David Nicholls' One Day gives us two characters who only the most cold-hearted reader couldn't care about. Bookish, idealistic (and totally bolshie) Emma Morley has graduated with a double first in English and Theatre Studies from university in Edinburgh. Dexter Mayhew, easy-going, handsome, charming and womanizing with a 2 in Anthropology, hooks up with her at their graduation party. They spend what's left of the night talking and kissing boozily in Emma's seedy, shared student flat. Despite certain misgivings on both sides, they hang out with each other all the next day. 15th July, 1988. St Swithin's Day.

The novel takes place on the same date each year, for the next twenty years. We follow Em and Dex as they negotiate the perils of adult life and a friendship fraught with all kinds of tension, including the inevitable will-they-won't-they-end-up-together. And in a way they are always together, thinking about each other and loving each other even though they're often directly at odds or leading very different lives.

Nicholls writes of their respective triumphs and disasters with wry humour, compassion and without mawkishness. He gives Em and Dex a cast of vivid supporting characters who help move the story along without getting bogged down in trivia.

If (like me) you're a bit of a sook, have a packet of tissues handy towards the end.

One Day is an enjoyable, satisfying read for Gen X-ers who love a bit of romance. ( )

I enjoyed reading this even though Dexter is pretty awful and I found myself equally rooting for him to get togher with Emma and also wishing that she'd find somebody better. The end was not what I was expecting for this particular type of book and it tarnished the whole thing for me a bit. Still, an easy read, and a decent book. ( )

It is a very beautiful written romance about the love of two friends ( )

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.

My review:
I read this book because the movie is coming out on August 19, and being pop-culture-ignorant as I am, I thought I'd at least read the book so I'd have a clue. Well. I should have known better.

One Day gives a snapshot of Dex and Emma's lives, sometimes separately, sometimes together, every year on July 15 for 20 years. We watch Emma through the ups and downs of her life, and we watch Dex destroy his life with a boatload of bad choices. It is a good book, and I enjoyed reading it, for the most part. I mostly kept reading to find out if they finally got together. Of course, I'm not going to tell you what happened. I will tell you to grab a box of tissues. That's the only thing that messed up this book for me. You know I hate to cry when I'm reading. ( )

This is basically a longer, more sophisticated, British version of When Harry Met Sally. There were times I wanted to put it down because it just kept going on and on and on, but I stuck it out and was rewarded with buckets of tears. Thanks, David Nicholls! I hope you cried like a baby when you were writing the end! I can't believe you freaking killed her! Was that really necessary? In case you can't tell, I'm kind of angry with you. ( )