Book Review: Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Release Date: April 17th, 2012

Read: July 15th-16th, 2015

Publisher: Speak

Series: If I Stay, #2

Format: Paperback, 264 pages

Source: Bought

Description from 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.

Review:

   You don’t share me. You own me.
   I read If I Stay in preparation for the movie, I had been meaning to read it before then but the movie  gave me the final push. Anyhow, once I read the book and reached the cliffhanger that is the ending of the book I found myself needing to know what happens next. I first thought it was a standalone, imagine my excitement when I heard about Where She Went.
   I would constantly find out new things from the book, one being the stress of being a Rockstar. Tabloids only really tell people of the drama that the celebrity was pulled into and not of the real stress of it all. It was an interesting twist.
   I really like how the book showed the pain and pressure of Mia healing after the accident. Large traumatic events tend to make a big difference or change in the life of the person. Mia and Adam breaking up showed us that change. (Besides her family being dead, of course.)
   Honestly the book was just cute and simple, it was a fantastic read to have read in one or two sittings. It's definitely one of those books that pull you out of a book slump.
   I can't wait to read my next Gayle Forman book!

Rating:

Favourite Quote:

   "You were so busy trying to be my savior that you left me all alone." ~ Mia

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Rockstars, Cellist, New York

Ohana Talks: Books that have Stayed with Me

   I was nominated to list 10 books that have stayed with me  or affected me through out the years. I'm also not supposed to over think which books to pick. They do not have to be the 'right' books or great works of literature, just ones that have affected me in some way. 

   I only have 9 books that really mean something to me. So those are the ones I'll be showing you.

Books:

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margret Stohl 

Night World: Secret Vampire by L.J. Smith

Night World: Soulmate by L.J. Smith

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Need by Carrie Jones

   I was Nominated by:

Matt Keenan, Daria Plett, and Michelle Madow!

.........

I Nominate:

Amalie Howard, Amanda Sun,  Dawn Metcalf, The Book Bratz, Ana Love, Emily, Crystal, Andye and Jessica Baker!

Movie Review: If I Stay

If I Stay

Contains Spoilers

Movie:

Film Corporation: WarnerBros.

Released to Theatres: August 22nd, 2014 

Audience Rating: PG13

Length of Time: 106 minutes

Director: R.J Cutler

(Movie Trailer)

Book:

Title: If I Stay

Author: Gayle Forman

Publisher: Speak

Release Date: April 6th, 2010

Format: Paperback, 262 pages

(Ohana Reads Book Review)

Movie Review:

   Sometimes you make choices in life, and sometimes they make you.
   I couldn't stand to wait even one week to see this movie after it was released. The trailer had gotten under my skin, I needed to see the perfection that was the movie.
   I adored Jamie Blackley, as well as almost the rest of the cast. The actor's and actress's were nicely chosen, I could definitely see them as my favourite characters from the novel. Unfortunately Chloe Grace Moretz was not my Mia, on screen she just looked so fake to me. Like she had to dye her hair for the film, dying ones hair doesn't bother me. I do that myself, it's the fact that she had to try so hard to look like Mia just to get the part that bothered me. All the other actors looked and were the characters, Mia wasn't supposed to look like her family, she wasn't supposed to fit in with them, but she did. Jamie on the other hand played the perfect Adam, the looks, the act, it was all impeccable. I couldn't or would't be able to find a better Adam.
  The movie was precise when it came to sticking to the book's plot. Any fan of the book would appreciate how well it was close it stayed. The only thing that bothered me was that when it came to Adam and Mia kissing, those scenes tended to be a bit long. As in they would kiss to a point where you as a member of the audience would start to feel awkward.
   My all time favourite experience to the movie was Willamette Stone's music. For the band, Adam is supposed to write and sing all the songs. In real life, Jamie actually created those songs. I found that kind of perfect, the music is spectacular as well! I can't stop listening to it, my favourite song being Today, and a close favourite being Heart Like Ours. But honestly, I loved all the songs for the movie.
   If you were debating on wither or not to see If I Stay, I think you should definitely give it a chance! And while you're at it, take a moment and appreciate Jamie's handy work that is Willamette Stone. I will definitely be seeing this movie again soon! 

Overall Rating:

Favourite Scene:

   My favourite scene would be when Mia's father truly understood his daughters passion for the cello. The scene where he is just sitting outside her door listening to her play for hours. He sacrificed her love for his music as well as his close belongings just to be able to buy Mia a new cello rather then a beat up one. 

Favourite Quote:

   “It’s very inconvenient to fall in love at your age, especially if it’s the real thing.” - Mia's Mom

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Drama, Music, Romance, Tragedy, Family

   What did you think of If I Stay the movie? Let me know in the comments!

Book Review: If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Release Date: April 6th, 2010

Read: June 3-8th, 2014

Publisher: Speak

Series: If I Stay #1

Format: Paperback, 262 pages

Source: Bought

Description from GoodReads:

On a day that started like any other,

Mia had everything: a loving family, a gorgeous, admiring boyfriend, and a bright future full of music and full of choices. In an instant, almost all of that is taken from her. Caught between life and death, between a happy past and an unknowable future, Mia spends one critical day contemplating the only decision she has left. It is the most important decision she'll ever make.

Review:

Contains Spoilers:

Now I'm leaving. Any moment I'll be gone.

  I had picked up If I Stay maybe 3 years ago, and returned it to the library because I couldn't get into it. For the longest time It was on my "gave up" shelf, but this year I had finally gotten into Contemporary and Realistic Fiction so I decided to give it another chance. I'm not going to lie, the movie trailer also had a big impact on deciding to reread it as well. 

  Life is short, time flies and days go by before we even realize it. Because it's so short, we take things for granted. What happened to Mia, is what every family dreads on happening. In tough situations like those that we forget everything we have and just hope for the worst to be over. Throughout the book Mia recollects on what has happened in her life. Most of it, the happy times. But along with the tough situation and forgetting what we have, she had chosen to focus on the negative in the situation. Her parents, and brother are gone, with two of the biggest parts of her life gone why should she continue to live? What's left to live for? That's it though, she still has so much to live for. It's not until Mia's best friend says "You still have a family." that you truly understand what you still have that's important in your life. If my parents and siblings were to die today, I would still be able to go on. I would still have my friends, my family, everyone that loves me would still be there. I wouldn't have to be alone. Which is exactly what Mia still has. She could still make the most out of what life still has to offer.

   Gayle has you pulled into many different directions with this book, from happy memories of a past life to the seriousness of real life. It'll have you remembering all the good and the bad in your life as well as questioning where your life will lead you for the future. I am truly happy to have given this book another chance, and I look forward to seeing the movie in August 2014. Maybe I'll even read it's sequel Where She Went along the way.

Rating:

Favourite Quote:

" I realize that now that dying is easy. Living is hard." ~ Mia

Recommend to People Who Enjoy:

Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Death, Music