You Are Here: A Novel

"This is a very easy read, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. This is not to say the subject isn’t complicated or emotional, it’s just very easy to read. That’s wonderful, a real skill in itself. It’s right up there with Nicholls’ best books. Would I say it’s his best book? That’s not my choice to make, but it’s up there. I love this idea—of rambling around, having long conversations. It’s a great premise, and it allows him to put all that extraordinary talent into the simplicity of one-on-one conversations, which are the spine of the book. Which he always does, but never with such intensity. I think that’s really clever, and it’s really funny. And you get to know the characters extraordinarily well by the end. I felt rewarded by the experience of reading it, and better for having read the book. I don’t always feel that with a David Nicholls book. Sometimes I’m frustrated by the ending. I like a good resolution, and—not to ruin it—he resolves this book better than others. I mean, when David Nicholls brings out a book like this, for it not to make the shortlist would be absurd. I mean, he doesn’t get a free pass, we all read it twice and loved it. He’s a demi-god of romantic fiction and he speaks to every single reader in their own language. This is one of the strongest shortlists we’ve ever had. Every book stands uniquely and deservedly on the list. There isn’t a book here that doesn’t deserve to win. If you have to choose just one book to read… read all seven."