Just One Night

Just One Day #2.5

by Gayle Forman

After spending one life-changing day in Paris with laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter, sheltered American good girl Allyson “Lulu” Healey discovered her new lover had disappeared without a trace. Just One Day followed Allyson’s quest to reunite with Willem; Just One Year chronicled the pair’s year apart from Willem’s perspective. Now, back together at last, this delectable e-novella reveals the couple’s final chapter.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, New Adult, Novella, Short Stories, Fiction

40 pages, ebook

First published May 29, 2014

About the author

Award-winning author and journalist Gayle Forman has written several bestselling novels for young adults, including the Just One Series, I Was Here, Where She Went and the #1 New York Times bestseller If I Stay, which has been translated into more than 40 languages and in 2014 was adapted into a major motion picture.

Gayle published Leave Me, her first novel starring adults in 2016 and her latest novel, I Have Lost My Way, comes out in March of 2018.


Gayle lives with her husband and daughters in Brooklyn.

Reviews

[Hazel (Stay Bookish) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Post-reading:

SO MUCH LOVE!!!!!!!!! <3333333


ALL THE FEELS = PERFECT. *bows down to Gayle Forman*

Pre-reading:

ME WHEN I FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS:


OMYGOD OMYGOD OMYGOD WE GET TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WITH WILLEM AND ALLYSON!!!!!



ALSO THAT COVER IS LOVELYYY


PLEAAAASE LET THERE BE LOTS OF KISSING


AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ♡♡♡

(I usually don't do GIFs but this was a special occasion eeeep)

[Whitney Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS EVERYTHING I NEEDED AND EVERYTHING I DIDNT KNOW I NEEDED

[aniryllis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh sorry, I need to say it:

THANK FUCK.

From my JOY's review:

This. Is. Not. An. Ending. [...] I NEED ANOTHER BOOK ABOUT THEM. What the actual fuck was that. I can't accept this ending, it's not enough! For once I hope there will be a third book, please?

GOD EXISTS.



Now GIMME GIMME GIMME.

[Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Yosbe Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Porque algunas veces, simplemente necesitas finales felices...






En lo más profundo de mi corazón pensé que no necesitaba este libro, porque exactamente como es, así me lo imaginé todo, perfecto, pero es más de lo que imaginé (y sabemos que es difícil decir eso porque solemos decepcionarnos de las continuaciones) y por ese "es más", gracias Gayle por escribirlo.

Incluso necesité parar porque no podía manejar tanta felicidad junta... y pensé que eso sólo pasaba cuando no podías manejar tristezas. Nunca adoré tanto un final feliz y mi corazón se siente como Fresita en el mundo de los Ositos Cariñosos.



Entonces...



Esta soy yo cuando leí esto:

“You were there,” she says.
“You were there,” he says.

[...]

“I cannot believe you were at that party!” Henk says. “I cannot believe you went all the way there and you didn’t find each other.”
Kate and Wolfgang have only just met. But for some reason, they catch each other’s eyes.

“Maybe they weren’t ready to find each other,” Wolfgang begins.

“And so they didn’t,” Kate finishes.

“That makes no sense whatsoever,” W says. Except that even W—mathematical, logical, analytical W—somewhere understands that it does.

y luego...

“Get the nine pack,” Allyson says, and he almost explodes right there.

Y a la final...

“Can’t you stay,” Willem begins. “For just one—?”

Allyson doesn’t wait for him to finish the question—hour, day, week—because her answer is the same.

“Yes.”

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

My Black Sheep Rating: 1.5 of 5 stars

In Just One Day, Allyson and Willem meet for one memorable day before getting separated. In Just One Year, the two spend the following year searching for one another before finally succeeding. But did they get their happily ever after?

All be warned: there will be spoilers.

I wasn’t a huge fan of this series in general but was so thrown by the ending (or lack of ending) in book two that I knew I had to pick this up regardless. Allyson and Willem never generated any warm fuzzies for me but I still wanted to see what happened to the two of them in the end. After finishing Just One Night I have to say, they (author? publisher? whoever made the call to publish this.) should have left well enough alone. The two get their happily ever after, but Just One Night only manages to showcase Allyson’s creepy stalker obsession with Willem (I’m sorry, but who travels the globe searching for a guy she spent a single day with?) and Willem’s creepy foot fetish. I’m not joking. Did he obsess about her feet in the other books? Because if he did I must have blocked that shit out because, ew? For only 43 pages there were an obscene amount of foot comments. Here are several examples:

‘Allyson is sitting on the sofa, her sandals off, neatly placed under the coffee table. (The sight of her bare feet. What this is doing to Willem’s blood pressure. She might as well have taken off all her clothes.)’

