Gaah. I cannot wait for Just One Year. I read the last page of this book three times before turning it, hoping it wasn't really the end. I can't wait to find out if I hate Willem or if I love him.My favorite things about this book:
-all the traveling. I have never been to Europe, and now I've never wanted to go more.
-the realistic freshman year of college experience. At least it felt realistic to me.
-Allyson's friendship with Dee.
-Allyson's friendship with Melanie. I totally relate to that as well.
-Serendipity! While not a world traveler, I have managed to be somewhat of a U.S. traveler, and serendipity is a big part of my traveling motto. My mom and I once sat in a bar in Michigan with an old woman from Oklahoma, chain-smoking and listening to her life story and how she made the resolution, after being sad about moving to Michigan because her husband was dead and she couldn't live alone anymore, to get out there and make friends. And this was her first night out after having decided to do it. She asked to sit with us just as we were getting ready to go and we ended up staying with her for a few hours.
-the part with the doctor in Paris that totally redeemed Willem (so far) and made me cry.
-all the traveling. Did I say this already? And the food. And the getting out there and learning French.
I think this is an incredibly inspiring novel. I need a to make a list of books I wish I'd read when I was a teenager. This is totally one of them.