Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Summary:
Just One Day. Just One Year. Just One Read.

Before you find out how their story ends, remember how it began....

When he opens his eyes, Willem doesn’t know where in the world he is—Prague or Dubrovnik or back in Amsterdam. All he knows is that he is once again alone, and that he needs to find a girl named Lulu. They shared one magical day in Paris, and something about that day—that girl—makes Willem wonder if they aren’t fated to be together. He travels all over the world, from Mexico to India, hoping to reconnect with her. But as months go by and Lulu remains elusive, Willem starts to question if the hand of fate is as strong as he’d thought. . . .

The romantic, emotional companion to Just One Day, this is a story of the choices we make and the accidents that happen—and the happiness we can find when the two intersect.  (from GoodReads)

Review:
Just One Day was one of the best books I read last year. I loved it so much and I could not wait to read the companion novel. While I enjoyed Just One Year, I was also disappointed with the direction of the story.

What I was expecting (and hoping) was for a continuation of Just One Day so I could find out what happens between Willem and Lulu. The first book ends on a cliffhanger, which is why I was so excited to read the sequel. However, Just One Year begins right after Lulu's and Willem's day together and the timeline is pretty much the same as the second half of Just One Day. Needless to say, I was very disappointed that we didn't get any new scenes with Lulu and Willem! The book is pretty much Willem trying to find Lulu and his journey of self-discovery. There is still plenty of travelling for the worldly readers, but I didn't get what I was looking for.

I really hope that Gayle Forman writes another book with Lulu and Willem together because that's what I want to read!

Rating: 7 out of 10.
FTC: borrowed from the library.

2013/Dutton Children's/336 pages

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.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

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 Juilliard'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. (from GoodReads)

Review:
When I first heard that there was a sequel to If I Stay, I mistakenly thought that it was a retelling of the first novel from Adam's point-of-view. So I was surprised to hear that it's set in the future ... and Adam and Mia aren't together!

Even though we only get a glimpse of Adam and Mia's relationship in If I Stay, I still thought they were great together. I was even more curious now and wanted to see what happened to the loving couple I had read about before. Luckily for the readers, many questions are answered, like what happened after Mia woke up? Did she go to Julliard? Why did Adam and Mia break up? Will they get back together? The story is told in the present tense, and there are many flashbacks, both before and after the accident. I enjoyed reading about the evolution of their relationship, along with the personal lives of both Mia and Adam. It's especially interesting seeing Adam as a world famous rock star!

I know that some people will be annoyed by Adam as he is extremely whiny in the beginning. When he recounts his reaction to Mia leaving him, it's pretty sad. There's depression and anger and his emotions seem to be over the top. While I get that that would be annoying, I didn't mind too much. I was too engrossed in the overall story and writing to worry about some of the details.

Overall, I really enjoyed Where She Went. I love revisiting these characters to see what they've been up to and I think it's a great sequel to an already wonderful story.

Rating: 9 out of 10.
FTC: borrowed from the library.

2011/Dutton Juvenile/264 pages.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

"Just listen," Adam says with a voice that sounds like shrapnel. I open my eyes wide now. I sit up as much as I can. And I listen. "Stay," he says.

Choices. Seventeen-year-old Mia is faced with some tough ones. Stay true to her first love - music - even if it means losing her boyfriend and leaving her family and friends behind?

Then, one February morning Mia goes for a drive with her family, and in an instant, everything changes. Suddenly all the choices are gone, except one. And it's the only one that matters.

If I Stay is a heartbreakingly beautiful book about the power of love, the true meaning of family, and the choices we all make. (Taken from inside flap)

Wow, I haven't reviewed a book or anything in a long time! But now I'm back (now that swimming's over) and should have a lot more time for reading. Anyway, I loved If I Stay. I was so amazed that so much is going on in such a short period of time in this book. Mia is in car accident, and the story follows her as she is in this sort of limbo where she can see everything that's going on, but no one can see her. The author did a wonderful job of intertwining the present plot with past events and it's done so gracefully that you don't even realize the change. It just flows so naturally, it's like you know Mia's life story by the end of the book. Mia was an interesting character, and mostly because she's a cello player! For some reason I think t hat's so cool. I used to play clarinet, so I like all the music stuff. And the cello is something that not that many people play, so good choice Mia. But the cello is an important part of the story and serves as a source of conflict between Mia and her parents and Mia and her boyfriend. I also enjoyed reading about Mia's struggle to decide whether to stay or leave. Some good insights by Mia in her decision and I think that it's something we all think about - what would we do in this situation? Food for thought.

9 out of 10.