REVIEW: JUST ONE YEAR BY GAYLE FORMAN.

Title: Just One Year (Just One Day #2)
Author: Gayle Forman
Edition: Hardbound
Published: October 10, 2013
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Pages: 323
Source: Bought from Fullybooked
Category: Contemporary, Romance
Trailer: not applicable

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Synopsis:

Just One Day. Just One Year. Just One Read.

Before you find out how their story ends, remember how it began....

When he opens his eyes, Willem doesn’t know where in the world he is—Prague or Dubrovnik or back in Amsterdam. All he knows is that he is once again alone, and that he needs to find a girl named Lulu. They shared one magical day in Paris, and something about that day—that girl—makes Willem wonder if they aren’t fated to be together. He travels all over the world, from Mexico to India, hoping to reconnect with her. But as months go by and Lulu remains elusive, Willem starts to question if the hand of fate is as strong as he’d thought. . . .

The romantic, emotional companion to Just One Day, this is a story of the choices we make and the accidents that happen—and the happiness we can find when the two intersect.

Just One Year is a heart-warming novel!

It obviously took just one year of waiting before we get to know what happened to Willem. After Just One Day, my heart was truly broken and imagine waiting that long for it to mend. Well, the questions were all answered and waiting was worthwhile because in this novel, Willem gave sufficient explanation as to what happened, how he truly felt and what he did do after losing Allyson.

Hearing the side of the story directly from Willem gave a different light to the duology. I thought he was a complete jerk for just leaving Allyson like that but "accidents" do happen. Like literally. His journey in finding what he lost was not only pleasing to the eye but tremendously hurting to the heart. In his point of view, I was able to realize how hard it is to move one from losing someone who changed your life in a day and brought so much color to your monotonous life. He grasped the moments he shared with Allyson so much that it gave him something to push him through and not give up on his search. He tried to find her in different parts of the world and everywhere he goes, something or someone would remind him of her. It is as if he couldn't escape her memories which gripped my heart so tight I thought I would faint. There's so much raw emotions and coming from a guy's POV, that is really something, you know.

Yael and Bram's story took a piece of my heart, too. I loved how Willem's current dilemma is somehow similar to his parents story which boosted my hopes for the entire novel to rock. And it did. Willem not only fixed the gap between his relationship with his mother but also he did change himself. The longings he have for Bram pushed him to be better and look at things differently.

It is always the end that strikes hard and the ending Forman gave surely mended my broken heart. It also made me yearn for more, more of Willem and Allyson and more of their travels. Just One Year is absolutely a stunning novel I will indefinitely cherish and treasure!

"There's a difference between losing something you knew you had and losing something you discovered you had. One is disappointment. The other is truly a loss."