Book Review | Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Just One Day

Author: Gayle Forman
Published: January 8, 2013
Format: Paperback

Allyson Healey's life was already laid out in front of her by her parents. She then met Willem, a Dutch actor and a member of the Guerrilla Will, and does something crazy: She spent a day in Paris with him. Everything seems perfect even though they just met, until Allyson woke up the next day and found out that Willem disappeared. Set in present day, Allyson faces the challenges that keep on piling up (i.e. her grades are failing, her best friend is becoming a stranger to her), as well as meeting the expectations of her parents.

Allyson doesn't know the reason why Willem left her alone in the squat, and she eventually believed that it’s because he finally got what he want.  Determined to find an answer, she embarks on her own journey to find the reason why— even if there’s no assurance that she would find him — he left her that morning. The setting in Europe also adds flavor to the story, as well as how Shakespeare’s plays became an important part of Allyson and Willem's unusual love story.

As the story progresses, Allyson couldn't get Willem out of her mind ever since that fateful day in Paris. She kept on thinking what ifs, or if Willem searched for her when she left the squat. With her grades on the brink of failing, she resorted into focusing more on her studies. At first, she was the goody two shoes lady who follows everything what her parents told her, even though she’s against it. But along the way, she figured out that she need to go back to Paris, even if her parents were against it, and find Willem. This is the beginning of her transition from being the goody two shoes to the girl who found her own voice. Moreover, readers can easily relate to what Allyson’s been facing, because at some point in their lives, they've been there too.

Gayle Forman grabs the readers’ attentions once again in her new novel. Readers will surely fall in love with the enigmatic but happy-go-lucky Willem De Ruiter as he accompanies Allyson in Paris. With nothing but time in their way, Willem and Allyson made the most of their stay together in Paris, creating memories that will always stay with them forever.

Just One Day is a one-of-a-kind book that revolves around the idea of meeting that someone who’ll change your life and will leave the readers asking for more.