Book Recommendations: Just One Day

Just One Day by Gayle Forman
(Goodreads, Amazon)

I'll say up front that Forman's Just One Day didn't quite recapture the magic of her previous duology, If I Stay and Where She Went. And that it took me a little while to get into this one. But it hooked me eventually - and perhaps weirdly, the part of the book that took place after the "one day" in Paris was much more interesting to me than the iconic day itself. The main character, Allyson, could be frustrating at times, but it was in a realistic way and wound up adding to the story overall. I like stories about kids who have trouble adapting to college (see also: Fangirl), and her struggles with trying to separate her own needs and desires from others' expectations of her felt very true (and familiar). I bought into her personal evolution more than the romance itself, but I think that was the point. Willem, the love interest, was fine, I guess - the next book tells his story, so hopefully I'll like him better then. Here, though, I found Allyson's friend Dee way more interesting. Also: this book DEFINITELY made me want to go back to Europe.