Leave Me by Gayle Forman

Leave Me by Gayle Forman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Initially, I did not love this story, but it grew on me by the end, enough that I felt slightly more satisfied that I hadn't completely wasted my time.

My major complaint, beyond the initial disconnect, is that the story doesn't end far from where it started. None of the major issues are resolved, or even addressed. None of the mysteries are answered. Threads start and then just drop. Kerplop. Never to be picked back up.

While some of the characters are interesting, the majority of them don't change or grow.

(Spoilers removed)

Pages: 343

Where She Went by Gayle Forman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the sequel to If I Stay, which I read ages ago, but I never got back around to this. It ended up being an excellent story about the challenges of trying to go forward after a tragedy and how grief affects everyone in different and unexpected ways. I especially like that it is from Adam's perspective.

Pages: 304

Sisters in Sanity by Gayle Forman

Summary: "When a family trip to the Grand Canyon turns out to be a trick to take her to a remote, all-girl, residential treatment center for unstable teenagers, sixteen-year-old Brit, devastated by her father's duplicity, comes to realize that only through inner strength and the help of other inmates who become her friends can she endure the harsh conditions of the prison-like institution and plan a way to escape."

I really enjoyed this book - it's short and sweet. The friendship and sisterhood of Brit and the girls she meets at Red Rock is quite refreshing. 

290 pages

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Summary: ""Sparks fly when American good girl Allyson encounters laid-back Dutch actor Willem, so she follows him on a whirlwind trip to Paris, upending her life in just one day and prompting a year of self-discovery and the search for true love."

This book is kinda good and kinda bad. I really enjoyed some parts of it: Allyson's travel and her journey of self-discovery. However, there's a part of the book where she goes into a Bella Swan-like depression over a boy...and it's just terrible. She's also self-centered and ungrateful to her parents, which is really frustrating. However, she eventually gets her act together, and turns her life around. 

369 pages