You Are Here

A Novel

De: David Nicholls

Narrado por: Lee Ingleby, Lydia Leonard

THE INSTANT #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

A Good Housekeeping "Book We're Most Looking Forward To" * An Independent Today "Best Fiction Books to Read" * A GQ Magazine (UK) "Best Book of 2024" * A Harper’s Bazaar (UK) "Best Novels to Read" * A Daily Record "Best Novel"

"Captivating [and] flawless...An affectingly hard-won romance. [Michael is] a sturdy and slyly amusing authority figure, … flailing amid the debris of a loving marriage gone sour. Marnie is a compulsively witty, winningly cranky near-agoraphobe...Both protagonists are prickly, smart and desperately yearning, but utterly guarded for understandably good reasons. Nicholls builds his own erotic and at times wrenchingly emotional suspense as the would-be lovers reveal past mishaps and surrendered dreams... As in the best romances, we cherish Michael’s and Marnie’s difficult personalities, and relish the unlikely process that might bring them together. The novel is sharp-tongued and irresistible."—New York Times Book Review

"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, author of The Ministry of Time

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

©2024 David Nicholls (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers

Slow build

The characters, their story, their building chemistry (pharmacy?- inside joke) builds slowly as they meander across the country. Never exhilarating but something catches and has you wanting more — of them, for them…and so we soldier on with them, and hope they will one day reach the sea.
Reminded me of Before Sunrise trilogy in how the honest discussions between two people can lead to more, but they first have to realize what’s the truth to themselves.

Took a while to catch my interest

I almost gave up on this. Might’ve been better if I had re-read the summary right before I started reading. I couldn’t quite figure out the point of it all until about 1/3 of the way through.

After that, I did get invested in the protagonists. And, it ended up being an interesting, compelling story.

Romantic without being corny

I enjoyed this poignant story from beginning to end and found myself rooting for Marnie and Michael to succeed. Their internal dialogue was so relatable and their banter funny and charming. It was a joy to watch their characters' evolution from flawed and fearful to opening up their hearts enough to let each other in.. The narrators were perfect and gave life to the characters. I loved I'll be looking for other books by David Nichols

I'm so sad I finished!

I miss Marnie and Michael already! The characters were so fleshed out and seemed to be people I would know in real life. This book is sweet, poignant, funny and aspirational. Already planning a UK hiking adventure in my head. Utterly fabulous, and a wonderful change from my typical psychological thriller/mystery genre. The narrators were perfect and only enhanced the story. I'd give this ten stars if I could. Bravo!

Cynical romance story

This book feels like a claim that a rebound relationship deserves a book. The rhetoric is delightful but the story and romance of the characters is pitiful, dull, painful, and lacking in bravery or unique flair. Sends the message that maybe you just settle for hum drum which I think is a really sad and untrue message. Felt like an overrated, drawn out, sad joke in the rain. Can’t recommend.

Witty, poignant and great dialogue

Excellent book with accurate description of how “younger middle aged” people meet and address life- including dating. The dialogue is terrific, witty but realistic. The plot is well done because he presents many characters with descriptions making them three dimensional. Bravo.

Witty writing & fun listen

Entertaining story with witty clever prose that keeps the dialog and story fresh and moving. Not a new story premise but you’ll stay for the great writing and narrator performances.

Probably better to read than listen.

Male narrator is good. Female narrator talks so fast I missed so much of what she was saying. Switching speeds while listening wasn’t feasible.

Surprised.

I never listen to romance novels, so I was surprised at how much fun this was. Happy I gave it a try.

Nice surprise!!

I walked the Coast-to-Coast walk in 2023 and a fellow hiker passed along a half-hearted recommendation for this novel. Because I cherish the memories of my own walk, I decided to give this a try to fill a gap in my book club's schedule. I have no regrets at all! In fact I enjoyed the Audible performances so much that I've listened twice in the past month. Nicholls has a talent for writing dialog that I find nearly unparalleled. Marnie, the female protagonist, is sharp-witted and sharp-tongued and her lines were read to perfection by Ms. Leonard. As the story unfolds and the backstories of the characters are revealed it is clear that Nicholls has a keen understanding of the perils and the rewards of adult relationships. And the ending was a perfect reflection of the reticence and doubt that plague both of the main characters - and most people. As such the novel should have near universal appeal to any thinking/feeling adult. I love this book and I've added it to my book club's list for April!!