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Okay Days: 'A joyous ode to being in love' - Stylist (Hardback)
  • Okay Days: 'A joyous ode to being in love' - Stylist (Hardback)
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Okay Days: 'A joyous ode to being in love' - Stylist (Hardback)

(author)
£16.99
Hardback 352 Pages
Published: 29/06/2023

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Waterstones Says

Nuanced, intelligent and tackling a range of important issues from reproductive rights to body dysmorphia, this beautifully written chronicle of the rise and fall of a relationship heralds the emergence of a striking new literary voice.

Sam is 28, Swedish and spending the summer in London, working for a top marketing agency. Over the course of the sticky summer months, she falls hard for Lucas, a man she first met as a teenager. Lucas is working at a boutique clothing store whilst trying to get a foot on the corporate ladder, and struggling to hold the pieces of his life together. Sam is a gorgeous distraction. But you can only avoid reality for so long, and both Sam and Lucas know their relationship can't last. Nobody can be this happy forever, surely?

Okay Days tells the story of the rise and fall of Sam and Lucas's affection for each other, looks unflinchingly at male body dysmorphia and women's reproductive rights, and the pitfalls of modern love. When is okay good enough? And what are we willing to lose in the search for a life that is much better than just okay?

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 9781399713467
Number of pages: 352
Weight: 460 g
Dimensions: 218 x 146 x 34 mm


MEDIA REVIEWS

Reading Okay Days is like drinking the ideal lime cordial, sweetness clarified by sharpness. - Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, author of Harmless Like You

A beautifully observed portrait of self-discovery and uncertain love. Jenny's sharp and evocative prose gave me a feeling of immense nostalgia for London's long summer days - Natasha Brown, author of Assembly

A razor-sharp debut . . . exploring contemporary issues through the relationship of two characters that felt viscerally real . . . Jenny Mustard where have you been hiding? This debut is nothing short of brilliant, a love story that is achingly contemporary and will no doubt be relatable for so many readers . . . the perfect balance of humour, observation, hope and vulnerability, the anxiety of finding yourself and the constant need for more . . . Loved it - Glamour

Reminiscent of Sally Rooney . . . a complex and joyous ode to being in love, messing up and finding your way - Francesca Brown, Stylist

A literary version of the Ethan Hawke/Julie Delpy film Before Sunrise . . . a sweetly awkward romance - Irish Independent

Jenny Mustard's writing is fresh and sharply observant. A writer full of insights on the human condition and relationships, I loved the off-kilter tone, and clever shifts in perspective between Lucas and Sam. Mustard is definitely reminiscent of Sally Rooney and Naoise Dolan but Okay Days is ultimately a slice of a new writer. She has her very own original rhythms; a smart eye for detail and compelling insights into love and life. One of the most intriguing books I've read in some time. - Elaine Feeney, author of As You Were

A beautiful, bruising novel about love, sex and finding your place in the world. Okay Days is tender and humorous and ultimately uplifting. Sam and Lucas are unforgettable. Simply brilliant. - Molly Aitken, author of The Island Child

I absolutely loved Okay Days. It's so sharp and witty, and the relationship between Sam and Lucas is real in its complexity. With compassion, Jenny captures something raw and true, in beautiful, sparse prose - Haleh Agar, author of Out of Touch

Okay Days is an achingly beautiful modern love story. Smart, dazzling and arrestingly original, Mustard is a blazing new writer who dares to limber up before gifting a blistering vision of what it means to be human. A thought that echoes through is: will okay ever be good enough? And with each chapter, a fresh and deep meaning rises. It is a searching and tender tale. I loved it. - Maxine Mei-Fung Chung, author of What Women Want

I adored spending time with Sam and Luc, separately and together, and found my thoughts straying to them when away from the page. Okay Days is charming and clever and somehow manages to be both warm and affectionate and coolly detached. Bravo, Jenny Mustard, I eagerly await whatever comes next - Chloë Ashby, author of Wet Paint

As fresh as a spring morning. Naoise Dolan vibes. Witty, observant, stylish, tender, sharp, and delightful - Will Dean, author of First Born

A delicious mix of sweet and salt, ennui and excitement, Okay Days crystallises something essential about the Millennial zeitgeist that will be devoured by fans of Sally Rooney and Naoise Dolan. This debut is so much more than just okay - Helen Cullen, author of The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually

I'm obsessed by Okay Days. A gorgeous, twenty-first-century London love story: intelligent, honest and moving - Huma Qureshi, author of Things We Do Not Tell the People We Love

A truly wonderful novel which I absolutely tore through. Sexy, tender and so intelligent on its navigation of modern life. I adored it! With clear-eyed prose and laser focus, Okay Days is a rare thing. Both a love story with the intimate quality of the overheard and a modern parable of how we find meaning amidst a culture of transience - Wiz Wharton, author of Ghost Girl, Banana

A thoroughly modern love story. Characters you know intimately, maybe you've slept with, but have never seen on the page. And very readable - I finished it in a day. Fresh, sexy, spiky, and very special. If you liked Normal People, you'll love Okay Days - Abigail Tarttelin, author of Dead Girls

Jenny Mustard has crafted characters and prose that bristle and sparkle on the page. Sam and Luc are so real to me now that they still live on inside my head, long after I closed the book. A fantastic debut from a promising literary talent. - Nick Bradley, author of The Cat and The City

With dreamy descriptions and a Sally Rooney-esque vibe, Okay Days is an ode to figuring life out as you go - Closer

Emotionally realistic . . . desperately romantic. Simply brilliant - Irish Independent

Mustard's debut is a charming indie love story with a highly contemporary message at its heart . . . Okay Days is a perfect Millennial love story to be filed alongside Sally Rooney and Naoise Dolan. This is romance with a sharp dash of bitters. And with its acidic dialogue and languid sex scenes, I wouldn't be surprised to see it adapted for the screen. A charming and clever romance, a perfect summer read. - Edel Coffey, Irish Times

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“Best book I've ever read.”

This book is dedicated to me though, so I might be biased.

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 24

“Love it!”

Finished it in 2 days, I just couldn’t put it down! Love the dual narration, being able to see Luc and Sam’s thoughts individually felt like a secret I was apart of. I’ll definitely be reading this story more than... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 14

“Very real confused relationship”

Audiobook - easy listening.
Sam is from Sweden and first meets Lucas when she is on a trip to London aged 18. Ten years later their paths cross again.
Enjoyable, yet poignant and sad in places. Ups and downs of... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 13

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