I Was Here
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4.5 • 46 Ratings
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
A brand-new, heart-wrenching novel from the bestselling author of If I Stay, Gayle Forman
Cody and Meg were inseparable - best friends for life. They knew everything about each other. Or Cody thought they did. But how well do you ever really know your best friend? And what do you do whn they choose to leave you behind?
As Cody numbly searches for answers as to why Meg took her own life, she begins a journey of self-discovery which takes her to a terrifying precipice, and forces her to question not only her relationship with the Meg she thought she knew, but her own understanding of life, love, death and forgiveness.
Perfect for fans of 13 Reasons Why and The Perks of Being a Wallflower
'A pitch-perfect blend of tragedy, mystery and romance' Stephen Chbosky, author ofThe Perks of Being a Wallflower
'Not only beautifully written and heartwrenching, but IMPORTANT. Wow. Just, wow' Sarah Dessen
'It's about to become your new favourite book' Sugarscape
'A potent rite-of-passage tale' Sunday Times
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We’re drawn to young-adult author Gayle Forman (If I Stay) because there’s something so honest about her portrayals of teenage life. When 19-year-old Cody loses her best friend, Meg, she’s left grappling with vexing unknowns, crippling guilt, anger and heartbreak. What could have driven a vibrant, smart, loving young woman to take her own life? I Was Here is a book about depression and suicide, but it’s also a wholly relatable story about forgiveness, resilience and the gift of friendship.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
As she did in If I Stay, Forman offers an introspective examination of the line between life and death, and the courage it takes to persist. College freshman Meg's suicide shocks no one more than her best friend Cody. To make Meg's death even more unsettling, the last six months of her emails are missing from her computer. Certain that an outsider a correspondent of Meg's pushed her to take her own life, Cody embarks on a quest to identify the culprit. Her journey proves both enlightening and dangerous as she traces the steps Meg took during her last weeks of life. As the pieces of a disturbing puzzle start to fit together, Cody takes an enormous risk to come to terms with Meg's final decision and her own guilt. Beyond exploring Cody's grief, this psychologically incisive book delves into her complex relationships with Tricia, her single mother; Meg's more conventional family; and, most profoundly, the boy who stole and wounded Meg's heart shortly before her death. Ages 14 up.
Customer Reviews
I was here...
10 yrs ago my brother in law killed himself. Like Cody in this book, I searched for a reason, a cause. This book has given me a little more acceptance. Different things mentioned resonated deeply within me, because I also suffer from depression. It has also given me hope. A well written story that leaves you thinking and feeling for days after.
Amazing!!
Such an amazing and emotional book and it shows how grief effects people and how death can force people to seek out even the most unusual theory’s of the cumulative up to events in seek of the truth. The book has so much detail and you really get to feel the characters emotions. Would recommend.
Raw tragic yet powerful
️Review: Kristy and Kayla - Six Chicks and Their Love of Books
3.5-4 Stars
This book is not something we would normally read, after seeing the cover and reading the snippet we were both intrigued as to what this book would hold.
Gayle Forman has done an amazing job in giving an insight into the aftermath of those affected by someone who has committed suicide. As well as glimpse into the life of someone who is struggling with a mental illness. As much as we may think we know someone, we never truly know who a person is and what they are struggling with in life. There is so much true emotion and depth in Gayle's words.
Cody is taken aback when she discovers her best friend Meg, the other piece of her has committed suicide. When Meg's parents ask Cody to go to her school and pack her belongs up and bring them home; she discovers a side to Meg she had no idea about. This other life Meg was living was very different to the one she had told Cody about. Cody is suspicious about Meg's suicide so when she reaches her room, the suicide note and other things that have happened don't add up, leading Cody to dig deeper into Meg's death. What Cody finds leads her on even more of mission to uncover the why, what, who?
The journey that Cody is taken on is one that is both eye opening and needed. She needs this journey to bring closure to not only herself but the other people affected by Meg's death. We both found this book a struggle to read, not because it was bad or not well written, but because it was so real and eye opening. We hope to read more books by Gayle in the future.
Book provided by Simon and Schuster Australia for an honest review