Review: Just One Day

Author: Gayle Forman
Release Date: January 8, 2013
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Pages: 368
Series: Just One Day #1
Source: Library
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Summary: A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of  If I Stay.

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

My Favorite Lines:

“You have to fall in love to be in love, but falling in love isn't the same as being in love” 

“Travelling's not something you're good at. It's something you do. Like breathing. You can't work too much at it, or it feels like work. You have to surrender yourself to the chaos. To the accidents.”

“And that's when I understand that I have been stained. Whether I'm still in love with him, whether he was ever in love with me, and no matter who he's in love with now, Willem changed my life. He showed me how to get lost, and then I showed myself how to get found.” 

Why I Loved It:  This was a book for me that was read in just one day.  That's because it was incredible.  For me, this review may be biased.  Just going to throw that out there.  Sometimes books are just the perfect thing for that time.  The book you need for the mood you are in becomes the perfect thing for you.  And that was what Just One Day was for me.  Perfection.

Here's the thing.  I tend to fall head over heels for any book that would let me travel the world.  London?  Paris?  Yes, please.  It seems that I have been falling in love with books full of world travel and Shakespeare lately.  *Even though I honestly dislike Shakespeare in general.*  The book was not at all what I was expecting.  I don't think the summary really quite captures what happens in the book.  Allyson spends her summer traveling Europe with her best friend Melanie.  Melanie is all about changing and redefining who she is and in turn who Allyson is.  During their last stop, they decided to ditch the official production of Hamlet and go see an underground Shakespeare performance of Twelfth Night... mostly because the boy who invited them caught Allyson's eye.  The boy is also part of the play, and then pops back up the next day and manages to convince Allyson to spend the day with him in Paris.  That day changes her life, and the rest of the book picks up about a year later.

I really hope that doesn't give too much away, but there is so much I didn't say so *whew*.  The book explored some deeper concepts that I wasn't expecting.  Considering it was Gayle Forman, I probably should have.  Melanie is an interesting character, showing just what college can be like for some of us.  Allyson, though,  is different from Melanie.  Her year is a reflection of that one day, and her experiences show just how much one day can make an impact on us.  A lot of time isn't necessary to change our lives.

If loved exploring who she was with Allyson and meeting the people she comes in contact with in college. I loved seeing who Allyson slowly became.  It gave me all the feels.

The storytelling is incredible, the characters are real and relatable, and Europe is always a plus.  Just One Day is the kind of book that you make memories with.

Who Should Read It:  If you too love finding books that sweep you away to Europe and enjoy finding cute boys within the pages of a book, I am going to recommend this book to you.  It's an incredible contemporary.