Hey everyone!! I’m participating in the Gayle Forman Read Along organized by the ever so wonderful Brittany from The Book Addict’s Guide! We’re on to the third book of the read along, Where She Went. This portion of the read along is being hosted by Alexa at Alexa Loves Books! This week’s questions focus on the first part of the book, pages 1-62.
1. Adam has changed a lot since we last saw him in If I Stay. Any guesses as to what happened between him and Mia? Him and the band? In his personal life? What do you think of the “new” Adam we find in the first chapter?
Adam most definitely has changed A LOT since we last saw him in If I Stay. Now he’s a hot-shot music artist travelling around the world on tours for his now famous bad, Shooting Star. As for what happened between him and Mia? Well, they went through a lot together, that’s for sure. They experienced things so young that many people will never have to deal with in their lives ever, and I can only imagine how much pressure that put on the two of them. As for Adam and the band and in his own personal life? Everything that happened with Mia must have taken a large emotional toll on him, causing it to effect every aspect of his life.
2. How do you feel about Mia’s determination to go to Julliard right away, instead of deferring for a year? Do you think it was the right decision for her to immediately leave the familiar, the scene of her greatest trauma and grief and head to an unfamiliar, new place?
I honestly can’t say too much about her decision, because I can’t even imagine being in that place she was in that she had to make it. I suppose that for her maybe, getting away from anything and everything that could remind her of the tragedy she has experienced as soon as possible was one of her methods of coping with her grief. Except for the fact that she’s not really coping, she’s just running away from it all.
3. What do you think of Mia and Adam’s first reunion after three years?
It was definitely awkward, as expected. They really don’t know each other anymore, because so much has happened since they last saw each other and were a couple together. They are completely different people now, and only know each other as they did three years ago.
4. Grief strikes people different, as we see Adam grieving when he and Mia break up. Have you ever experienced the same intensity of grief? How did you survive it or move on from it? What do you think of Kim’s role in helping Adam snap out of his grief?
I have experienced the grief of loss on a few occasions, but probably not the same intensity as Adam. I survive and move on from my grief by allowing myself to be sad for as long as I feel I need to be sad for, but then also realizing that there is a time for me to get up and move on with my life.
5. Song lyrics can sometimes describe our feelings about situations completely, as Adam’s lyrics for the songs on the Collateral Damage album describe his feelings after Mia dumped him. What are some song lyrics that describe feelings you’ve had or memories?
Ahhhh I always suck at finding/remembering things like this on demand!!!! I’ll come back to this one later when I’ve had some more time to think about it :P
books, etc. 