Book Review: Just One Year (ARC)

Just One Year (Just One Day #2)

by Gayle Forman

ARC, 336 pages
Expected publication: October 10th 2013 by Dutton Children's

Source: Publisher

Blurb:

The heartrending conclusion—from Willem’s POV—to the romantic duet of novels that began with Allyson’s story in Just One Day

After spending an amazing day and night together in Paris, Just One Year is Willem’s story, picking up where Just One Day ended. His story of their year of quiet longing and near misses is a perfect counterpoint to Allyson’s own as Willem undergoes a transformative journey, questioning his path, finding love, and ultimately, redefining himself.

Review:

This book is one of the reasons why we should always see things from the perspective of the other person. We've seen a chunk of Willem's life from the point of view of Lulu but in Just One Year, we get front seat to its entirety.

The story is told from Willem's point of view and picks up from where Allyson and Willem separated in Paris (not from where Just One Day ended as per the blurb above). In this book, the readers are enlightened as to what truly happened to Willem after his night with Allyson. Did he really leave her? Has he already forgotten about her? I'm not in the position to answer those questions for you but all I can hint for the fans is that the answers are pretty obvious. *wink wink*

I love this book to pieces but dang. You have no idea (unless you've already read this) just how frustrating this is. Seriously, this book has taken the word frustrating to a whole new level. I was constantly shouting WHAT?! and WHY???? and HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? and AFTER ALL THIS TIME?? @*#&(*@&!! But why, you ask? Because remember those places Allyson went to during the year? Let's just say they are connected to Willem. Yes, they are and I'll leave it at that.

In Just One Day, we saw how Allyson coped up with losing Willem after their night in Paris. We saw how she grew into an independent and strong-willed character. In Just One Year, I'm glad to report that Willem's also doing a job well done making amends with his troubled past. If Willem was the catalyst to Allyson's journey to self-discovery in the first book, Allyson is also Willem's trigger to his own. Most of the aspects that I loved in Just One Day are still present in Just One Year like the travels and the meeting of new people. I'm a little bitter though, because Willem is meeting new people and having intimate moments with some of them while knowing that Allyson is broken miles away.

Forman's writing is as brilliant and hypnotizing as with the first book. I devoured her words and the pages flew by quickly until there was only a few pages left and I was both yearning and dreading the ending. However, like in Just One Day, I didn't like its ending that much. Though that's just me wanting to see them all cuddly and sweet together but on the other hand, I loved how both book's ending finally merged together down into one story.

Also, I just want to note that Willem mentioned Adam Wilde here which means that Just One Day and If I Stay are set in the same universe and timeline! Now I want to see them all together. I wonder if they'll become bestfriends? Forman should really write about those four, lol.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Disclosure: This ARC was received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Just One Day

Just One Day (Just One Day #1)
by Gayle Forman
Hardcover, 368 pages
Published January 8th 2013 by Dutton Juvenile

Blurb:

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.

Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!

Review:

I knew I was living under a rock all those months of my blogging break but a month after that? I can't believe I only found out about this baby this week! I adored Forman's If I Stay and Where She Went so much so I downloaded Just One Day immediately to my cloudreader and read it to my heart's content. In. One. Seat. I didn't even know what this was about prior to devouring it. I just knew it was Forman so I had to download it. I rarely read books without ever checking out the blurb for fear due some traumatic experience but, a disappointment this was not *insert successful kid meme here* Though I think that If I Stay is still superior to this, Just One Day also delivers a good storyline with a likable narrator and a hot male MC.

Just One Day reminds me so much of another book that I thoroughly enjoyed, Kristen Hubbard's Wanderlove. Though the similarity ends with traveling, the love I felt for it was about the same as with Just One Day. In this book, we are introduced to Allyson (Lulu) and Willem. Two unlikely people teaming up for a journey of a lifetime (or in this case, a day). Where Allyson is self-contained and afraid of stepping out of her comfort zone, Willem is the guy who just goes with the flow, or accident as how he puts it.

