shaylee_reads's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Ratings:
Plot:⭐⭐⭐/5
Writing:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
Overall:⭐⭐⭐.75/5
Romance:❤️❤️❤️❤️/5
Diversity: A POC and queer side character.
Tropes: One day romance
Just One Day by Gayle Forman is the first book in the Just One Duology and it follows Allyson Healey, who is on a trip exploring Europe when one day she meets a young Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter, who is the exact opposite of Allyson- A laid back, traveler, who never stays in the same place for too long, and is always up for an adventure- Willem convinces Allyson to come with him to Paris for just one day. After a day of romance and adventure Allyson wakes up to find Willem is gone and she is all alone in a place that she has never been. After a year of trying and failing to get Willem out of her head, Allyson decides to go back to Paris and try to find Willem or at least some answer.
I went into this book expecting a cute romance in Paris but no instead I found a book not only about finding lost love but finding yourself. Just One Day tells a very important story about a young girl who came to realize that she wasn’t truly being herself but instead was being the person that her parents wanted her to be. This book is a story about finding out who you truly are and who you want to be, which I had not expected but loved the surprise aspect of this book.
Don’t get me wrong there is defiantly some romance in this book which I had adored though it really isn’t the main focus of the book which I honestly enjoyed, I enjoyed watching not only their relationship growing but also watching them grow. Forman really knows how to write a romance that you just can’t help but swoon for.
I have read one other book by Gayle Forman, I Was Here, and though that wasn’t my favorite book I've read there are two things that I enjoyed a lot about Forman’s writing was first the romance and second was the fact that she didn’t shy away from talking about sex. I’ve noticed that in a lot of YA books the authors don’t really talk about sex and when they do they shy away from it which honestly doesn’t make sense to me because all of us have been teenagers once and we are all fully aware that most teenagers are either having sex or know a lot about it. I’m not saying that YA authors need to have graphic sex scenes in their books but I do think that it's important that they at least talk about it because ultimately that is the reality of life, teenagers aren't oblivious to sex honestly it's quite the opposite.
The only thing that I disliked about this book is the ending, honestly, I was disappointed in the ending or the lack of one, I just wish we had gotten more at the end.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and had gotten a lot more out of it than I had expected and honestly after finishing I Was Here by Gayle Forman and not loving it, I didn’t really have any plans to read her other books but this book has changed my mind. I am definitely going to pick up some of her other books in the future. I think this book is a really cute romance that is perfect for the summertime.
Content Warnings
Minor: Hate crime and Racism
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