Just One Day- Gayle Forman

Title: Just One Day
Author: Gayle Forman
Source: Bought New
Series: Yes
Rating: 4/5















Summary:
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.

Thoughts:

I fell in love with Forman's writing when I read If I Stay. This book does not disappoint, the beautiful, haunting writing that I loved from the first book that I read from her was also found in this novel. I laughed at times and felt like my heart was being torn out in others. Simply beautiful. I adored this book even thought at times I felt like my heart was being trampled.

Plot:

The pretense of having one day in a foreign city and having no idea where and what you want to do. I would love to do this. Just disappear for a day in a city and explore it, discover it's secrets. Allyson is given this opportunity when she meets Willem while he is performing Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. She spends the day in England and when she wakes up the next morning. Willem has disappeared into thin air.

Characters:

Allyson was a little bit flaky. I understood her pain of being left after an amazing day with in Willem in England but falling into a sort of depression and secluding herself from the world was a little irritating. I understand she thinks she has fallen in love but I could not get over how she allowed life to continue while she pined over Willem. There was Willem himself to contemplate. I thought he was a jerk in a way. I mean he disappears, Allyson has no idea where he has gone but I also understand that he made her no promises. I am a little torn on how I feel about him. If I was Allyson's friend I would think he was a complete and utter jerk but looking from the situation from the outside. I cannot completely hate him for what he did. The last character I feel who needs to be mentioned is Allyson's best friend who covers for her while she disappears to London. I sympathized with her because she's the one who has to pick up the pieces after Willem disappears.  I wish she could have somehow stopped Allyson or been able to go with her to protect her from what is coming.

The End

This ending was terrible in a good way. It looked like things were just going to be wrapped up nicely but no of course not. We are left with questions that are dying to be answered. I eagerly look forward to reading Just One Year. I wish I could have given this a 5/5 but Allyson was a hard character to connect with and so regretfully I can only give this a 4/5.