I WAS HERE By Gayle Forman

I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I Was Here by Gayle Forman
Published by Speak on 1/26/16
Genres: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Young Adult
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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When her best friend Meg drinks a bottle of industrial-strength cleaner alone in a motel room, Cody is understandably shocked and devastated. She and Meg shared everything—so how was there no warning? But when Cody travels to Meg’s college town to pack up the belongings left behind, she discovers that there’s a lot that Meg never told her. About her old roommates, the sort of people Cody never would have met in her dead-end small town in Washington. About Ben McAllister, the boy with a guitar and a sneer, and some secrets of his own. And about an encrypted computer file that Cody can’t open—until she does, and suddenly everything Cody thought she knew about her best friend’s death gets thrown into question.

Short and Sweet

After Cody’s best friend, Meg commits suicide, Cody decides to discover what led Meg to do what she did. Cody goes to Meg’s college to pack up her belongings and realizes she didn’t know much about Meg’s life in Seattle.

My Thoughts

~ The main plot was Cody coming to terms with Meg’s death. Cody feels a lot of grief because she didn’t know Meg was suicidal.

~ When Cody gets to Seattle for Meg’s stuff she finds an online forum and some emails on Meg’s computer. These things start Cody’s exploration of the truth behind Meg’s suicide.

~ I don’t know how to feel about the romance because Ben was in a relationship with Meg first and I don’t know it was just weird. I mean is it okay to date your best friend’s old flame?

~Towards the end Cody started to put her life in danger, and I was trying to figure out what she thought she had to gain by doing this.

Overall

The ending to me was a bit anti-climactic, and I still didn’t know where the relationship was going. The message in the book is clear and I would recommend it, it addresses the topic of suicide well and how it affects those close to you.