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Just One Day | April 24, 2013

by Gayle Forman (Jan. 2013, Dutton Juvenile/Penguin Books for Young Readers)

Can one day change the course of a life? ‘New York Times’ bestselling author Gayle Forman answers with a resounding “yes” while tugging at heartstrings in ‘Just One Day’, the first book in what is shaping up to be a beautifully-written romantic duet. As she proved in ‘If I Stay’ and ‘Where She Went’, Forman is a master of developing characters and portraying young love. In ‘Just One Day’, goody two-shoes Allyson first meets spontaneous Dutch actor Willem at his underground performance of ‘Twelfth Night’ during her pre-college trip abroad. The spark is immediate, so when serendipity strikes again and she sees him on her train, Allyson defies expectations and impulsively goes with him to Paris. They only have one day together before her return to the States, but she knows that it will change the course of her life. That is, until she wakes up the next day to find him gone. Forman draws readers into Allyson’s struggles and doesn’t let go through the next year of her life. The story follows her as she tries to break free of self-doubt and in looking for Willem, ends up discovering the person she really wants to be. The follow-up, ‘Just One Year’, will be published in the fall, and it will showcase Willem’s parallel journey during this year.

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