Just One Day by Gayle Forman
Release Date: January 8, 2013
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Source: ARC for review
Rating:  
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository

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. – Goodreads

Review:
I went into Just One Day expecting to be swooning over the romance between the two characters, Allyson and Willem, but instead Gayle Forman had me gripped to Allyson’s journey of self-discovery. As much as I love a good romantic storyline, this focus made for a very gratifying read in a different way.

Allyson was an easy character to relate to — especially when I found her completely frustrating. While I could be sympathetic to her situation, there were points when I was internally screaming, “GET IT TOGETHER, GIRL.” And yet… I knew exactly what she was going through because Gayle Forman made the pressures and the disappointments that she faced very real. Allyson didn’t immediately bounce back from what she was dealing with, but she certainly grew and gradually allowed herself to be open to change. It was in those moments that I found myself really loving her because, no, things weren’t going to be smooth sailing just because, but she was willing to try. Gayle Forman has such a good grasp on the ups and downs of growing up and had Allyson navigating through in a realistic way.

I expect Gayle Forman will peel back the layers of Willem’s character in Just One Year, but I must say that I wasn’t too into him in this one. He’s mysterious for sure, but he’s simply too unpredictable for my tastes. I don’t know that I can really get behind the urgency between him and Allyson either, but I’ll wait and see what Gayle Forman has up her sleeve before I completely make up my mind.

While I may not have had an adventure abroad like Allyson (anyone want to sponsor me?), Just One Day is a book I found much to identify with. Oh, and that ending? NEXT BOOK NOW, PLEASE.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Release Date: April 5, 2011
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Pages: 264
Source: Purchased Copy
Rating:  
Buy It: Amazon | Book Depository

It’s been three years since the devastating accident … three years since Mia walked out of Adam’s life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Julliard’s rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia’s home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future – and each other. – Goodreads

Review:
Gayle Forman sure knows how to break my heart. It’s hard to say if I loved this or If I Stay more. Both absolutely hurt and made my heart ache, but this was a different experience as it was full of more bitterness than complete grief. There were moments when I felt Adam’s sadness, but it was easier for me to see how lost and self-destructive he had become.

Set three years after the accident, Adam should feel on top of the world with the success of Shooting Star and his new girlfriend. However, happiness is out of his reach due to the lack of closure in his relationship with Mia. Instead he’s left picking up the pieces of his past and wondering why he was left behind.

Though I enjoyed Adam well enough in If I Stay, this book made him a fully developed character with many layers to peel back. His pain was palpable to the point where it was easy to grow resentful of Mia for leading him on this path, albeit unintentionally. I was a bit worried that any development in Adam and Mia’s reunion would feel rushed, as they only really spend one day together, but Forman expertly wove their pasts with the present and, as the characters opened up to each other, I was consumed by so many of the emotions they had been wrapped in: anger, guilt, hope, relief…

On a more shallow note of sorts, I loved that this took place three years after the events in If I Stay. Not only did it make the characters – and us readers – feel their separation, but it also made the characters older! TWENTIES. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading about sixteen year olds as much as the next person, but it’s so rare to have characters closer to my age in YA fiction. Authors and publishers: more of these older characters, please!

I don’t think there will be more of Mia and Adam in future books, but these two that already exist will stay with me for a long time to come. I will definitely keep an eye out for more of Gayle Forman’s works because I have no doubt that she’ll continue to fill pages with the beauty of true human emotion.