Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Title: Just One Day
Author: Gayle Forman
Pages: 370


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.

My Rating:✰✰✰✰✰

 I loved this book so much! I had heard good things about this book, but did expect to love it as much as I did. It did took me a while to finish and read this book, but not because it was bad, but because I haven't been able to read much. But this book was brilliant.

The writing in the book was absolutely amazing and in my opinion, better than in If I Stay. I love the two parts of this book and how both of them had great pacing. The second half of the book stretched over the course of a year without being slow or boring. I definitely enjoyed reading about her college years and how she changed throughout it.

I have never so badly wanted my own opportunity to go to Europe and have my own adventure. Gayle Forman's writing about the setting was done was beautifully, I could imagine it and my longing for it was insane.

I don't think I have ever related so closely to a character, than I did with Allyson. So many thoughts and things she said/did, I would've done. I understood the way she was and how being Lulu was different from herself. But this book felt more than just coming of age, self discovery.

Willem was very charming and was a great character. I have not read Just One Year yet, but I plan on doing so and learning more about him. At some points he felt a little sketchy to me, but I was still hoping he would pull through because it seemed like he had a lot of depth to him.

The other characters in Allyson's life also felt very important to the story. Dee was a great friend and so many things wouldn't have happened if it weren't for him and her roommates. Babs and her worker friends were nice as well. (I was so impressed with how hard Allyson worked to get the money to go to Europe and I loved how it all came together. ) Celine wasn't my favorite character but I'm glad that she was able to help Allyson at some points. The evolution of Allyson's mother was definitely something and I'm glad things did get better. We did miss a lot of Melanie in the second portion of this book, but it made sense since the two were just drifting away from each other. She was a pretty complex character. I loved the connections she had with the people at the hostel and how they helped and how Wren was there for a lot of it.

The plot was so great and I praise Gayle Forman for being able to do it so well. I felt like the story has a lot of thought gone into it since one thing led to another. Accidents. I also liked how there was Shakespeare reoccurring with the Guerilla Will and when Allyson takes a class on it.

When she finally did decide to open that door again, and go to try find him, I was happy for her because I knew that that was what she had to do. The things she went through to get to this person she didn't really know didn't make total sense, but since in a way he had changed her, it did.

I loved how she stood in front of a map when she in Europe, closed her eyes and went to that spot that she landed on. Allyson was way more braver than she thought she was. Even the small things she did, like taking different classes, was so brave of her..

The different themes really stood out to me and will really stick with me from now on. I don't think I've ever read a book that taught me a lesson that I will actually learn from. Other than the obvious, which is to say yes and not be so contained into a small box, this book made me want to have faith in the good in people. Not that I don't, but that most times when a stranger speaks to you, you get the immediate reaction of "stranger danger!" but there was no case of that in this book.

I just loved this book and the adventures with Allyson and how many things changed in one day, and in one year. More people should read this book because it was absolutely brilliant.

Thoughts on the ending:

I was so worried how the book was going to end. Were we going to get to see Willem and get some answers? I was so happy of Allyson when she finally found him at the play after all of that work she went through to go find him. The mysterious girl who was presumably his girlfriend really made me upset but I was still glad that she went to go see him.

But then..

Then, I bought Just One Night...
and I read it...
and it was an amazing conclusion.