I Have Lost My Way: A Story of Reclamation Through Friendship

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 Have Lost My Way
by Gayle Forman
Penguin Teen
Paperback
Publication: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 1471173720 (ISBN13: 9781471173721)

From the publisher:
“A powerful story of empathy and friendship from the #1 New York Times Bestselling author of If I Stay. Around the time that Freya loses her voice while recording her debut album, Harun is making plansto 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.
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.”