Review: Just One Day – Gayle Forman

Posted February 14, 2013 by Andi in Books, Review / 2 Comments

Review: Just One Day – Gayle FormanJust One Day by Gayle Forman
Series: Just One Day #1
Published by Speak
Published: August 20, 2013
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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.

I have been stained by Gayle Forman and this book. Completely stained from head to toe all over my body. For those of you that have read this amazing book then you know exactly what I mean. And for those of you that haven’t, stop reading my rambling words and go get the book ASAP. It. Is. That. Good. No, I’m wrong. It isn’t that good, it is that awesomely amazing that it needs to be read by everyone and read often!

Just One Day is a fabulous story of Allyson, an American girl that has graduated from high school and is sent to Europe by her parents because college starts. Allyson is the girl with the good head on her shoulders, the girl that always does the right thing, the girl that parents and teachers love. Well, when Allyson decides to bale on a planned group viewing on a Shakespeare play in order to see a street version of Twelfth Night, Allyson’s life is put on a path she never expected. Soon Allyson is headed to Paris on a train with a boy she just met and acting in ways she never thought she would. Sadly after her one day remarkably, unforgettable day with Willem, Allyson finds she has been abandoned by him and nothing is the same. Now she must figure out how to get along with her life even though she misses him desperately and would like nothing more to capture a time when she felt like she could do anything. Told from Allyson’s POV entirely, you are taken on a journey of self-discovery, standing up for yourself, and seeing just how important love is.

Did I mention how awesome this book was? In case I didn’t let me say it again…AWESOME! It is by far the best Gayle Forman book I have ever read, and this is coming from a girl that was insanely in love with her If I Stay series. Just One Day managed to put all my favorite elements into a book while giving me the same feeling I get when I watch the Before Sunrise/Before Sunset movies. Allyson and Willem’s story made me believe in the fairytale of love at first sight and that things aren’t always what they seem. And sometimes it is worth it to take a chance because you may just find out who you really are. And Allyson did exactly that in the year since she saw Willem. With an overbearing mother(really overbearing isn’t even strong enough of a word for that woman) planning every aspect of her life Allyson was able to figure out that even if she felt Lulu was gone, she was a part of her and always would be. She figured out that you can be the good kid but have faith in some adventures and that’s it’s okay for plans not to work out because unexpected things are the way of life.

Like I said, I have been stained by this book and will be forever. It was that awesome! Now get out of here and go read it. SO. GOOD.

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