Just One Day by Gayle
First in the Just One Day duet
5 stars
Allyson Healey has always been the good girl. She does whatever she can to win the approval of her parents. Even the European tour she’s on is because of them. When she meets a freelance Dutch actor, Willem de Ruiter, she is immediately entranced by him. He brands her with the nickname Lulu and offers to take her to Paris for just one day. With this trip brings a love Allyson doesn’t know if she can let go and the truth about her and who she is as a person. You know what I love about Gayle Forman? I love her writing and how easily I become immersed in it. One of the things I’ve noticed about Forman is that when I read her books I start to feel the same emotions the main character does. I felt like Mia and Adam in the If I Stay books and I felt just like Allyson in Just One Day. I went through her motions and looked at everything in a different perspective. I love when a book can make me notice things I normally wouldn’t pay attention to or when a book makes me feel. Oh boy did this book make me feel.
The main female character is Allyson. Allyson is not a remarkable character at all, but I connected with her. I understood her pain, questions, depression, thoughts, and sarcastic attitude. Allyson’s trip to Paris made me want to go to Paris. I’ll let you guys in on a little secret. I absolutely can’t stand French because I hated it in middle school (even though I only took it for three years), but this book and Allyson’s thoughts and feelings towards Paris made me fall in love with the city. It also probably helped that Williem was with her, but I’ll get to him later. Allyson’s journey taught me a lot about life in ways I wasn’t expecting. I knew this book would be about self-discovery but I didn’t think about how much this book would impact me. Even with Allyson’s thoughts on the first page I knew right away that I would love Just One Day. I saw her life unfold and choices being made. This book taught me a small lesson that in comparison isn’t as big as the others but it’s in my mind most often than not now days. People change quickly every day a person makes a decision or choice that shapes or changes them. This change isn’t bad or good, but necessary and with this change it affects the people around this one person. Even if it’s as simple as whether or not this person goes out to a party or stays home. I’m starting to ramble now and I could go on and on about life lessons all day. I loved how we saw Allyson start out as Allyson and become Lulu in France and then Allyson lost herself only to find who she was in the end. We saw friendships breakup and new ones form. I enjoyed all the Shakespeare in this book. It made me want to go to a play. Allyson drives this book for me and her journey is what made me love it so much.
Kick-Butt Heroine Scale: 10
The main male character is Williem. Williem is swoon worthy in every aspect of the term and usually I would be gushing about him, but like Allyson I need to know the whole story. I want to know why he took Allyson to Paris and even though I have some closure it’s not enough. I need Just One Year because I need to know about Williem and why he does what he does. He’s a huge player and I’m not sure how his story will play. I know what I want to happen, but you never know what Forman will bring to the table. I don’t know what to think about Williem. At times I was as in love with him as others and mostly I just feel numb towards him. Just One Year I’m ready for you.
Swoon Worthy Scale: 8.5
The Villain- Guess what? There’s no villain and this book doesn’t need some person to screw things up for Allyson and Williem although I’m sure problems will arise in the sequel, but this book doesn’t need it.
Villain Scale: UNNEEDED
Melanie had always been there for Allyson and it was tough watching both of them drift apart, but it was also so real. Dee is my favorite character hands down in this novel. He made me laugh with his voices and I just really liked him. I didn’t like Allyson’s roommates at first, but as they became friends I started to like them. I liked Allyson’s mom, not always, but I didn’t hate her. I felt like she was necessary to the story and that her involvement and overbearingness towards Allyson was real. Allyson’s grandma doesn’t play a key role, but she was really funny and I enjoyed the moments she was there. There are a lot more characters, but of course I can’t go through all of them because like every true journey you meet thousands of people.
Character Scale: 10
Forman, I will read anything by you. If you write a how to guide on the most boring hobby in the world I would even read it. This book was perfection. I cried, laughed, and went through a journey. Just One Day was absolutely amazing and that ending was completely unfair because I really want Williem’s story now.
Cover Thoughts: I love this cover. It fits the story perfectly and it’s so glossy. Everything about the cover is perfect even the watch. A cover with a person on it done right. This calls for a happy dance!
Or a spazz attack.
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