The New York Times bestseller from the author of If I Stay “Heartwrenching…If you are ready to be emotionally wrecked yet again, you are in luck.” – Hypable A fateful accident draws three strangers together over the course of a single day: Freya who has lost her voice while recording her debut album. Harun who is making plans to run away from everyone he has ever loved. Nathaniel who has … is making plans to run away from everyone he has ever loved.
Nathaniel who has just arrived in New York City with a backpack, a desperate plan, and nothing left to lose.
As the day progresses, their secrets start to unravel and they begin to understand that the way out of their own loss might just lie in helping the others out of theirs.
An emotionally cathartic story of losing love, finding love, and discovering the person you are meant to be, I Have Lost My Way is bestselling author Gayle Forman at her finest.
“A beautifully written love song to every young person who has ever moved through fear and found themselves on the other side.” – Jacqueline Woodson, bestselling author of Brown Girl Dreaming
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Beautiful story! This was about three people. Three strangers. One day they meet by accident. Because of an accident. They all have been struggling in their own lives. This story is their journeys. This one Fay will change their lives forever
did not finish it i thought it was boring
Freya, Harun, and Nathaniel. Three very different individuals whose paths are about to collide in New York City. Freya is an aspiring singer who has just lost her voice. Harun is running away-literally-from his loving, yet overbearing family. And Nathaniel is coming to New York following a misguided plan. Soon Freya will fall off a bridge and fatefully bring the three together. Each feels lost and alone in this giant city. Will accidentally finding each other change that?
I very much love Gayle Forman and am always excited when she has a new novel. This one almost felt like a novella, with my hardcopy clocking in at a little over 250 pages. It was a fast, easy read, as I quickly became immersed in the lives of these three different and diverse characters.. The book is told over the course of one day–the day these three individuals meet, but we get flashbacks into their pasts, as well. Each character gets a chance to tell things from their point of view.
Forman is a lovely storyteller, and it’s easy to get lost in this book. If anything, the day–and the book–is over too quickly. I found myself drawn to each character for different reasons. They are each vulnerable in their own way, and it’s easy to get lost in their stories. I loved how the characters had diverse backgrounds and ethnic origins, as well. It’s a beautiful novel, really, with gorgeous writing. The storylines are often touching and heartbreaking, yet the book felt light and airy–buoyed by the unlikely trio’s friendship.
The book seems brief and is over very quickly; it left me wanting to know more about all three individuals. It flies by, especially since you skip from one narrator to the next, limiting what you learn about each, and getting snippets doled out over the course of the story. It all comes together by the end, but at that point, I found myself still wanting to learn more about each of our three characters, or have more time in their lives. It’s easy to get invested when the characters are so well-formed.
Overall, this is a very easy-to-read book as it flawlessly draws you in with its diverse characters and excellent writing. It often reminded me of another beautiful tale, The Sun Is Also a Star. It’s over all too quickly, but is quite enjoyable while it lasts. Definitely a worthy read.
I was able to read a snippet of this book on Bookish First and I loved it. I didn’t win the giveaway so I ended up checking it out from my local library and was able to finally finish it. I loved it so much! The way the story follows these three lost souls and they find exactly what they need in each other is so touching.
Kismet is definitely a factor in this story. Each character was in the right place at the right time for so very different reasons. But they were right where they needed to be to connect with each other and end up helping each other with their individual issues.
I think that Nathaniel’s journey is one of the most important in the book and I hope that teens will gain some perspective from his path. I hope that they will see that they are NOT invisible, people DO care about them, and their lives ARE worth something.
I hope that this book is put in all High School media centers!
Enjoyed the book all right but the book felt choppy. I was here, did this, accident, met new people, do things together, enjoy the time, conflict, somewhat resolution, book done. The book fell short in the depth department I guess. There was male/male issues, suicide issues, family issues, and fame issues that are written and some language. Next on my Foreman list is “I Was Here”.
Three teenagers in crisis are brought together in an Act of God moment when Freya falls off a bridge onto Nathaniel and calls for bystander Harun to help her get him to the hospital.
By helping each other during an eventful morning, they each discover they are not alone. By day’s end, each character will overcome what has been holding them back and find a new lease on life.
I read the first 100 pages through a Bookish First Look sneak peak, and was given an ARC based on my first look review. When the book arrived, I finished it off in a few hours.
Freya is an aspiring singer who has lost her voice. Her father left many years ago and she is alienated from her sister, once her best friend and singing partner. If she loses her Twitter followers and chance at fame, who is she?
Nathanial was close to his dad, an irresponsible dreamer whose unreliability drove away Nathaniel’s mother. Nathaniel feels out of sync with his peer group, isolated and alone. After his father’s death, he has come to New York City with suicidal thoughts.
Harun’s parents barely accept his brother’s Caucasian, Christian wife. As an obedient Muslim son, he can’t bear to come out to his folks and introduce them to his secret lover, James. It has caused a breech in their relationship.
The book is a quick read, with interesting and diverse characters, their issues reflecting contemporary concerns of young people: depression, abandonment by parents, the search for love, how to reconcile personal and family needs, how to determine life choices in career and mates. It is a book that can teach compassion. It is a hopeful book. These young people find support and friendship in each other, and are able to overcome the obstacles that threaten them.
This is my first read by Gayle Forman, author of the best-selling novel if I stay.
I received a free ARC through Bookish First.
I fell in love with Gayle Forman’s writing in 2009 when I first read If I Stay. The writing is heartbreakingly beautiful and it’s easy to forget that the events of the story are taking place in a such a short period of time.
I Have Lost My Way addresses a topic that every single person in the world experiences in some way: loss. Loss can be a powerful binding factor for people who need to know that they’re not alone. These three characters have experienced different kinds of loss but the connection they share because of their experiences is insanely powerful.
This book broke my heart, put it back together, then broke it again. I was invested in Freya, Harun, and Nathaniel from the first word and couldn’t stop reading this book until I finished in one sitting. The end of this book was perfect but I selfishly hope that like If I Stay and Just One Day, there will be a follow up so we can check in with these characters again.