Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Review: Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Just One Year
By Gayle Forman
Release Date: October 10, 2013
Series: Just One Day #2

Description:
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.


Review:

I was both excited and disappointed when I read through this book, especially since I had been waiting for it for quite a while and had finally gotten around to it.  I’ve always enjoyed Gayle Forman’s books and Just One Day was no exception so of course I couldn’t wait for just one year to come out.  There are so many things I still remember from the first book that really hit home like love being a stain that doesn’t go away.  So very much profound, but alas I was hoping this book started off where the last one let off, instead it starts off when Willem left Ashley and didn’t come back.

It was quite an adventure to follow Willem around from continent to continent.  You really see how care free he is and easy going with random people, but at the same time you see that vulnerability that he’s been hiding, that fear that he keeps pushing down and ignoring.  It all stems back to his family, his parents, that loss that he experienced and never fully getting through it, never really understanding what it is he is missing.  This journey took you all over the world and it was a pleasure to see him discover that he can have double happiness, discover that his family really does love him they just don’t know how to show it until they really do.  It really is the little things that count, the unseen things that count, the well wishes and hopes that count. 

Willem goes from Mexico to India and around Europe all the while trying to find Lulu, little did he know that she too was finding him as we saw in the first book, but this is Willem’s story. I know that some people didn’t like him in the first book but I definitely did and I was really interested in finding out his story so I was happy to have this chapter in his life.  He slowly begins to actually grow up and consider making roots somewhere, he finally knows what he wants and he will go for it.  That’s what I loved about this story the most that self-discovery of who you are and what you want to be, that’s always the most difficult part in life, finding yourself before you can find anyone else.

Overall this book was great and the only reason I was disappointed was because I wanted to see what happens after they meet again a year later, but the story I read was just as great because we got to see his side of things.  The settings, characters and realizations were perfect for this story and I hope there is more to it.  I really enjoy Forman’s writing style and the different worlds she creates, I have to say right now I really want to go get a backpack and randomly travel somewhere and see where my life will lead.  But I already have my roots down, it’s just fun experiencing them through other people.

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