Publisher: Random House (Definitions)
Pages: 336
Pages: 336
Source: Bought
Genre: YA (16+) - Contemporary
Genre: YA (16+) - Contemporary
My Rating:
 |
| A welcome follow-up |
My thoughts
Just One Year follows on from Just One Day and is written in the POV of Willem.
I liked the continuing themes of losing & finding oneself, adventure and discovery. Willem tended to be a bit of a pain at times, but it was never unbearable for me. His indecision and longing for something that he can't quite comprehend was both somehow realistic and frustrating. I like how many of the events that occurred in Just One Day make a reappearance in this sequel; it's nice to know how much that one day mattered to Willem, even if he's not 100% sure what it all means to him for a majority of the story.
What really brought this book down for me was the ending. Without going into any detail it just felt rushed, forced and completely out of the blue. There was no build-up to it, no tension, no real reasoning behind WHY things ended up the way they did. Maybe others will disagree with me on this. Feel free to discuss in the comments section. :)
The characters were okay. None of them stood out or spoke out to me, so I couldn't feel a deeper connection to the story. However, characters that I favoured include Max and Yael and (can't remember his name, but the kid who picks him up in India). Maybe a few others... but the point is I just didn't care about a vast majority of the people that Willem meets.
On one hand, I'm glad that Forman had written a sequel to Just One Day. I'm not completely satisfied with the results, but it was nice to get some closure and also see from Willem's point of view and get inside his head. The Forman writing style that I'm so fond of was still strong in this one, so that's something. I'm still a huge fan of Forman and can't wait to read what she's going to write next.
Quotes
First sentence: In the dream I always have: I'm on a plane, high above the clouds.
Favourite quotes:
"It's strange because I've seen this film before, a feew times. I know exactly how it ends, but as it goes on, a tension starts to build, a suspense, churning uncomfortably in my gut. It takes a certain kind of naivete, or perhaps just stupidity, to know how things will end and still hope otherwise. (56)
"The devastation caught me off guard. There's a difference between losing something you knew you had and losing something you discovered you had. One is a disappointment. The other is truly a loss. (89)
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All opinions written here are entirely my own. No one paid me to read this book!
