samanthajayne_x's review against another edition
1.0
https://samanthajaynegrubey.wordpress.com/2016/01/17/just-one-day-and-just-one-year-gayle-forman/
amaliea's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book a lot. The more I think about it, the more I love it. It's more of a 4.5 starts read for me.
valerylh's review
4.0
3.5 stars
This was a sweet, light read (in a YA kind of way). Oh, to be young again...
This was a sweet, light read (in a YA kind of way). Oh, to be young again...
pixelski's review against another edition
5.0
OHMYGOD. MY HEART. WHATTTTT. I NEED TO GET PURPOSEFULLY LOST IN PARIS NOW OR EUROPE IDK. I MEED JUST ONE YEAR GAHHHHH.
Review to come o.o
Review to come o.o
neenor's review against another edition
4.0
I AM TORN BETWEEN RATING THIS WITH FOUR OR FIVE STARS! You'd think that since I've read both If I Stay and Where She Went, I'd get used to Forman's happy but torturous endings, but nope, I fell for it yet again and am now wallowing in a pit of my own sorrow. I suppose that I had better explain.
As soon as I saw that Forman was bringing out another book, I added it straight to my TBR list - and when my school library received a copy, I think I was scarily close to dying from happiness! Reading the synopsis, I couldn't pick anything that I didn't love - awesome protagonist? Check! Hot foreign love interest? Check! Shakespeare? Yes! Travelling about and visiting new places? You bet! I began reading it straight away, and from the very first page, I was addicted.
As a nerdy bookworm who loves routines and planning, I instantly adored Allyson. I'm sure a lot of people could have easily found her irritating, but I couldn't pick a fault with her. Forman has always been great at really characterization and getting the character's to behave realistically, but I honestly think she has somehow managed to step it up a notch - Allyson was like an old best friend, and I fell into her story quickly and easily. I could relate a lot to her and her situation - I suppose in a way, I'm a bit sheltered from the world, what with my head constantly buried in a book. However, I do have impulsive moments, moments where it's like I'm an entirely different person - that happened to Allyson, and I got that. I understood her desire to be LuLu, and I yearned for the forward, brash, impulsive personality, too. I take my hat off to Forman for creating such a bridge between the reader and the book.
And Willem - PHEW! That's some hot sauce, right there! I just want to go up to Forman and say, I love your books but please stop making incredibly sexy male characters as I am starting to develop a very unrealistic expectation of men. That is all I have to say on the matter.
I loved the journey Forman took the reader through - the guesses and clues and puzzles to work out - I was constantly on edge, wanting to know what was going to happen next. It was a complete guessing game, and I honestly didn't foresee the ending. Though that's a point - the ending! One thousand nope's to what Forman put me through - I wanted the pair to meet back up and still be in love and to be perfect and gah! But of course that's too simply, too nice - so I am now left heartbroken and waiting for Just One Year, the companion to Just One Day but told from Willem's point of view, which I'm sure will be full of more tears and dead bunnies and pain.
I'm over-exaggerating, but the ending was painful and fabulous at exactly the same time. But in all seriousness, it was an amazing read. It's reignited my interest in Shakespeare, and I'm actually currently reading As You Like It. It's also made me contemplate taking a gap year after A-Levels and going travelling - something I'd never have thought of before, but if Allyson could do it, why can't I? For you contemporary lovers out there, this is your read of 2013.
As soon as I saw that Forman was bringing out another book, I added it straight to my TBR list - and when my school library received a copy, I think I was scarily close to dying from happiness! Reading the synopsis, I couldn't pick anything that I didn't love - awesome protagonist? Check! Hot foreign love interest? Check! Shakespeare? Yes! Travelling about and visiting new places? You bet! I began reading it straight away, and from the very first page, I was addicted.
As a nerdy bookworm who loves routines and planning, I instantly adored Allyson. I'm sure a lot of people could have easily found her irritating, but I couldn't pick a fault with her. Forman has always been great at really characterization and getting the character's to behave realistically, but I honestly think she has somehow managed to step it up a notch - Allyson was like an old best friend, and I fell into her story quickly and easily. I could relate a lot to her and her situation - I suppose in a way, I'm a bit sheltered from the world, what with my head constantly buried in a book. However, I do have impulsive moments, moments where it's like I'm an entirely different person - that happened to Allyson, and I got that. I understood her desire to be LuLu, and I yearned for the forward, brash, impulsive personality, too. I take my hat off to Forman for creating such a bridge between the reader and the book.
And Willem - PHEW! That's some hot sauce, right there! I just want to go up to Forman and say, I love your books but please stop making incredibly sexy male characters as I am starting to develop a very unrealistic expectation of men. That is all I have to say on the matter.
