I don't know why this didn't work for me, as I love David Nicholls usually, but this ended up being a "did not finish" because it couldn't hold my attention and I just didn't connect with the story. I know I'll read his other stuff in the future though.

I have been meaning to get to this book and finally did. I had another book that was so similar in theme that I resisted reading these too close together knowing the inevitable comparisons. I think that the premise of this book, a nostalgic look at one’s first love, is a good one. However, the pacing wasn’t for me and I often am not enthralled with romance stories. There are exceptions but this felt okay for me. It may have been a timing thing, as I am always a mood reader first. I know that this will appeal to many others.
#SweetSorrow #NetGalley

This was a great storyline but I wasn’t as into it as I thought I would be. I think the past and present storylines aren’t for me.

I love David Nicholls' books, but everything I read I find myself comparing to 'One Day', which was simply stunning. Unfortunately I found the character development really lacking, most of the storyline revolving around a play consisting of a group of adolescents, and it was a real drag to finish. I made it to 60% and just couldn't invest any more time in it. Nothing about it grabbed me.

All I thought about when reading this one was how similar to One Day it was. I really couldn't get myself to enjoy it. If you have not read any David Nicholls before, then you might enjoy this one.

*Thank you @netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because less than 4 stars or DNF.*

A sweeping, bittersweet young adult romance about the nostalgic and confusing times surrounding your first love. I loved One Day by the author and found the writing and vibes to be similar in a great way.

Well, this is embarrassing! I know I read this a couple of years ago. I remember loving it, but I did not review it on Goodreads so I have no other recollection of this one.

As a mainly thriller and police reader I thought I would try some contemporary reads and this one was recommended but it wasn’t for me. I ended up flicking pages as the characters didn’t grip me. This was my issue and not that of the author. Thank you to netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

One Day has been my favourite book my David Nicholls, unfortunately I found it difficult to finish this book, 3 stars on the basis of a few chapters review. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity as always.

David Nicholls is one of my favorite authors. One Day by him was the book that made me fall back in love with reading as an adult. I highly recommend this book. Once again, he has done a great job!

This wasn’t for me, I think going into the book I expected something else but I ended up not enjoying it as much as I hoped I would.

An enjoyable coming of age story. I liked the premise of a young theater group and Charlie’s hesitancy to join it. His love story with Fran was sweet and I liked the flashback framework. I also thought Nicholls did a good job describing the depression Charlie’s dad dealt with.

A beautful coming of age novel, set in the 1990's, my era, which evokes such wonderful memories and nostalgia. I haven't read David NIcholls before, but he is certainly a writer I will be returning to. Wonderful!

A Gary Schmidt's story told in David Nicholls' way.
I could not help comparing it to One Day as I read it in the hope of finding One Day vibes. It is, however, more of a YA novel, and Nicholls is better at telling adults' stories. Maybe this is why I loved the ending!
The main character in this novel is a man in his late thirties about to get married. He reminisces about his first love that sparked in summer 20 years ago and made him act out of character. His love interest first seemed to me a manic pixie dream girl, but I dropped the idea later. Though she was his motive to do something he would not have done normally, it was the friends he made unintentionally (and maybe reluctantly!) who made him lead a better life and find himself.
This is a novel about first love, family problems and friends. First love was the center of the story, but it was the friendship aspect that I liked most about this novel. Nicholls made a subtle comparison between so-called friends with whom one might hang out and feel familiarity with and true friends who might appear so different, yet the connection with them survives time, distance and social status.

I wanted to love this one. It's well written, has good dialogue and was interesting.
But it just wasn't for me. I didn't like the main character. He absolutely irritated me and while I don't need to like the main character to enjoy a story, in this case I did (because so much of the story relied on going through the highs and lows with them.)

So my rating is purely my own and if you've loved other books by this author, you should grab this one too and give it a try. It just didn't work for me.

Readers may know David Nicholls from his earlier novels, One Day, and Us. He has a knack for telling stories about characters for whom readers will care. This is true for the protagonist of Sweet Sorrow.

Charlie is the character around whom the book revolves. There is present day Charlie. He is thirty-eight years old and about to marry. However, he is spending a lot of time thinking about sixteen year old Charlie. What was his relationship with Fran? Why is he still thinking about it all these years later? Where does a production of Romeo and Juliet fit in?

Readers will enjoy finding out in this often funny and sometimes poignant story. It will remind adults of what it was like to fall in love for the first time.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Sweet Sorrow was a good summer read about first love and figuring out one's place in the world. The writing had a nostalgic feel to it, which wasn't exactly for me, but I can see why other readers would enjoy it. Beautifully developed characters, but a little bland in the plot.

This book came to me in a year when sad nostalgia centered around teenage years (in the years I was a teen myself) was not quite what I could get into. At another time, I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed it and I would still recommend to readers if this year they are still looking for this mood in their reading.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2021 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2021/02/2021-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

Thank you for the free e-copy in exchange for a review. I have since acquired my own physical copy and will be reading and reviewing that in the near future. Thank you for the copy it was much appreciated and I still can't wait to read this book.