Monday, September 15, 2014

Just One Day By Gayle Forman

Allyson Healey is on a school trip to England after just graduating from high school when she meets Willem De Ruiter, a charming Dutch boy, starring in an outdoor performance of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Allyson feels there's something between them, although she is not quite sure if it's genuine. And so she does something out of the ordinary and embarks on a amazing journey. Allyson and Willem jump on the Eurostar and head to Paris for the day, even though Allyson will have to be on a plane home in a few days. She doesn't speak French, she's never been to the city before, and she is hopeless at reading maps, so she leaves it up to Willem to show her the beauty of the city--until he disappears and she is left stranded.

I picked up Just One Day and assumed that Willem would leave Allyson. From the beginning of the story you know he is going to leave; you suspect as always that there will be a happy couple, but no. Willem leaving makes for a much more interesting and emotional novel.

Just One Day really shows us the briefest of romances. We can see how both Allyson and Willem get caught up in the moment, in what Paris means to them. In reality it's not romantic and life isn't a movie and no, an inspiring movie score will not suddenly start to play. I liked Just One Day because it wasn't your ordinary romance book; it has a twist that you see coming but the story keeps you interested.

Rating: 5

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