Welcome to the read along for JUST ONE YEAR, part of the Gayle Forman Read Along event!
Each WEDNESDAY, we will be posting the answers from the previous week and I’ll be giving you my answers as well as the questions for the next week’s batch of chapters! Here’s a look at our official schedule for the event:
October 18th: Questions week 1 (Ch 1-12)
October 23rd: Answers week 1 (Ch 1 – 12), week 2 questions (Ch 13 – 21)
October 30th: Answers week 2 (Ch 13 – 21), week 3 questions (Ch 21 – 32)
November 6th: Answers week 3 (Ch 21 – 32), week 4 questions (Ch 33 – end)
November 13th: Answers week 4 (Ch 33 – end), wrap-up & giveaway winner announced!
Before I get to to this week’s answers, I just want to say thank you to everyone who read with us, From SISTERS IN SANITY to JUST ONE YEAR. I had a blast on the Gayle Forman read along and I know it was long but thanks for sticking with me! Re-reading Gayle’s books was something I really needed to do and I was so happy to read them with others who wanted to experience them again and people reading them for the first time! Another BIG thank you to the ladies who co-hosted with me on this event — You guys were truly fantastic!
ANSWERS: WEEK 4
- How do you feel about the travel aspect and sense of worldliness in Willem’s life versus Allyson’s own travels and personal adventures? How do you think travel affects their lives differently? What does travel mean to you?
Oh wow, hmmmm. I think for Willem, travel had become a norm in his life, but he seemed to be using it as an escape away from his problems. For Allyson, I think it was adventure. Trying something new. Reinventing herself and really figuring out who she was outside of her normal life and her normal setting. When we first met Willem, travel was his escape but then it sort of meshed with Allyson’s path and it took on a new meaning for him in his quest to find her again. As for me? Travel is definitely adventure. It’s experiencing something new, finding a new place, learning new things. Travel is enjoying nature’s beauty in places and ways that I haven’t been able to experience it before. Meeting new people and growing closer to my travel companions (now usually Shane). - Another big symbol in the book was Allyson’s watch. We know it meant something specific for Allyson. What do you think it meant for Willem?
For Allyson, the watch was sort of her connection to her old self. She was always concerned with time and when she left her watch with Willem, he was her time keeper. She lost it and was able to let loose. I think for Willem, it was sort of the same thing. He was wandering for so long that when he met Allyson, he started to become grounded again. It’s also his one connection to Allyson and a constant in his life. It’s sort of like his burning torch. - Both Willem and Allyson grew because of what they found in each other. Is there a person in your life who has helped you grow? Who helped you bring out the person you wanted to be?
My fiancé Shane has definitely changed who I am by bringing out the better qualities in me. Before I met him, I was still fairly immature and not really making smart decisions with my life (not bad, but not great) and I just feel so much more grounded and responsible and secure with myself. He definitely helped me change for the better and ever since that point, I have been so much happier. - Who caught the Adam Wilde reference!?
YES! I love that Gayle does that. There was a Clod reference (the band from Sisters in Sanity) in If I Stay that was so awesome to find and I love the Adam Wilde reference in Just One Year. Pretty sneaky! - How did you feel about the ending? There have been quite a few reactions! What did you think?
Welp. It was surprising. I was kind of disappointed because I was SO hoping for a little bit more of a reunion between Willem and Allyson. I had such a connection with Allyson in Just One Day that I just wanted to see more of her and her reaction to Willem (where we left her in Just One Day). I think I’ve made my peace with it now, but I was actually kind of outraged at first and didn’t know what to think.
GIVEAWAY WINNER!
A HUGE thank you to Michelle from Unraveling Books for tweeting throughout the Just One Year read along! I know she had troubles with it at times but she was a total rock star with tweeting quotes and feelings as well as following along with the read along questions each week. Congrats on being the winner of the giveaway! You totally earned it, girl! Let me know if you want some official Gayle Forman merch from this shop or if you’d like one of her books! 😀
