Just One Day by Gayle Forman

This is the first novel in the Just One Day series by Gayle Forman.

Before going to college, Allyson goes on a Europe trip for teens to experience new things. Her whole life has been mapped out, ever since she saved a classmate at the age of 13 when he was choking and she used the Heimlich maneuver to save him.

Right then, she was destined to be pre-med and become a doctor just like her father. Before, Allyson would never argue with her parents - she just wanted to make them happy.

On the last day of the trip, she was supposed to go to London. When she was presented with an unexpected opportunity to go to Paris (since her group couldn't go due to strikes), Allyson does the most unexplained thing - she goes with this boy would offered to be her tour guide.

Allyson just met Willem the night before, when she went to see him perform a Shakespearean play on the streets instead of an assigned play that was part of the tour.

So Allyson runs off with Willem for the day in Paris and finds herself starting to fall in love with him. She knows around 10 things about him, but the feelings she has for him are overwhelming.

When she wakes up the next morning, she wants to spend another day in Paris with him, but finds that he has left her. In the middle of Paris, all by herself.

She finds her way back to her friend and makes the trip back to the U.S. in one piece except one: her heart. That stayed in Paris with Willem.

But off to college Allyson goes where she doesn't find any excitement in her classes or life. Previously an A student, she ends up with a C grade point average first semester. When presented the opportunity to change her major, Allyson starts to act like a living person again and realizes that she may need to start doing what SHE wants to do instead of what everyone else wants her to do.

And one of the things she wants to do is get answers regarding Willem. Because, even though it's been one year since she saw him, Willem is always on her mind.

One year later, Allyson goes back to Paris. She wants answers and is going to try her hardest to get them. But how will her trip go? Will she get all of her answers, or was the trip worthless and a waste of time? Read Just One Day by Gayle Forman to find out!

My Thoughts/Reflections
I am a huge fan of Forman's previous novels If I Stay and Where She Went, so I was excited to hear about this book and get my hands on it.

For some reason, though, I didn't connect with this novel. At all.

Allyson, or Lulu as she was called for a little bit in the novel, would not be my friend, sorry to say. She was too timid and uncertain at the beginning of the novel, did a RANDOM act by going to Paris with a COMPLETE stranger, fell in love in ONE day, and then was heartbroken when she went off to college for a WHOLE year.

Obviously by all of the caps above, I have some problems with this novel.

If Allyson was a rebellious natured person, I wouldn't have a problem with anything I wrote above. But she was a rule person, went by the book. Then goes to Paris with a COMPLETE stranger?!? No. Sorry. I don't care how much someone wants to change from their previously life, I would NEVER go somewhere with a guy that I just met and knew next to nothing about.

But I stuck with this novel because I had an ending in mind that I thought would make everything that happened throughout this novel that I disliked better. However, I found the ending, lacking and frustrating. It has potential, but the cliff hanger ending didn't float my boat.

There were times that I thought I could like Allyson. She decided to stand up for herself instead of having her parents control every aspect of her life and she decided that she was going to do what she wanted to do. But then she would do something stupid again to make me dislike her.

There is a sequel coming out October 2013 and I think it might be through Willem's viewpoint, so answers could be answered that readers would think about during this novel. As of right now, I'm planning on reading it when it releases, but we'll see what happens when it finally comes in October.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

This is the sequel to If I Stay by Gayle Forman.

This is Mia's boyfriend's story, Adam, not Mia's. Also, if you don't want to find out what happens at the end of the first novel, do no read the rest of this review. There will be spoilers right away.

It's been three years since the fateful accident of Mia Hall's family. Now, Adam is a famous rock star in his group Shooting Star. He has a movie start girlfriend, and has groupies that follow and buy his band's album.

But Adam feels lost. He doesn't enjoy the music anymore. He doesn't get along with his bandmates, who were practically family when they got together 3-4 years ago.

While Adam has become a famous rock star, Mia has become a famous orchestra player with her cello. They both went their separate ways, but not after a few hearts broken along the 3 years of separation.

