One Day David Nicholls -

Is it a romance? Yes. But it’s the kind of romance that leaves a scar. It’s for anyone who has ever looked back at their 20s and felt a sickening mix of fondness and regret. By the end, you won’t be crying for the characters. You’ll be crying for the version of yourself who once believed that there was always tomorrow.

And then, there is that chapter. If you know, you know. If you don’t, I won’t spoil it, but I will warn you: do not read the final quarter of this book on public transport. Nicholls pulls off a tonal shift so abrupt and so devastating that it retroactively turns the first 300 pages into a tragedy you didn’t know you were reading. Suddenly, every laugh, every flirtation, every missed phone call carries the weight of a eulogy. one day david nicholls

The book’s middle section is a masterclass in making you squirm. Watching Dexter slide into bleary, cocaine-fueled TV presenting and Emma slog through soulless restaurants and bad relationships is less like reading fiction and more like watching a friend slowly drown in two inches of water. You want to scream at them. You will. I did. Is it a romance