Because I'm still up at 3AM today as we had to finish something for work, I decided to just make do of my time and finish writing my review of these books.

This series is highly recommended by a fellow bookworm, Des. Of course I've heard of Gayle Forman and I'm really into YA these days so I had to give in.

I must say that this is really an intriguing set of books. Let's discuss them one by one shall we?

Just One Day

It all started with Just One Day. Written on Allyson's perspective it narrates about that one faithful day when she met Willem de Ruiter, a Dutch actor. They spent an entire day at Paris and fell in love. But she woke up the next day without Willem.

Thinking he ran off her, she went home with broken. Note that I didn't say, broken heart. Because that faithful day not just broke her heart, it broke her. Tore her into pieces.

While half of the book narrates how she found herself while trying to find Willem.

I know it's a cliche. And I know that some people just don't understand why this book is written this way but I totally do. That one day, when Allyson became Lulu (Willem called her Lulu), she became the person she always wanted to be. Without her parents, she was able to taste freedom and found herself in the process.

But then a girl like her, so young and vulnerable can't easily figure things out. With all those emotions.

Though I hope Gayle Forman focuses a little bit more on her healing process because it only takes about the 1/3 of the book.

But when I read Just One Year, I totally understand...

Just One Year

This one is written on Willem's perspective and started on the day he woke up at the hospital after being beaten by the skinheads when he left Allyson that morning.

So yeah, as expected, he didn't really left. Something bad happened to him.

This book focuses on the year after that faithful day.

Here is why I guess Lulu's part of the book is Just One Day while Willem's is Just One Year - Lulu found herself on that faithful day. Her realizations, her feelings, her pain are encapsulated by that one day. And that's probably why it has been so hard for her to move on.

While Willem's journey took a whole year. His life is more complicated. While he knew that something happened to him on that day in Paris, it took him one whole year to actually find himself. He has to connect with his mother, with the lost of his father, with his uncle, with his craft.

He is complicated. But he is in love.

Just One Night

According to Des, this is the best ending so far. This book is only 34 pages. Super short!

And this book tells about how Willem and Allyson patched things up and just talked and fell in love all over again.

So do I agree with Des that this is the best ending? Well yes and no!

Yes because I love how the book was able to resolve all the conflicts and made everything clear to us readers.

No because I would have loved a longer version of this book. Unless Gayle Forman is planning on having another book for this series.


I've been finding myself more and more drawn in young adult books. Probably because I love reading about young love. Don't you mumsh miss it? The kilig. The craziness. The uncertainty.

YA are also usually light and just easy to read. And I love that! I love some light reading to keep me sane.

Would I recommend it? Yes! Definitely! If you love a good romance novel. I love the way Gayle Forman writes. His writing style is very engaging. I have 2 more books from him that I have on my list. Let's see! He might be my next favorite.

Oh wow! A little less than a week and I'm done reading this book. And it's not just any other book mind you.

As I've said on my IG post a couple of days ago (not following me yet? Follow, follow @reigningstill), I fell in love with Julie Garwood 15yrs ago. Around 2001. I was a freshman in college and one of my classmate lent me a Julie Garwood book. And all, as they say, is history.

I feel in love with The Bride and has been reading her works ever since. Researching about her, I found out that one of her all time best-seller is For The Roses which actually turned into a series. I have been looking for a copy ever since but I can't find one.

But last week, Saturday, after our Tagaytay getaway to attend a wedding of an office mate, I found a copy on the dark streets of Chino Roces. We rented a van and we asked to be dropped off on that street para mas madali sumakay. Cabs in Makati is crazy!

Anyway, I haven't been reading much lately. I've been juggling time between my work, my daughter and my blog. My work and my daughter are taking so much of my time already. I can't even blog these days. So reading has really taken a major back seat. Buti nalang nga I commute in the morning going to work, I have time to binge watch in iFlix.

But since I waited for 15yrs to read this book, di ko na talaga pinakawalan. I finished it kaninang mga 2AM. Hahahahah! I had to get out of the room coz the #FabSkye can't sleep with the lights on.

Anyway, it only took me 5 days to finish reading. Grabe!! I miss reading so much. Yung feeling that you'll get transported to a totally different world. Reading the hearts and mind of a character, falling in love with them. Haaaayy!!

For The Roses didn't disappoint. Di ko mabitawan talaga. The lives of the Clayborne brothers are so intriguing. And I just can't help but feel kilig with Mary Rose and Harrison's love story.

Julie Garwood is really a wonderful story teller. If you are a book worm like me, you would definitely love her. Did you know that I fell in love with the Scottish Highlands because of her? And my daughter's name is from Scotland too. Pero hindi sa Scotland ang plot ng For The Roses ah. It's in Montana and England (where my heart is).

I don't want to divulge much about the story, you can google that, but I really wanna tell you how much I love it. It will intrigue you, make you fall in love. It will give you a really nice picture of the Western America in the 1870's and it's so great to read stuff like that because only then you'll realize how beautiful our world is. How diverse our culture is and how much have changed or stayed. It feels so good to read and be transported into a different era, a different place. It's like travelling.

I really hope my daughter would get my love for books. My love for reading. Reading has helped me become the smart girl that I am today. I've learned a lot about people, culture, places - simply by reading. I grew up poor so travelling to far places is not possible. But reading helped me to not grow up ignorant.

I hope my daughter would find joy in reading too. And I pray that God would provide for us so I could take her to places she'd read on her books and experience it first hand.

How about you guys? Any bookworms? Share naman kayo ng all time favorite books nyo. And oh! I'll de-stash soon. I'll be selling some of my books over at the #FabSkyeUkay. Watch out for that.

Happy weekend!!!