Allyson Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase—packed, planned, ordered. Then on the last day of her three-week post-graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free-spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she’s not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. This uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: 24 hours that will transform Allyson’s life.
A book about love, heartbreak, travel, identity, and the “accidents” of fate, Just One Day shows us how sometimes in order to get found, you first have to get lost. . . and how often the people we are seeking are much closer than we know.
My Thoughts:
I grinned through the entire first part of the book. Like a fool. It was just so cute and fun and adventurous and Europe! This was a story about romantic love as much as a love of Europe. Which I loved. I mean, who doesn't love Europe? So, yeah, I was grinning. A lot. I will admit that this story will possibly give girls an unrealistic sense of attachment or unlikely reunion with a boy they once had a tryst with. Chasing a guy whose name you don't even know throughout Europe in the hopes of rekindling the heat of a one-night-stand is... stupid. But really romantic and it makes an entertaining story.
Allyson was so incredibly relatable. She was just your typical American girl, you know; Just so normal. I love that about Gayle Forman's writing style. She makes everything and everyone so accessible. And relatable. And believable. And likable. She's amazing like that. It's fairly impressive. So Allyson just felt so normal; She was a shy good girl who did everything her parents asked her to do. Then she goes on a European trip just after high school, meets a cute guy and spends a day with him in Paris. I know some of that sounds impulsive and crazy but the way it's presented in the book it feels like I could have done that. Like anyone could have done that. It was so well done.
I don't how Forman does it but she presents emotions and self-discovery so naturally that it hardly feels like she's trying at all. It's effortless reading. And addictive. Which explains why I was reading 'till 3 in the morning.
Willem. I have so, soooooooooo many unanswered questions about Willem. I guess that's kind of the point of the second book but OH MY GOSH why doesn't Forman answer any of those effing questions!?! I got to the end and was like, "Seriously? That's it? WHAT HAPPENED?!?!" And now I have to know so I've already ordered the sequel and the novella. Because seriously. I. Have. To. Know. So, yeah, WIllem was mysterious and attractive and fun and alluring and I wanted/want to know more about him. Obviously.
I don't know if you got this impression already but the writing was so well done. People were believable. Scenery was poetic. Dialogue was natural. I'm a believer. I'm on a mission to read everything Gayle Forman has written now. She's become a favorite. And I recommend this to anyone who likes to read YA.
Sexual Content: Moderate (a sex scene that is sensual but not overly graphic: PG-13)
Language: Moderate
Violence: Mild
Drugs/Alcohol: Moderate
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