‘It all feels like a dream and yet as natural as breathing. This is what you do. Put Allyson’s feet into your lap.’

‘They are on the stairs and she is under him and he’s got that wrist of hers in his mouth (finally!) but it’s not enough, he wants all of her (the feet!) [...]‘

“...Allyson is sitting next to him, and with everyone jammed at the table, she is right up close. And then she slips off her sandals under the table and sort of nuzzles her foot against his.
He loses his appetite, for food anyway.”

In addition to the creepy foot comments there was one ‘memorable’ scene in particular where Allyson was behind Willem on the bike he was riding and she decides to make out with his back, I guess since his mouth wasn’t available.

‘She can nuzzle against his back and lick his vertebra if she wants to. (She does, so she does.)’

‘Willem is just desperate for it to end. He is so full of wanting that it is painful and Allyson keeps lifting his shirt and licking his back, which she shouldn’t do while he’s riding a bike because he might pass out. (But she shouldn’t stop, either.)’

This is the fourth Gayle Forman book I’ve read yet was the poorest showcasing of her writing skills. The point of view was often unclear and would switch up at random without any section breaks resulting in a strange disjointed feel to this short tale. Plus, I’m not sure what was up with the strange sentences she decided belonged in parenthesis for no apparent reason.

Just One Night was intended to give fans the happily ever after that was lacking in Just One Year but it just didn’t do it for me. It failed to create emotional resonance I would have expected for two people that spent the past year searching for one another. Maybe it’s because I can’t look past the creepy feet comments or the fact that it seemed to be about nothing more than the two sleeping with each other. Maybe it’s because I never cared for their story or either one of their characters but I didn’t feel there was anything truly romantic about this love story.

[emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

guh.

this was...oh man.

like. i'd write more of a review of this but i think the previous 5 words sum it up pretty well

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

SOMEONE HOLD ME
SOMEONE JUST PLEASE
TELL ME I AM NOT DREAMING
I CAN'T
I PHYSICALLY CAN'T
I HAVE LOST ALL ABILITIES TO EVEN

and now the gif gallery











Gayle Forman,

[Fenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW. What a marvellous ending. Because in my head this is not 2,5 book. Its the third. The ending. It was so beautifully and uniquely written!! I love how you would read both of Allyson's and Willem's POVs without actually having POVs. I also loved the direct language (it was like reading a theatrical play) and that besides that,you could feel all the emotions coming out and flooding you. Perfect. Just perfect.

[Hailey (Hailey in Bookland) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*
BLESS just what i needed. ahhhh this was such a great duology!

[MELISSA *Mel Reader* · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Meant To Be "Stained" Stars!





Allyson Healey aka Lulu went on vacation through Europe, and met a gorgeous Dutch guy named Willem De Ruiter. They hit it off, and she agrees to spend a day with him in Paris. She is drawn to his free spirit, and his charismatic personality. They spend a day together, and fall for each other. They both realize they have something different and special with each other.



Then circumstances separate them for a year. They both long for each other, and begin searching for one another. They felt truly whole together, and now each of them feels lost, like a part of themselves is missing.



After book 2, I was disappointed that the ending didn't give me more. This novella really completed their story for me. It picks up after they are finally reunited. Willem is living in his uncle's apt., and playing the understudy for Orlando in a Shakespeare play. We get the closure I was looking for, and also the sexy time. ;)) We also find out how their future will play out for them to be together.



I really enjoyed this couple, and their journey to be together. I loved the similarities between their relationship & Willem's parents relationship. This was a beautiful story about love lost & love found! Love a great HEA! :D



-I found her.

-It all feels like a dream and yet as natural as breathing.

-When Allyson smiles, Willem is reminded of a sunrise. A bit of light, then more of it, then a burst of brightness. A sunrise is something you can see all the time and still marvel at.

-"She found her Orlando."

-"Double happiness."

