Just One Day (Just One Day,#1)

Summary:

"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!"

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Man oh man! What a great plot. What great writing! The story is told in two parts, which I didn't expect but TOTALLY makes the plot that much better!  This is just some fantasized hook-up on a summer trip to Europe. It explores raw human emotions we all have and I love it, especially because it is done in a way only Gayle Forman can do.

Allyson aka LuLu - watching her grow and truly find herself is what makes her great and even relatable. However, the character who really steals the show isn't Allyson, it isn't William. It is Dee. Dee is great and honestly can book #3 be about him?! Because there is so much about him that we don't know, but I want to know and I think that says a lot that secondary character can make you want to know more about him. William is intriguing and you can see why Allyson has fallen for him, but Just One Year (the sequel,which I just finished) tells a way better story of the person he is. 

I have said this before.. I got the privilege of meeting Gayle Forman at the Burbank Library last year and she made a slideshow and she read several long passages from the book and with those passages she told us the stories in her life that inspired them. It was beyond wonderful and honestly it felt like she had read to us most of the book. Boy was I wrong, this book has so much content and emotion. It is amazing and definitely a book I recommend. I was SO glad that I checked Just One Year out with this book, because I could not wait to find out William's side of the story.