ARC Review: I Have Lost My Way

Title: I Have Lost My Way

Author: Gayle Forman

Genre & Age Group: Contemporary, young adult

Goodreads Synopsis:

Around the time that Freya loses her voice while recording her debut album, Harun is making plans to run away from everyone he has ever loved, and Nathaniel is arriving in New York City with a backpack, a desperate plan, and nothing left to lose. When a fateful accident draws these three strangers together, their secrets start to unravel as they begin to understand that the way out of their own loss might just lie in help­ing the others out of theirs.

Source: Thanks so much to Indigo Books & Music Inc. for providing me with a physical ARC of this book!

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I am quite a big fan of Gayle Forman’s books. From If I Stay to Just One Day, her books have found a place in my heart. When I first heard that this book was coming out, I went gaga and requested an ARC from the amazing Indigo Books & Music Inc. Needless to say, this book was fantastic, and it was everything I thought it would be!

I Have Lost my Way follows the perspectives of three different protagonists. There’s Freya, a singer who has lost her voice, Harun, who is planning to run away from his family because he is scared to come out to them, and Nathaniel, who has lost everyone in his family. When fate allows the three of them to meet one day, they experience a remarkable friendship in helping each other out through their losses.

The first character that readers are introduced to is Freya, and she was the one who stuck out the most to me. She was honestly such a remarkable, authentic and strong girl, even despite the fact that she had lost her singing voice- and her father who left years prior and never came back. Her backstory was very inspirational, and I’m sure that any reader who gets the gift of getting their hands on this book will be able to see that, as well.

While reading, I felt the most sorrow for Nathaniel. He had just lost everything, with nowhere to turn next. However, he was such a sweetheart and I loved him, and I truly believe that the friendships he gained throughout the novel were quite beneficial to him during his grieving process.

I think Harun was probably the blandest character for me. Although his character was diverse as his roots originated from an Asian country and he was gay, he just wasn’t that memorable. And oh my gosh, I won’t give anything away here, but just know that I hated his family!!

The plot, especially since it covers events spanning the course of one day, was a little bit slow. One thing that was cool, though, was that it often flashed back to times in the characters’ lives when they experienced their losses, and this helped me understand much more of where they were coming from. Despite its slowness, the story was overall very captivating and kept me turning the pages in a hurry!

All in all, I would highly recommend this book to YA readers in search of stories of love, friendship, and immense character growth. I loved how all of the characters’ lives collided at just the perfect time, and the friendship that they created was life-changing for them, providing them with many opportunities to grow and develop through their losses and as people. As of right now, I know I will continue to strive to pick up more of Gayle Forman’s work!

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Rating:

✨✨✨✨

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*I received an advanced reader copy of this book from Indigo Books & Music Inc. in exchange for an honest review.*

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