Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Series: Just One Day Book 2

Genre: YA Romantic Fiction

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My first thoughts when I started reading were, and I quote, “Holy shit, how am I going to get through 323 pages of this book!?” It’s not because it was a bad book, nor was it because I didn’t like it, it was simply because the ending of the first one left me with no answers and no happy ending, and I didn’t want to read the same story from Willem’s point of view if it meant delaying those answers.

However, I soon realized—or, rather, after nearly half the book—that by reading Just One Year, even though it wasn’t what comes after, still gave me answers that I needed. Of course, answers never come without a price, and Gayle Forman’s price was 323 pages of torture and anticipation.

The majority of this book was pure frustration. He almost stopped her, he almost found her, he almost got over her, he almost saw her. This book was comprised of so many almosts that I don’t think I ever want to hear that word again. He almost had her.

While it was frustrating, I still enjoyed it very much. I liked hearing Willem’s story, and his feelings on “Lulu” (or Allyson). I like hearing about his parents and his childhood and his many adventures, and I liked how, even though he never truly moved on, he still did things with his time after Allyson. He wasn’t stuck.

Overall, I loved this book—maybe not as much as the first one, but pretty close. I liked the story and, after hating Willem in the first one, it was nice to find the capacity to fall in love with him. This was a great tale of heartbreak and romance and love—not just his love of Allyson, but the love he shared with his mother. I loved it.

4 stars.