Just One Day
Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Publication Date: January 8, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 368 pages
Source: Bought in-store at Chapters/Indigo
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis:
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!
Review:
Warning: you will DESPERATELY want to read the sequel, Just One Year, immediately after finishing. I’m basically holding my breath until it comes out.
Just One Day was one of my most-anticipated reads of 2013…and it didn’t disappoint. My only problem is that it came out so early in the year that I’m pretty sure nothing else is going to compare to it. Gayle Forman, you’ve ruined me for the rest of the year!
When I first started reading, I was like, “This is so Before Sunrise” and it almost felt too much like the movie…and too easy. The romance blossomed so beautifully between Allyson/Lulu and Willem, with intimate scenes discussing their thoughts on love and how to live life. The romance of that one day in Paris just builds and builds, until they finally kiss and everything sparks. It’s almost too perfect, kind of like Before Sunrise. It’s a fantasy.
This is where Gayle Forman, brilliant author of If I Stay and Where She Went takes over. Instead of taking the easy route and ending it there, like the movie did, Forman’s novel goes deep and dark. Allyson’s worst fears come true after that brilliant day, and her panic, realization, and subsequent depression was so vivid and damaging. My heart aches just thinking about it.
Have you ever been lost and alone in a city you don’t know, with the feeling that you’ve gotten yourself into a situation that you can’t get out of? Have you ever felt really and truly stranded? I have. In 2006, I was studying abroad and travelled to Stratford-upon-Avon. I was so excited see all of the Shakespearean paraphernalia and the Royal Shakespeare Company do a Shakespeare play (I don’t remember what it was).
After the play, I got on the bus to go back to my hostel – it was the last bus of the night, and it was super-dark outside. I missed my stop and ended up in the middle of nowhere. The bus dropped me off on a street with no lights, just a strip of curb. And that was when I realized that I had no idea what I was doing, and that I was scared and alone, with no way of getting home.
A black cab finally came along, and even though I had the address of the hostel, he couldn’t find it, and told me it would cost me a ton of money to get back there. We drove around for about half an hour, and I honestly thought that I was going to be driven to a field and shot or raped or worse.
Luckily, the cab driver gave up and took me back to Stratford-upon-Avon, where I paid him forty(!) pounds, then got in a proper taxi that took me straight to the hostel for six pounds. I barely slept that night and used my last bit of money on my calling card to call a friend from home, crying and scared and unbelievably relieved to be safe.
This is why my fiance says this book is about me. Because Allyson goes through something very similar, and it really makes her question herself and her faith in people.
I really, REALLY don’t want to spoil anything else. Despite what I’ve revealed about Allyson’s journey, this book is full of beautiful, happy moments, and gems of characters who help Allyson along the way. Every one of them is so well-developed and thought out (Oh, DEE! How I love and want to be your friend!), and each one of them appears in such a seamless and perfect way.
Even Allyson’s parents, originally seen through her eyes as villainous and overbearing, are more than just archetypes. You will fall in love with all of the people in Allyson’s life, and you will hate some of them at certain times, but you will always believe that the character is authentic and true. Allyson is so raw and emotionally vulnerable, and it’s so beautiful and bittersweet to take this journey with her.
Just One Day was hard for me to read at times, because it mirrored my own life in so many ways. It hit me so personally. Allyson’s journey is so close to what I experienced as a young person. Even her pre-judging of Kali and Jen, her partying roommates, reminds me so much of how I was in college.
To me, what makes Just One Day more than “just one day” is how Allyson deals with college and the fall-out of something that really mattered to her, for the first time in her life. It seems like such a little thing – meeting someone, having a real connection, and then disappearing from one another’s lives after less than 24 hours – but through this book, Forman reminds her readers that life is a series of little moments, and that every once in awhile, one comes along that can change you to the core.
Bonuses (this is just a few – this book was FULL of amazing things):
ALL of the FEELS: Trust me when I say that you will probably cry, or just feel like crying as you read this. My heart aches even thinking about the scene where Allyson does Rosalind.
Kick-arse secondary characters: SO MANY. Like I said, I can’t spoil things for you. But Dee, Babs, Wren…they are all so amazing. I so wish I could have them in my life, too.
It’s a Mystery (But Not of the Paranormal Variety): Not entirely, but there’s definitely a bit of something that propels Allyson along her way. And it’s a good one.
I Want to Go To There: You’ve been reading this review, right? So you know this book is ALL ABOUT THE TRAVEL. London. Amsterdam. Utrecht. Paris, especially, gets such a wonderful treatment in this novel. You will want to go and meet a mysterious young man who makes the world magic for you, for a moment.
Heart-squeezing romance: I’m not just talking about the heat between Allyson and Willem (although that is AMAZING). I’m also talking about the romance of believing in second chances, in miracles, and in fate. In a way, falling in love with those beliefs again meant just as much to me as the actual romantic relationship in the book.
