rea321's review against another edition
4.0
It was a little slow, but still, I was captivated from the very beginning. Gayle Forman is an amazing writer who has definitely found her calling! I found myself feeling Cody's grief right along side her.
hiltzmoore's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoy a good grief book, and I feel like the subject matter (young adult depression/suicide) was important for the author to write about, but the plot of this book was lackluster for me. It read like a boring road trip without much story arc. Disappointing coming from this author.
hoosthatbookworm's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book as an ARC through working at Barnes and Noble a few weeks before it's release. I didn't know about GoodReads then, but I wish I had so I could have left this review sooner!
I absolutely loved this book. It felt like a very real story that I am sure a lot of people will be able to relate to. Unlike a lot of YA characters, these girls felt real from beginning to end. Cody really just wants to know why her best friend did what she did, and it takes a trip to her college to meet her new friends to understand the best friend she thought she knew so well. College happened, and it sucked for them.
It was a great, fast read. MUCH better than some of the other Gayle Forman that I have read.
I absolutely loved this book. It felt like a very real story that I am sure a lot of people will be able to relate to. Unlike a lot of YA characters, these girls felt real from beginning to end. Cody really just wants to know why her best friend did what she did, and it takes a trip to her college to meet her new friends to understand the best friend she thought she knew so well. College happened, and it sucked for them.
It was a great, fast read. MUCH better than some of the other Gayle Forman that I have read.
bookstagramuser's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
**Spoilers Below**
⚠️TW: Suicide⚠️
I Was Here is a book about a young girl called Cody that is dealing with the loss of her bestfriend Meg, who sadly took her own life. Taken with grief, Cody just cannot imagine a world where Meg was responsible for taking her own life and after meeting Megs college friends and hearing more and more about her life away from the small town they grew up in, Cody took it upon herself to do some investigations into Megs tragic death. This book is an easy read yet a difficult one all wrapped into one. It takes you through the journey of grief and denial that Cody goes down. What's even heavier is learning that Meg is based off of a young lady called Suzy who was real and really did end her own life. Although heavy, this book has a big lesson about forgiveness and understanding not to blame yourself when in a situation like Cody. I would recommend this book if you are able to read heavier stuff like this. And if anyone is going through anything similar, there are numbers in the back of the book that you can reach out to. You're not alone and my dms are always open!❤️
⚠️TW: Suicide⚠️
I Was Here is a book about a young girl called Cody that is dealing with the loss of her bestfriend Meg, who sadly took her own life. Taken with grief, Cody just cannot imagine a world where Meg was responsible for taking her own life and after meeting Megs college friends and hearing more and more about her life away from the small town they grew up in, Cody took it upon herself to do some investigations into Megs tragic death. This book is an easy read yet a difficult one all wrapped into one. It takes you through the journey of grief and denial that Cody goes down. What's even heavier is learning that Meg is based off of a young lady called Suzy who was real and really did end her own life. Although heavy, this book has a big lesson about forgiveness and understanding not to blame yourself when in a situation like Cody. I would recommend this book if you are able to read heavier stuff like this. And if anyone is going through anything similar, there are numbers in the back of the book that you can reach out to. You're not alone and my dms are always open!❤️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
**SPOILER** The main plot of this book is that a young girl is pushed to commit suicide via an online forum and the guy that encouraged her got away with it because he didn't "technically" do anything wrong. The Author said that she based this story off of something that actually happened. I found it extremely upsetting so I just want to be very clear and transparent about how sad it is. I know this is a spoiler completely but it's something that people may want to know when considering this book.jdarger_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
letinydancer21's review against another edition
4.0
This book will take your emotions on a ride, you'll be sad, angry, happy, all of it. It's an eye opening book, it is heartbreaking in so many ways, but just stick it out til the end because it's worth it. We all know someone who has commit suicide or attempted it, so this book will resonate with everyone.
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
5.0
Gayle Forman knows exactly how to wring my heart until it is almost empty and dry, before helping it to beat once more and let me have a good cry so that I can carry on reading. I Was Here is a raw, tough story dealing with a very difficult subject in a strong and strangely beautiful way.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews