Author: Gayle Forman
Publisher: Dutton BYR
Publication Date: October 10, 2013
Pages: 323
Format: Hardcover/Own
Just One Day. Just One Year. Just One Read.
Before you find out how their story ends, remember how it began....
When he opens his eyes, Willem doesn’t know where in the world he is—Prague or Dubrovnik or back in Amsterdam. All he knows is that he is once again alone, and that he needs to find a girl named Lulu. They shared one magical day in Paris, and something about that day—that girl—makes Willem wonder if they aren’t fated to be together. He travels all over the world, from Mexico to India, hoping to reconnect with her. But as months go by and Lulu remains elusive, Willem starts to question if the hand of fate is as strong as he’d thought. . . .
The romantic, emotional companion to Just One Day, this is a story of the choices we make and the accidents that happen—and the happiness we can find when the two intersect.
Review: I really liked this book, however, I still like Just One Day slightly more. I really did like seeing Willem's side of the story though. We really see him change and grow throughout his story. We also see some amazing things happen in his life.
After the events in Paris, Willem seems lost. He doesn't realize exactly why he feels so down and lost for a while. He just tries going on with his life like he used to. Finding and sleeping with other girls. Going on his adventures and trying to lose himself in them. But he really struggles through this. No matter what he does, he just feels like its not what he wants, like there's something missing from his life. Eventually, he decides to make some of his adventures going looking for Allyson. While this doesn't prove fruitful, he does meet another woman, who ends up becoming a good friend for him and eventually opens up a huge opportunity for him in the end with his acting. Had he never went to Mexico to look for Allyson, and then went adventuring, he never would have met the person who would open up acting opportunities in the US for him.
I think this lost feeling was also good for him regarding his family. We know his dad died and his mom just disappeared to India and he didn't really talk much to anyone else. After getting lost and sick in Mexico however, he finally goes to India to see his mother. And while it starts off pretty rocky and bad, eventually they come to have a heart to heart. He opens up to his mom about Allyson and Paris and his mom completely lets her guard down. She cries because the story reminds her of her and his dad. She completely understands her son and this heart to heart finally changes the dynamic of their relationship. Eventually Willem goes home and lives with his uncle, who he finds out is having a baby. His family is expanding. This too makes Willem really think about his family and how he wants things to be going forward.
Near the end of the book he ends up in a play. He started out as the potential replacement to actually having to replace the main actor and take on the lead of the show. This is actually what leads him to get into contact with Kate, the woman he met in Mexico and seriously considering joining her acting troupe in the US, which is another life changing idea.
The ending, this was the only thing that really bugged me. It ended in the same exact way Just One Day ended, but from Willem's perspective. Instead of us seeing Allyson find his flat and knock on the door to find him, we see it from Willem opening the door of the flat to seeing Allyson standing there. It was the exact same ending but from the other perspective. I was really hoping we would have got more than that. I felt a bit let down by the ending even though of course it was still a happy ending. I feel like this really is what is keeping me from giving this book 5 stars.
