Gayle Forman

'Opportunities' takes on new meaning in a novel with depth and heart.

Alex has gotten himself into trouble but has been given a second chance from the courts by helping out at a nursing home. His father left long ago, and he's been temporarily separated from his mother due to her mental issues. The aunt and uncle he's living with see him as a burden and make their opinion clear constantly. The nursing home is not exactly a place Alex wants to be. Not only does it smell and is filled with zombies, but the person in charge of him is a girl about his age, who is as bossy and irritating as can be. When he runs across Josey, a 107-year-old resident who hasn't spoken a word for the last five years, Alex finds someone to connect with...especially since Josey deems that Alex is the first person worth talking to. As Josey reveals his life during the WWII years, not only does Alex start seeing things in a new light, but his own life starts changing.

Alex is a bit lost in life, especially since he's gotten himself into trouble with the courts. It's not said what he did until the end of the book (which wasn't my thing but does have its purpose), but it's clear that he's dealing with a very rough family life. He's got an attitude and is rough on the edges, but there's enough goodness shining through to see his good heart. His situation is easy to sympathize with, and some of his comments do add just the right amount of snark and humor. So, he's a well-rounded character, which is easy to root for and connect with.

Then, there's Josey, the 107-year-old, who not only adds a nice twist with his wisdom but opens the door to historical aspects of WWII. His stories center around his relationship with the love of his life and take unexpected directions, which build the tension while also giving insights into the time period. Josey holds quite a bit of personality, which comes across clearly with much of the novel written from his point of view. These carry a third-person, omniscient voice, in which he refers to Alex as 'the boy'. His tales from the past are printed in a slightly different font to make it clear when he's heading back in time. So, things never grow confusing despite the constant back and forth.

Even the other characters battle with their own issues and carry distinct personalities, which help guide Alex along his way to learning to embrace opportunities. This makes the read quick-paced with something new happening with every turn of the page, since so much is coming together.

There's a lot being explored in these pages. There are family issues, problems of living as a foster child (even when with relatives), moments of therapy, dealing with cancer, and more. Then, there's the historical details of WWII and concentration camps. All of this is set in a nursing home, where even problems surrounding such institutions and people also somewhat come to light. Still, the story doesn't weigh down, but it does hold a pretty serious tone even with a few lighter moments here and there to keep it entertaining and molded to the middle grade age group.

Readers, who enjoy diving into heartfelt reads with inspiring character arc, will enjoy this one. It's also nice for anyone wanting to learn more about WWII and life at that time. It's not for everyone, but it does carry a lot of goodness. I received a DRC and enjoyed sinking deep into this well-woven read.… (more)

This novel takes place mostly in the head of the protagonist, Mia. Well, I guess it's in her head. She and the rest of her family (mom, dad, little brother) have all been in a terrible car accident and Mia is hanging onto life at the hospital. But she's having an out-of-body experience where she can see everyone visiting her, or trying to see her, talking about her, talking to her - she can even see her own body in the hospital bed. She can wander around in the hospital, so she can see even who is in the waiting area. She has some memories - flashbacks - while she's in this state so the reader can get some backstory. And her main conflict is that she has to decide whether she wants to live (stay) or die. The story takes place in the span of just a couple of days, but you still get to know Mia and learn about what has been going on in her life - who is important to her and what matters to her. The most well-drawn relationships in the novel are between Mia and her best friend and Mia and her boyfriend. I don't want to give any more away than that - it's a pretty interesting story and I enjoyed it - in fact, I finished it in just a couple of days... but I didn't like some of the things that were suggested about people who believe in God and angels or what was suggested about Heaven and the afterlife. But those things were very minor in the book. Mostly it was about Mia, her friend, her boyfriend, her family, and her decision about staying.… (more)

t was a long time after I read If I Stay before I read Where She Went. I was scared! If I Stay crushed my heart and had me ugly crying for the majority of the book. I wasn't sure if I was ever going to be emotionally read for Where She Went. Then I got it from the library so I sort of had to read it before I returned it. :)

Where She Went takes place 3 years after If I Stay (3!!!). When I initially saw the synopsis, I was just thinking "what the crap?!" Anyway, Mia has been pursuing her music at Juilliard and Adam's band has taken off and reached rock star status. This story is told in Adam's POV and you see his turmoil during these years without Mia. God, it broke my heart.

By a twist of fate, Adam and Mia meet in New York after all that time and explore the city together before they each have to leave the next day. I enjoyed seeing how they interacted but they kept dancing around the big elephant in the room -- like, hey Mia, why did you go and break my effing heart?

I think I was mad at Mia for a large part of this book and it detracted from how I felt about the story. Of course the book was emotional, especially the flashbacks and seeing what Adam went through. However, while emotional and while I teared up in a few parts, it wasn't as soul crushing as If I Stay.

Adam Wilde. Oh Adam. My heart ached and I just wanted to hold him for most of the book. I loved that it was in his POV. Was there ever such a perfect boy? One of my favorite aspects of this book was the music and each chapter opened with a snippet of lyrics from one of his songs. It added a lot to the story since the majority of his music is about what he's feeling. It made me wish Adam was REAL so I could go and buy his album because I want to listen to it!!

I really enjoyed this emotional addition to Adam and Mia's story but I think I liked If I Stay more. Maybe If I Stay touched me more or maybe I was just upset at Mia for too long. However, all that to say, Where She Went was still amazing.… (more)