Is one day enough to change your life? Allyson Healey's existence has always been predictable and mundane. She's never questioned her mother's color-coded schedules or her own intention to go to medical school like her father. But on the last day of an unexciting pre-college European summer tour, everything changes. Allyson decides at the spur of the moment to spend a day in Paris with Willem, a 20-year-old traveling Shakespearean actor whom she's just met.

A dizzying day of Parisian adventure follows, but the next morning Allyson finds herself stranded and alone. Haunted not only by the loss of Willem but also by the loss of the person Willem inspired her to be, Allyson's first semester of college is marred by depression and failure.

When a guidance counselor suggests she drop her science labs for a Shakespeare class, a new door opens for Allyson. She begins to build an independent identity around her own interests and goals. Forgoing the summer internship her mother has arranged for her, Allyson finds her own job and makes plans to return to Paris to look for Willem. She soon discovers that her trip is as much about finding herself as finding Willem.

Gayle Forman, best-selling author of If I Stay and an experienced traveler herself, infuses this tale of self-discovery with details of international travel, Shakespeare's plays, and the sights, smells, tastes and textures of Paris. Against this backdrop, and in the setting of Allyson's small Boston-area college, Forman develops a cast of well-drawn characters in realistic relationships—from Allyson's strained post-high school relationship with her longtime best friend Melanie, to her growing friendship with Dee, a classmate who's not afraid to challenge others' preconceptions of his unusual fashion choices. In the end, though, what captures readers' hearts is Allyson's own emerging individuality as she struggles with defining—and then becoming—the person she wants to be.

Readers curious about Willem's side of the story can look forward to Just One Year, coming this fall.

The love story in Forman's If I Stay and Where She Went was wrapped in the finality of death. This story—about the romance between Allyson, a recent high school grad, and Willem, a handsome Dutch actor she meets during a whirlwind tour of Europe—is built around uncertainty and a kind of loss that's more akin to an open wound. Upon meeting, the two take an impulsive trip to Paris, but Willem disappears and Allyson is left stranded. Back in the U.S., Allyson is unable to wipe Willem from her mind, and her carefully planned future takes unexpected turns. In a romance that never quite answers the question "Whatever happened to Willem?" Forman explores how travel can lead to surprises and a redefinition of self. In college, Allyson breaks away from her mother's expectations, realizes her passion for theater and language, and tries to gather clues about Willem's whereabouts. Offering mystery, drama, and an evocative portrait of unrequited love, this open-ended novel will leave fans eagerly anticipating the companion story—written from Willem's perspective—due in fall 2013. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sarah Burnes, the Gernert Company. (Jan.)

Gr 9 Up—"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." Allyson's life has been carefully planned out by her well-intentioned, but overbearing parents, even her graduation present of an educational tour of Europe. Everything that makes Allyson "Allyson"-from choosing her hobby of vintage-clock collecting to selecting what her college major will be-has been orchestrated by her mother. So when, after a chance encounter with a young man named Willem, the 18-year-old rebels and ditches a performance of the Royal Shakespeare Company to see "Guerilla Will," live Shakespeare performed in a London park, even her friend Melanie is surprised. Shedding her good-girl cloak and adopting the nickname "Lulu," Allyson decides to spend a day in Paris with Willem, an actor from the theater troupe. She surprises herself with her bold and adventuresome behavior during their time together, not the least of which includes having sex in an artist's squat. When Allyson wakes up the next day to find Willem gone, she returns home but can't shake him or the whole day from her memory. After a tumultuous freshman year, she saves up enough money to return to Europe and track down Willem to get closure. In the process of finding him, Allyson discovers herself, which may have been the point of the trip all along. Reading like a teen version of Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love (Viking, 2006), this tale of romance and mystery engages readers and will cause them to examine their definitions of love and self-identity.—Nicole Knott, Watertown High School, CT