Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Just One Day (Just One Day, #1)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Just One Day

(Just One Day #1)

Gayle Forman (Goodreads Author)

3.99 · Rating details · 81,215 ratings · 8,087 reviews

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, unt ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 369 pages

Published January 8th 2013 by Dutton Juvenile

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Just One Day, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

YA Novels of 2013

1,574 books — 11,012 voters

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

2013 Contemporary YA

203 books — 1,496 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.99 ·

Rating details

· 81,215 ratings · 8,087 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Just One Day (Just One Day, #1)

May 03, 2015 Zoë rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

THIS WAS SO GOOD! I read this while traveling which was the BEST idea. I love how we got to experience so many different countries and meet so many different people without the story getting confusing. Allyson grew so much as a character and ahhhh I just loved it! Now I definitely have to go out and get Just One Year and read it ASAP.

flag 268 likes · Like · see review

Oct 22, 2012 Ariel rated it really liked it

Shelves: favourites

January, 2016: "My first read of the year is always a reread and this year I've chosen to reread this book which I loved my first time round! I want to go back into the love of travel and growth of the main character! Hope I love it as much this time!" I tried to read this but had to stop. I wasn't enjoying it and it was tearing up a loved memory for me. Here's a video about the idea of reading books at the perfect time: https://t.co/1k7Ox6fSRF

October, 2013:
Just One Day blew my mind. It took me January, 2016: "My first read of the year is always a reread and this year I've chosen to reread this book which I loved my first time round! I want to go back into the love of travel and growth of the main character! Hope I love it as much this time!" I tried to read this but had to stop. I wasn't enjoying it and it was tearing up a loved memory for me. Here's a video about the idea of reading books at the perfect time: https://t.co/1k7Ox6fSRF

October, 2013:
Just One Day blew my mind. It took me all over the world and blew my mind.

I have recently been craving this book, CRAVING IT LIKE TURKEY DINNER TWO DAYS BEFORE THANKSGIVING, and I received it for my birthday! I dove right in.. and then kept swimming, and didn't stop for a breath until I finished this beautiful beautiful book.

I HAVE A LOT OF THINGS TO TALK ABOUT, SO LET'S GO:

Format: I loved the format of this book so very much. Almost the first half of his book takes place over just one day: the whirlwind adventure and romance of Allyson and Willem. The second part of the book then covered an entire year. It was really impactful having such a huge part being such a short amount of time, because after Part One as a reader I felt what Allyson felt: SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED AND IT'S ONLY BEEN A DAY! It felt like an entire novel all on its own! Then we fly through an entire year.. it really illustrated how important a day can be.

Characters: There were actually a lot of characters in this book, and they all felt so genuine and critical! I loved that we interacted with so many different people and that even if their impact on Allyson's life was small, it was felt. I really liked Allyson as a main character: if other authors had written her she might have actually gotten annoying, but Gayle Forman wrote her in a way that I always felt like Allyson was on the edge of understanding and that she really wanted to figure it out even if she didn't know how. I felt hope for her. And as for Willem, it's fascinating that we really don't know that much about him. It reminds me of Looking for Alaska, where when Alaska disappears you long for her but you then realize that you really know nothing about her! I felt the same here: I wanted Allyson to find Willem, and I felt attached to him, but really I didn't know him at all!

Settings: Like eating all of the desserts. All of them. I love reading about different cultures and different settings, and this book did NOT disappoint. MOST of the book took place in Paris, which was gorgeous and lush and grimy and glorious, but we also visited London, Avon-Upon-Stratford, Amsterdam, and near-Boston. So many places where I actually felt like I was IN the places, not just looking at them. I was so absorbed in the surroundings that I was constantly immersed in other countries.

Writing: It was nice! To be truthful, I didn't notice it very much WHICH IS TOTALLY OKAY. In my opinion there are basically three types of writing: writing you notice because it's particularly beautiful, writing you notice because it's particularly terrible, and writing you don't really notice because it's simply delivering a story to you. I felt the latter in this book. I really enjoyed the story that Gayle Forman created, I loved the characters, the emotion, the drama, the settings, the messages and themes and morals, but I wasn't swooning over beautifully crafted sentences. I just didn't notice them because I was so busy being alive in the story!

