Review: Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Just One Day by Gayle Forman
Just One Day #1
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Published January 8, 2013
Hardcover, 368 pages

Overview:

When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Review:

I adored Just One Day. Having read some of Gayle Forman's other books like If I Stay and Where She Went, I was expecting this one to be a little more on the somber side; I was pleasantly surprised to discover almost the opposite. While Just One Day does have its sad moments, overall, it has a very hopeful and uplifting tone.

Just One Day starts off idyllically: right away, the charismatic Willem is introduced and Allyson (or "Lulu", as Willem calls her) is whisked off to Paris for one perfect day--until it has to end. Allyson wakes up the next morning to find that both Willem and her new-found sense of courage have disappeared overnight. When she returns back to America, heartbroken and embarrassed about her "huge mistake," Allyson returns to all the comforts of her life before her trip. It's only months later, after a disastrous first semester of college and failing to fit in that Allyson realizes that maybe being daring and courageous on that one day in Paris with Willem was the best thing she ever did for herself. Even though Just One Day starts off as a romance, it turns into Allyson's year-long search not only for the elusive Willem, but for herself--and who she was when she was in Paris.

One of my favorite things about Just One Day was the scenery. Allyson's story begins in Europe and ends there too; everywhere she goes (especially Paris), the setting is so well described I can almost pretend I've been there before. I loved all the people Allyson meets through her travels, too--each one of them brings a new perspective to Allyson's life as she moves through her journey. There's a little bit of Shakespeare throughout the story, and also some really great ideas about who we are as individuals--if the people we pretend to be in different situations are who we really are.

Just One Day ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I was very happy with how it ended nonetheless. The sequel Just One Year (told from Willem's point of view!) is set to come out in the fall, and I will be eagerly awaiting it when it does. Until then, though, I'm still stuck in a kind of wonder from everything in Just One Day. If you enjoy books about travel, self-realization stories, or you're just looking for a good read, I highly recommend Just One Day by Gayle Forman. 

Overall rating: 5 of 5 stars.

Review: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
The Darkest Minds #1
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Published December 18, 2012
Hardcover, 488 pages

Overview:

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

Review:

I didn't love The Darkest Minds. I had heard a lot of good things about this book before I started, so maybe my expectations were too high before I even started reading. I really wanted to love it, but I couldn't. That being said, I didn't dislike the book; The Darkest Minds falls into that gray, in-the-middle category for me.

I liked the premise: a dystopian where kids somehow end up with superpowers/strange abilities, are shunned from society, and eventually end up in "rehabilitation" camps. I particularly enjoyed the organization of the kids (based on the degree of their abilities; for example, Yellows can manipulate electricity, Oranges can manipulate people's minds), and how that played a role on camp life and throughout the rest of the book. The writing is fantastic; the story was believable and realistic, which isn't always the case when it comes to dystopian novels.

One of my biggest problems with The Darkest Minds was the main character, Ruby. Ruby never seems to really be after anything, and when she finally focuses on a goal, her reasons for it seem half-hearted or lacking in emotion and reason. I never could root for her because I felt like Ruby wasn't even rooting for herself.

Main character aside, I liked the other characters. The trio of Liam, Chubs, and Zu were, together, probably my favorite part of the book. The twist with the elusive "Slip Kid" took me by surprise, and the ending was something I wasn't quite expecting either. The book is left (very) wide open and nothing wraps up neatly, leaving lots to be addressed in future books. The Darkest Minds wasn't my necessarily my cup of tea, but I definitely think it's worth checking out, especially if you like dystopians or the idea of kids with superpowers interests you.

Overall rating: 3 of 5 stars.