I loved the journey Forman took the reader through - the guesses and clues and puzzles to work out - I was constantly on edge, wanting to know what was going to happen next. It was a complete guessing game, and I honestly didn't foresee the ending. Though that's a point - the ending! One thousand nope's to what Forman put me through - I wanted the pair to meet back up and still be in love and to be perfect and gah! But of course that's too simply, too nice - so I am now left heartbroken and waiting for Just One Year, the companion to Just One Day but told from Willem's point of view, which I'm sure will be full of more tears and dead bunnies and pain.
I'm over-exaggerating, but the ending was painful and fabulous at exactly the same time. But in all seriousness, it was an amazing read. It's reignited my interest in Shakespeare, and I'm actually currently reading As You Like It. It's also made me contemplate taking a gap year after A-Levels and going travelling - something I'd never have thought of before, but if Allyson could do it, why can't I? For you contemporary lovers out there, this is your read of 2013.
octobertune's review against another edition
4.0
Read this review, and many more on my blog October Tune!
I am not usually a fan of romance books, but this one took me by surprise. It was mainly the fact that Willem’s Dutch that I wanted to read this book (because I’m Dutch myself), and I actaully really loved it.
The Characters – I didn’t really like Allyson at the beginning, but she grew on me. I did like Willem right from the start, but I actually started hating him after that, because of what he’d done (until I learned the truth near the end of the book, and I actually liked him a bit more after that).
I also almost immediately fell in love with Dee, because he’s just amazing and weird (in a good way) and I loved his friendship with Ally (yeah, I am going to call her that). Other than that, the other characters were good as well, but I didn’t really ‘connect’ with them as I did with Dee and Willem.
Also, perhaps a bit of a spoiler, but Willem’s last name is de Ruiter. And that is just the funniest thing ever, because the most famous brand of Hagelslag in the Netherlands is called de Ruiter (or Ruijter, I never really checked actually; but you pronounce it the same). Coincidence? I think not!
And the Giant (whose name I have currently forgot, sorry) in France made me sob a little bit. HE HELD ONTO HER SUITCASE FOR A YEAR. A YEAR!
The Dutch stuff – Of course, with a (main) character being Dutch, there was a lot of Dutch talking; Hagelslag, Gezondheid, Godverdomme. There was one tiny part that bothered (or well ‘bothered’, I was a bit confused about it actually) me a bit; the big departure board thing. In the book, it was said that it was in Amsterdam, but I have been to Amsterdam a lot in my life, and I don’t remember anything like that (sure, there are screens with departure times, but I am guessing that they meant the big blue departure board with the ratteling sounds and the nostalgia; because that’s in Utrecht. Or rather, was (rip beautiful departure board)). But hey, mistakes can (will and may) be made. And my favourite part of the book:
Perfect.
And Wren and Ally met up at ‘the white statue that looks a lot like a penis’, that made me laugh out loud because I know exactly which statue they mean; and then I told myself they should have gone to Rotterdam, where there’s a statue of Santa Claus holding a Christmas tree, but it looks more like a dwarf holding a butt plug.
The Romance - Like I said, not a fan of romance; and though this book felt a bit like ‘insta-love’ to me, I loved it. The whole romance part was quite short, tbh, and the rest of the book was actually more Ally trying to get over/find Willem, but I liked it. I can’t say I actually ship them, but I would like to read more about them being together and talking about stuff (like hagelslag).
The Plot – I must admit, I am not a fan of Shakespeare, but I liked that the story kind of revolved around his plays, and yeah well, I just loved the story. I don’t really know what else I can say about it, I loved reading about Ally’s life after Willem, and the trip’s she’s made, the things she’s done.
The Writing – I really like Gayle Forman’s writing. I enjoyed reading If I Stay (and I am ashamed to say I still need to read Where She Went), and that’s also a main reason I bought this book. I am definitely going to read Just One Year, because I want to read more about Ally and Willem; and I have also added Where She Went to my 2014 reading list!
One more quote, that actually made me sob with laughter:
Mainly because I love the Hobbit, and because of Orlando Bloom; who plays Legolas in the Hobbit. Yeah, I have weird humour. Sorry.
Anyway, I loved this book, and if you want to read a nice romance-y book, I suggest you pick up Just One Day!
I am not usually a fan of romance books, but this one took me by surprise. It was mainly the fact that Willem’s Dutch that I wanted to read this book (because I’m Dutch myself), and I actaully really loved it.