The message: The messages in this book are brilliant brilliant brilliant. So many things that I related to, that I felt I learned, that I agreed with. That travel is important, that we can be different versions of ourselves, that life is just a chain of accidents, that we need to control where we go in life, that we should never give up, and so many more things! Just BRILLIANT.

I loved this book. It is absolutely one of my favourite novels of all time. I know that I will be constantly rereading this novel for the rest of my life. My only complaint is that it made me realize that I need to visit Europe.. SOON. I am so excited for the sequel that comes out in a matter of days (thank goodness because I can't wait too much longer!) and I will definitely be doing an entire video about these two books. ...more

flag 239 likes · Like · see review

Apr 10, 2012 Keertana rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-that-linger, beautiful-prose

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Nearly a decade ago, someone once told me that books are like memories; within their pages, they store your emotions and thoughts, a document of sorts of your experience. I still don’t know how true that statement is, but I dearly hope it is – at least when it comes to Just One Day. Nothing better than this book itself can summon up the whirlwind of emotion I felt when I read it. Although I cracked open its spine with trepidation – there are, after all, a plethora of mixed revie ...more

flag 214 likes · Like · see review

Jul 07, 2014 emma rated it it was amazing

Shelves: owned, contemporary, 5-stars, ya, recommend, reread, reviewed, i-love-these-characters, slump-worthy, best-contemporaries

me most of the time: there's no cure for depression
me when i remember this book exists: there's one cure for depression

(this is my true problematic fave)

-----------------------

I THINK THIS IS THE BEST CONTEMPORARY OF ALL TIME AND IF YOU DISAGREE WITH ME EVEN SLIGHTLY I MIGHT CRY A LITTLE BIT AND IT WILL BE SO, SO UNCOMFORTABLE FOR US BOTH SO YOU SHOULD PROBABLY JUST AGREE.

https://emmareadstoomuch.wordpress.co...

I genuinely love this book. I have for four years now, but like. A lot has changed in ...more

flag 177 likes · Like · see review

Nov 14, 2013 Emily May rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: new-adult, 2014, romance

"Ain't such a line between faking and being."

My heart is saying yes but my head is saying absolutely not. So I guess it's only fair that I appease the two of them and rate exactly down the middle. To be honest, I have come to expect more from Ms Forman's characters. I found it extremely difficult to care about either Allyson or Willem, especially the latter. While I came to appreciate Allyson's story more in the second half and had my heart singing along to the sad tunes of heartbreak, I nev ...more

flag 121 likes · Like · see review

Dec 31, 2018 jessica rated it liked it

*cue ‘anna and the french kiss’ flashbacks*

not that the two books are super similar, just that they invoked the same feeling. which is that, by the end, i became more interested/invested in the setting of the story than the story itself.

gayle forman does a truly wonderful job at transporting the reader to NYC, paris, london, and amsterdam. her writing is so full of life and culture, really doing the cities justice. this is honestly the perfect book to read during the summer when you get that wa ...more

flag 112 likes · Like · see review

Oct 04, 2014 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, cool-book-terrible-heroine, romance, contemporary, books-i-own, so-happy-i-read-this

“But I’m also starting to wonder something else. If maybe the point of this crazy quest I’m on wasn’t to help me find Willem. Maybe it was to help me find someone else entirely.”

Blurb: 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 ...more

flag 101 likes · Like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 Tatiana rated it liked it

Shelves: ya, 2012, romancelandia

As seen on The Readventurer

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 succum As seen on The Readventurer

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, college experiences and overall attitude to life. 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? ...more

flag 99 likes · Like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 Wendy Darling rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2013-publication, 2013-favorites, penguin, france, read-2013, mature-ya, young-adult, realistic-fiction

4.5 stars I don't know how this author consistently writes such beautifully crafted stories of personal growth, but the level of emotional maturity in this one just astounds me.

