Just One Day Series. (Book Review #12)

          I had loved Gayle Forman's 'If I Stay' series so much that she became one of my favourite authors. Right then I had decided to read the rest of her books. So currently, I'm reading all of Gayle Forman's novels. Here's a review of the lovely 'Just One Day' series.

Introduction:

          'Just One Day' series is a love story of Allyson and Willem. It's a wonderful fairy tale where the American tourist girl (Lulu) falls in love with the Dutch guy (who speaks many languages) as they wander around the love city of Paris. 'Just One Day', as told by Allyson, is the classic and romantic part that starts the story. 'Just One Year', as told by Willem, is how he spends the entire year finding his Lulu. 'Just One Night' is a 40-page novella where they meet, at last. They know that they're stained for life. It's not as life-changing or wondrous as 'If I Stay' but it is something. It's that kind of story that you'll fall in love with. It's that kind of story that will make you believe in fate and love. If you're a romantic, you should give it a read.

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Characters:

          'Allyson Healey' is a girl who plans everything, never misses a deadline and never does something stupid just for fun. Her life is organised (if not perfect) until she meets Willem when her life really takes some meaning. She becomes herself with him. Even though she spends only a day with him, she finds her real self in that one day. She then becomes someone who follows her heart, someone who moves on, someone who thinks before panicking.

          'Willem de Ruiter' is an actor who'll inspire you to travel more. His family is small and complicated so he finds solace by travelling. He uses it as a reason to avoid home. Even though he comes off as a flirt, his love for Allyson is so pure. He not only falls in love but stays in love with her. His philosophies are thought-provoking. And the way his love for acting is portrayed through his Shakespearean roles as 'Sebastian' and 'Orlando' is breath-taking.

Story line:

          In the first book of the story, Allyson is the protagonist, which helps the readers know about her aspect of life during that one day and the rest of the year. The beginning is where the love story enfolds. For both of them, just one day was enough to fall in love. But the next day, she thinks that he ran off. She grows to despise him as she gets depressed and can't focus. Soon, she leaves for college. She's aloof most of the time until she changes some subjects. She takes the class 'Shakespeare Out Loud' where she befriends Dee. Their friendship is unique. It was him who makes her realise that maybe Willem is not who she thought he was. After that, she decides to track him down. Her family is opposed to her decisions and doesn't help her on this. A year passes by, learning Shakespeare, working in a restaurant, and she sets off for Paris. She sets off to find her true love. She goes from place to place. And after all the ups and downs, destiny comes in when she sees him after an entire year. She goes to find him at his home and that's where the first book ends on a cliffhanger.
          You'd hope that you'll get a lot of romance in the second book and that it'll take off from that cliffhanger. But it doesn't. Willem is the protagonist in 'Just One Year' where he tells his part of the story until the time Allyson is at his doorstep. As expected, he didn't just run off but instead got beaten up. It's kind of a reverse story to 'Just One Day'. The reader knows what might happen but isn't sure exactly how it will. This is a brilliant way of thinking by Gayle Forman. Further, his year is spent in a lot of travellings. He goes to Mexico, India, Amsterdam. I absolutely loved the part when he's in India. (Maybe because I'm an Indian!) Willem patches up the long lost relation with his mother Yael while in Mumbai. I loved Prateek's role. Especially the way he showed his pride for the nation by stating some quick facts. Willem finds a small role in a Bollywood movie. Then, he goes back to Holland. I loved how he meets Kate. It's like every tiny detail had fate written over it. Willem becomes an understudy at a theater in Amsterdam, but then actually plays the main role of 'Orlando' in 'As You Like It'. And then the book ends when she is at his doorstep (again.)
          'Just One Night' is when Willem and Allyson meet after a year and just want to be with each other. It's the closure a reader needs. In this, Willem gets to work with Kate in New York City, which is so close to where Allyson lives. It's all about those accidents after all.

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Overall Thoughts:

          I've rated all the three books at four stars!
Even when I didn't like the whole Paris thing, I was soon glued. It's not a story where you have to think. It's simple and serendipitous. Literature nerds will love it because of the whole Shakespeare effect to it. You'll be amazed at how everything just falls perfectly in place at the end. It feels like you're actually there. When you say, "She's right at that beach! Just find her already!", you know how attached you've become to the story. When you read that they play music by 'Adam Wilde', you just smile at the genius mind of the author. When you read words like 'stained' and 'accidents', you know you'll always remember the book then. While you finish the series, you hope something as amazing as that should happen to you. You just fall in love with the story. You are in a state of double happiness.