I didn't want to like this book. Contemporary YA with a male POV isn't typically my thing. When Adam's a moody, brooding boy who hasn't gotten over a girl who left him 3 years ago, I *really* didn't want to like the book.But like the book I did. Where She Went is a heart-chaser. It is raw, emotional, and visceral. You will be breathless at the end, stripped raw and exhausted from going on the journey with Adam. You will not hate Mia as much as you think you will, and you will not love Adam as much as you think you will, and that's okay, because we're all shades of gray, and these characters and their mistakes are so incredibly real it hurts. I didn't read "If I Stay", and while there were some things I didn't know, I caught up quickly because Where She Went stands on its own. Highly recommend.
I read it once, put it down, and had to walk away to think about what I liked and didn't like about it.I felt that the worldbuilding, especially within Reverie and the Realms, was very weak, but the worldbuilding outside the Pods was incredibly strong and saved the book. Character building was exquisite and achingly beautiful at times. The nuances of the characters were so light and they were woven together versus shoved or pulled or prodded together roughly. It was very well done.I enjoyed the story more than I thought, and read it a second time a day later. It was better the second time around and it's likely a story I'll reread!
