Author: Gayle Forman
Published: January 8th 2013
Source: Purchased
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Buy: Amazon ~*~ Barnes & Noble
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Caution: May contain spoilers
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.
Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!
My Thoughts:
The word breathtaking, as used in the synopsis, barely touches the magnitude of beauty contained in this story. I have read all of Gayle Forman's other novels, and there is something so deep in them that peels apart the soul. The second, seriously the second, I heard there was going to be a new book written by her, WITH A COMPANION NOVEL told from a different POV, I was like MUST HAVE. I have been waiting awhile to get my hands on another book written by her. And let me tell you, it is so worth it. So. Worth. It.
Okay, so here we have Allyson, this girl who lets go of caution and decides to run off with Willem, a complete stranger, and go to Paris. While I have always wanted to learn to speak French, I've never really had that intense desire to go to Paris. Don't get me wrong, of course I want to go. After this, though? I just want to pack my bags and go see ALL of Europe.
And Willem. My very precious Willem. I want to just squeeze him. All the things he says... I swear, I sent so many Tweets quoting him from my phone while reading the book. Well, quoting everything in the book. It got intense and I went way overboard. Here are my favorite lines:
Willem: "You have to surrender yourself to the chaos. To the accidents... The little things that happen. Sometimes they're insignificant; other times, they change everything... I think everything is happening all the time, but if you don't put yourself in the path of it, you miss it."
Allyson: "It's like the calendar flips but nothing else changes."
Willem: "Same, same, but different."
After they spend their day together and she's left on her own, this is when the journey really begins. Allyson tries to forget Willem and the day they shared. Of course, she can't. It's impossible. It changed her life. And now? She needs to know what happened to him. She needs to know why he left her there that day. She needs to find him again. So she embarks on a journey back to Paris.
Just One Day was one of the greatest stories I have ever read. It has inspired me in every way possible, from the desire to travel to learning French to writing more. And then there was the following line:
"C'est courageux d'aller dans l'inconnu.=It's courageous to go into territory unknown."
It is so beautiful, isn't it? Gayle Forman has done it again. So, to all of my friends reading this--you need... NEED... to read this book. It will change your life. It certainly changed mine.
My Rating:
I haven't read a single one of Foreman's books :( I feel like I'm missing out on something amazing. I don't normally read contemps unless I really trust the author but I'm going to definitely give this one a try.
ReplyDeleteI have been waiting for your review and gosh now I can't wait! But at the same time I want to wait until the companion is released! Ack!
ReplyDeleteHehehe! I think this book was just one of those that came at the right time for me. The companion is coming out in October, so not too much longer. :)
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