Francesca Hornak’s So Good to See You is a beautifully crafted and insightful exploration of the complexities of relationships, personal growth, and the pressures of modern life. This poignant, and at times hilarious, novel follows the journey of three former university friends—Serge, Rosie, and Daniel—who reunite for a lavish wedding in Provence, fifteen years after their time together at Oxford.

In 2004, Serge, Rosie, and Daniel were young, full of hope, and inseparable. They shared dreams, ambitions, and an optimistic outlook on the future. Fast forward to 2019, and while they are reunited at a wedding, their friendship has splintered, and they no longer share the closeness they once had. Life has not unfolded as they had imagined. Serge is a successful filmmaker but is drowning in debt and struggling with a fractured relationship. Rosie appears to be effortlessly sociable, but beneath the surface, she is heartbroken. Meanwhile, Daniel, now famous, is grappling with severe anxiety, a far cry from the confident young man he once was.

Throughout a three-day celebration, filled with wine, laughter, and forced social interactions, all three characters are determined to keep their emotions in check, adhering to the unspoken rule of "do not bring up the past." But, as the Champagne flows, the layers of self-control begin to slip, and the true feelings and unresolved issues emerge.

Hornak’s writing is sharp, witty, and deeply empathetic, capturing the bittersweet nature of reconnecting with the past while navigating the disillusionment of adulthood. The novel delves into themes of class, privilege, and creative ambition, offering a candid look at the societal pressures and personal struggles that often lie beneath the surface. The interactions between the characters are wonderfully drawn, full of nuance and authenticity, making it easy to become deeply invested in their individual stories.

So Good to See You is an exploration of how time and experience change us, often in ways we don’t expect. The humour is balanced perfectly with moments of deep emotional reflection, offering a captivating blend of drama and nostalgia. The richly developed characters will stay with you long after you finish reading, making this a highly recommended read for anyone who enjoys beautifully observed character-driven fiction with plenty of heart.

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I really enjoyed this! I thought that the relationships between the characters were very well crafted and I liked how there were a few chapters that flicked back to their time at university, showing how the groups’ dynamic had changed. The social issues included in each POV really helped to make the characters relatable and allowed the reader to feel sympathetic towards all three protagonists (even if they aren’t always likeable) at different points in the story. Overall, loved all the drama that took place!

Thank you NetGalley for the early copy!

So Good To See You focuses on a group of friends, who met studying at uni in Oxford, and reconnect years later in the run up to a wedding.

The book is set in the present day, alongside flashbacks to their uni days. The reader is taken on a journey as the group navigates a myriad of ups and downs, including fame, privilege, relationships, friendships, family, and fall outs.

The pace and overall story is good, and it’s an easy read. I liked how the story focused on different perspectives throughout, I think it really helps the reader to get to know the main characters on a deeper level.

With thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for the ARC.

A wedding in France is our setting, and we see the relationship dynamics between Serge, Daniel, Casper and Rosie.
Many years after their time together at the uni, how close are they?
Their life struggles and relationships were interesting to read about, sometimes relevant and relatable too.
As for the writing, I tried to get past my apathy for it, and focus on the story, but to be perfectly honest, the writing style was not for me.
Plot and characters 3.5
Writing 3
Themes 3.5

Francesca Hornak’s So Good To See You is a compelling, multi-layered novel that deftly weaves together the lives of old friends reuniting at a wedding in the South of France.

With a richly drawn cast of characters and an insightful exploration of class, privilege, and personal struggles, the novel offers a captivating blend of drama, nostalgia, and self-discovery.

At the heart of the story are Rosie, Serge, and Daniel- three protagonists grappling with significant personal challenges.

Rosie is still reeling from her break-up with Serge while also worrying about her future.

Serge, drowning in debt, is attempting to navigate a trial separation from Isla, his fiancée and the mother of his twins.

Meanwhile, Daniel, battling addiction, harbours resentment toward Serge over a past betrayal and struggles with the elitist culture of Oxford and the film industry.

Each of these characters is given a deeply engaging narrative, making their chapters particularly absorbing.

Rosie is endearing, and her character growth - especially her increasing confidence during the wedding festivities - is immensely satisfying to witness.

Daniel’s backstory is poignant; his experiences with privilege and exclusion make him a sympathetic and complex figure.

Despite his poor choices, he remains a dedicated, self-made creative with an undeniable passion for film.