But sheesh, what a place to stop the story! Can't wait for the next book this fall. ...more

flag 94 likes · Like · see review

Jan 05, 2013 Thomas rated it it was amazing

Shelves: five-stars, romance, realistic-fiction, young-adult

Are you looking for a whimsical romance filled with love songs and fiery kisses? Are you searching for a story with constant adventure, brimming with beauty and overflowing with passion?

If so, stop. Just One Day is not one of those books. It is not shallow. It is not like Anna and the French Kiss. It is beautiful, but in a bittersweet, lyrical, and oftentimes melancholy way. This is a book for people who have ever felt lost, for those who know what it feels like to be unsure of who they are, or Are you looking for a whimsical romance filled with love songs and fiery kisses? Are you searching for a story with constant adventure, brimming with beauty and overflowing with passion?

If so, stop. Just One Day is not one of those books. It is not shallow. It is not like Anna and the French Kiss. It is beautiful, but in a bittersweet, lyrical, and oftentimes melancholy way. This is a book for people who have ever felt lost, for those who know what it feels like to be unsure of who they are, or of who they want to be.

After her senior year of high school, good girl Allyson Healey embarks on a journey to Europe. Except it’s not really a journey at all, or even a trip – just a boring tour with her blond best friend Melanie. That is until she sees a magical performance of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and one of the actors flips her coin. By chance she encounters this actor – Willem – again on a train, but their relationship turns an entirely different direction when she decides to spend a day with him in Paris. There she becomes Lulu, an adventurous soul with no reservations, and she discovers a side of herself with Willem she comes to love in less than 24 hours. But the next day she wakes up and Willem is gone. Allyson spends the next year struggling to find herself, who she thought she was, and who she’s turning out to be.

If New Adult becomes a tangible genre in the realm of fiction, this is what it needs to be like. Just One Day is not a sexual love story. Depending on how you define the concept, it might not even be a love story at all. It encompasses all of the emotions associated with coming of age, going back and forth between growth, angst, hope, and sadness.

Reading Just One Day reminded me why I loved Gayle Forman’s first book, If I Stay. Like I’ve tried to repeat in this review, it’s not your typical love story where the protagonists meet, slowly fall in love, have a falling out, get back together, and live happily ever after. It’s far from that. Allyson thinks she comes close to finding herself after one day with Willem, but breaks apart once he’s gone. Her character screams of vulnerability, insecurity, and nuance, but has that spark of relatability and that whisper of strength that urges you to cheer her on. The other characters in the book: Allyson’s helicopter mom, her well-meaning yet lacking best friend, the shape-shifting black student she meets at college, etc. are all finely developed and feel strikingly real.

Forman’s writing blew me away too. She described France, Holland, and each and every one of Allyson’s experiences richly and completely. Her attention to subtle details within her characters’ dialogue and actions as well as her pacing of the story did more than satisfy me. While this isn’t a dark, dangerous action-adventure novel its progression through Allyson’s bildungsroman backed by its sheer emotional maturity makes it one of the best realistic fiction books I’ve read.

There are numerous themes that come together to form Just One Day. But my favorite has to be that of identity and discovering the truth about oneself. By the end of this book Allyson hasn’t just found herself after that one tragic day. She’s created herself, and I can’t wait to see where Forman takes her and Willem next.

*review cross-posted on my blog, the quiet voice. ...more

flag 91 likes · Like · see review

Aug 17, 2013 April (Aprilius Maximus) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2015, to-reread-and-annotate

I HAVE NO WORDS

flag 78 likes · Like · see review

Apr 27, 2014 Sarah Elizabeth rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2015, read-with-abbie, romance, contemporary, young-adult, mystery

"Why are you making a bucket list then?"
"Because if you wait until you're really dying, it's too late."

I really liked this book! Which is quite shocking considering that I really didn’t like ‘If I Stay’/’Where She Went’.

