11/30: Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Just One Day by Gayle Forman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Read from April 24 to May 03, 2013
Format: Hardcover

From Goodreads: 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.

I wanted to gush about this book. I loved Forman's other books. I just can't. It was good, but not gush-worthy.

I love Gayle Forman's writing. She has a way with words that really sucks you into the story. The descriptions of Paris and Amsterdam made me want to be there... RIGHT NOW. Getting lost in Paris sounds like the perfect way to fall in love with the city.

I didn't love Allyson. She seemed like a smart, strong girl that completely cracked, which threw me off. I've seen incredibly gifted, smart women crack under pressure, so I get that it happens. I know that the point of the book was to show that "one day" can make all the difference, it just seemed unrealistic for me. I didn't get to the point of feeling what Allyson felt, and I think that is what was missing for me. Perhaps it had more to do with her first time, than "being in love" but I didn't see the part where it ruined her life.

I also didn't fall in love with Willem. He just wasn't that guy that would sweep me off my feet like he did Allyson. He wasn't overly romantic to me and he didn't strike me as the guy you'd lose grades over. He was a fling. Love comes and goes and I really didn't feel like he was in love with Allyson at all.

I'm torn on this book. I liked it, but not enough to say "Read this one, it's awesome". I would definitely recommend it for those that love Forman's other books because she is an amazing writer.
I likely won't read the next one. I didn't care enough about Willem to want to find out what happened to him in the next book Just One Year

View all my reviews