Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Just One Day is the story of self-discovery.

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. (Summary by Goodreads)

This book had two very different effects on me. The beginning of the book almost moved me to tears, the middle made me want to tear my hair out, and the end left me questioning everything. Plot: The though provoked a lot of important thoughts, such as "Who determines who you are." The beginning was amazing, but the rest of the book was sort of a letdown. The middle of the book was very repetitive when Allyson was at college. There was about fifty pages when all she did was wallow in her sorrows. When she finally decides to dust herself off, she decides her purpose in life is to go to Paris and find Willem.  She wastes most of her trip to Paris looking for him.  When she finally locates Willem, he is with another girl and she is ok with it. I don't understand how looking for some guy made her find who she really was. I guess I was so awestruck by the beginning that the rest of the book was sort of a letdown. Setting: I loved how England, Boston, Paris, and Croatia all were an important part of the plot. It really added something to the story. Characters: I felt like I could relate to Allyson in a lot of ways. Her struggle to find who she was is a little to familiar. Although, as the book progresses I begin to like her less and less. She spends so much of the book feeling sorry for herself all because of I guy she spent one day with. I felt like it took her too long to dust herself off and do something with her life. Favorite Quotes: 1. Be grateful for what you have instead of yearning for what you want. 2. It feels like the city is telling secrets down here, privy only to those who think to listen. 3. Because if time can be fluid, then maybe something that is just one day can go on indefinitely. For Fans of: Gayle Forman's other novels, If I Stay and Where She Went Youtube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koXBO9UgHok I had a very hard time coming up with a rating for this book. I decided on 4 out of 5 stars because of the beginning.  If you liked Gayle Forman's other novels, you would probably like this.