Allyson and her best friend, Melanie, are on a post-highschool trip to Europe. It was almost perfect, except their Paris tour got cancelled. Enter Willem, the amateur Dutch actor, who randomly invites Allyson for a day trip to Paris. Allyson is not the type to break the rules but for some reason, the urge to go with this stranger was too strong and so on a whim, Allyson embarks on a one day (and one night) of adventure with Willem on Paris that started out great but ended way too abruptly and disastrously, leaving Allyson broken and full of unanswered questions.

Just One Day focuses on the aftermath of Allyson and Willem's day trip to Paris. It was only one day, but it changed Allyson so much and not for the better. She thinks she has found herself on Paris but when Willem left her, it was like she was lost again and worse, she couldn't go back to her old self. But with much courage and with the help of her friends (and Shakespeare) she sets off on another journey back to Paris to find the Dutch actor she knew nothing about except his name.

This book tugged at my heartstrings in the most delicious way possible. Forman's writing is so fluid and mesmerizing. Her words are hypnotizing. It was practically impossible to put this book down. I cannot emphasize how much I love the character development. Allyson started out as a weak character who's scared of taking risks but as the story progressed (with much thanks to Shakespeare) she finally started getting the balls and went against her parents's decision that she take up medicine and instead really going for the course she's happy with. It was the biggest risk she has taken next to her one day with Willem which also marked the start of both of her individuality and the plans search for Willem.

Though Allyson's main reason for going back to Paris is to find Willem, the entirety of the book isn't really about finding her almost-true-love rather, it's more about finding who she truly is and what she truly wants. And what a beautiful journey it was! Meeting Willem was merely the catalyst to her self-discovery and it is emphasized toward the end when she finally came to terms with her truth and accept it for how she sees it and being happy about it. I didn't really like the ending that much but the fact that Allyson was happy made me happy and contented too.

Just One Day is such an inspiring read. I was so envious with Willem and Allyson's random journeys that I was suddenly struck by an overwhelming urge to catch a random bus and get off on a random place and meet random people. The urge hasn't completely left my system, to be honest, and I swear that one these days, I'll do those things and find my very own accident too (hopefully not the deadly type).

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Book Review: Where She Went

Where She Went
by Gayle Forman
264 pages - Hardcover
Published April 5th 2011 by Dutton Juvenile
Source: ARC borrowed from Ms. Bethy (my tutor!)

Summary:

It's been three years since the devastating accident ... three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

Review:

If there was one thing I really hated about If I Stay, it was the ending. If I Stay was one of my best reads of 2010, but the ending seriously made me want to throw the book out the window. I adored Mia and Adam’s unlikely relationship so much. I wanted to know so badly what happened after Mia woke up; what they did a month later… a year later… Oh, was I obsessed! And now, here is Where She Went. The sweet things I dreamt of happening to them hardly did. 

In Where She Went, we get to see Adam three years after Mia broke all her ties with him, leaving Adam a total wreck. I knew Adam truly loved Mia, but the sorrow he went through after she left him was overwhelming. He resolved to isolating himself in his room for months. And the songs that brought him fame were the product of Mia’s disappearance from his life. He became withdrawn to everyone including his band. And even though he was with another woman, it was apparent that his heart still belonged to Mia.

Forman’s writing is really beautiful. She made Adam’s anger and sadness almost palpable. After three years, you’d think he would have moved on from Mia, but no. His feelings for her were as intense as they’ve ever been. But this didn’t mean that he was still the same person like he used to be. The difference between the ‘then’ and ‘now’ Adam was very apparent that it made the flashbacks more painful. The sweet Adam was replaced by an angst-driven boy who struggled to live through everyday - someone who had to give himself a pep-talk to have the courage to stand up and live a normal life when nothing seems normal at all. He has always loved making music, but when he finally got everything he has ever dreamt of, he still felt incomplete. Without Mia, he was a total wreck.

But despite all the heartaches and tears that I shed, I am still quite satisfied with the ending. I had to let out the breath I was holding by the end of the book. I don't want give away any spoilers, so I'll just stop here, but not without saying first that Where She Went by Gayle Forman was truly an amazing read. I felt an overwhelming amount of emotion, from sadness to joy, but it's truly worth it.

Rating: 5/5 stars