Book Name: Just One Day
Author: Gayle Forman
UK Release Date: 2013
UK Publishers: Definitions (Random House)
Summary:
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.
Praise for Gayle Forman:
'Read it and weep.' Daily Mail
'Moving and heartwarming.' Guardian
'A book that makes you feel truly grateful to be alive.' Irish Independent
Review:
I seriously did not think I was going to enjoy this book because it's based on adventures across Europe, but I actually really did. In fact I didn't even like it. I loved it!
The writing in this book is brilliant! I never felt like there was anything wrong with the writing, it flowed, showed off the emotions of Allyson and the descriptions of each place she went; England, Paris, New York, Boston, Amsterdam was so clear and wonderful that you almost felt that you were there. Until you realise you're not there and then you're left disappointed.
The whole idea of just getting on a train to Paris is crazy, but it worked in this book. It gave me a thrill and seeing Willem and Allyson, or LuLu as he calls her together was like watching Christmas lights being turned on at Christmas, seeing fireworks on bonfire night. It was beautiful and magical. I just kind of wished that they worked it out because they are special when they're together, and I know she see's him at the end, but they need to be together NOW!
My only problem with this book was actually nothing to do with the writing or the characters or anything that included Gayle Forman. The main problem was the editing. You can clearly tell that the editor hadn't done a good job on this book. There were so many mistakes, such as words being the wrong way round, words missing like 'to' and 'the' and there was even an extra " after the person had finished speaking, and it did get on my nerves. But I tried not to think about it too much.
Overall, I give this book a 4.5 Stars! It's definitely one of my favourite contemporaries that I've read, and I was so sure it was going to get the full 5 Stars which is why I wanted it to succeed because only two contemporary books have 5 Stars. I knocked this down by .5 Stars because of the editing. However, I would highly recommend this book. Beautifully written.
Quote:
'Moving and explosive. Your emotions will be all over the place.' Bookbitchreviews.blogspot.co.uk
