You Are Here - by David Nicholls (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

SOON TO BE A BBC AND STARZ SERIES - AN INSTANT #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

A Good Housekeeping "Book We're Most Looking Forward To" - A GQ Magazine (UK) "Best Book of the Year" - A Harper's Bazaar (UK) "Best Novels to Read"

"Captivating [and] flawless. . . . An affectingly hard-won romance.. . . . Both protagonists are prickly, smart and desperately yearning, but utterly guarded for understandably good reasons. . . . The novel is sharp-tongued and irresistible." -- New York Times Book Review

"I finished this novel in two breathless sittings. . . . This is the magic of You Are Here: warm, generous and funny, it invites readers into the world of Marnie and Michael with the promise that everyone is welcome, and that choosing happiness and being courageous in any small way we can is always possible. I loved this book." -- Kaliane Bradley, author of The Ministry of Time

From the internationally bestselling author of One Day, one of the most enduring love stories of its generation, comes an uplifting and unputdownable story about love and second chances.

Sometimes you need to get lost to find your way . . .

Michael is coming undone. Adrift after his wife's departure, he has begun taking himself on long, solitary walks across the English countryside. Becoming ever more reclusive, he'll do anything to avoid his empty house.

Marnie, on the other hand, is stuck. Hiding alone in her London flat, she avoids old friends and any reminders of her rotten, selfish ex-husband. Curled up with a good book, she's battling the long afternoons of a life that feels like it's passing her by.

When a persistent mutual friend and some very unpredictable weather conspire to toss Michael and Marnie together on the most epic of ten-day hikes, neither of them can think of anything worse. Until, of course, they discover exactly what they've been looking for.

Michael and Marnie are on the precipice of a bright future . . . if they can survive the journey.

A hilarious, hopeful, and heartwarming love story--the novel beloved New York Times bestselling author David Nicholls calls "my funniest book yet"--You Are Here is a bittersweet and hopeful story of first encounters, second chances, and finding the way home.

Review Quotes

"A ridiculously satisfying book about hope and second chances." - Real Simple

"If you're still scrubbing mascara stains from your pillowcase after the finale of Netflix's One Day adaptation, we've got great news: The author's latest romance--which pairs two seemingly mismatched divorced lovebirds on a begrudging backpacking trip across northern England--is the perfect palate cleanser, delivering Nicholls's signature cocktail of slow-burn romance and quick-witted dialogue, but without all the gut-wrenching pain. But let's be clear: This book has heart. Marnie and Michael's earnest fumbling at second-chance love reveals both their particular vulnerabilities and our shared potential to move, under the weight of all our baggage, toward bright new horizons." - Oprah Daily

"A lovely book." - Nigella Lawson, author of Cook, Eat, Repeat

"Captivating [and] flawless. . . . Sharp-tongued and irresistible." - New York Times Book Review

"Romantic, funny, hopeful. I enjoyed every moment." - Dolly Alderton, author of Good Material

"Releasing in tandem with a renewed interest in Nicholls' blockbuster One Day, which has been newly adapted for Netflix, this book is sure to fill up hold lists." - Booklist (starred review)

"Nicholls's knack for warm characters, funny dialogue and superb scene-setting is as spot-on as ever. You'll want to pull on your hiking boots at the first opportunity" - Daily Mail (UK)

"A shrewd observer of modern life and love" - i Newspaper

"The Remains of the Day crossed with Michael Winterbottom's The Trip, only with more Gore-Tex, You Are Here is a triumph, a real gift of a novel, and it deserves to join One Day on the bestseller charts immediately." - Sunday Times (London)

"A great comic novel" - Observer

"Irresistible feel of a classic romance" - Mail on Sunday

"You Are Here is a gorgeous, grown-up love story. I fell for Marnie and Michael hard and fast - this book is honest, raw, yet profoundly hopeful. This is the work of a writer at the peak of his enormous powers - it's one of the saddest stories I've ever read, and one of the funniest. A future classic" - Daisy Buchanan, author of Insatiable

"Brilliant: just perfect and exquisitely written. Every page is a delight" - Jill Mansell, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Promise Me

"You Are Here is David Nicholls' funniest, warmest and most addictive novel yet. Perfect" - Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures

"David is the laureate of the modern love novel, and this is his best yet" - John Niven, author of O Brother

"You Are Here encompasses all of David Nicholls' characteristic warmth, humor and observational insight. But it also asks fundamental questions of life, love and loneliness in such a beautifully delicate way that you don't even realize it's happening or that the fundamental truth of human happiness has been staring you in the face all along. I don't know how he does it, but he does and he's the only person who can." - Elizabeth Day, author of Friendaholic

"Given the witty dialogue and sublime natural settings (think Wordsworth and Brontë), it's not hard to imagine this as another of Nicholls' big-screen adaptations, like One Day. A relatable and satisfyingly realistic love story to cure any lingering lockdown blues." - Kirkus Reviews

"You Are Here is everything I hope for from a David Nicholls novel: beautifully observed, very funny, a little heartbreaking, and at its core, full of hope about people and love." - Monica Heisey, author of Really Good, Actually

"What a beautiful, beautiful novel, sensitive, witty, and brilliantly insightful and kind about us messy, stupid humans. I loved every single step of it. I will miss it now that I'm finished and I know that it will be one of those rare novels that will dwell in my memory and my heart" - Donal Ryan, author of The Queen of Dirt Island

