Hell-Bent to Read

What can I say about this book? Not a whole lot, to be completely honest. The things that I can say, though, probably sound extremely fangirly. I just really loved this book, ok?

I had heard nothing but good things about Gayle Forman's writing, and I have heard spectacular things about this book in particular. Seeing as I have recently come to love the contemporary genre, I decided to give this book a shot. I went into this book expecting it to have what I like to call, the "John Green Syndrome." What is the JGS, you ask? It's when a book is SO hyped up that, even if you absolutely loved the book, it was still a bit of a let down because of all the hype.

Luckily, though, this did not happen with Just One Day. I absolutely adored this book, you guys. The roller coaster of emotions this book sent me on had me laying in bed in a dazed state.

PLOT.

As I said earlier, I have recently come to love this genre. My favorite books of this genre always tend to revolve around the character(s) trying to discover themselves, so that's what first got me excited to read this.

I have always wanted to just travel the world on a whim, with no real planning involved, so that was one of my favorite parts of the plot. The whole adventure through Paris that Allyson takes with Willem is simply...magical, for lack of a better word. They experience a city in a way that most people aren't keen on.

CHARACTERS.

I. LOVED. THESE. CHARACTERS. You guys cannot even begin to understand the amount of love that I have for these characters. They were all so fleshed out to the point that you started to think that you actually knew them. Not only were Allyson and Willem developed, but the bigger side characters were even developed in some way.

Allyson is probably one of my favorite characters of all time. I'm sure that most, if not all, of us can related to the struggle of trying to figure out who we are and/or who we want to be. Her journey to figure that out is obviously not the most common of scenarios, but even with that, Gayle Forman made it so easy for the readers to put themselves in her shoes.

Willem. What can I say about Willem? The most obvious thing is that he is totally swoon-worthy. Who wouldn't want a Willem in their life? Aside from the shallow thoughts, I love what he gave to Allyson. I think that Allyson really needed someone like Willem to really push her. Allyson has always lived a quiet life, and I think Willem was the perfect person to come into her life and make her realize what she was missing.

Also, can I just make a comment about how much I loved Dee. Seriously. He was probably one of my favorite side-characters, and I just wanted to hug him.

WRITING.

Oh, the writing. I had no idea what to expect from Gayle's writing, but it wasn't what I read. She has one of the most beautiful writing styles that I have ever read. My favorite thing about her writing is her ability to describe a place in so much detail, while still keeping the reader entranced. I have read a couple stories where, authors with be detailed in their writing, but it's so detailed that it's boring. I have been to Paris, and her descriptions made me feel like I was actually there.

Overall, this book has become one of my all-time favorites, and Gayle Forman has become one of my all-time favorite authors. I cannot wait to get my hands on Just One Year, and I also can't wait to read her other work.