so I would still encourage people to read it. There may be people who liked it more than me.

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  12. I agree with your points. I'm still not sure why I felt detached from Cody and her story, but like you, I did.
    Thanks so much for stopping by! Jen @ YA Romantics

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    1. Thanks Jen! I think that seems to be the consensus among the reviews I have read. :)

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  13. I've been seeing mixed reviews for this book.Not having read any of her books, which would you recommend I read first? I like both ya and na.

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    1. Oh I would definitely recommend If I Stay. I loved that one! I hope you enjoy it!

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