The Characters – I didn’t really like Allyson at the beginning, but she grew on me. I did like Willem right from the start, but I actually started hating him after that, because of what he’d done (until I learned the truth near the end of the book, and I actually liked him a bit more after that).
I also almost immediately fell in love with Dee, because he’s just amazing and weird (in a good way) and I loved his friendship with Ally (yeah, I am going to call her that). Other than that, the other characters were good as well, but I didn’t really ‘connect’ with them as I did with Dee and Willem.
Also, perhaps a bit of a spoiler, but Willem’s last name is de Ruiter. And that is just the funniest thing ever, because the most famous brand of Hagelslag in the Netherlands is called de Ruiter (or Ruijter, I never really checked actually; but you pronounce it the same). Coincidence? I think not!
And the Giant (whose name I have currently forgot, sorry) in France made me sob a little bit. HE HELD ONTO HER SUITCASE FOR A YEAR. A YEAR!
The Dutch stuff – Of course, with a (main) character being Dutch, there was a lot of Dutch talking; Hagelslag, Gezondheid, Godverdomme. There was one tiny part that bothered (or well ‘bothered’, I was a bit confused about it actually) me a bit; the big departure board thing. In the book, it was said that it was in Amsterdam, but I have been to Amsterdam a lot in my life, and I don’t remember anything like that (sure, there are screens with departure times, but I am guessing that they meant the big blue departure board with the ratteling sounds and the nostalgia; because that’s in Utrecht. Or rather, was (rip beautiful departure board)). But hey, mistakes can (will and may) be made. And my favourite part of the book:
Ally: *Sneezes*
Willem: “Gezondheid.”
Ally: “Hagelslag.”
Perfect.
And Wren and Ally met up at ‘the white statue that looks a lot like a penis’, that made me laugh out loud because I know exactly which statue they mean; and then I told myself they should have gone to Rotterdam, where there’s a statue of Santa Claus holding a Christmas tree, but it looks more like a dwarf holding a butt plug.
The Romance - Like I said, not a fan of romance; and though this book felt a bit like ‘insta-love’ to me, I loved it. The whole romance part was quite short, tbh, and the rest of the book was actually more Ally trying to get over/find Willem, but I liked it. I can’t say I actually ship them, but I would like to read more about them being together and talking about stuff (like hagelslag).
The Plot – I must admit, I am not a fan of Shakespeare, but I liked that the story kind of revolved around his plays, and yeah well, I just loved the story. I don’t really know what else I can say about it, I loved reading about Ally’s life after Willem, and the trip’s she’s made, the things she’s done.
The Writing – I really like Gayle Forman’s writing. I enjoyed reading If I Stay (and I am ashamed to say I still need to read Where She Went), and that’s also a main reason I bought this book. I am definitely going to read Just One Year, because I want to read more about Ally and Willem; and I have also added Where She Went to my 2014 reading list!
One more quote, that actually made me sob with laughter:
“Orlando,” said the Hobbit.
Mainly because I love the Hobbit, and because of Orlando Bloom; who plays Legolas in the Hobbit. Yeah, I have weird humour. Sorry.
Anyway, I loved this book, and if you want to read a nice romance-y book, I suggest you pick up Just One Day!
thechaoshour's review
2.0
Thoughts When I Finished:
Disappointment was my first emotion. There was a lot of hype surrounding this book and I knew I’d be at least a little disappointed but I ended up really not liking this book.
What I Loved:
Not much to be honest. I think the only part I liked was the beginning. Allyson meets a cute boy and sneaks off to visit a city in one day. It seems cook right? It was! The book felt so promising after that beginning that I was forgetting about how I didn’t like the main character. It was spontaneous and cute and I was very interested.
I will give a point to the author for being a good writer though. Her writing was very nice and flowed smoothly.
What I Didn’t Like:
I couldn’t stand the main character, Allyson. Everything she did and said annoyed me to death. I couldn’t get past how much I didn’t like her and it made the book worse for me. I found that even though she was trying to be adventurous and spontaneous when she goes to Paris, all she ever does while she’s there is question herself and the boy and her decisions. I got tired of listening to all her little insecurities, which I know we all have, but come on. Even when she goes back home she’s unhappy and does nothing to change it. She doesn’t like her classes that her mom told her to take? Great then grow up and pick your own classes. It just drove me insane. I’m sure a lot of people can relate to her but I think my personalty is just so different from hers that I could never like her.
I found the plot to be a little weird. The beginning was great and all this stuff was happening and then…she goes homes. It felt like the plot buildup was at the start instead of the end where it normally is. I think this is mostly why the book fell flat for me. We were in Paris and having a good time and then all of a sudden back to the US with no questions answered. It felt like the book was almost finished and then restarted.
