Review : Wherever You Go by Heather Davis

Summary (from Goodreads)

Seventeen-year-old Holly Mullen has felt lost and lonely ever since her boyfriend, Rob, died in a tragic accident. The fact that she has to spend most of her free time caring for her little sister and Alzheimer’s-stricken grandfather doesn’t help. But Holly has no idea that as she goes about her days, Rob’s ghost is watching over her. He isn’t happy when he sees his best friend, Jason, reach out to help Holly with her grandfather—but as a ghost, he can do nothing to stop it. Is his best friend really falling for his girlfriend?

 As Holly wonders whether to open her heart to Jason, the past comes back to haunt her. Her grandfather claims to be communicating with the ghost of Rob. Could the messages he has for Holly be real? And if so, how can the loved ones Rob left behind help his tortured soul make it to the other side?

Told from the perspectives of Holly, Jason, and Rob,Wherever You Go is is a poignant story about making peace with the past, opening your heart to love, and finding the courage to move forward into the light.

 

Personal Thoughts

Wherever You Go came out in late 2011 and although I had the book with me, I was a bit hesitant to start reading this.

Firstly, I don't really like sad stories for the simple reason that they leave me feeling sad. Also, this book had mixed reviews from Goodreads reviewers.

The story is about Holly, who has recently lost her boyfriend Rob to a car crash. Throughout the book, Holly has to cope with a lot. She has to look after her younger sister, she needs to take care of her Grandpa who is suffering from Alzheimer's and top of that she's trying to wade through the pain caused by Rob's death. I really felt for Holly. Lost and confused, she suffers a lot. Moreover, her mother doesn't really help her out at home. Fortunately for her, Holly has Jason's help.

Rob haunts Holly. He recently died and is unable to move on. He's upset with things happening to Holly. He wants to help her, but he cannot communicate with her. Eventually, he forms an unusual friendship with Aldo, Holly's grandfather. Rob was difficult to understand at first, but in the end we realize what a complex character he is.

Next there's Jason. Jason is Rob's best friend. He too is quietly suffering from the loss of his best friend. Also, he starting to like Holly.
He feels a connection between the two of them. I liked Jason. He was shy, quiet and caring. The things that he did for Holly and her grandfather were so sweet and it was so clear that he truly liked Holly.

Holly's and Jason's relationship starts slowly. It begins initially with trust and then becomes deeper after some time. I enjoyed the slow pace of their romance because it seemed much more realistic that way.

I think the secondary characters were very realistic. Aldo, Lena, Marissa, Holly's mom , Jason's mom and Rob's parents.

I, honestly, found them real.

This book contained wonderful themes which I think are very important : Death, love, family, friendship, trust and Alzheimer's.

Heather Davis managed to blend all these themes to write a beautiful book.

The one problem I had was the writing style. The book is told in the POV of Holly, Jason and Rob.

Holly's POV is the first person, Jason's in third person and Rob's was in the second person.

I found that a bit too weird for my liking and at times it was very confusing, especially Rob's POV.

Nevertheless, this book was enjoyable. It was deep, poignant and heart-breaking.

Rating

Cover : 4/5

Plot : 4/5

Characters : 4/5

Writing : 3/5