Adam has panic attacks, so he needs to take medication. He has also become very superstitious and when he finds out that his bandmates are flying to London for their tour on Friday the 13th, he gets a new flight. No sense in tempting fate, he thinks.

So while his band is flying to London, Adam stays in New York for another day. As fate would have it, he finds Mia performing a concert.

Adam buys a ticket and falls into Mia's music - remembering the old days when she would play non-stop. When Mia requests to see him, everything in the past years come flying back between them.

Why did Mia stop talking to Adam? What is going on between the two of them? Will Adam and Mia finally have the conversation that has been waiting for 3 years, or will they disappear into the night with their thoughts and feelings unresolved? Read Where She Went by Gayle Forman to find out.

My Thoughts/Reflections
I loved the first novel of this two book series. It was so heartbreaking and devastating, but strong and hopeful.

This novel was a good addition. Not necessarily needed as the way If I Stay ended was beautiful, but the reader finally figures out what happened to Mia and Adam.

And instead of reading Mia's thoughts, this time, the reader delves inside Adam's head, the boy we were introduced to in the first novel but never quite got his whole story.

Even though when one thinks "rock star", Adam didn't have a glamorous life. In fact, if it wasn't for the songs that came through his mind during a few months, he would have been out of a band and would have lived a boring life in Oregon.

But even so, Adam had superstitious problems and he was also a bit claustrophobic when it came to crowds - not the best thing to have when one performs in front of millions of people and have fans follow one around for autographs.

While this wasn't my favorite sequel to a book I loved, I'm glad I was able to get a more solid ending to Mia and Adam's story.

I would recommend this to anyone who loved the first novel, and I think it would also appeal to a male audience because it is through a male narrative. And even though the cover has a girl on it, don't let it fool you. It is definitely a male rock star narrating this novel!

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

A snowfall in Oregon cancelled all schools - even though it wasn't a heavy snowfall. However, the schools took precaution so Mia's high school was cancelled along with her brother, Teddy's, grade school and her father's college.

To enjoy this unexpected day off, Mia, Teddy and her parents decide to visit friends of the family (Willow, Henry and their baby girl) and then have dinner with Mia's grandparents.

On the ride there, though, something horrible happens... There was a car collision with Mia's family and a solo driver. While the other driver had only minor scrapes and bruises, Mia's parents were killed instantly and Mia and Teddy had to be rushed to the hospital.

Mia is able to see everything that goes on around her. As an "out of body" experience. She sees her extended family in the waiting room outside of ICU. She sees her boyfriend, Adam, planning a break in to see Mia since the nurses won't allow him in.

When Mia finds out that her little brother, Teddy, didn't make his surgery, Mia realizes that she's all alone. She has to decide if she wants to stay living without her family, or if she wants to join them.

There are many factors Mia has to decide as well. She's bound for Julliard, as she's a very good cellist musician. She has Adam, her boyfriend also a music lover, in his own band and making records who she loves. She has Kim, her best friend since grade school.

But she doesn't have her brother or her parents anymore.

What will Mia choose? Life or death? Read this heartbroken story If I Stay by Gayle Forman to find out.

My Thoughts/Reflections
This is my second time reading this novel. And even though I knew the ending result, following Mia's memories that she remembers about her family, along with the information she learns during her "out of body" experience was just as heartbroken.

Mia is very brave. She has to hear about her family's death before she even wakes up from her coma. And to know that and have to choose a life without her family would be hard, but having to imagine her family's reaction if she gave up life was just as devastating for Mia.

The reader learns Mia's background story as Mia goes down memory lane to the key moments with Adam, Kim, her parents, her brother. It helps the reader connect with Mia's life and what she used to have.

Even though this story is very sad, it is an amazing novel. Gayle Forman did a great job writing as a victim in a car crash and a lone survivor having to make the hardest decision of her life.

I would recommend this book to anyone - to everyone. Even guys. It doesn't matter that the narrator is a female - anyone can feel this way if they were in her shoes.

Also, there is another novel after this one, in the viewpoint of Mia's boyfriend, Adam. The review for that novel will be coming soon to see what has happened since Mia's overall decision to stay or go.