Review: One Day by David Nicholls

Title: One Day

Author:David Nicholls

Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Fiction

Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Release Date:  May 31st 2011 (Movie Tie-in)

First Published:
August 28th 2009

Source: Bought

Buy the Book: Amazon

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. Dex and Em face squabbles and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. And as the true meaning of this one crucial day is revealed, they must come to grips with the nature of love and life itself.

Some months ago I had the opportunity to see this book at a bookstore but with a different cover, and I admit it! I didn't pay any attention to it. I remember that I read the synopsis but it didn't catch my attention, this book didn't seem to be a book I would enjoy, so I continued with my search. A few weeks ago, I found it again, but this time was the Movie Tie-in Edition, and OMG! I fell in love with it and I couldn't resist the temptation so I bought it. (You can see how much power a beautiful cover has over me. Hurrah for awesome covers!!)

"One Day" talks about the life of two different people, Emma and Dexter who met the last day of College, and we will have the opportunity to meet them again and over again the same day, July 15th during a period of 20 years. Every year we will find out how is their life going, if they are happy or unhappy, or if they are in love with someone or not. Also, we will see how their relationship is developing. 

I must say that I was in love with the book when I started reading. C'mon, that was the first time I was reading a book like that. It's something unusual to find a book that the story takes place the same day during 20 years! But… (Yes, there is always a "but"!) But after reading some pages (200 to be exact!) I found out that this book wasn't what I was expecting, or what I wanted to read. 

I'm not saying that I didn't like the book or that I didn't enjoyed it, because I was reading it and I wanted to know what was going to happen, and I couldn't put it down until I finished it, but I was expecting something else, more development, more story, more feelings. I mean, we are talking about 20 years, and there are a lot of stuff going on in 20 years, don't you think? And that is when I found myself reading about trivial things like the difference between the main characters' beds! Hello? Some things are good to know when you're reading a book, like for example important details that make you understand how are the characters and why they behave in the way they do, but I think that in this book there were a few details that were not so important. 

Instead, I felt that there were a lot of things missing. Some parts of their life were missing, too! The romance… oh, God, I just don't understand it. Because they liked each other, but at the same time they wanted to be apart or  with somebody else… and I just don't want to talk about the ending! I better avoid it because I will finish giving this book a rating it doesn't deserve at all. 

Conclusion: 

This book is easy to read, and like I said before, I read it in just a few days because I wanted to know really bad what was going to happen at the end. The ending for me was a deception, or should I say a "disaster"?  I know that there are a lot of people who loved this book, and I understand it, because it's really easy to like. I can tell you that I liked some parts, but of course, I hated others. I recommend this book to those who are NOT waiting to read a great romance story, or a funny love story, or a happy ending. Maybe you will like it better that I did.

Happy Reading!

It was OK

David Nicholls is a British author, screenwriter, and actor. A student of Toynbee Comprehensive school and Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, he Graduated from the University of Bristol having studied English Literature and Drama. Visit his website.