Blog Tour: JUST ONE DAY by Gayle Forman

Welcome to the JUST ONE DAY blog tour! We all know one of Gayle’s talents lies in writing the swooniest books possible, but she’s also a world traveler! Many of her experiences inspired scenes in JUST ONE DAY (and JUST ONE YEAR, out next fall!). Each day along the tour there will be a new photo from Gayle’s travels, along with the story behind the photo written by Gayle!

Barcelona, Spain

This is Rebecca. She became my best friend during my junior year abroad in England and the following year, after I came back to the States and graduated high school, she and I went backpacking through Europe together.

That was more than 25 years ago. Rebecca and I are still good friends. Which is kind of miraculous, given that we have jobs and families, and there’s that ocean between the UK and the US that prevents us from seeing much of each other. But more miraculous given how much we traveled together. Nothing tests a relationship like being on the road. You have these moments of such inexplicable bliss—dancing all night in an Amsterdam club or just being in Barcelona and eating sugar-laced churros while watching the colored fountains. But you also have moments when you’re feeling worn and insecure, when you’re lost and neither one of you wants to ask for directions because the answer will probably be completely unintelligible in a language you don’t understand, and you’re just tired of feeling stupid. There will be sniping.

Rebecca and I traveled together several times over a period of five years. And there was plenty of sniping—or, because she was English, lots of stony silences. I remember walking a few paces behind Rebecca in Italy and silently giving her the finger. (Sorry, Rebecca). There have been long periods of time when we didn’t speak to each other. Part of that is just a necessary break from the forced intimacy of being on the road. And part of it is what happens when a friendship transitions from childhood to adulthood, as ours has.

But we got through it, and I’m so glad we did. Because among many other things, we have this joined experience, this shared language that can be triggered with a mere Remember when?

And I will always, remember when.

A breathtaking journey toward self-discovery and true love, from the author of If I Stay.

When sheltered American good girl Allyson “LuLu” Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark. After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left. Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.

Just One Day is the first in a sweepingly romantic duet of novels. Willem’s story—Just One Year—is coming soon!

Start reading JUST ONE DAY right now!

LIKE the JUST ONE DAY/JUST ONE YEAR Facebook page for all the latest news!

Want to see more of Gayle Forman’s amazing traveling? Penguin Teen is posting one picture a day on tumblr for a whole YEAR!

Travel with Gayle along the JUST ONE DAY tour!

Mon, 1/7 Mundie Moms
Tues, 1/8 The Story Siren
Wed, 1/9 Alice Marvels
Thurs, 1/10 Anna Reads
Fri, 1/11 Forever Young Adult

Mon, 1/14 Dear Author
Tues, 1/15 Good Books and Good Wine
Wed, 1/16 Night Owl Reviews
Thurs, 1/17 Presenting Lenore
Fri, 1/18 Ticket to Anywhere