Solo por hoy

by Nell Hudson

La fiesta tiene que terminar en algún momento.

Todo empieza en Nochevieja. Una noche que debe ser un éxito, al precio que sea. Para Joni y sus amigos, será una fiesta que promete tanto glamour y grandes locuras como cualquier otra, pero cuando llegue el amanecer tendrán que lidiar con algo mucho más oscuro que el típico bajón posterior a una fiesta.

No es que piensen dejar que eso se interponga en su camino. Porque este es el año en el que disfrutarán de todo lo que el patio de juegos que es Londres les ofrece: colarse en lugares en los que no deberían entrar, romper todas las reglas, enamorarse de la persona equivocada... Todo mientras evitan una verdad innegable: no es cuestión de si la fiesta termina, es cómo lo hace.

Solo por hoy es una evocación agridulce del final de la inocencia y una excitante celebración de no tener nada que perder... hasta que, de repente, lo tienes.

Genres: Contemporary, Literary Fiction, Summer, Literature, Adult Fiction, British Literature, Friendship

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 9, 2022

Reviews

[Karuna Menon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had promise but I feel there were topics that were meaty but left unresolved ( Uncle Lachlan) and the ending was a bit abrupt like the author suddenly reached the wordcount and had to end. The debauchery while authentic, felt contrived at times. A very good beach read but I wouldnt read again

[Jo_Scho_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story starts appropriately, on the most decadent night of the year, New Year’s Eve. Joni and her close friends are celebrating with their usual abandon, getting off their faces on booze and drugs. Their friendships are intense, intoxicating and exhilarating. They are young. They are beautiful. This is their time.

But alongside this hedonistic lifestyle, Joni holds down a job as a nanny, to two children she’s incredibly fond of, and as the year begins she finds herself embarking on a relationship with Henry, someone she’s been mildly infatuated with for years. Could this be the start of something special? After all, this crazy living can’t last forever. They all need to grow up sometime, right?

But as the seasons turn, the magic starts to lose its sparkle and this party might finally be drawing to a close. But not in the way they expect…

Oh this book was such an evocative read. It took me right back to my own clubbing days, where we’d spill out onto the pavements at 2am & the night was still so young. When we were still so young. This book depicted it so well, I felt a brief pang of nostalgia for my youth, remembering similar intense friendships and crazy times. It’s a book of excess; the highs of drink and drugs and love and lust and the lows of comedowns, loneliness and fucking up. It’s also very bittersweet, especially towards the end - and broke my heart just a little bit.

This book has shamefully been on my tbr for so long but it was definitely worth the wait. I finished it and wondered where Joni was now.

[bookishcharli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really great debut and definitely an author to keep your eye on. The pacing was perfect for me and the characters were realistic in their actions and emotions. They’re people I probably wouldn’t hang out with (drinking and drugs) but that is the reality of a lot of people looking for a good time at a party. They were all perfectly flawed in their own ways, which only adds to the reality of it all. I felt for Joni a fair bit throughout the book, I’ve also tried to bury my head in the sand instead of dealing with grief and problems, and it never bloody works! Definitely add this one to your TBR pile.

Thank you to Tinder Press for sending me a proof.

[Em · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5, sobbed like a child for personal reasons, not reflective of plot of which there is very little & i felt little to no connection to the character

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just For Today is the really rather stunning debut from Nell Hudson. Whilst this is a story of lives lived to excess, for all its glamour it is also quietly devastating. I was drawn immediately into Joni’s world and found it very hard to put this book down.

Just For Today begins on New Years Eve, a night full of promise and expectations that has to be a success. For Joni and her friends, it should be a party that promises all the high stakes and glamour they could hope for. Yet by sunrise they’ll be dealing with something much darker than their usual post-party comedown. Despite all this, the group doesn’t want to let anything stand in their way. This is their year to revel in the playground of London. They’ll sneak into places they shouldn’t, break all the rules and fall for all the wrong people. Yet at some point the party must end, the question is how?

