Book Review: Just One Year by Gayle Forman

Book: Just One Year by Gayle Forman
Genre: YA Romance
Rating:★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
For: Fun
From: bought from Amazon

So, I was a little disappointed in this book, sadly. While I understood that its a companion novel and not a sequel, I didn't quite comprehend what that meant. Let's just say it does not start where the other book, Just One Day, left off. And if you remember that one, it ended with quite the cliff hanger! Well, this book does not help out that situation much!

Anyway, this one is all from Willem's point of view. He's the one, if you remember, that was present during some of the first book but then just disappeared. So now, we find out what happened to him and the journey and changes and lessons he learned during the year that follows.

For those of you who haven't read the first book, Willem is a Dutch guy who is a bit lost after his father's death a few years before. To combat that, he's been travelling the world. On his travels, he meets a girl he calls Lulu and they make a pretty intense connection in Just One Day. But then something happens. It turns into quite the tragic story.

So we found out more details on what happens, and we follow him around for more travels during this book. Mexico and India are the star countries. He patches the relationship with his mom and seems to find himself and his purppose. But the big question, does he find Lulu? If you've read the first book, you'll pretty much know the ending of this one, which was kind of a weird thing actually.

Bottom line: So, I enjoyed the writing and the characters, just as I did in the first one, but the story wasn't what I expected necessarily. Or wanted. Or needed! It was a little frustrating for me.

Have you read it yet? What did you think?

Other Reviews:

I liked that so much of the book was about pining and searching. It was about free will versus destiny and whether you should be active or just let things happen to you. From Good Books and Good Wine

The first story – which I loved – has taken on so much more meaning after book two. From Anna Reads

Told in Willem’s brave, tender, tragic voice, this extremely satisfying sequel to the beautifully wrought Just One Day will satiate salivating fans who have been dying to find out what happened to Lulu’s mysterious Dutch crush. From Reading Rants

I was excited that Willem isn't the typical YA book boy, who's typically a popular kid or a broody loner. Willem felt like a fresh type of character. From YA Romantics