Who I’d recommend To:
I don’t think I’d actually recommend this book to anyone. A lot of people seem to love it but if you’re not a big contemporary reader, like myself, then maybe don’t pick this one up.
Quick Review:
While I’m sure there’s a lot of people who would love this book, I was not one of them. It’s hard to read about characters you have a clashing personalty with and that’s not the author’s fault. It was still beautifully written and not too badly paced for a contemporary book. If you’re not a big fan of contemporaries on a good day then maybe you should skip this one. Otherwise give it a shot and maybe you’ll fall in love!
Disappointment was my first emotion. There was a lot of hype surrounding this book and I knew I’d be at least a little disappointed but I ended up really not liking this book.
What I Loved:
Not much to be honest. I think the only part I liked was the beginning. Allyson meets a cute boy and sneaks off to visit a city in one day. It seems cook right? It was! The book felt so promising after that beginning that I was forgetting about how I didn’t like the main character. It was spontaneous and cute and I was very interested.
I will give a point to the author for being a good writer though. Her writing was very nice and flowed smoothly.
What I Didn’t Like:
I couldn’t stand the main character, Allyson. Everything she did and said annoyed me to death. I couldn’t get past how much I didn’t like her and it made the book worse for me. I found that even though she was trying to be adventurous and spontaneous when she goes to Paris, all she ever does while she’s there is question herself and the boy and her decisions. I got tired of listening to all her little insecurities, which I know we all have, but come on. Even when she goes back home she’s unhappy and does nothing to change it. She doesn’t like her classes that her mom told her to take? Great then grow up and pick your own classes. It just drove me insane. I’m sure a lot of people can relate to her but I think my personalty is just so different from hers that I could never like her.
I found the plot to be a little weird. The beginning was great and all this stuff was happening and then…she goes homes. It felt like the plot buildup was at the start instead of the end where it normally is. I think this is mostly why the book fell flat for me. We were in Paris and having a good time and then all of a sudden back to the US with no questions answered. It felt like the book was almost finished and then restarted.
Who I’d recommend To:
I don’t think I’d actually recommend this book to anyone. A lot of people seem to love it but if you’re not a big contemporary reader, like myself, then maybe don’t pick this one up.
Quick Review:
While I’m sure there’s a lot of people who would love this book, I was not one of them. It’s hard to read about characters you have a clashing personalty with and that’s not the author’s fault. It was still beautifully written and not too badly paced for a contemporary book. If you’re not a big fan of contemporaries on a good day then maybe you should skip this one. Otherwise give it a shot and maybe you’ll fall in love!
deepower's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like this book could also be titled, "Exactly What Not to Do When You're on Vacation and Have No Knowledge of the Country or the Language, Little Money and No Cell Phone". But that's just me.
lifeofaliterarynerd's review
5.0
“Part of me knows one more day won't do anything except postpone the heartbreak. But another part of me believes differently. We are born in one day. We die in one day. We can change in one day. And we can fall in love in one day. Anything can happen in just one day."
Just One Day was one of my first memorable introductions into YA many years ago, and this reread has reignited a love for contemporary that I’m sure will stay until summer is over. We follow by-the-book Allyson as she takes a detour with a stranger to spend a day in Paris that makes a lasting impression.
Things I Liked
This book was made to be read in summer - It’s spontaneous, dramatic, and addicting. Who doesn’t love roadtrip books in the summer and seeing Allyson’s wonder was great.
I love the romance in the story. It’s supremely fluffy and cliche and all the feel-good things I want in a summer read. Allyson and Willem have undeniable chemistry and I love that we get to see them form this genuine connection that impacts each person.
I like the growth that Allyson goes through. In the beginning of the story, Allyson is unsure about her direction and her personality can be immature and petty, but I love that we get to see her in college (more college YA please). We see her struggle and realise who she wants to be. She finds a drive within herself and it’s fantastic.
All the Shakespeare was fantastic and definitely added to the romance in the story. I loved the Guerrilla Will plays we see in the story, but also the Shakespeare Out Loud class - and Dee, who become’s an amazing friend as well.
Things I Didn’t Like
I forgot how abrupt the ending is, like I need to pick up the companion ASAP. I literally groaned in frustration.
I would have liked to see more from Allyson and Mel’s friendship. But it also felt true to friends growing up and not being as close as they once were, so I can’t really be mad at it.
I’m now convinced that Gayle Forman is one of my favorite contemporary authors, who I will gladly reach for anything they write. Just One Day is a story of adventure, growth, regret, uncertainty and the journey you go one to find your path. It’s just such a classic and will go down as one of my favorite books.