None of the characters in Just For Today are especially likeable in the traditional sense but they are so compelling to read about. In many ways Joni, the central protagonist, seems so lost, holding on to others in order to save herself from having to stop and think about what she really wants - much like what tourist assumed of her through her art preferences in the gallery. The whole group loves to party, living their life from one social event to the next. Whilst some are ‘adulting’ more than Joni and finding more of a balance they all still ascribe to the work hard, play harder outlook.

I really enjoyed the different relationships explored in the book. The relationships between long time best friends Joni and Dyl was very special, and yet as broken as it was beautiful. I loved the more grounding relationship Joni had with her landlady Fiona and the ones she shared with the children she nannied for. The way the whole friendship group came together worked very well too.

The novel is billed as being a story of loss of innocence and yet I don’t necessarily agree with that. It seems not so much a loss of innocence as it is an understanding of the loss of believing life can be lived without consequence. There is no innocence as such to be lost here, their hard partying is full of drink, drugs and sex, but rather they come to the realisation that there are reverberating impacts to these actions and lifestyles choices. My heart broke when the meaning behind the title is explained towards to end of the book.

Overall a very compelling read and one I’d highly recommend.


With thanks to Netgally and Tinder Press for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.

[kate tobin · Rating 3 out of 5]

mixed feelings. enjoyed the chaos and debauchery. loved the bits in cornwall (and henry’s aga lol). rlly loved the writing. but too many plot lines were underutilized or were left unresolved (uncle lachlan, darling dolly, joni and rich, joni and dyl’s night together…) I also think joni’s relationships with her friends (other than dylan) were quite superficial…

HATED the ending. was a complete mess. why so abrupt?!?

[Tammy ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Solo por hoy es de uno de esos libros difíciles de explicar, principalmente porque no tenemos un hilo conductor que nos mantenga expectantes en cada página, más que nada vemos a través de los ojos de la protagonista, como diversas situaciones se van desarrollando y como la afectan a ella directamente.

La novela toca varios temas fuertes, pero los hace con la delicadeza necesaria sin abusar de ellos ni intentar incidir en la nostalgia del lector, más que nada nos entrega una mirada realista de situaciones cotidianas con personajes que se sienten muy reales, tanto por su forma de sentir como de actuar. De hecho, ellos son los grandes responsables de entregarle vida y forma a la historia, y rescato mucho eso.

Mi principal problema con el libro es que esperaba algo totalmente diferente, me dejé guiar por la sinopsis y me imagine un ambiente mucho más bohemio y lleno de excesos, lo cual si hay, pero en un modo distinto, no me esperaba una historia llena de situaciones agridulces y con un final muy nostálgico.

La historia sí me gustó, es algo totalmente diferente a lo que suelo leer y de vez en cuando me gusta salir de mi zona de confort, pero admito que la disfruté mucho más al inicio que al final, ya que llegó un momento que no sabía hacia donde iba la trama y leía solo para avanzar y entender el objetivo de la historia, más que por que la estuviera disfrutando.

[Lucy McGiveron · Rating 4 out of 5]

An accurate (and slight exaggeration) of living in your twenties. A simple but effective plot that displays the ups and downs of finding yourself. Representations of how some people naturally thrive with independence and how others struggle causing them to fall back into bad habits to stay afloat.
Joni is a relatable character that shows how one can be sucked into a relationship believing that it can heal everything but instead finds that it is not a magic cure that solves all of life’s problems.
She learns the hard way that your twenties are not just for partying and going out with your friends but you have responsibilities. Being an adult is hard.

[Ylva Sørli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

I liked the themes of the book and the characters were interesting, but it could have been written better. Also a story like this deserves more than 300 pages, it just felt a little rushed and I would like if the author went more in depth instead of just scratching the surface and then moving on to something else.

[Leire Docky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quizá demasiadas drogas para mi gusto pero…..bufffff me ha encantado ❤️, pero en-can-ta-do, nivel “Cleopatra y Frankenstein”. Y me explota la cabeza que lo haya escrito una de las actrices de Outlander!

