We are born in one day. 
 We die in one day. 
 We can change in one day. 
 And we can fall in love in one day. 
 Anything can happen in just one day. 
 I loved If I Stay and Where She Went. They made me super over emotional, so much so I have never reread them, but I loved them and the different types of feelings that both books evoked. So it was with high expectations that I turned to Gayle Forman's next duology, beginning with Just One Day. It wasn't quite what I was hoping for but at the same time, considering my lack of knowledge and the fact I was going into it blind, I'm not really sure what I was hoping for. 
 I have never read a book where I disliked the main character, Allyson, so much but still really enjoyed the writing and the story (mostly). This is strange I suppose because the story is made up of Allyson's actions and I generally thought most of these were pretty stupid. But I really appreciated the character and plot development, even though it was pretty crazy on her part. By the end, she was pretty tolerable but (view spoiler)[ I do wish she had decided in the end not to seek Willem out. She had come so far and had made so many other important discoveries about herself it seemed he was not even that important anymore, instead being only a catalyst for change. I think the end of this novel could have been written without her going back for him (hide spoiler)]. 
 There was a lot of eye rolling for me while reading but I was glad that there wasn't any point where I wanted to throw this book across the room. It was all influenced by Allyson - I have no problem pointing fingers. She is melodramatic, ungrateful and at times, extremely stupid, no matter her GPA. Her tour in Europe may not be what she wanted but her parents paid and organised it for her (when I took off overseas after high school I organised and financed the whole thing myself) and yet she shows no inkling of gratitude, only worrying that she hasn't had the Europe experience she wanted. That would have a lot to do with her attitude! And when she does decide to actually enjoy herself and take off for a day to Paris with a stranger, she takes no notice of where she is or where she's going, she does nothing in terms of looking after herself and when her one night stand takes off, she's left lost and in tears in a strange country with no idea where she is or how to speak the language. She has absolutely nobody to blame for herself, honestly what did she think was going to happen? And then instead of accepting the fact that yes, shit happens, and chalking it down to experience and an awesome exotic story to tell (because in the end she was fine!) about your trip to Paris, she lets it ruin her life for a whole year. On top of that, she doesn't want to do pre-med like her parents thought and so secretly takes other classes. Well done for acting like an adult! (More eye rolling.) 
 The fact that she is just so dependent on everyone around her really grated on my nerves but then when she finally decided to stand up and do something for herself I was pretty pleased with the character development that came out of having to get a job and manage money and be a person in the real world. The privilege in this novel really pissed me off and she could easily be perceived as spoilt, but the worst thing was there was no indication that this was the intention of the author, who instead focused on Allyson 'finding herself' and 'a quest for lost love' yadda yadda yadda. Every girl is described as pretty and when she's with her stranger boy, immediately identified as a threat. I personally felt she had no reason to hate Celine or any of the other girls, even if Celine was a bit of a bitch at times. Willem did not belong to her and yet she immediately assumed he did. Her revelations by the end of the novel were heartening to read, though, and I was glad it seemed like she grew up and moved on. 
 My rating is conflicting me! But I did enjoy it and Paris and Holland were painted so exquisitely in this novel (I have the wanderlust), the writing was fantastic (as always) I think this one can get 4 stars. BECAUSE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT (even though it didn't end how I thought it should).