Just One Year
"Willem and Lulu shared one magical day in Paris, and then she was gone. Yet still, Willem feels that they are fated to be together. And so he sets off around the world, hoping to find her. But as the months go by and Lulu remains elusive, Willem starts to question if the hand of fate is as strong as he'd thought."
Just One Year by Gayle Formen is the companion of Just One Day, telling Willem's side of the story. In the first novel, we learn how heartbroken Lulu was/is over Willem and her search for him continues. It is comforting to know that he was also looking for her, traveling to where her family vacations every year over the holidays and ending up on a beachfront party that she had also attended. While she basked in the low light of the bonfire, he was floating in the sparkling nighttime sea; each listening to the same reggae band. Had Allyson not been inspired by Willem to visit different ruins, they surely would have met as he waited for her all day at the very ruins her family frequents each and every year.
These two were plagued by each other, but in different ways. Through Willem's emotional turmoil sparked by Allyson (Lulu), he learns to face the ugly truths that he had been hiding from himself; and learns that they aren't nearly as ugly as he had thought. He learns to love, reconnect with his family and friends, and face his own emotions head-on.
I was so relieved that he wasn't the jackass we thought he could be in the first novel. These two had stained each other, and Willem was just as plagued by it as Allyson.
I also learned that there is a THIRD novel in this trilogy, which I will be adding to my reading que shortly. Foramen's description of heartbreak, travel, and family had me consistently turning the page. I'm elated to learn there is a third novel to indulge in!