Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Title: Just One Day

Author: Gayle Forman

Publisher: Random House UK

The blurb (from Amazon): Allyson Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase - packed, planned and ordered. Then on the last day of her three - week - post - graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free - spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she's not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. The uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: 24 hours that will transform Allyson's life.

A book about love, heartbreak, travel, identity, and the "accidents" of faith, Just One Day shows us how sometimes in order to get found, you first have to get lost... and how often the people we are seeking are much closer than we know.

What I thought: I really enjoyed this book. I flew through it in a few hours, which is always a good sign. I really identified with the main character, Allyson. I found that I had a lot in common with her, and her character development in this book is excellent. I loved watching her grow. Willem, the alluring boy she meets while visiting England captivated me with his personality and his sweet disposition, and also his love for chocolate and bread.

The writing in this book is beautiful. I love reading about foreign cities, and I now find myself wanting to go to Paris as I was so enchanted by Gayle Forman's writing about it.

You never expect much of a plotline in contemporary novels as they're mostly about the characters, but I loved the plotline of this book. The idea of fearlessly going to Paris for a day with someone you just met seems fun and exhillerating.

This book really is truly brilliant. I love it.

Rating: 9/10


 

The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

Title:    The Book  of  Blood  and  Shadow

Author:  Robin  Wasserman

Publisher:  Random  House  UK

Genre:  Mystery,  Young  Adult,  Fiction

The  blurb:  It  was  like  a  nightmare,  but  there  was  no  waking  up.  When  the  night  began,  Nora  had  two  best  friends  and  a  boyfriend  she  adored.  When  it  ended,  she  had  nothing  but  blood  on  her  hands.  Chris  was  dead.  Adriane  couldn't  speak.  And  Max,  Nora's  sweet,  smart,  soft-spoken  Prince  Charming,  was  gone.  He  was  also  -  according  to  the  police,  according  to  her  parents,  according  to  everyone  -  a  murderer.  Desperate  to  prove  his  innocence,  Nora's  determined  to  follow  the  trail  of  blood,  no  matter  where  it  leads.  But  Chris's  murder  is  just  one  piece  in  a  puzzle  that  spans  continents  and  centuries.  Solving  it  may  be  the  only  way  she  can  save  her  own  life.

What  I  thought:  I  went  into  this  book  with  high  expectations  because  of  all  the  hype  that  surrounded  it  when  it  came  out.  It  had  been  on  my  to - be - read  list  for  quite  some  time.  I  really  liked  the  premise  of  the  book  as  it  wasn't  something  I'd  ever  read  about  before.  I  enjoyed  the  writing  style  and  I  think  that  it  made  the  protagonist,  Nora,  seem  real.  I  like  how  Robin  Wasserman  described  Prague,  as  I'd  read  about  it  in  other  books  like  Days  of  Blood  and  Starlight  by  Laini  Taylor.

However,  I  felt  that  the  book  was  quite  slow  paced  and  that  it  took  a  very  long  time  for  any  important  events  to  happen.  I  feel  that  the  translations  dragged  the  book  down,  and  I  found  it  annoying  to  have  to  read  line  after  line  of  Ancient  Greek,  as  I  don't  like  reading  in  languages  that  I  don't  understand.

Overall,  this  book  is  okay.  I  think  it's  a  good  read  if  you  like  reading  about  history  and  foreign  cities.

Rating: 6/10