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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
~4.5/5
When I first got this, given Forman’s previous books and what I’d heard already about this book, I knew I would love it. It sounded great, fun, and I was intrigued to see where it ended, given the sequel. I still wasn’t too sure what it was about, though.
I will say that I loved it even more than I thought, and that’s mainly for the main character.
Allyson and Willem meet in Europe, where they spend one exhilarating, terrifying day in Paris. And then they separate, Allyson goes home to start college, and doesn’t know where Willem goes after that. Allyson spends the following year in her first year of college, away from home but still dealing with her overbearing parents, in a major she finds she doesn’t really like, not sure how to make friends anymore.
I related hugely to Allyson, with her depression and then figuring out how to stand up for herself and what she wants, and with making new friends and losing old ones. I loved her confrontation with her parents, as well as the way she explored what she wanted to do with her life, taking new classes, deciding to learn French and going after it. And even deciding to do a lot of it on her own.
I understood her frustrations so well, which made the second half of the book go by so fast.
I loved where she was at the end of the book. Who she was as a person, all of her struggles and coming out of it even better. I also loved all of the people she met along the way, especially her new friend Dee, and Wren.
I also enjoyed the way she went after Willem. I appreciated the way Allyson figured out how little she knew about him, and that he might not be what she remembered him as. And I really liked the way that the characters intuition worked, how they knew if things would work out or not, if they were right or not, and that sometimes you just have to go for it.
The ending was horrible and leaves me so wanting. It eradicates some of my worries, but also leaves me so confused and curious, and I seriously cannot wait to read the next one to find out what happened with Willem and what happens next.
This book was so good. I loved it way more than I even thought I would, and I can’t wait to read the sequel.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
When I first got this, given Forman’s previous books and what I’d heard already about this book, I knew I would love it. It sounded great, fun, and I was intrigued to see where it ended, given the sequel. I still wasn’t too sure what it was about, though.
I will say that I loved it even more than I thought, and that’s mainly for the main character.
Allyson and Willem meet in Europe, where they spend one exhilarating, terrifying day in Paris. And then they separate, Allyson goes home to start college, and doesn’t know where Willem goes after that. Allyson spends the following year in her first year of college, away from home but still dealing with her overbearing parents, in a major she finds she doesn’t really like, not sure how to make friends anymore.
I related hugely to Allyson, with her depression and then figuring out how to stand up for herself and what she wants, and with making new friends and losing old ones. I loved her confrontation with her parents, as well as the way she explored what she wanted to do with her life, taking new classes, deciding to learn French and going after it. And even deciding to do a lot of it on her own.
I understood her frustrations so well, which made the second half of the book go by so fast.
I loved where she was at the end of the book. Who she was as a person, all of her struggles and coming out of it even better. I also loved all of the people she met along the way, especially her new friend Dee, and Wren.
I also enjoyed the way she went after Willem. I appreciated the way Allyson figured out how little she knew about him, and that he might not be what she remembered him as. And I really liked the way that the characters intuition worked, how they knew if things would work out or not, if they were right or not, and that sometimes you just have to go for it.
The ending was horrible and leaves me so wanting. It eradicates some of my worries, but also leaves me so confused and curious, and I seriously cannot wait to read the next one to find out what happened with Willem and what happens next.
This book was so good. I loved it way more than I even thought I would, and I can’t wait to read the sequel.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
Didn't put it down until I finished it. I don't think she could have picked more themes to keep me engaged in this book: Shakespeare, languages, France, love, friendship, and even food. Allyson breaks free of the mold her parent's have shaped for her and that she's happily (so she thinks) lived in for 18 years to find a new path and a new self. Defined by the choice to take a chance one day with a guy (of course!) that single day propels her life in a new direction. Not a path without it's share of heartache or hiccups - but what path toward one's self is without detours, and small derailments - we follow along and see Allyson in a new true light.