The Final Word
This is the book that perfectly describes those little moments of perfection and fear that you felt when you backpacked around Europe (or South America or wherever). It’s also the book that will make you believe in accidents, miracles, and true love like you did when you were a teenager.
Recommended for:
Travel junkies, fans of Gayle Forman, lovers of Shakespeare or Before Sunrise/Sunset, romantics, contemporary addicts like me, people who want to read a damn good book.
Have you read Just One Day yet? Are you in love with it, like I am? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
You can win a copy of Just One Day or any other January new release in my giveaway! Go check it out!
WOW! I love your review! I know this book ends on a very sad and cliff-hanger-ish note, which is exactly why my fellow blogger Janhvi and I have decided to put it on hold till the sequel comes out. I'm so glad you liked it though. Gayle Forman's books are truly wonderful. Amazing review! 😀
Sarika @ The Readdicts
Thanks so much, Sarika. I wouldn't call it a sad ending – it's actually kind of uplifting. But it is DEFINITELY a cliffhanger. I understand why you want to wait!
Although I'm reading the ending since it will make me SO wish I had the sequel, it sound fantastic! I love how you seem so much like Allyson too. GREAT review, I loved it!
Sunny @ Blue Sky Bookshelf
Thanks, Sunny. This was a hard review to write – I wasn't sure how much of me I should put in, and whether people would be bored by my admission. I'm glad people weren't bored with it!
Awesome review. I totally agree, the the combination of the little things in life that makes it so awesome.
Yeah, I felt like I was reminded of that while reading. If you haven't read Just One Day yet, Lisa, you totally should!
I had seen this book but it hadn't really sparked my interest until I read your review! It sounds like such a sweet book! I love good characters and the travel part sounds good too! Thanks for changing my mind 🙂
Suz Reads
Yay! I'm so happy that you're going to pick it up, Suz – it's seriously one of my favourite books ever.
Love the visuals you painted at the end of the review! I'm excited to read this one now. Thanks for your thoughts and for the highlights!
Oh my, your experience on getting lost was truly scary.
I loved the movie, "Before Sunrise," so I'm counting on enjoying the novel just as you described! Thanks for sharing!
Zara Alexis @ The Bibliotaphe Closet
Great review. I wanted to put this one off, since I was iffy about it, but with your review, I'm going to start reading it! Thank you =)
Lovely review! 🙂 I've read If I Stay by Gayle Forman and her writing is beautiful – I really want to read this book, too! 🙂 Thanks for the awesome review. ^.^
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Tiffa @ The British Book Nerd
I've heard so much about this book! I haven't read any books by this author, but after reading so many great reviews I can't wait to get my hands on it. Lovely review 🙂
Holy cow! Great review! This sounds amazing. Right up my alley. I've been hearing really good things about it, but after you review I'm even MORE eager to read it now! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 🙂
Oh gosh, now I REALLY want to read this book! But at the same time I want to wait until the sequel is closer to releasing so I'm not dying with sequel-anticipation! Thank you for reviewing!
All of the feels, Kick-arse secondary characters and swoon-worthy romance sounds like perfection to me. I haven't read any of her books yet, but I really do need to start!
I love Gayle Forman's If I Stay series. I can't wait to read this one. Great review. <3
I want to read this one day. It is not a priority as it is not my normal type of book but I keep hearing so many great things about it.
Hello! I'm a new reader — followed a link here from your Just One Year comment @ Rather Be Reading. Just gotta say that this is one of the BEST reviews I've ever read! I'm in the process of trying to put together a review for a book that I had a very personal connection with (Me Before You) and it's HARD. So, kudos to you for doing it so eloquently!
Thank you so much! This was one of the hardest reviews I ever had to write – I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how much of myself to put in, and whether anyone would even care. I'm really glad it's spoken to people. For your review, I would definitely say you should put it all out there – I think those are the reviews that really move people. Good luck! (and please send me a tweet or something when it's up – I'd love to read it!)
I need to read this book! Everyone says its so good and I have yet to read a Gayle Forman book!
i love your review! I've read If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Foreman but I haven't got the chance to read this one, and since the second book was recently released Im planning to read it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! ^_^
Great review! Wow..I need to read this book. I wanted to feel young again. lol
So far all the books by Gayle Forman that I've read, I fell in love with. This sounds like a good book and I'm looking forward to reading it.
Awesome review. I am very excited to read this!
I absolutely adored this book too!
And, sadly, I have not read the second one… Can you believe that?!
It's a little ridiculous, but I have not borrowed it from the Library.
Yes, I am DYING.
Yay, so glad you loved this book as well!!! You're right, too – this book isn't just about that one day, and I love that about it. And the setting is just !!!!! <3 I love getting to see (read) parts of the world I haven't yet!