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Just One Year - Gayle Forman

"Sometimes fate or life or whatever you want to call it, leaves a door a little open and you walk through it. But sometimes it locks the door and you have to find the key, or pick the lock, or knock the damn thing down. And sometimes, it doesn't even show you the door, and you have to build it yourself."

After finishing Just One Day from the same author, I have just finished the novel named Just One Year as a sequel from Just One Day. The novel was interesting for me as it was taken from the guy's point of view as the main character, Willem de Rutter. The scene was taken from the last meeting of Willem and Allison (Lulu) as the main character at Just One Day. 

Starting at the last time and place when and where Willem met Allison as Lulu. Lulu was the name Willem gave to Allison as the main character in the first series of the novel, Just One Day. Just One Year novel described about Willem's Journey to find Lulu into some ways and went to some countries. Until he had to go back to India, where his mother lived and had not met Willem for such a long time. 

As Willem enjoyed spending his time in some different places, he was brought into some past memories about his family and friends. He thought about his past which was reconnected with what happened with him as he grew up, especially the memories that were still remain with Lulu. Willem found some new facts about himself that his family long time ago kept. The journey was ended beautifully until, to be honest, I cried.

This novel is written from Willem's point of view which I always love from Gayle because she always makes the man's or guy's character as it is written by a man's author. I have read the story from Where She Went before and I was in love with Adam Wilde descriptions there. It happens as same as after I read Just One Year.

I also like the description on how Gayle describe the journey that Willem experienced. I believe that Gayle writes her own journey to Amsterdam, India, and Utrecht through Willem's point of view. It felt like I was there to discover the uniqueness of the countries and cities. From their description I also could enjoy Willem's feeling and thought about why he should be at those cities. 

As Indonesian, easy language on a book is important. This novel proved it. I might sometimes find difficult words on this novel but they did not bother my process of reading. I enjoyed reading this novel in every chapter though I sometimes tried to look up some words meaning on to my dictionary. The clear and short descriptions in character's thoughts were explained easily on this book.   

It depends on the people who read this novel and their point of views, in my opinion, I found some parts are boring and needed to be erased. For example, the story about Willem who was going to some different places in India. In some places, he just wanted to go there and escaped from her Mom, but there were not any good or important stories to enjoy or earn.

It is interesting and lovely to have a short pages for a chapter, and it will be boring if a chapter has a long pages to enjoy. I find that this novel has in consistent pages for a chapter. It is different when I read the first novel, Just One Day. Maybe it is a part of the Gayle's concept in writing this novel. I could not say anything about it as I still enjoyed finishing this novel and cried at the end of the story. 

The characters inside this novel are quite a lot than at the Just One Day novel. I guess it because Willem was an easy going person and he was not difficult to make new friends. As Willem continued his journey on his acting, he met some new people and get a long with them. However, I must appreciate Gayle on how to write different stories on every characters and involved them into Willem's journey.

This novel is recommended for the people who has been finished the first novel, Just One Day. Just One Year brings you to some new and excitement of Willem's journeys. For all, I really enjoyed reading this novel.

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