So good to see you

Weddings can bring out the best in people, but they so often bring out the worst. When Oxford friends Rosie, Daniel, and Serge reunite at Serge's cousin Caspar's lavish French wedding 15 years after graduation, long-buried tensions surface faster than champagne bubbles in a flute. Serge arrives with his fiancée and twin toddlers, eager to keep up the appearance of a happy family despite crushing debt. Daniel, a successful but troubled actor, is battling the pull of addiction and resenting the price of fame. Rosie, still not fully recovered from an abrupt breakup, has to fulfill her wedding-party duties while keeping tabs on Serge. Capturing the inner turmoil and outward facade of each protagonist in turn, Hornak's (Seven Days of Us, 2017) ensemble-driven novel balances dark comedy and genuine emotional depth with sharp, observational prose. Readers who tore through Sally Rooney's Normal People (2019), Curtis Sittenfeld's Romantic Comedy (2023), and The Wedding People by Alison Espach (2024) will appreciate its slow-burning relationship drama, clever use of college-aged flashbacks, and the undeniable influence of our younger selves on our adult lives. A wickedly entertaining novel of friendship, privilege, and the stories we tell ourselves about who we used to be.