I Was Here by Gayle Forman

I don't remember the last time I finished an entire novel in one day. That's the case with "I Was Here" by Gayle Forman. However, I did finish this almost a month ago, but I never really knew how to actually review it. But I am finally doing it. So here it is, my short review of "I Was Here" by Gayle Forman. 

Cody (a girl) has just lost her best friend, Meg. She committed suicide which no one saw coming. Cody is sad and confused. She thought she knew everything about her best friend, but as it turns out, no one really knows everything about anyone. As Cody visits Meg's college dorm room to collect her stuff, she stumbles upon some things that might help explain why Meg decided to end her young life. And thus begins the investigation of Meg's suicide.  

My emotions are mixed. I did enjoy reading the novel, but there were some parts that disturbed me. When Cody decides to investigate Meg's suicide, she finds some websites about suicide. She starts reading the posts from the site which all support suicide and make it seem like a cool thing. It was as if Meg killing herself was a badass and awesome thing to do - when in reality, we all know it is not. In some ways, I felt like parts of the novel encouraged suicide when it was meant to do the opposite. However, the novel does state that suicide is never the right decision. Which is true!
Now, this is not a bad novel. I did mention that I enjoyed reading it, some aspects just seemed wrong to me. However, I did find the story interesting. Although the novel is about Meg's suicide, it revolved more around Cody. I really like her as a character. She's funny, smart and her story in itself is different. For instance, how she grew up with her mom, Trisha, who is more like her friend. At first, I felt bad for Cody. I thought it was sad that her mom did not care about her own child when in reality Trisha does show her own version of concern. Their relationship was entertaining and enjoyable to follow. I also love how independent Cody is. She does everything herself and never relies on her mom. The touching part is that Meg's family, the Garcias, treat Cody like family. She's been on vacation with them and has spent so much time doing family stuff with them. Meg is the reason why Cody has had the chance to experience what it is like to have a family and what that actually means. Even when Meg passes away, the Garcias still treat Cody like their own. I think that one of the most beautiful things in life is when your friends become family.
The romance part plays such a small role in the novel, but it was one of my favourite things about it because we really get to see who Cody is as a person. I know that that sounds weird, but just read the novel and see for yourself.

This novel is not perfect - nothing really is. Some parts were dealt with in a wrong way and others were portrayed just perfectly. I would say that it was an enjoyable read. So just go for it!

Gayle Forman, Simon Schuster, 270 pages, 2015