I Was Here by Gayle Forman

by:  Gayle Forman

published by:  Viking Juvenile

publish date:  January 27, 2015

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, who broke Meg’s heart. 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.

This story was very dark and bleak.  It was a really sad tale.  I was interested in reading it because I liked If I Stay.  

Cody and Meg were best friends.  Then Meg leaves for college and their relationship becomes distant and strained.  Next thing, Meg has killed herself and Cody doesn't understand what happened.  Meg's suicide was very precise and thought out, so Cody sets out to figure out what caused Meg to plan out such an act.  During her investigation she unearths some very disturbing evidence that Meg may have been pushed into her suicide.

I don't know that I'd be rushing out to tell people to read this book.  It was a depressing story and I'm sure for some people it would need a trigger warning.  However, it was well written and will probably be very eye opening for some people.