It made me reflect on the times in my life when I've both done the unexpected and done the expected and the difference the two choices made in my life - which left me feeling whole and which left me feeling without. Gayle Forman does a masterful job of making Allyson's journey real enough that we get swept up in details and swept away in the story.
Looking forward to reading Just One Year from Willem's point of view later this year...
It made me reflect on the times in my life when I've both done the unexpected and done the expected and the difference the two choices made in my life - which left me feeling whole and which left me feeling without. Gayle Forman does a masterful job of making Allyson's journey real enough that we get swept up in details and swept away in the story.
Looking forward to reading Just One Year from Willem's point of view later this year...
I really loved this one. The characters were great and now I really really want to visit Europe.
I’m not going to lie, the first 100 pages or so were very “eh” for me, but I loved the rest of it. I like how it didn’t go the way I expected it to but in the best of ways! I don’t know if I’ll immediately read the sequel because I have 2 library books due in a couple days (yikes), but I definitely am interested in it.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A copy of Just One Day was provided to me by Dutton/Penguin Group (USA) for review purposes.
'We are born in one day. We die in one day. We can change in one day. And we can fall in love in one day. Anything can happen in just one day.'
Admittedly, I do believe I started this when I was in the completely wrong sort of mood. I totally killed this story for myself in the beginning and could not get into it. I was mentally flashing to scenes from 'Taken' and kept waiting for her to start using her brain and NOT get on the train with the complete stranger BY HERSELF to PARIS where she's never been before, barely has any money, and can't speak the language. I can understand getting caught up in the moment and feeling a connection to someone so much that you just lose yourself in the moment... but this was just downright reckless and so potentially dangerous that it sucked all enjoyment out of it for me.
Allyson was such a strange and unrealistic narrator. Always the smart girl, the girl who played it safe, and then she meets Willem and he unlocks a side of her that she herself didn't know existed. Allyson had been on a tour of Europe for several weeks but had never got to see Paris, so he asks for her to go with him there. And this is where I get even MORE disturbed. They have one single day in Paris and it ended up being the most random, jumbled and seemingly unenjoyable day. So it wasn't the type of day spent in Paris like you see in the movies but they didn't even DO anything! So much beauty surrounded them and for part of it they ended up taking a nap in the park? Are you kidding me? If I had a single day in Paris and I needed to nap I'd be pounding the red bulls and trying to get the most I could out of that day.
'We kiss again. This next kiss is the kind that breaks open the sky. It steals my breath and gives it back. It shows me that every other kiss I've had in my life has been wrong.'
I’m not saying that it’s impossible to meet someone and only after a single day they have somehow managed to change a piece of you forever. I believe that can happen; I’ve felt it. But I didn’t feel it while reading this and I was left dumbfounded and confused to what Willem did exactly to evoke such a long-lasting reaction. I just didn’t’ believe it strongly enough. My other issue was with the fact that she attributed this other her, “Lulu”, as a result of being with Willem. It was disheartening to see her give up that new her just because he disappeared. I would have liked to see her take the situation for what it was: a life lesson that opened her eyes to how different she could live her life and actually enjoy it in the process. But instead she crawled deeper into her shell than she had before.
The Ending. Spoilers! For real. Don't click.
Of course I have to read the follow-up because it’s obvious that Allyson was lacking in answers and I can only hope we receive some resolution (that is logical too) from Willem’s side of things. And hello cliffhanger, thanks for that. Not terribly pleased with the story itself but there’s really no denying it, Gayle Forman can write one entrancing story.
*All quotes taken are from an uncorrected proof*
A copy of Just One Day was provided to me by Dutton/Penguin Group (USA) for review purposes.
'We are born in one day. We die in one day. We can change in one day. And we can fall in love in one day. Anything can happen in just one day.'
