One Day

By: David Nicholls

Narrated by: Anna Bentinck

NOW A NETFLIX SERIES • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • TWO PEOPLE. ONE DAY. TWENTY YEARS. • What starts as a fleeting connection between two strangers soon becomes a deep bond that spans decades. • "[An] instant classic. . . . One of the most ...emotionally riveting love stories you’ll ever encounter." —People

It’s 1988 and Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have only just met. But after only one day together, they cannot stop thinking about one another. Over twenty years, snapshots of that relationship are revealed on the same day—July 15th—of each year. They face squabbles and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. Dex and Em must come to grips with the nature of love and life itself. As the years go by, the true meaning of this one crucial day is revealed.

"[A] surprisingly deep romance...so thoroughly satisfying." —Entertainment Weekly

Packaging may vary

Critic reviews

"[An] instant classic. . . . One of the most hilarious and emotionally riveting love stories you’ll ever encounter." —People

“Big, absorbing, smart, fantastically readable." —Nick Hornby, from his blog

"[Nicholls] has a gift for zeitgeist description and emotional empathy that's wholly his own. . . . [A] light but surprisingly deep romance so thoroughly satisfying." —Entertainment Weekly

“Nicholls offers sharp dialogue and wry insight that sounds like Nick Hornby at his best.” —The Daily Beast (A Best Book of the Summer)

"Fluid, expertly paced, highly observed, and at times, both funny and moving." —Boston Globe

"Those of us susceptible to nostalgic reveries of youthful heartache and self-invention (which is to say, all of us) longed to get our hands on Nicholls’s new novel. . . . And if you do, you may want to take care where you lay this book down. You may not be the only one who wants in on the answers." —New York Times Book Review

"Who doesn’t relish a love story with the right amount of heart-melting romance, disappointment, regret, and huge doses of disenchantment about growing up and growing old between quarreling meant-to-be lovers?" —Elle, Top 10 Summer Books for 2010

“A great, funny, and heart-breaking read.” —The Early Show [CBS]

"Funny, sweet and completely engrossing . . . The friendship at the heart of this novel is best expressed within the pitch-perfect dialogue/banter between the two." —Very Short List

“A wonderful, wonderful book: wise, funny, perceptive, compassionate and often unbearably sad . . . the best British social novel since Jonathan Coe’s What a Carve Up!. . . . Nicholls’s witty prose has a transparency that brings Nick Hornby to mind: it melts as you read it so that you don’t notice all the hard work that it’s doing.” —The Times (London)

“Just as Nicholls has made full use of his central concept, so he has drawn on all his comic and literary gifts to produce a novel that is not only roaringly funny but also memorable, moving and, in its own unassuming, unpretentious way, rather profound.” —The Guardian (London)

Laughed out loud... I never do that

This is one of the best books I've read in a long, long time. I already miss the characters. Nicholls does an incredible job of capturing both the female and mail perspectives.

An entertaining emotional love story

Would you listen to One Day again? Why?

I would listen to it again because the narrator was fantastic and I love the characters and the story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of One Day?

The most memorable part for me was when Emma decides the friendship is not working and she says she loves him but she just doesn't like him anymore.

Which character – as performed by Anna Bentinck – was your favorite?

It is a tough choice between Em and Dex but I would have to go with Emma because she is so funny. The narrator delivered the lines perfectly.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I thought the most emotional and moving part of the book was when Dexter gets the letter from Ian.

Any additional comments?

I really loved this book and I think it is one of the best love stories I have read. I think most of the negative reviews are because people don't agree with the ending and it is a bit cliched but I think it fit the book. The best thing about this love story is that it is realistic and its not a fairy tale. Things don't always go perfectly and this relationship like any other had its ups and downs. Dexter in particular isn't always likeable but you don't always get to pick the most likeable person to fall in love with. Everyone has their own flaws and you just love them anyway.

Fantastic!

I love this book. Such great writing, so many feels. Not boring at all. The narrator gave such a great performance that I fell in love with the characters and the story. I highly recommend this book.

Was just One Day

I thought this was a good book but was lacking in some ways. We needed more details of how things went and we just were left wanting is how I felt.

Loved it

Had seen the movie first and then read the book. An Amazing and beautiful one by David. I would love to read it a couple of times more.!

The Movie Didn't Do This Book Justice

If all you know about this book is the movie, it didn't do it any justice. The book takes a deep look at the two main characters as they progress (at different rates) through many phases of young adult and adulthood. The book beautifully captures many of the complicated issues presented by society as adults come to realize and accept the monotony of modern life.

Wonderful story

Would you listen to One Day again? Why?

Yes, I had a hard time turning it off to do other things

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me cry

Beautiful story

This was a wonderful book. I got really attached to the characters and has left me feeling a little heartbroken. The narrator was great at doing Emma and Dexter’s voices but when she did the friend’s voices it was way too dramatic.

Like a B movie

Was okay. Reminded me of the Diary of Bridget Jones a little bit if you like that sort of banter. The ending was a bit disappointing and confusing when the author went into the past multiple times after the peak point in the story.

Emma and Dex, Dex and Emma…

Overall, this is a pretty good book. My problem with it was how long it was and how many issues the characters had and kept repeating. I was pretty tired of hearing about the poor choices one of the characters makes over and over. The two main characters are the story and I got bored with them. However, the writing is very good for the most part which is why I finished the book.