Serge, in contrast, begins as an unlikeable character, yet Hornak skillfully peels back his layers, allowing the reader to understand and even sympathise with him as the novel progresses.

Like Daniel, he is flawed but not irredeemable.

Similarly, Isla his fiancée and a working-class makeup artist; provides a grounded, refreshingly different perspective.

Her struggles with motherhood are portrayed with care and nuance, adding another emotional depth to the story. I felt like I understood Isla's struggles with identity and losing part of herself to motherhood.

Although much of the novel is set during Caspar’s wedding, Hornak enriches the narrative with flashbacks to the characters’ university days at Oxford, as well as more recent events in Provence.

This shifting timeline adds depth, revealing past relationships and tensions that continue to shape the present.

Hornak’s ability to make each character feel fully realised and accessible ensures that by the end, the reader feels like an honorary guest at the wedding, intimately connected to the friend group.

Overall, So Good To See You is a sprawling, immersive novel that balances humour, heart, and sharp social commentary.

Hornak’s writing is intelligent and compelling, offering an entertaining yet thoughtful look at love, ambition, and the enduring power of friendship. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Usually I love books like this but I'm settling somewhere in the middle with this one. Firstly, I didn't enjoy any of the characters. In some ways that's on purporse but I deeply need at least one main character to root for, whether it's for good or bad reasons. It also jumped around a jarring amount for my taste. That said, it sets the scene beautifully and gives each of the characters a pretty rich life and backstory. A wedding is a perfect place to drop characters and see how their past emerges. I can imagine people who enjoy stories of friendship throughout the years enjoying this one a lot.

3.5. This is a good book, especially in terms of how it represents the friendships/relationships. Felt very honest and raw.

I really enjoyed Francesca Hornak's first novel Seven Days of Us, which I read 8 years ago when it came out. I was surprised she never followed it up, as I thought it was a great debut. So Good to See You follows a similar plotline with a group of old friends gathering together for a wedding, necessitating several days in one another's company, and coming to terms with the past. I especially like the way she swings the point of view between all the characters, it works well narrating a scene from different perspectives (and should transpose very well to a screenplay should the need arise).

Hornak's creation is very much the Oxbridge "set" with a sprinkling of characters from privileged and humble backgrounds, most working in the film industry. The difference in upbringing leads to much of the friction between the characters, as does gender. The women in the novel very much have to operate within the constraints of its male-dominated world, although artistic licence perhaps gives the women a happier ending than the men. All the characters have made bad choices in their careers, love lives or both, and the wedding represents a chance for all of them to make peace with themselves or one another.

There are no villains, every character is treated sympathetically. They all have their flaws and their prejudices, each has their own struggle to find their true vocation in life. If you like happy, resolved endings then you'll probably like this book,

I enjoyed this book, and it's the sort of read you just want to immerse yourself in and enjoy. It's funny and places and sad in others, and it's the sort of book that stays with you for a long time. I hope we don't have to wait as long for the next one.

A fun and interesting read following the paths of a group of friends who reunite for a wedding. I thought the characterisation was well done (yet the characters were pretty unlikeable!) and overall I really enjoyed this.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

You think that you'll be friends with your university gang for life.

But it doesn't always work out the way you planned.

Rosie, Serge and Daniel are at Oxford in 2004.

Fifteen years later, they come together at a wedding.

There's an awful lot of baggage, unresolved issues.

And how you see things isn't necessarily how they see things - or indeed how things are...

Brilliant

Flicking back and forth between university life in Oxford in the early 21st century and some years later when old friends are invited to a high society wedding, this book follows the different paths of friends.
There are various characters to follow, although it isn’t confusing. Each character is fleshed out so the reader knows their true feelings even when those aren’t necessarily shown to the others. There is a bit of everything wavering between feeling sympathy for a character one minute then disliking them the next. No one is completely blameless but that makes it more realistic.
The book is a good reflection on long-term friendship, despite it being set among those rather more wealthy than most of us.

