A review by lyndsayreads
I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman
4.0
I've had such an up and down relationship with Gayle Forman's books so I wasn't really sure what to expect going into this. I'd heard good things but I was still skeptical given my past history *cough couch* I Was Here. However, this book surprised me in the best way.
This book follows 3 people who are "lost" in their lives. One day, an incredibly chance encounter pushes them together and through this, they begin to discovery who they are again. It's told in alternating POVs between all 3 of the main characters. And while the main story takes place over the course of just 24, or more realistically 12 hours, there are also flashbacks that enlighten the reader on what brought each of the characters where they are when we first meet them. All 3 of the characters are diverse characters. Freya is a half-Ethiopian, half-Jewish singer. Harun is a gay Muslim dealing with coming out to his family. And Nathaniel recently lost one of his eyes and it's left him with a disability.
At first, I was worried because the book is less than 300 pages but there were 3 different perspectives. I was sure that one or more of them would suffer for the sake of developing the third and therefore, two of the characters would feel less fleshed out and less developed. However, all 3 characters felt like they had plenty of time to lay down their story, be fleshed out, and develop into a good character arc.
I liked the way the story was told. I liked that there was one main storyline. And even though I don't typically like books that take place in such a short amount of time, I did really like what Gayle Forman did in that short amount of time. But the real winner here was definitely the flashbacks that allowed us to get to know these characters more and start to empathize with them. It's definitely shrouded in a bit of mystery. Because each character has something going on and it's only slowly revealed throughout the book.
My one main criticism is the major insta-love. Of course, it's a book that takes place in less than 24 hours, but it's also YA contemporary. And it just had to have a love story. And since it takes place in such a short amount of time, of course it's intsa-love. Sometimes, I don't mind insta-love. But this was not one of those times. This was pretty bad insta-love. I think the book could have been even better if it had just focused on friendship and left the romance to the imagination.
Overall, I'm glad I decided to give this book a go. While Gayle Forman hasn't quite redeemed herself for how I felt about I Was Here, she's definitely on her way. If you're a fan of Gayle Forman, I'd say this book is a must-read. It's cute and funny and poignant all at the same time. Definitely glad I picked this up.
Read for the 7 in 7 Readathon 2018.
This book follows 3 people who are "lost" in their lives. One day, an incredibly chance encounter pushes them together and through this, they begin to discovery who they are again. It's told in alternating POVs between all 3 of the main characters. And while the main story takes place over the course of just 24, or more realistically 12 hours, there are also flashbacks that enlighten the reader on what brought each of the characters where they are when we first meet them. All 3 of the characters are diverse characters. Freya is a half-Ethiopian, half-Jewish singer. Harun is a gay Muslim dealing with coming out to his family. And Nathaniel recently lost one of his eyes and it's left him with a disability.
At first, I was worried because the book is less than 300 pages but there were 3 different perspectives. I was sure that one or more of them would suffer for the sake of developing the third and therefore, two of the characters would feel less fleshed out and less developed. However, all 3 characters felt like they had plenty of time to lay down their story, be fleshed out, and develop into a good character arc.
I liked the way the story was told. I liked that there was one main storyline. And even though I don't typically like books that take place in such a short amount of time, I did really like what Gayle Forman did in that short amount of time. But the real winner here was definitely the flashbacks that allowed us to get to know these characters more and start to empathize with them. It's definitely shrouded in a bit of mystery. Because each character has something going on and it's only slowly revealed throughout the book.
My one main criticism is the major insta-love. Of course, it's a book that takes place in less than 24 hours, but it's also YA contemporary. And it just had to have a love story. And since it takes place in such a short amount of time, of course it's intsa-love. Sometimes, I don't mind insta-love. But this was not one of those times. This was pretty bad insta-love. I think the book could have been even better if it had just focused on friendship and left the romance to the imagination.
Overall, I'm glad I decided to give this book a go. While Gayle Forman hasn't quite redeemed herself for how I felt about I Was Here, she's definitely on her way. If you're a fan of Gayle Forman, I'd say this book is a must-read. It's cute and funny and poignant all at the same time. Definitely glad I picked this up.
Read for the 7 in 7 Readathon 2018.