Admittedly, I do believe I started this when I was in the completely wrong sort of mood. I totally killed this story for myself in the beginning and could not get into it. I was mentally flashing to scenes from 'Taken' and kept waiting for her to start using her brain and NOT get on the train with the complete stranger BY HERSELF to PARIS where she's never been before, barely has any money, and can't speak the language. I can understand getting caught up in the moment and feeling a connection to someone so much that you just lose yourself in the moment... but this was just downright reckless and so potentially dangerous that it sucked all enjoyment out of it for me.
Allyson was such a strange and unrealistic narrator. Always the smart girl, the girl who played it safe, and then she meets Willem and he unlocks a side of her that she herself didn't know existed. Allyson had been on a tour of Europe for several weeks but had never got to see Paris, so he asks for her to go with him there. And this is where I get even MORE disturbed. They have one single day in Paris and it ended up being the most random, jumbled and seemingly unenjoyable day. So it wasn't the type of day spent in Paris like you see in the movies but they didn't even DO anything! So much beauty surrounded them and for part of it they ended up taking a nap in the park? Are you kidding me? If I had a single day in Paris and I needed to nap I'd be pounding the red bulls and trying to get the most I could out of that day.
'We kiss again. This next kiss is the kind that breaks open the sky. It steals my breath and gives it back. It shows me that every other kiss I've had in my life has been wrong.'
I’m not saying that it’s impossible to meet someone and only after a single day they have somehow managed to change a piece of you forever. I believe that can happen; I’ve felt it. But I didn’t feel it while reading this and I was left dumbfounded and confused to what Willem did exactly to evoke such a long-lasting reaction. I just didn’t’ believe it strongly enough. My other issue was with the fact that she attributed this other her, “Lulu”, as a result of being with Willem. It was disheartening to see her give up that new her just because he disappeared. I would have liked to see her take the situation for what it was: a life lesson that opened her eyes to how different she could live her life and actually enjoy it in the process. But instead she crawled deeper into her shell than she had before.
The Ending. Spoilers! For real. Don't click.
Spoiler
I found the ending to be a bit of an eye roll, to be honest. After all that and it was just one big misunderstanding and he had likely just gone out to get them breakfast?? And then he gets detoured because he winds up in the hospital requiring stitches? (My theory is that those guys ended up catching him after all.) Meanwhile, Allyson is flailing around Paris because she was sure he had abandoned her. And then she spends the next year dwelling on it and why he left her? I don’t know, I just didn’t buy it.Of course I have to read the follow-up because it’s obvious that Allyson was lacking in answers and I can only hope we receive some resolution (that is logical too) from Willem’s side of things. And hello cliffhanger, thanks for that. Not terribly pleased with the story itself but there’s really no denying it, Gayle Forman can write one entrancing story.
*All quotes taken are from an uncorrected proof*
Read this entire novel on my flight home from Paris (it's 0kay, I'm rolling my eyes at myself too). WOW. What a storyteller Gayle Forman is. I was equally as gripped when I read "If I Stay" (come to think of it, also read in one sitting whilst traveling). This book made me want to take a Shakespeare class. It renewed my ever-growing wanderlust (someone turn this plane around!) I found myself somewhat sick of Allyson's whining relating all back to a boy, but when you really think about it, it wasn't about him. It was about who she was that day - she was her most authentic self. She let all her pretenses go and just lived, so when she returned to her normal, average life, she was suddenly unfulfilled. Her relationships were different. That day showed her the person she could be if she let herself and upon returning and starting college, she was being pulled between who she was expected to be and who she knew she wanted to be. That is so fucking relatable to so many people who go off to college and just want to succeed and have their families be proud of them, but also was to explore and discover and ultimately make mistakes, but learn and grow (cute run on sentence, me, but I can't help it!) Pretty sure I found my favorite character of 2016 in Dee - what a precious precious gem he was in this story. I was NOT expecting to truly love this story as much as I did and I know I will be revisiting it soon! Must also pick up the sequel!
My review can be found here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Great read, but found myself getting bored halfway through. And the end? FRUSTRATING!!!
This is one of those books that will stay with you for eternity. Breathtaking and beautiful.