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YA Review: Just One Day by Gayle Forman

12/12/2012

15 Comments

 
just one day cover
Just One Day (Just One Day, #1)
Author: Gayle Forman
Publication Date: 1/8/2013
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
[Goodreads|Amazon]

Blurb: A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay

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.

Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story--Just One Year—is coming soon!

Review:

Just One Day is a story of self-discovery sandwiched between the romance-heavy beginning and end, two stories in one if you will. High school graduate Allyson meets an amateur Dutch actor Willem during her post-HS culture tour of Europe and with a spontaneity unnatural to her throws away all her caution and embarks on a day trip to Paris with him. They spend a day (and night) together, and then it's over, abruptly. Allyson goes back home then, starts college and succumbs to ennui. Her already depressed state is made even more severe by hardships in college, intense helicopter parenting and lack of friends. But her experiences during that one day in Paris eventually encourage her to change her life in a major way and go back to Paris...

Melancholy. Sad. Depressing. These are the words that were constantly on my mind while reading Just One Day. I am not sure a tone like this can work for me for an entire romance story. I obviously like some drama, if I enjoyed Forman's very tragic previous novels (If I Stay and Where She Went), but even those books were based on a love story that started out as charming, happy, romantic, swoony. In Just One Day, on the other hand, it's all doom and gloom and sadness, from the beginning till the very end. I am sure I would have liked Just One Day more if the romance were more uplifting, interesting. I found it hard to care for Allyson and Willem. Allyson is a dull, passive narrator. Willem lacks charisma, charm, sexiness, humor even. Their one day in Paris is not romantic or fun in any way. I attribute my negative impression of this day trip to the flashbacks of Taken running through my mind and my concern for Allyson's safety, and to the general grimness of the whole European adventure. (While I do not doubt the accuracy of Forman's depiction of Europe, this depiction is just depressing, to exactly match the novel's overall dark mood. How can one be so miserable in a midst of so much diversity, culture, excitement and freedom? I don't get it.) If I had the experiences in Paris Allyson had in this novel, I would have considered such extended date a complete failure and a waste of time, and nobody would have gotten laid by the end of it. But this one day has a great effect on Allyson, and this part of the novel I never quite accepted or understood.

Because I mostly felt indifferent towards the romance frame of this self-discovery story, the middle portion of the book felt more compelling to me. It is especially compelling if you are looking for books with those notorious "new adult" experiences - exploration of life after high school, learning how to be independent from your parents, choosing an educational path that suits you and not people around you, finding new friends, getting your first job. I liked most of this middle, except maybe the part where Allyson handles her schooling - I don't believe that taking pottery classes instead of pre-med classes while your parents are paying $40K a year for your school is a responsible and mature thing to do, even if it makes you happy. (My philosophy is - don't trifle with other people's money, you can get your pottery classes for $80 at your local community college.) But Allyson's struggles with her parents and her diving into new friendships were the highlights for me.

It is hard to give this book a fair assessment, because so much of my dissatisfaction with this novel rests on my personal taste in YA romance. On a technical level, Just One Day is well written. For me as an opinionated reader, however, this story felt lackluster, with its unjustified main character's ennui, realistic, but grim portrayal of various European countries and unconvincing romance. I would pick Anna and the French Kiss over this novel any day. It's just much, much more fun. There HAS to be some fun in any romance, am I right?

3/5 stars

Tatiana's signature
15 Comments
Kyle link
12/12/2012 10:53:51 am

That stinks. Wasn't very crazy about If I Stay so I'll put this off for awhile I think.

Reply
Keertana @ Ivy Book Bindings link
12/12/2012 11:01:15 am

NOOO! :( I am so upset you didn't enjoy this more, Tatiana! It was your reviews of If I Stay and Where She Went that convinced me to give Gayle Forman a try and now I am utterly besotted with her writing. Just One Day is my most anticipated for 2013, but I've been seeing so many mixed reviews.

It seems as if you're not the only one who found Willem to be rather lackluster, a definite disappointment after Adam. Furthermore, I definitely agree with you about romances needing at least SOME amount of light and happiness and fluffiness. If I Stay was sad and depressing, but there was so much hope and the flashbacks all started out so happy, so there was more of an infusement of bittersweet, which I far prefer to downright unhappiness.

*sigh* From what you've said, I doubt I'll enjoy this one any more than you did, but I'll be reading it the day it releases regardless. It's like Bitterblue - I read your review, tried to change my expectations before reading it, and was still disappointed. I'm guessing something similar will happen with this one, but I can't resist giving it a try. It's Gayle Forman after all!

Do you think you'll give Just One Year a shot when it releases? I've heard a lot of reviewers remark that it might make them more inclined to like Willem and much like Forman's last duet, in which both the books really only complemented each other, I think they're hoping for the same situation with this. I definitely hope the next book is more gripping than this one was. Nevertheless, thanks for your well-written and honest review! I'll try to change my expectations before going into this one! :)

Reply
Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
12/12/2012 11:31:35 am

The positive thing I can say about this book is that a lot of your enjoyment will depend on how you feel about the pairing. If you end up liking them both, you will give the book a higher rating.

Keertana, I think I will read "Just One Year." Although I didn't fall for Willem, I am curious about his secrets. You don't learn very much about him in "Just One Day." I might like him more if I get to know him better.

Reply
Sarah (Clear Eyes, Full Shelves) link
12/12/2012 01:10:35 pm

I think this is a book that will really vary for people depending on their own experiences at this time in their lives. I found Allyson very "relatable" (I hate using that word, but it's true in this instance), particularly in the middle of book when she starts taking other classes than what she's supposed to be taking (I went through a similar thing my first year of college). And I really got Allyson's experiences in terms of her always just wanting what was expected of her rather than giving herself the space to figure out who she wanted to be. Basically, I had a lot of "I've been there" sort of moments while reading it.

