I Was Here by Gayle Forman

Title: I Was Here

Author: Gayle Forman

Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group

Date Published: January 27, 2015

Genre: YA fiction, realistic fiction, contemporary, romance

Pages: 288 (hardback)

Age Range: 13+







Summary


Cody and Meg were inseparable...
Until they weren’t.

When her best friend, Meg, drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that 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 question.


Review


I couldn't imagine losing any of my best friends. I have 3 and we're as close as sisters. When I first started reading this book I didn't think much about the summary because Gayle Forman wrote it and I love her raw, realistic writing. Her books grab my heart and twist it to the point I think it might shatter. Her novel if i stay made me cry. Her novels are a work of fiction, but she writes about things that are too real.

I Was Here was definitely heart-twisting.

There were so many things Meg could have done differently. She had so many chances to change her mind, too. She planned her suicide down to the tinniest detail as to leave a $50 tip to the maid who found her body. I really felt bad for Cody. I totally sympathized with her. She hadn't seen Meg's suicide coming, and she hadn't noticed her depression. I would have been equally as devastated, if not more, and felt like a horrible friend too if I hadn't realized the pain my best friend was going through.

As I said before, I couldn't imagine losing any of my best friends. The thought of losing one of them--whether from an accident or suicide--makes me sick. Scratch that, it makes me feel worse than sick.
So, yeah, this book had a big impact on me, just like if i stay. After reading the first page, I could hardly keep it together. It was like someone punched me in the stomach.

But then the book took a turn I wasn't expecting. It kind of turned into a mystery--a mission--almost. It took away from the sadness, for the most part. Until the end, when Cody goes to the Garcias' to explain everything she found out about Meg's death. 

The ending was nice. A final farewell to Meg. One last goodbye. It also seemed like a release for Cody and Ben. Cody is making an effort to forgive herself, and Meg.
Meg would have been pleased with her headstone.

I wished there had been a little bit more of a connection between Ben and Cody. I didn't really feel like there really was a strong connection but I guess there wasn't really a chance for them to bond more emotionally between everything that was going on. Cody's mind was on more than the hot guitarist next to her--which is understandable lol. The book ended with their story unfinished. But their feelings for each other were finally voiced.

If you, or someone you know struggles with depression, please visit: http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.com or call 800-273-TALK