[Keertana · Rating 4 out of 5]

It will come as a surprise to many that I didn't necessarily want Just One Night. Unlike the majority of readers, I fell head-over-heels in love with Just One Year, particularly its ending. It felt right. While Just One Day may have had readers questioning Willem's fidelity or the depth of his love for Allyson, I knew by the answering smile on his face as he opened the door to allow her his apartment that their love story could have only one type of ending: a happy one. And though Just One Year may not have prolonged their reunion too much, I closed the volume with absolutely no complaints, feeling swept up in the whirlwind of life, of fate, and of the journeys that take us to new dimensions of understanding ourselves.

Thus, when I heard Forman was releasing Just One Night, her first novella, I was mostly confused, though admittedly curious and more than a little eager to re-visit the lives of Allyson and Willem both. For a small title, Just One Night is impeccably written--as is only to be expected from Forman--venturing into a slightly different format as Forman flits between the third person perspectives of Allyson, Willem, and even their close friends. It is a content installment, full of the connecting dots that further emphasize just how much Willem and Allyson belong together, and for that, I loved it. I loved the meandering conversations these two share, both as they yearn to begin their lives together while simultaneously backtracking to the marvelous day they shared together in Paris. As they try to piece together all the missing gaps in their love story.

Perhaps, for most readers, this novella provides that tiny little bit of closure they felt missing from the ending of Just One Year. Perhaps seeing a confirmation in both the dialogue and actions of Willem further reassure readers that yes, he loves Allyson; yes, he means to begin a relationship with her and make it work till the end; no, she isn't just another one of his girls--she's special. For me, however, all this and more became abundantly clear in Just One Year, particularly in the way that Willem compared his relationship with Allyson to that shared between Yael and Bram. Of course, there are lines--snippets, really--from this novella that are sweet, adorable, and meant to be cherished but, as a whole, it didn't do too much for me beyond clarify what I already knew to be true for these two. It's a short work and a pleasure to read, but where the previous two books in this series gave me more than a love story--they gave me a remarkable journey of self-discovery to examine and admire--this novella remains a romantic tale, tying up the potential loose ends Forman may not have spelled out in Just One Year and pleasing fans around the globe. It's well-worth the read, in my opinion, but while I'll be re-reading Just One Day and Just One Year in the time to come, I am perfectly content letting Just One Night sit demurely on my Kindle from here on out.

[Roshni Ajmal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review:
Well i didn't like previous two book and this one didn't change my mind. I dont like Alyson or WIllem.
But i don't hate them i just don't care about this story or these characters at all.
P.S : third person really irritated the hell out of me.

[Stacee · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS GLORIOUS AND EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED.

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 4 out of 5]

It isn’t a first kiss. It isn’t even their first kiss. But it feels like one. Not because it is fumbling or awkward. Not because she doesn’t know where to put her hand, or he doesn’t know where to put his nose. None of those. They slot together like puzzle pieces. As Allyson and Willem kiss for the first time in a year, both are thinking the same thing: This feels new.

Though perhaps thinking is not the right term, because with a kiss like this, thinking goes out the window and something more instinctual takes over: inner voices, gut instincts. “Knowing it in your kishkes” is how Willem’s saba would’ve described it.

I've missed these two! A fitting conclusion to the fairy-tale like saga of Allyson “Lulu” and Willem. Short and sweet and romantic:)

The whole premise of the books and this is a bit out there but it's a nice escape from reality and just lot of fun.

I eon't spoil it for you but we do get some answers here, some things get wrapped up and a lovely sense of possibility hovers over certain parts of it.

Would recommend, but read the books first *waves* Happy reading!

He shouldn’t be surprised. Hadn’t he felt her there? Hadn’t he spoken his lines to her? But after all the false hopes of the last year, and after that letter Tor had told him about, he’d thought he had conjured her. Maybe he had. Maybe he had done such a fine job of it, he’d conjured her right into existence, into his uncle’s flat, where she is now sitting, with her feet resting in his lap.

[✧✧tanja✧✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's been a while since I read Just One Day/Year but reading this little novella brought me right back to Willem and Allyson, making it seem like I read the novels just last week.

It was a bit odd at times, like Willems obsession with feet, I mean where the eff did that come from? anyway, I loved this novella, I love them, I love them together and their friends are great, too. I wish there was a novella about Allyson meeting Willems mother, though...

[Beatrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I shamelessly DNF Just One Year and I have no regrets spoiling myself on the ending by reading the last chapter which was a MEH. When I read this..OMFG. THIS IS WHAT I AM FUDGING LOOKING FOR. DAMN CLOSURE I AM LOOKING FOR.