But despite that I loved it, I really do think that this one won't be a universally embraced as If I Stay was--it's an odd, prickly novel and we really don't get to know Willem at all.

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
12/12/2012 01:38:32 pm

***SOME SPOILERS IN THIS COMMENT***

I did like that Allyson learned more about herself and became more independent...except that she totally backslid. She truly let a two-day relationship color her entire life. She didn't make friends because of it, she treated people poorly because of it. I wanted to root for her becoming the "Lulu" of her dreams, but even when she went back to Europe, that turned into a quest for resolution with Willem. I suppose I just think about all the people I know who've broken up after 5-7 YEAR long relationships, and how we (friends and family) have to be the support to help them find themselves again. It seemed a bit ridiculous that two days=months and months of recovery time. I think it is more two issues (the romance and the "finding oneself") and I did like that she was trying to become a better version of herself. (or at least a more authentic version) I just didn't like that it was framed with the romance.

I think you're right that this book will be more divisive than If I Stay/Where She Went. Despite not loving it, I will definitely be on board for book 2.

Reply
Sarah (Clear Eyes, Full Shelves) link
12/12/2012 01:41:36 pm

I am actually kind of annoyed I already read this book, because I would love for my book club to read it (we only read books none of us have read). I think this one really has some interesting "discussion points," as they say in book club speak.

Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
12/12/2012 09:07:30 pm

This is a good point, Flannery. I think maybe the book would have worked for me better if Allyson decided to change her life and take another trip to Paris, not to look for Willem, but to just have a travel experience on her own terms, independently.

Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
12/12/2012 09:01:38 pm

In this sense "Just One Day" reminded me a lot of "Holier Than Though." If you have experiences similar to Allyson, it will definitely be your fave, if not - then it's just an OK read.

And totally agree that "If I Stay" duet has a more universal appeal - death, grief, lost love. Whereas "Just One Day" will work better for someone with a specific set of college experiences.

Reply
Maggie, Young Adult Anonymous link
12/12/2012 06:55:26 pm

Question: Was it raining the day of the Twelfth Night performance? Since when is Shakespeare performed underground... in England?! Or anywhere for that matter?

I'm still really excited to read this, but I'm going in with modified expectations. Allyson seems to have a case of first world problems (not that there's anything wrong with that). Anyway, great review, Tatiana. I think it's easy to say "I loved an author's previous books so even though I don't love this one... 4 stars!" (I still hope I love this book though :))

Reply
Tatiana (The Readvneturer) link
12/12/2012 09:12:31 pm

"Underground" meaning with no legal permit in this case:) His theater group performs in public places, but with no papers to authorize it.

Allyson's are definitely privileged experiences. I am positive most of us would be ecstatic to just have an opportunity to travel abroad, comfortably, and would not spend our time there sulking about nothing.

Reply
Christina (A Reader of Fictions) link
12/13/2012 04:32:39 am

I see your point, I really do, but I personally wouldn't characterize this book as a romance. It HAS romance, but I don't think that's what it's really about. I read Just One Day as a coming of age story. Though Willem has a big impact on her, he's more representative of her own mental struggles to become an adult, separate from her parents' expectations than he is her epic true love or anything like that.

If I look at this book with an eye to romance, I would be dissatisfied as well. Willem does not make a good romantic lead by any means. He does however make an interesting character.

Reply
Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
12/13/2012 05:21:27 am

What makes this a romance for me (besides the fact that it is marketed as such) is that every change in Allyson, every action of hers is caused directly or indirectly by her relationship with Willem. Without him, she wouldn't have started attending her Shakespeare class, without the reason to find him she wouldn't have looked for a job, learned French, traveled, claimed independence from her parents, even sought new friends to help her with her search. She also spent the whole year apart from Willem, always thinking about him.

Reply
Christina (A Reader of Fictions) link
12/13/2012 05:29:37 am

I've learned that marketing can be a very bad way to gauge a novel's contents. A prime example is The Selection, which purported to be like The Hunger Games, which it has precisely nothing in common with aside from a female teen protagonist and a love triangle.

Willem did have a powerful affect on her life, but I don't know that that makes the book a romance, necessarily. That was the first time she did anything that she was not supposed to do, according to her parents' rules for her life. She did something crazy and didn't know how to handle it. I think she though about him because, with the way things went down, she could not decide whether it was proof that her parents were right and she should live their way. I didn't get the feeling she was in love with him, but she was obsessed with knowing what happened. I'm not convinced that it was entirely about HIM. I've always been the kind of person who cannot understand not knowing what went down, why things ended, so I get why it would irk her for a whole year.

Another aspect of her focus was that it was really the first time she let someone in. She only had that one, unreliable friend up to that point, and she finally thought she found a real connection. To have that dry up so suddenly and her childhood friendship to do the same, she doubted her ability to trust and to evaluate others. She wanted to know how much her evaluation of the situation was off.

By my personal definitions, I might term it a Romance, but not a romance, if that makes any sense.

Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
12/13/2012 05:39:24 am

It looks like we can at least agree that the self-discovery part of this novel is more compelling than the romance part?

Christina (A Reader of Fictions) link
12/13/2012 06:31:33 am

Yes, certainly. I felt a lot the same about this as I did about Before Sunrise, only this obviously shows past that one night. In neither did I feel that it was an epic love story, more about connecting with someone intensely and how that might not mean anything in the long term. I loved seeing that, because I don't think that's shown enough in literature for younger readers.




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