If I Stay & Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Mia is seventeen years old. She has a loving family, a boyfriend she loves, and a musical talent poised to take her places, but in the blink of an eye everything changes. Mia and her family have been in a horrific car accident and Mia finds herself watching the aftermath unfold from outside of her physical body. Trapped in this ghost like state, Mia tries to figure out what's happening to her. When she learns the fate of her family, she faces the ultimate decision - to stay or to go? Mia wrestles with the decision, considering all that she has lost and everything she would leave behind. When Adam, Mia's boyfriend, makes a desperate plea and vow Mia finds that her decision has been made for her.The consequences of that decision will rock both Mia and Adam's world and bring an ending to their story that neither one could have foreseen.

Where She Went picks up 3 years after Mia's accident. The accident that forever changed her world. This time we get to see the story through the eyes of Adam, the boyfriend that Mia left behind. He and his band, Shooting Star, are riding a huge wave of success after releasing the album written by Adam after Mia dumps him. Adam finds himself lost and checked out, desperate to understand why the girl he loves left him 3 years ago. He has become tabloid fodder, his band mates can hardly stand him, and his current girlfriend accuses him of still being in love with a ghost. Adam is in New York, the city that Mia traveled to 3 years ago to attend Julliard, for 24 hours before departing for a European tour. By chance he happens across the concert hall where Mia is performing that night. They meet up after the show and embark on a journey to Mia's favorite secret places throughout the city. As they travel through the city, they confront the demons of their past bringing closure and reconnecting with each other.

I loved, loved, loved this series! Once I started reading I couldn't stop! I laughed, I cried, I stayed up until 1 A.M. finishing the second book. I loved it so much that even though it was so late, I wrote this blog so I could share these amazing books with you. I loved Where She Went more than If I Stay. There was just something different about seeing the story through Adam's eyes. He just made my heart ache and melt all at the same time. He was so damaged, so devastated, so lost. I hope that someday somebody loves me that way. Mia and Adam's love story is just so epic - love found, love lost, love rediscovered. Sigh. Gayle Forman's writing is fantastic and the way she weaves a story together is magical. The ending is perfect and these books are definitely worthy of a re-reading. A solid 5 stars for me.