"What a rare find this is! Beautiful writing and authentic characters supported by a dry and honest wit. I loved it" - Bonnie Garmus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry

"A beautiful book. Nicholls perfectly judges the balance between humor and pathos. I was often on the verge of tears even when I was laughing." - Tracy Chevalier, New York Times bestselling author of A Single Thread

"I loved this book. A story about loneliness and the beginnings of love, with the backdrop of England's lakes and fells and relentlessly changeable weather. As a read it is warm, unsentimental, hilarious and SO acutely observed. Nicholls has given us a masterclass in writing. I want to buy it for all my friends" - Annie Macmanus, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Mess We're In

"David Nicholls is at the peak of his considerable powers - You Are Here is not only packed with the delicious observations, profound truths and moving encounters we expect of him, it's the funniest thing he has written. Even if it was twice the length, it would have finished too soon" - Sathnam Sanghera, internationally bestselling author of Empireland

"With the long-awaited TV adaptation of One Day landing in February, David Nicholls' name is already on everyone's lips, but his new novel is about to take book clubs, commutes and bedside tables by storm... Witty and moving at the same time, it's a figurative and literal journey that might even have you hunting for your walking boots." - GQ Magazine (UK)

Oh this book! What's better than rooting for two shy, once-burned characters to recognize that love is within reach? I stopped often to reread and savor its sparkling, wry sentences. You Are Here is both up-to-the-minute and old-fashioned in the best way: sharp, yet so very kind, funny, and bittersweet." - Elinor Lipman, bestselling author of Ms. Demeanor

"David Nicholls is a wonderfully gifted writer. His trademark wit and sensitivity bring light and life to his characters, allowing him to explore difficult subject matter with an admirable lightness of touch." - Okechukwu Nzelu, author of Here Again Now

"David Nicholls is one of the best writers at chronicling the way annoyance and resentment are often irretrievably mixed with love and empathy. This is a love story but never predictable - Nicholls stays one step ahead of the reader in the sharpest, funniest way. If you're looking for a great comic novel, You Are Here" - Katherine Heiny, author of Games and Rituals

"I finished this novel in two breathless sittings, as invested in its outcome as I would be in the happiness of a friend. This is the magic of You Are Here: warm, generous and funny, it invites readers into the world of Marnie and Michael with the promise that everyone is welcome, and that choosing happiness and being courageous in any small way we can is always possible. I loved this book." - Kaliane Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of The Ministry of Time

"I spent a lot of the weekend getting angry when people wanted to interrupt my reading because I was racing to finish You Are Here....(Marnie and Michael) are two characters I will carry in my heart for a long time....Any age can read it, but if you are over forty, you will love even more this beautiful, moving & funny tale of second chances." - Georgina Moore, author of The Garnett Girls

"A witty, touching love story. The writing is magnificent: taut and vivid. I was so happy while I was reading it and now I'm bereft. Gorgeous." - Marian Keyes, internationally bestselling author of Rachel's Holiday

"Nicholls' best book ever, which, given he wrote Starter for Ten, Us, and One Day, is saying something." - Caitlin Moran, New York Times bestselling author of What About Men?

"Pure and utter delight! You Are Here is a fun, poignant post-pandemic romantic comedy that takes us across the hills and moors of northern England, grapples with loss--of people, of direction--and reminds us vividly and viscerally what it feels like to fall in love." - Lily King, National Bestselling author of Euphoria

"A romantic, funny, hopeful story of what it is to lose and keep faith in love. The characters became my friends in an instant and I enjoyed every moment spent with them." - Dolly Alderton, New York Times bestselling author of Good Material

"Fans of the author's previous books will get just what they came for." - Publishers Weekly

"The genius who gave us One Day has written another classic and funny love story, set on a ten-day hike. You breeze along and get caught up in it like a leaf in the wind. Witty and joyous." - Matt Haig, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library

The Amazon "Best Book of the Year" * An Apple "Best Book of the Year" * A New York Times "Book We Recommend This Week" * A Washington Post "Book to Brighten the Rest of the Season" * An Amazon "Top 10 Best of the Month" pick * An Oprah Daily " Best Summer Book to Read on Vacation" * An Independent Today "Best Fiction Books to Read" * A GQ Magazine (UK) "Best Book of 2024" * A Harpers Bazaar (UK) "Best Novels to Read" * A Daily Record "Best Novel" * A Good Housekeeping "Book We're Most Looking Forward To"

"Nicholls wears his formidable intelligence so generously and so lightly that you scarcely notice the skill it takes to write a book like this: a story at once passionately funny and richly human. You Are Here is gorgeously witty and joyful, kind and sad: a book you do not want to be away from."

"A stunning, funny, frank and beautiful look at loneliness, friendship, and the risks taken to love and be loved. In a career of standout books, You Are Here takes its place at the top. David Nicholls is my favorite writer." - Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin At The End

"I devoured this book....It's a lovely, uplifting, at times, laugh out loud novel about love and finding a proper connection in the most unexpected places. Put it on your 'To Read in 2024' list." - Sophie Raworth, journalist, newsreader and broadcaster working for the BBC

"Any love story by David Nicholls is a treat, but this one is especially tender, wise and joyful. I inhaled it." - Jojo Moyes, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Me Before You