» REVIEW: Just Like You by Nick HornbyThe Booktopian

This new novel by Nick Hornby is a very real, very modern story about finding love where you least expect it. Romance and comedy abounds in Just Like You, which is all about taking a chance on that one person who isn’t like you at all.

Nick Hornby

Lucy had the life and family she always thought she would, with a man who was just like her: same background, same hopes, same dreams. But he made her miserable. After 2 decades she is now a nearly-divorced, 41 year old teacher with two young sons and now has to start all over again. Most importantly though, she needs a babysitter. Joseph is 22, lives at home and works a handful of jobs to try and make his music passions a reality. Joseph is completely different to Lucy in every way possible, but just might be the person to make her happiest.

This story takes place in the midst of the Brexit referendum, showcasing the macro divide of a nation and the micro discussions and clashes within communities. Brexit is a key tool, one of many, used to highlight how different Joseph and Lucy are. Just Like You is a brilliantly observed study of how difference can inspire either animosity or undiluted intrigue. The challenges Lucy and Joseph face are plentiful and diverse: age, race, career, privilege, pastimes, beliefs and politics, to name a few. Lucy has kids and is separated, Joseph lives at home with his mum. Lucy hosts dinner parties with her friends, Joseph has never been to one. These are challenges they face head-on with some trepidation, which is only natural. Hornby keeps it light overall though, creating an entertaining and very funny read about 21st-century romance. The moments of heartbreak and hardships are not shied away from, but this is a story of happiness and finding that person for you.

Just Like You is an incredibly current look at modern relationships of all types, from parents with grown up kids, to divorced parents with young children, friendships, colleagues, siblings, exes and more. Hornby manages to show how each relationship fits seamlessly into the makeup of our life and plays a part in informing our opinions, happiness and hopes.

This story is imbued with tenderness and optimism, with a focus on making the most of now and keeping your mind (and heart) open to happiness – wherever it may come from.

—Just Like You by Nick Hornby (Penguin Books Australia) is out now.

Just Like You

by Nick Hornby

From the million-copy bestselling author comes a brutally funny novel about finding love when you least expect it

The person you are with is just like you: same background, same age, same interests. The perfect match. And it is a disaster. Then, when and where you least expect it, you meet someone new. You seem to have nothing in common and yet, somehow, it feels totally right. Nick Hornby's brilliantly observed, tender but also brutally funny new novel gets to the heart of what it means to fall surprisingly and headlong in love with the best possible person...

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