Allyson made some bad decisions in this book, and as a parent you would want to ground her for life. Jumping on a train to Paris with a man she’d only just met? Leaving her suitcase with someone she doesn’t know (who could plant a bomb in it)? Not telling anyone where she ...more

flag 64 likes · Like · see review

Apr 30, 2014 Hailey (Hailey in Bookland) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, owned

4.5*
I really, really loved this, much more than I had anticipated. I didn't enjoy If I Stay as much as everyone else seems to and I read The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight and didn't really enjoy it and this book is pretty similar, but it wasn't just a love story, it had so much more depth to it.
I loved the pivotal role Shakespeare played in the story and how his plays all tied into the identity struggle Allyson was having. The love story was also insta love but not annoyingly s ...more

flag 65 likes · Like · see review

Jan 05, 2014 Christine Riccio rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Really enjoyed this book!Read it in JUST ONE DAY, here's my full detailed review: http://youtu.be/mbnVejUX0Bc =) ...more

flag 60 likes · Like · see review

Aug 20, 2014 Siena Mirabella rated it liked it · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book! Definitely not what I expected but I'm pleasantly surprised. I really did enjoy the story line and progression. The character development was amazing. Although, I found myself skimming a bit during the middle due to the fact that I felt that some parts just dragged on. However, the last several chapters were fantastic which made up for it! ...more

flag 52 likes · Like · see review

Nov 27, 2012 ♥Rachel♥ rated it really liked it

After reading and loving If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman, I was thrilled to hear Ms. Forman was working on a new novel, Just One Day. Just One Day was a bittersweet story that entranced me, took hold of my heart, and gave it a great big squeeze! My heart still aches.

Allyson is almost to the end of her graduation present, a three week trip touring Europe. She’s spent the time speed traveling through Europe, and is now in London on the last leg of the trip. On a whim and an accident, ...more

flag 47 likes · Like · see review

Jan 08, 2013 Ari rated it did not like it

Shelves: ebooks, read-in-2013

My reaction upon finishing this book: Son of a...

The book started off great at first, it was easy to get into. And then I got bored and wanted to "solve the mystery" of what went wrong, plus I was tired of the main character being so annoyingly mopey... so I started speed reading. And then skimming. And then finally I had jumped to the end... And it was over. No real answers to any of the questions. Just a blatant, "buy the sequel to have any sort of resolution to this book". Which I think is pr ...more

flag 47 likes · Like · see review

Sep 19, 2012 Steph Sinclair rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Those who enjoy books involving traveling

Shelves: contemporary, 2013-release, young-adult, gave-away, penguin, realistic-fiction, i-really-enjoyed-it, 2013-favorite, i-own-it

I'm really starting to think I need to spend more time in the Contemporary genre. While I'm there I might as well finally read If I Stay and Where She Went. Yes, I can't believe I haven't read them yet either. No, I'm not sure what my malfunction is. But what I am sure of is how happy I am to have finally read a Gayle Forman novel. Just One Day came complete with a charming cast of characters, Parisian backdrop and such a relatable coming of age story.

Right from the start I knew I would love thi ...more

flag 46 likes · Like · see review

Jan 18, 2018 KAS rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Exceptional author and loved this duet!

flag 42 likes · Like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 Hira marked it as dnf

Shelves: high-expectations

MY DAY WAS JUST MADE.

PS: If the book's coming out in 2013, then the world will obviously not end in 2012, pff. ...more

flag 40 likes · Like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 Jasprit rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, ya, out-2013, read-in-2013, favourites

Post reading thoughts: Oh gosh this book just took my heart and stomped all over it. I need Just One Year now! Full review to come once I've got all my feelings in check.

Please excuse my meagre attempt at gathering my chaotic thoughts and trying to write a coherent review, but Just One Day just evoked so many different emotions within me. So many books come around that leave just a deep lasting impression and without a doubt Just One Day is one of those books.

Allyson was meant to be on trip of h Post reading thoughts: Oh gosh this book just took my heart and stomped all over it. I need Just One Year now! Full review to come once I've got all my feelings in check.

Please excuse my meagre attempt at gathering my chaotic thoughts and trying to write a coherent review, but Just One Day just evoked so many different emotions within me. So many books come around that leave just a deep lasting impression and without a doubt Just One Day is one of those books.

