“Part of me knows one more day won't do anything except postpone the heartbreak. But another part of me believes differently. We are born in one day. We die in one day. We can change in one day. And we can fall in love in one day. Anything can happen in just one day.”I bought Just One Day a few months ago and I never found the time to get around to it, I never was itching to read it, I think it was another book that got lost among the mountain of dystopia and supernatural books I have on my side. But saying that, when I finally chose to take this book along with me on holiday at the beginning of this month I had no idea for the impact it was going to have on my life.The first book, Just One Day, is split into two halves. The first half sectioned as Just One Day, is where Allyson Healey our main character—who on her last day of her three-week post-graduation European tour—meets Willem; who is everything she is not, and when he offers her one day in Paris and she makes an uncharacteristic decision and agrees. The second half of the book, Just One Year takes place the day after their trip in Paris something happens and Allyson wakes up alone in Paris and has to make her way back to London herself. We follow her life throughout the book of how she starts college—university—which is when she makes the decision to try and find Willem and find out actually what happened to him that morning she woke up. Just One Year is the companion novel to Just One Day, and just like that book it is sectioned into two halves, however from Willem's point of view and experience. The first part is labeled Just One Year, and the book takes place on the day after their day in Paris, when Willem wakes up in hospital after being attacked, which is the reason for him not being there with Allyson. This section of the book goes on Willem's search for Allyson, trying to find her and where she could be in the world, but it proves incredibly difficult when all he has of her is her watch and memories, he doesn't even know her name after calling her Lulu—after Louise Brookes—the entire time, and as always fate takes charge and it seems they're being pulled further and further apart. Until the second section, Just One Day when Allyson knocks on Willem's door after a year of not seeing each other.Their conjoined stories are so gripping, and there is no other way to describe it, I was so absorbed in this story. I only had Just One Day while on holiday and I must have dove into at least eleven different book shops trying to find the companion novel Just One Year, and nowhere had it. I ordered it so it would be arrive on the morning after I returned home and on Saturday morning after sleeping in too late and ignoring the knock at the door, I found myself running after the postman in just shorts and a top to ask him for my books.Allyson Healey is a character I am so proud of, I say that about a lot of characters, but the development she went through in Just One Day was inspiring, she becomes so strong and so independent. She truly comes so so far during this novel. Words that have been spoken by Willem De Ruiter have made me change my way of living. These two characters are astounding and they are always going to be apart of my journey in being the person I am today.There is an E-Novella Just One Night that tells the story of Allyson and Willem after she knocks on his door, which is short and wonderful, it's like a bow on top of the story. The novella was needed after the way the two books ended, we needed to know what happened after, and what did made my entire heart swell with happiness. I think I reread that novella everyday for a week.It is incredibly difficult to articulate into words how much these two books and the novella mean to me, never has something had an impact on my life the way these books have. I have read stacks of books where I am so touched by the characters, rarely the story or plot. This was not the case with these books, the characters are charismatic and interesting and the story is one that will absolutely stay with me forever. I will never forget this story and I am so grateful to Gayle Forman for writing the incredible story of Allyson and Willem's love. It has made me see so much in a different light, from love to accidents, this books opened me to so much.
