Book Boyfriends and Girlfriends are a major incentive for reading but no one has made my heart flutter quiet like Willem from Gayle Foreman's duology Just One Day and Just One Year, and the novella Just One Night.
Amazing Writing + Male POV = Book Boyfriends
At YALLFest I waiting in line to have Gayle sign my copies of this amazing series. If you don't follow Gayle, you should. Anywho, there's the phrase "Book Boyfriends Are Better" and they are, so I bought this up while I was talking to her.
Basically, I said book boyfriends are better in her second books because they're told from the male POV. I know how women think, I am one! I want to know what all the mysteriousness is floating around in his head. Gayle does an excellent job of giving the male POV an authentic voice, balancing what I want to hear with what men actually think/do. If you haven't read Gayle's other duology, If I Stay and Where She Went, it follows the same pattern of the female POV in book one and male in book two. Book two is better. :)
Who is Willem De Ruiter?
Willem is charming and smooth, but he's also very lost. His character building in Just One Day is limited because the story is from Allyson's POV and well it's only one day, but in Just One Year we travel around the world with him since the story is from his POV.
To me Willem is colleged-aged, tall-ish, with darker hair. He's an actor, world traveler, enjoys sports and has some deep seated family issues. He's Dutch and speaks several languages, his mum lives in India, and he grew up in a boat house but now is kind of a wanderer. Mostly because he's busy hunting down a girl whose real name he does not know! Silly and sweet all at the same time.
A few weeks ago Gayle posted on her Tumblr, Twitter's choice for the dream casting of Willem (according to Bustle). These were their picks...
American Austin Butler (Switched at Birth/Carrie Diaries) and Dutch actor Martijn Lakemeier
For some reason I always imagined Willem with darker hair *shrugs* The only actor I can think of that I would add to this dream casting is Daniel Sharman (Teen Wolf/The Originals)
World Traveller
Part of my lust for Willem, aside from his presumable accent, is a couple of things. It reminds me of this night I spent in Paris talking ALL NIGHT with this guy from Finland, and two his sense of wanderlust.
I just really fell hard for this man's wandering spirit, knowing that he has issues and working through all that, and doing it while trying to find the love of his life. *sound of hearts cracking*
Win a copy of Just One Day OR Just One Year.
Open internationally as long as the Book Depository ships to you for free. Check out the full rules here.
Visit the rest of the 25 Days of Book Boyfriends!
December 1:
(Madoc, Rival by Penelope Douglas)
December 2:
(Ridge, Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover)
December 3:
(Bones, Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost)
December 4:
(Perry, Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi)
December 5:
(Chaol, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas)
December 6:
(Will, Damaged Goods by Nicole Williams)
December 7:
(Connor, Kiss the Sky by Krista and Becca Ritchie)
December 8:
(Warner, Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi)
December 9:
(Cade, Caged in Winter by Brighton Walsh)
December 10:
(Kellan, Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens)
December 11:
(Preston, Pieces of Olivia by Melissa West)
December 12:
(Morpheus, Splintered by A.G. Howard)
December 13:
(Josh, Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins)
December 14:
(Finn, The Collectors' Society by Heather Lyons)
December 15:
(Noel, My True Love Gave To Me Anthology)
December 16:
(Prince Tristan, Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen)
December 17:
(Roth, The Dark Elements series by Jennifer L. Armentrout)
December 18:
(Jackson, The Arcana Chronicles by Kresley Cole)
December 19:
(Titus, The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas)
December 20:
(Gansey, The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater)
December 21:
(Gideon Cross, Crossfire series by Sylvia Day)
December 22:
(Matt Finch, Open Road Summer by Emery Lord)
December 23:
(Adrian Ivashkov, Vampire Academy/Bloodlines by Richelle Mead
December 24:
(Willem, Just One Day by Gayle Forman)
December 25:
(The Darkling, Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo)
I have heard sooo many wonderful things about these books and they are definitely books I need to read. Willem sounds like a wonderful book boyfriend. Thanks for taking part in the tour!
ReplyDeleteI REALLY need to read some of Gayle's books! She's doing a signing in my town at the end of January, so maybe I'll get a few books by then! I definitely love all things travel and wanderlust, so I'm thinking I need to meet this Willem. :D
ReplyDeleteThanks for participating in the tour Meghann!
Hmm... probably Martijn. *shrugs* I like to keep my bookish characters up to my imagination but he comes the closest.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to read this books, but absolutely love Gayle Forman's writing.
ReplyDeleteWould I travel the world looking for a person I met after just one day? I would looove to travel the world, just not sure if I would do it for a guy I've just met. :D
Thanks for the giveaway! :)
I have not read the boks, but would like to. It just seems to me that, since the character is supposed to be a Dutchman, the best choice would be the Dutchman you provided as a choice. You know, to make it authenic.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I'd travel the world to meet up with a guy I just met. Although, I was in an LDR for 10 years, so you just never know.
Definitely Daniel Sharman for me, 1)I think he would fit the role and I love his acting 2)His face is just heaven!
ReplyDeleteNaomi @The Perks Of Being A Bookworm
I haven't read the books. I'm not sure if I would travel all the world to find a guy after one day. He'd have to be a really great guy and even then I'd really have to think hard about it.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the books yet! But I'm not sure if I would travel the world to find a guy after just one day. He'd have to make one heck of an impression haha. And even then, I'd have to think really hard about it and plan it out really well!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the books yet so I'm not sure who would be best fit. I would have to feel a really strong connection to travel to find a guy that quickly.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the books yet
ReplyDeleteI would never travel the world looking for a guy whom I just met
I haven't read the books yet and I am totally sure I would never travel the world looking for a guy I just met. Thanks for the giveaway! (Valentina -on the raffle)
ReplyDeleteI would definitely not go looking for a guy I met after just one day.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the books yet, and I definitely would not follow someone I just met all across the world. And not just because I hate planes. Thanks for hosting this giveaway
ReplyDeleteI really want to read this books because I like so much Gayle Forman ...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance!
I haven't read the books yet (If I Stay and Where She Went were good though) but I don't think I would travel the world looking for a person I'd only met for one day. Although it would be a good excuse to travel the world.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the books yet. I think if i truley fell for this person i would try to find them.
ReplyDeleteI voted for Daniel. I've never read the books, but while I might dream of traveling the world to find someone after only knowing them for a day, I wouldn't actually do it. That is what books are for.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the books yet, BUT, I think I might use it as a good excuse to travel the world! I don't know how much you can love them in a day (ah hem, insta-love, anyone?) but I think I could be curious enough to find out if I could love them. Plus, again, it makes a great reason to travel AND a great story some day ;) Thanks for the giveaway!!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the books yet, but I've heard so much good about them that I cannot wait to read both. To answer the question, I wouldn't follow a guy I just met around the world for sure!
ReplyDeleteIf my gut tells me so, why not? :)
ReplyDelete