Allyson was meant to be on trip of her life in Europe, but it didn’t have that life changing effect as she was hoping. Her best friend Mel kept encouraging her to enjoy herself and make the most out of it. But Allyson wasn’t like Mel, constantly taking risks; the only big risk Allyson had taken so far was cut her hair to a bob. But on their last night in London on their tour, Allyson and Mel decide not to follow the rules and watch a different production of a play and that’s where she meets Willem, she knows there’s something about him as soon as their eyes meet in the pit of her stomach. The next day when she meets him on the train, she makes a spur of the moment decision to travel to Paris with him for just one day. He’s a complete stranger but Allyson finds herself wanting to take this chance and do something normal Allyson wouldn’t do.

This one day ends up being an epitome of what her entire trip in Europe was meant to be about. Willem tries to encapsulate the beautiful experience of Paris for Allyson, but she ends up with leaving more than she bargained for, that would affect her whole outlook on life months later, returning to the US Allyson is a changed person.

The last time I felt so much love for a book was when I read Gayle Forman’s Where She Went in Just One Day. Just One Day had the same achy, raw lingering effect on me but it was that much more profound. It was like I was on my own journey of discovery and growth with Allyson, I was led to believe so much about Willem that I felt the same amount of fury and heartache that Allyson did. When she was lost and hurt afterwards and when she finally started doing things for herself instead of being dictated at her whole entire life. I felt like Andy Murray at Wimbledon getting pumped up by the crowd and continually pumping my fist. (And I never do this) It’s like Gayle had this magical wand when writing this book and just knew how to push your buttons that I found myself so involved with Allyson’s life that I wanted so much for her to get her happy ending.

Allyson’s personal growth over the course of the book was so admirable it was like she was shedding her skin until she finally found the real Allyson underneath. I liked watching her friendships blossom especially with Dee (I wasn’t really a fan of Mel), take the courage to do what she wanted and knew she had to in her heart.

Willem was a complete enigma, at times I was never sure who the real Willem was, I thought I was able to get glances of him, but he was quick to cover up his true feelings. But like Allyson I wasn’t able to resist his charms. I like how there’s so many complicated layers to this guy, so much we haven’t touched upon and I am beyond eager at unravelling all this mystery when we get his pov in Just One Year.

Gayle Forman has once again created such a heartbreaking realistic read that resonated with me. For me she has taken her writing up in a whole another notch from Where She Went, I found myself constantly highlighting my favourite quotes (which was pretty much the entire book) and re-reading favourite passages over and over again.

This journey that I was able to take with Allyson over the course of this beautiful book will be one I won’t forget.
...more

flag 38 likes · Like · see review

Jun 26, 2018 Mackenzie Lane rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-contemporary, over-hyped, not-my-cup-of-tea, coming-of-age

Lol soooooo this is gonna be interesting. Suffice it to say, I don't really care for Just One Day.
Or Allyson. Or Willem.

My biggest issue, and the source of all my problems with the book, is the instalove. DO NOT even try to tell me this book doesn't have instalove, because it does, and the fact that it takes place in PARIS, a city I would very much like to visit someday because of my undying love and adoration for it, really ticked me off. Like, Allyson and Willem's "love affair" should've take ...more

flag 36 likes · Like · see review

Nov 08, 2012 Bonnie rated it liked it

Shelves: arcs, romance-contemporary, contemporary

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A copy of Just One Day was provided to me by Dutton/Penguin Group (USA) for review purposes.

'We are born in one day. We die in one day. We can change in one day. And we can fall in love in one day. Anything can happen in just one day.'

