Forman, Gayle. Just One Night. New York: Viking, 2014. eBook only. $0.99. Gr. 9 and up.

After meeting and getting separated in Just One Day and learning about Willem’s year before Allyson shows up on his doorstep in Just One Year, Just One Night is the story of Willem and Allyson’s reunion…finally!  This novella, available only in eBook format, is the conclusion to the whirlwind romance between Allyson Heally and Willem de Ruiter, two young people who meet on a train and end up falling in love in Paris before they even know each other’s last names (or even Allyson’s real name).  Just One Night is a purely romantic story of young love once it is found.  Although, Forman could have easily added this story into Just One Year, the separation of their final reunion in Just One Night adds to the fantasy of finding true love, not only for Allyson and Willem, but for anyone.

As I’ve often stated I think Gayle Forman is the best YA novelist out there today.  Her writing resonates with readers because of the purity in her storytelling.  Many readers have experienced or will experience love, loss, sacrifice, and the maturity that comes through life-experience, so they connect with Forman’s characters easily.  It helps too that Forman doesn’t seem to take herself too seriously, so even though she deals with serious subjects in her novels, a level of understanding and truth remains that is often lost in YA novels with serious subjects.

Realistic Fiction  Erin Parkinson, Lincoln JSHS, Ellwood City