Friday, December 27, 2013

Book Review: Just One Day by Gayle Forman


Allyson Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase—packed, planned, ordered. Then on the last day of her three-week post-graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free-spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she’s not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. This uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: 24 hours that will transform Allyson’s life.
 
A book about love, heartbreak, travel, identity, and the “accidents” of fate, Just One Day shows us how sometimes in order to get found, you first have to get lost. . . and how often the people we are seeking are much closer than we know.





I adore books that are set in Europe, whether it be traveling or living; I think that they rock. I waited to read this book (for some strange reason) and it turns out it is phenomenal. SO GOOD. Brilliant, truly brilliant.

The first fifty pages were a bit slow for me, though. However, once she took off with Willem, I couldn't peel my eyes away from the page. There are so many themes and ideas about the identity of teenagers that runs so much deeper than just the simple words on the page. I related with Allyson so well in this. She exposed ideas that made me reconsider the definitions of the things I've been around my whole life. I never knew what to expect from page to page.

Forman immerses you this story. She drags you under and doesn't let you up for air until the last page. She attached me, made me cling to these characters I had just met. Dee, for example! He was such a perfect friend; I found myself smiling with happiness every time he appeared. He helped Allyson along her journey in so many ways. They seemed like such an odd pair at first, but now, I think they will be friends for the long run.

I literally do not have words to say. This book was amazing. Go read it. Come back and comment your thoughts.

Over and out,
Nerdalicious

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