If only this isn't a novella and it's in JUST ONE YEAR. My patience going through Willem's adventure will be paid off.

[Tiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars.

I bow down to the awesome that is Gayle Forman.

Review to come.

[Ellie Red · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gayle Forman knows how to write scenes filled with love, agony, heartbreak and desire.
''Just one night'' is perfection. The way Allyson and Willem see each other after all this time, after one year of fantasizing about each other, of constantly being tormented by the idea that they lost their chance of true love, they are finally able to look into each other's eyes and express what they feel. Their story is captivating and universal.

[Pipsprite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute! That’s the word I would use to describe this book. I was so happy with it. I can’t even begin to describe why because it just made me so happy. I always felt as though there needed to be a final part and they didn’t disappoint! I know final sounds like a bad word but for this one it’s a great word!

Longer review to come soon!

[Defne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review of the series @ Creased Book Spines

[Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hach, diese kleine Novelle ist alles, was ich vom 2. Teil wollte ♥

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/4
Would have been a 4 but the third person switch felt really weird and off to me, BUT I STILL LOVE THE CONTENT OH MY.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two and a half stars: A novella that ties up loose ends that should have been addressed in the main series.

At last, Allyson and Willem meet again after one long year. It was a year of sadness, turmoil, self discovery and yearning. After enduring impossible odds and a painstaking search, they reunite with a passionate kiss. How did they get here? What will happen next?

What I Liked:
*After reading Just One Day and Just One Year, I was completely invested in Allyson and Willem's story, but I was disappointed at the end of the second book because the author left too many nagging questions, and both books end abruptly at the sweet moment. This novella fills in the blanks and answers the remaining questions, and for the most part, resolves everything, so it is a must read if you are a fan of the series.
*I enjoyed seeing the couple together and watching them interact again after their year spent apart. I liked how they compared notes and shared things that happened during their separation. It was nice to finally get to spend a bit of time in the sweet moments of their romance that weren't in the main books.
*I appreciated that there was a big focus on the friendships. There is a scene in the novella where Allyson and Willem have dinner with all their friends, and I thought it was one of the highlights of the novella. I loved seeing everyone together and happy.
*I was pleased to see that there was a long term plan in place for the couple, and I closed the novella satisfied that they would have a nice future together.
And The Not So Much:
*As a reader, I was frustrated that once again vital information was left out of the main books and put into a novella. Why didn't the author either write another book or take the time to add this missing information in the last book? I hate that I had to pay $.99 to get the answers that I was seeking. Not to mention the fact that this tactic cuts off a big portion of the audience as not everyone has ereaders nor do they have access to ebooks. It is irritating that authors and publishers take important parts out of books and put them in a novella form. If I hadn't been so invested in the series I wouldn't have read this, but I needed closure. At $.99 for forty five pages, it isn't exactly a bargain.
*This novella is told in third person narrative which I absolutely hated. Just One Day is in Allyson's voice while Just One Year is Willem's version of the events. To have this novella told in third person not only took away the intimacy and the connection but it felt like someone was hurriedly recounting the events. I was not a fan of the narration at all.
*While I appreciated that this was a quick read and that I got almost all the answers I was seeking, except for what happened to the post cards that Willem left in Allyson's suitcase and what happened with the note Willem left, I felt that the pace was too quick. I wanted to revel in the reunion, but the brevity of the novella doesn't allow for much of that. Bottom line, this is a quick read that ties up all the undone story lines from both books. I still am baffled that the author didn't take the time to include this information in the books, it was a let down. I personally think that Ms. Forman should have written a third book it would have been much more satisfying than this hurried, slopped together novella.

Just One Night was a much needed novella that finally provided the answers to all the lingering questions from both books. While I appreciated that I finally got the closure I was needing, I was irritated that this information wasn't in the books, and the reader has to pay $.99 for a forty five page novella to find the answers. I was also not a fan of the third person narration. Still I am glad that I got closure. If you are fan of this series, this is a must read.

Favorite Quotations:
“When Allyson smiles, Willem is reminded of a sunrise. A bit of light, then more of it, then a burst of brightness. A sunrise is something you can see all the time and still marvel at. Maybe that is why her smile feels so familiar. He has seen many sunrises.”

I purchased a copy of this book. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.

[Arlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just One Night was exactly what I needed to bring closure to Allyson and Willem’s story. I loved their first two stories and I remember feeling after I finished the second book that I wanted just a few more chapters to see how these two would end up. Well…. Gayle Forman delivered in Just One Night.