A wedding is taking place in France and among the invited guests are three of the groom's friends from their university days. Except they are no longer friends. Caspers's cousin Serge, wealthy thanks to a trust fund who tries to play down his wealth, Daniel the typical “Essex lad” who wants to be rich and Rosie, infatuated with Serge, but, unbeknownst to her, the girl of Daniel's dreams. Casper, by the way, is gay, which adds nothing at all to the story, but makes this group acceptable in today's climate of DEI. This is a stereotypical group with each being one of a certain tribe. I'm surprised the author didn't throw in someone “of colour”, a disabled student, or someone from a poverty-stricken background - -oh , hang on, she does, in the form of Serge's partner, mother of his two children. Anyway, they all gather for the flamboyant extravaganza during which Serge and his partner are having a trial separation, much to Rosie's delight, and Daniel throws a wobbly much to the horror of all around him.

This is one of those sunny-afternoon-in-a-deckchair reads, or stay-indoors-on-a-wet-day reads. It's fun, frothy and doesn't need much in the way of brain cells to enjoy a few hours of light, easy reading.

So Good To See You is an incredible feat. Hornak drew me into the catastrophe of an old university friend group reunited at a wedding in France, and I loved every minute.

Hornak's work is vibrant, at times humorous, and other times heartbreaking. Our protagonists — Rosie, Serge, and Daniel — are struggling in various ways at the beginning of the novel. Rosie is recovering from her break-up with Serge and worried about her future. Serge is in debt and navigating a trial separation with his girlfriend, the mother of his twins. Daniel is struggling with addiction, upset with Serge over a previous injustice, and raging against an elitist culture prevalent at Oxford and in the film industry.

Each of these characters has their own rich narrative and backstory, and I really enjoyed their chapters. Rosie is very likeable and I enjoyed watching her show courage and develop a backbone at the wedding festivities. Daniel's backstory is sympathetic and I really felt for the way he was treated by his more privileged peers. Although he makes many bad decisions, he is shown as a hardworking self-made creative with a lot of love for film.

Serge, on the other hand, starts off as an extremely unlikable figure. However, he miraculously semi-redeems himself and I understood his character more as the story progressed. Like Daniel, he is a good guy who makes some bad choices. Similarly, I really enjoyed chapters from the POV of Isla, his girlfriend and mother of his children. As a make-up artist raised by a single, unreliable mother, she introduced a more grounded, working-class perspective. I also appreciated how Hornak treated her struggles with motherhood with such care.

Although most of the story takes place at Caspar's wedding, there are also chapters set in the far past during the friends' time at Oxford, and some chapters are set only a couple years before the wedding in Provence. Hornak excels at making her cast of characters feel very real, known, and accessible to the reader. By the end, I felt like an imaginary guest at the wedding, and an honorary member of the friend group.

Overall, So Good To See You is a sprawling epic that takes on a multitude of povs, social issues, and timelines. Hornak's novel is entertaining, smart, and a captivating visit to the South of France with some distinctive, extraordinary characters.

*I received an e-ARC for free in exchange for an honest review*

I absolutely loved this book. Friendships over the years with the ups and downs will always appeal to me. The characters were realistic and after reading a couple of slow books this was like a breath of fresh air. It was a nice escape from life.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Adequate One Day-style account of rather unlovable entitled people, none of whom you want to root for.

So Good to See You follows multiple characters. In 2004, Serge, Rosie and Daniel are in their final year of university and full of optimism. Fifteen years later, they are not friends and have to attend a wedding together. Life hasn’t turned out like they expected as Serge has a fractured relationship and debt, Rosie used to date Serge but is left heartbroken and Daniel’s fame isn’t working out for him. They have to spend three days together which won’t be easy.

This book is written in a similar format to this author’s previous book Seven Days of Us. This was written well and had some intriguing characters to follow. This didn’t do anything I haven’t read before but it was a pleasant reading experience and I would recommend this.

I loved this. I'd been so looking forward to another book from Francesca Hornak following Seven Days of Us, and this didn't disappoint. She creates characters you really care about and believe in.

3.5 ⭐


Relatable people, who I actually liked.
Seeing how they grew apart, or maybe weren't that close to begin with.
It all comes out in the wedding to end all weddings.
I had sympathy for all the main characters at different points.
Enjoyable read.

Why is it always at wedding the secrets and dream come out?!? This is good read with laughs, love and tears. Great look at how friendships change over time. Easy enjoyable well written read.

I absolutely love books like this. It’s always so fun seeing a select friend group and how it evolves and what becomes of each person. It’s hardly ever what one things and that what makes it so fun and interesting. Prepare to dive in to one of the most thoughtful and interesting books. Perfect for a book club.