Just One Day by Gayle Forman
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.”
Jen’s Review
Once again, Gayle Forman delivers!
This is a book I’ve been meaning to read all year long, and I finally got around to it. Thank goodness, too! Just One Day was wonderful. It’s more than a tale about lost love. It’s about finding oneself, too. It’s about how one day can change your life–how one day can change you. Shells can be broken, fears obliterated, and personal identities transformed. You can go from being weak to strong, scared to brave, cookie cutter to unique.
“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.”
The things I love about Gayle Forman’s books are they aren’t cliche, predictable or particularly easy. Fear not, when I say “easy”, I’m not referring to the actual writing. That’s simple, smooth and enjoyable. I’m referring to the actual content. Gayle Forman is a master of conflict. She knows how to weave a story in such a way that the reader is simultaneously frustrated and satisfied. You want something to happen, but then something else happens that takes you in the opposite direction. And at first you’re all angry and confused about that direction, but as the story continues down that waylaid path you realize, “Oh, this is good. Very good.”
“Then he opened it for me. Held my hand as I walked through it. And for one perfect day, I was on the other side. I was somewhere else. Someone else. And then he was gone, and I was thrown back into my little room. And now, no matter what I do, I can’t seem to find that door.”
Just One Day is truly all about self-discovery. And not just for Allyson (aka, “LuLu”), but for the reader too. You’ll learn things about yourself you never knew, and question things you never questioned before. I know I did. And, more than anything, you’ll want to be “LuLu” for a day. Just one day. 🙂
“’C’est courageux d’aller dans l’inconnu’: It is courageous to go into territory unknown.”
I’m already on the waiting list at the library for Just One Day’s sequel, Just One Year. And I can’t wait to read it!
Jen’s Rating:
Read more about Just One Day here!
Related articles
- In Review: Just One Day (Just One Day #1) by Gayle Forman (kimberlyfayereads.wordpress.com)
- ARC Review: Just One Year (innocencewalker.wordpress.com)
- Book Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (jenspenden.wordpress.com)
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