Lady Danielle

"Time stops for no one."

I'm jealous of anyone living in Europe. Since I was eight, I've always wanted to live in France. If you ask some of the people I hang out with, they'll most likely tell you I never shut up about it. France is my home. I want to go backpacking all over Europe to experience so many wonderful cultures, get to know the people, their religion, their food and language... Italy, Belgium, the UK, Sweden, Greece, Spain, etc. Europe is fucking perfect, no one will ever change my view on this. I'd pretty much do anything for a damn trip to certain countries in Europe and be happy about it... I'm still wondering why the hell this protagonist, Allyson, was so reluctant to go on this trip of a lifetime.

In the beginning, I wanted to shake Allyson and scream, "Why are you so damn ungrateful?!" For a couple of pages, she pretty much complained that her parents and her best friend dragged her on this trip that she had no desire to go on. I tried to tell myself some people hate travelling and leaving their country, but I can't even understand that. I'm not judging, I'm just... never mind. Anyway, I'm glad Allyson started to appreciate what was given to her and did what I would have done: go to Paris. I'm still going crazy over the fact it takes two hours to get to Paris from London... two hours. 

"... everything is happening all the time, but if you don't put yourself in the path of it, you miss it."

Is it possible for a novel to make me more wanderlust than I already am? I’m pretty sure Just One Day did just that. Forman’s writing is gorgeous; it felt as though I was in Paris for that one day with Willem and Allyson. I've never read any of Ms Forman's previous works; after reading this, I'm looking forward to doing so.

I now believe in the possibility of falling in love with someone in one day. I shouldn't, but I do thanks to Willem and Allyson. That's how cute and amazing Part One of Just One Day was... how believable, too. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling Part Two much, I'm guessing due to the fact Allyson is back in America and in college. We had to leave the beautiful descriptions of Paris; the bubbly feeling of adoration from the romance. Don't get me wrong, Part Two was more about Allyson realising who she was and that was done right, but I felt it was a bit slow and most of it was redundant. However, the last one hundred pages makes up for it all... just thinking about that ending makes my eyes water. Oh my god.

I give Part One: Just One Day 5 beautifully wanderlust stars and Part Two: Just One Year 3/3.5 stars.

(sighs) I knew Gayle Forman wrote this book just for me. I knew it.