I like this sequel a lot better than the first one. Which is a sentence that I don't get to say too often.

Adam has been reeling the last three years. Mia left his life when she left for Julliard. And even though now he's a rock star with multi-platinum records, he can't help but feel like he's stuck. Music doesn't help him like it used to, it doesn't feel good anymore. In fact, nothing does.

But one day, Adam and Mia cross paths again. And three years worth of questions are dying to be asked, but one tops the list: why? Why did she leave him without saying a word? He doesn't know if he will ever get the chance to say what he's thinking again, but this moment will only last a day. Is it really worth rehashing the past to get some answers? Or is it time for closure, time to move on?

I was one of the few individuals that didn't freak out over If I Stay. I loved the characters, loved the idea behind the plot, but the emotion was just...nonexistent for me. And that was the aspect everyone was raving about! But when the movie began production, I was excited. I thought that maybe the emotion would come out on the screen. And hell yes, it did. It was an amazing film; it made me forget why I didn't like the book. And it also made me want to find out what happened with Adam and Mia. So after much debating with myself, worrying that Where She Went would be lacking in emotion like the first, I decided to just go for it. And I'm so freakin' glad I did. Where She Went was a lot better than If I Stay.

I don't know if loving the If I Stay film so much made me like this sequel, but whatever the reason, I really did.

I loved Adam's point of view. It felt immensely natural, and I understood everything he felt, though we live opposite lives. This boy not only lost the love of his life, but he lost his surrogate family, too. Mia's parents had become his own in the two years they dated. Not even the expansion of his career could make up for that loss. He was really well written--better than Mia was in If I Stay, I think.

In my opinion, this book was a vast improvement. I don't know if I just like Adam's point of view better, or if the movie influenced me, or even if Gayle Forman really found her stride with this one. I think it must be a combination of all three.