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.