Admittedly, I do believe I started this when I was in the completely wrong sort of mood. I totally killed this story for myself in the beginning and could not get into it. I was mentally flashing to scenes from 'Taken' and kept waiting for he ...more

flag 34 likes · Like · see review

Oct 20, 2012 B rated it really liked it

Shelves: deserves-the-hype, didn-t-see-that-coming, exceeded-my-expectations, i-totally-saw-that-coming, favorites, gimme-the-next-book, hand-me-some-tissues, highly-anticipating-2013, read-reviewed, 2013-favorites

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

Quite a few months ago, in my early reviewing days, when I was just a new face in the world of reviewing and book blogging, I read a book called Die for Me. Although it had an interesting and original premise (which, ultimately, was revealed to be poorly executed), a pretty cover, and some mixed to positive reviews from friends of mine, the main reason I really wanted to read Die for Me was because it took place in Paris, and I'd hoped that the author would take advantage Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

Quite a few months ago, in my early reviewing days, when I was just a new face in the world of reviewing and book blogging, I read a book called Die for Me. Although it had an interesting and original premise (which, ultimately, was revealed to be poorly executed), a pretty cover, and some mixed to positive reviews from friends of mine, the main reason I really wanted to read Die for Me was because it took place in Paris, and I'd hoped that the author would take advantage of such a wonderful and rich setting. Unfortunately, the most background of Paris the author provided us readers with in Die for Me was the Metro and a few coffee shops. Maybe a lake or two. Some really great details of Paris in that book, you guys.

Since then, I've been wary of books taking place in Paris. Until, however, Just One Day appeared on my feed. Written by an incredibly hyped author and receiving rave early reviews, I figured that Forman could do no wrong with the beautiful Paris.

And I was right.

I'd gone into Just One Day with expectations of heartbreak, high levels of swoon, awe-worthy prose and a strong, overwhelming desire to hop on a plane to Paris immediately. And while all of those expectations were met, and in fact exceeded, I came across quite a few surprises along the way - such as the fact that Just One Day is filled with truly hysterical passages and moments - which I don't say very often about books, especially not about books in the YA genre, considering the fact that I have the sense of humor that will have me inevitably burning in hell, and most YA novels don't cross that particular boundary to meet my sense of humor - and the fact that I'd be so engaged with Allyson and Willem's travels in such a short amount of time.

Allyson was, for the most part, an awesome and incredibly witty character, and in the end, I am definitely able to say that I enjoyed reading in her perspective and seeing her character meet such a large amount of growth throughout the course of the novel. While she did, at times, get on my nerves - most notably how she got jealous whenever a girl looked at Willem, or whenever a girl talked to Willem after knowing him for just one day ~~(oh look, I've used the title of the book in my review! This is almost as exciting as when the title of a movie is spoken in said movie.)~~, she eventually ended up winning me over once again with her wit and snark. Willem was also an amazing character, and while he wasn't met with very much growth at all throughout the course of Just One Day, I thoroughly enjoyed the scenes where he opened up to Allyson - however slightly - about his home life, even after knowing her for such a short period of time.

Charming, often hysterical, with some great characters, equally as great relationship dynamics, and a clever incorporation of Shakespeare, Just One Day is not a novel to be missed for anyone looking for a quick and incredibly fun read that makes you feel like you're roaming the streets of Paris. If you had asked me before reading this novel if two people can fall in love in just one day, I probably would have lectured you about the vast difference between lust and love, but after reading this novel and experiencing the relationship that is Allyson and Willem's firsthand, my opinion may have been swayed. ...more

flag 34 likes · Like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 Arlene rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, ya-contemporary, arc, read-2012

Rating Clarification: 3.5 Stars

“We are born in one day. We die in one day. We can change in one day. And we can fall in love in one day. Anything can happen in just one day.” This is a quote from an uncorrected proof.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman is what I would consider a worthy start to what I truly believe will have an epic continuation. This book delivered in all the ways Forman knows how, which is a great premise, a likable cast and a primer for a promising part two. I think the early reader ...more

flag 33 likes · Like · see review

Aug 06, 2013 Fenia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-like-drugs, fluffiness, favorites, my-current-book-obsessions

This book is...theraputic. Its a journey. and you come out of it like a different person. Like Allyson. Gayle Forman writes differently in each of her books which is quite magnificent!!! Her characters are all unique but you can relate to them so easily!!

