Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Summary:
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! (from GoodReads)

Review:
I have not been this engrossed in a novel in so long - I literally could not put Just One Day down. I think it's an amazing novel and I can't wait for the sequel!

After reading Where She Went, Just One Day was a nice change of pace, even though some parts of the story are similar (long-lost love being one of them). It's crazy that these novels are by the same author because the voices are so different, but in a good way!

I was super jealous of Allyson because she travels so much in this book! We see her in London, Paris and Holland, but before the story begins Allyson was on a three-work tour of Europe. The travel bug in me has awoken and now I want to go somewhere fun. Thanks Gayle Forman. But seriously, the locations in this book come alive and I felt like I was there along with Allyson.

The main part of the story is Allyson's one day in Paris with Willem. I would never do in a million years what she did, that is go to a different country with someone I just met. Luckily for Allyson, Willem is not a serial killer but instead a pretty sweet guy. Until it appears that he abandoned Allyson in Paris, but I think there's more to the story than the readers realizes. Thus the point of the sequel!

The other half of the book is Allyson picking up the pieces after Willem's betrayal. I'm not a fan of mopey characters, but at least there is some great character development while Allyson is in college. She even challenges her relationship with her overbearing and protective mother and it was nice to see that development as well.

Of course the book ends on a cliffhanger, so now I'm dying for Just One Year, which is from Willem's point of view. Does this sound similar to another series?

Rating: 10 out of 10!
FTC: borrowed from the library.

2013/Dutton Juvenile/368 pages.