I didn’t think I could fall in love with Willem anymore that I already did when he shared his perspective in Just One Year, but I did. I loved.loved.loved how these two characters finally realized their second chance and the conclusion was sheer bliss.

Forman’s novella was the perfect ending to the two book series. What a way to close the chapters on Willem and Allyson’s story. Perfect!

[Odette · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO MUCH CUTENESS! OMG this book is the perfect ending following a perfect ending, this is how happily ever after feels, so lovely!

[Mafi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A estória, os protagonistas e a duologia mereciam um final melhor.

"Just one night" é um conto que em 35 páginas tenta dar um fim a uma estória onde o leitor já leu cerca de 600 páginas (tanto o Just one day e o Just one year andam à volta das 300 páginas). Ora isto para mim não tem cabimento nenhum.
Os contos servem como extras, pequenas curiosidades a uma série e não deviam ser usados como final de uma série. Especialmente num conto tão pequeno. Claro que me soube a pouco e não entendi mesmo esta ideia de lançar em papel duas versões de uma estória e o final fica num conto, apenas em formato online. Que lógica tem isto?! Ou faziam uma trilogia, com um final decente, bem explicado ou faziam uma duologia em que não fossem dois livros a mesma estória mas cada um com princípio, meio e fim.

opinião completa: http://algodaodoceparaocerebro.blogsp...

[Seekerofhugs · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Y el beso se siente como algo completamente nuevo. Pero también se siente como algo profundamente conocido. Lo que parecería ser una contradicción. Solo que no lo es. La verdad y su opuesto son dos caras de la misma moneda."

Just one year fue mi última lectura del año pasado y a pesar de que el libro me gustó mucho, sentí que el final estaba incompleto.
Just one night, en cambio, fue todo lo que el libro anterior debió haber contenido. Todo lo que los protagonistas merecían después de un año sufriendo. Todo lo que yo necesitaba. Un final feliz.

Y aunque la historia de Adam y Mía siempre será mi favorita, Willem y Allyson también tienen un pequeño hueco en mi corazón.
Fue el cierre perfecto. Gracias Gayle, por escribir esto.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a good way to close out the story, but I just wasn't crazy about it.

[Izzy (is in the wrong era) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“And the kiss feels like something completely new. But it also feels like something deeply known.”

I've been a fan of Gayle Forman's books for a while now and some of them have been my favorites. The Just One Day series is no exception.

I have to say that Allyson's and Willem's romance is probably my all-time favorite among all contemporary novels I've read so far. They made me believe that love really finds a way and that there is a right time for everything.

"Maybe they weren't ready to find each other," Wolfgang begins.

"And so they didnt," Kate finishes.

Gayle Forman handled their relationship so well that even I - the girl who questions everything about love - was given hope that maybe, just maybe, it really is possible that the stains we leave on other people will be remembered. Forman made me fall in love with love and I didn't even know that was possible!

I will forever remember this series as one that has left a, for a lack of better word, stain on my heart.

Note: But what is up with Willem's thing for Allyson's feet?????????????????

"Then he goes back to savoring Allyson and her bare feet, which are right here. He never thought he had a thing for feet, but he is beginning to reconsider."

Seriously.

"And then she slips off her sandals under the table and sort of nuzzles her foot against his. He loses his appetite, for food anyway."

I can't stOP LAUGHING SEND HELP

"Meanwhile, both her feet are now completely wrapped around his right ankle. She has no idea what that is doing to him."

OTP = WILLEM + FEET

"(...) but it's not enough, he wants all of her (the feet!) and they both know they have to make it up to Daniel's flat (...)"

IZZY OUT!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This small 40-paged novella was truly, quite literally the missing piece to this story. I was scared that Gayle Forman wouldn't give Willem and Allyson their well-deserved justice and I prepared myself for an unsatisfying ending, but I couldn't have been proved more wrong. This novella tied every loose end up, cleared my doubts and surpassed all of my expectations. For the longest time I wanted to find out how Willem got that zigzag scar on his foot and now I finally have. I loved how Gayle Forman managed to include every single character(even just with a name) from the previous books into this one. My face is so red and puffy from the lack of sleep and amount of crying I've done over this series for the last two days(estimably, I think I cried 9 times alone while reading this novella). I can't believe what a huge impact this story had on me and will continue to have... I guess you could even say it left a stain.