Just One Day is NOT about just one day. Its about what happens after that one day. I love love love it!!! The ending leaves you a bit in a 'what just happened?' but at the same time you don't really need to know. because everything will work ou ...more

flag 31 likes · Like · see review

Jun 29, 2017 sarah rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2020, read-2017, my-reviews, audiobook

2nd read: January 2020
3 stars

This book felt like 3 separate and distinct books in one to me, so I decided to review it as such. Overall, I quite enjoyed it- but not as much as my initial reading in 2017.

Part One: Allyson and the French Kiss
4 stars
Allyson is on a European trip, but despite her best efforts, is not having a great time. The more excited she is for a new city, the more movies she has seen about it- the more disappointed she is. So, when she and her friend sneak out to see a ...more

flag 30 likes · Like · see review

Mar 02, 2014 Amy | Foxy Blogs rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: library2go, 2014-books, march-2014

***2.5 well written stars***

JUST ONE DAY is the first book for me by this author. I have a lot of friends who love If I Stay so I thought I would give her new series a try.

Reading this story I realized something about myself - I like my characters to be together. The characters were separated at 35% and didn't reunite until (view spoiler) For my taste that was too long and boring for it to be told in one POV and not know what ...more

flag 27 likes · Like · see review

Oct 12, 2011 Dija rated it really liked it

Shelves: first-in-series, authors-i-stalk, awww, my-reviews, read-in-2013, cotton-candy-fluff, ya, jan-2013, wow

3.7/5 stars

[image error]

Being a huge fan of Forman's, I was absolutely ecstatic when I heard she'd be writing another 2-book story centered around a couple and told from both their POVs. I'm happy (and more than a little relieved, considering my track record so far this year) to report that Just One Day lives up to the hype, and while I had a few minor problems with the story, I still ended up immensely enjoying it.

I wasn't too impressed with Allyson at the beginning, and with "Lulu" even less. ...more

flag 26 likes · Like · see review

Sep 26, 2016 Carrie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Allyson Healey has always been the good girl and rule follower. She's been on a tour of Europe with a her school group which ended up missing their stop in Paris. When Allyson meets a sexy Dutch actor, Willem De Ruiter, after seeing him perform in England she is immediately intrigued by him, especially when he offers to take her to Paris for the day.

Now sneaking off with a stranger is something Allyson would have never thought of doing but she wants to be a bit more daring in her life. Leaving ...more

flag 23 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. New Adult Romance. [s]	4	29	May 29, 2019 03:40AM
2018 Beyond the C...: Just One Day book review	1	4	Jun 06, 2018 07:10PM
Just One Day book review	1	7	Jun 06, 2018 07:09PM
Crazy for Young A...: ✔Pair D: Amanda and Kiki (March 2017)	4	8	Mar 11, 2017 04:49AM
3A Independent Re...: Romance (Week 2)	2	7	Dec 09, 2016 09:48AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Young Adult

1,852 users

Romance

1,557 users

Contemporary

1,338 users

Fiction

392 users

New Adult

303 users

Realistic Fiction

240 users

Travel

234 users

Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

164 users

Young Adult > Young Adult Contemporary

145 users

Young Adult > Teen

108 users

See top shelves…

About Gayle Forman

Gayle Forman

24,160 followers

Award-winning author and journalist Gayle Forman has written several bestselling novels for young adults, including the Just One Series, I Was Here, Where She Went and the #1 New York Times bestseller If I Stay, which has been translated into more than 40 languages and in 2014 was adapted into a major motion picture.

Gayle published Leave Me, her first novel starring adults in 2016 and her latest ...more

Other books in the series

Just One Day (2 books)

Books by Gayle Forman

More…

Articles featuring this book

Whether it’s magic schools, dystopias, paranormal love stories, or contemporary explorations of important real-life issues, young adult books...

Trivia About Just One Day (Jus...

2 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Just One Day

“Part of me knows one more day won't do anything except postpone the heartbreak. But another part of me believes differently. We are born in one day. We die in one day. We can change in one day. And we can fall in love in one day. Anything can happen in just one day.” — 992 likes

“Sometimes the best way to find out what you’re supposed to do is by doing the thing you’re not supposed to do.” — 793 likes

More quotes…

See a Problem?

Preview — Just One Day by Gayle Forman