[Samantha (MiawgicalReads) ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars, more accurate.

Honestly, I don’t hate it, it’s decent. However, how I hated the main character, Joni is such an annoying girl, I literally don’t know why or how she actually had friends, I hated her.

The story is not bad, and I think it well written, but, it’s not the best story I’ve ever read, it’s just ok. I can’t really recommend the book because I just, I didn’t care for it at the end. Once again, I saw a pretty book cover and thought “that book looks like it could be fun”, it wasn’t, and I made a mistake.

[Linda Amos · Rating 2 out of 5]

New Year's Eve and a group of friends are going out to party in London. They are looking for excitement and glamour, oblivion in drink and drugs, an escape from their daily lives. Before the night is over, one of their number achieves the ultimate escape, never to return. For another of the group, the past returns, of another death and the guilt carried leading to an uncontrollable spiral. Will life ever be the same or is the loss and resulting fallout too great? The harsh reality that no-one is invincible is a shock in more ways than one.
I wasn't keen on this story. The writing is realistic and the emotion of the deaths comes through well; plotting was good and left no loose ends. I just didn't like the lifestyle portrayed. Joni seemed quite shallow at times, she never connected Henry with Dyl. It felt like her friends got a bit fed up with her seeming thoughtlessness.
Thank you for a free copy in exchange for a review.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up from the library not expecting much and honestly loved this book. The writing style reminded me massively of Sally Rooney and Dolly Alderton so if you love their books you would love this. The story follows Joni and her friendship circle following on from an unforgetable New Year's Eve party. As soon as I started this book I just felt so connected to the characters and each time I picked the book back up I was glad to be back in the story. The characters and their lives weren't perfect but there was just something about them all which made me warm to them. I just adored this which surprised me massively, once I was invested I just couldn't put it down and I'm sure I finished the last 25-30% in one sitting as I just didn't want it to end.

[Chloe Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger warnings - excessive alcohol and drug use, overdose, sexual harassment, death.

I’m feeling a little bit flat after finishing this one! The ending for me was very frustrating and not at all how I had hoped that the book would end. Although I do appreciate that in reality, it’s not always happy ever afters, and that the way that this book ended was probably, sadly, reflective of many people’s real lives.

The book focuses on Joni and her friends, all in their mid twenties, navigating life through a never ending sea of parties, drugs and alcohol. The book starts on New Year’s Eve, the biggest party night of the year. Joni and her friends are in their element, but by the time morning rolls around, the reality of excessive and careless drug use hits home in the worst of ways.

However, this doesn’t really deter Joni and co from carrying on their lifestyles in a similar way and we follow them through the year as they continue to make questionable decisions. Joni is quite a chaotic character. She’s a nanny for two children, and this is where she really thrives and you see her true potential. But socially, she’s a mess. She hasn’t learnt how to be alone. She lurches from one relationship to the next, and her toxic trait is using male company to numb the pain that she feels. It frustrated me that none of her family and friends seemed to want to help her get herself together. At the point that she was jobless, and all her friends appeared to be moving in the right directions career wise, why did no one help her?

I enjoyed the book, it was very hard hitting, but I was invested in Joni and her life. The ending hit me hard, it was devastating and frustrating. I felt that the aftermath of what happened could have been explored a bit further. The book just seemed to end at a place where it didn’t really feel like the right time to end. As a reader invested in Joni, I would have liked to have seen the way she dealt with what happened. But overall, a good read!

[Kath · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book as an Outlander fan (the author is also an actress who appears on the show as a reoccurring character) and feel I should preface this review by saying I had no idea what it was about when I bought it or when I started to read it. I wanted to support Nell as a fan of her acting work in her new endeavour - and as a writer myself I’d want to be supported by people who know me if I ever release a book into the world, and so here we are. It became immediately clear to me that this is not the kind of story I would have ever picked for myself to read. On the surface this is a story about upper middle class young people who take lots of drugs and like to party. Not my kind of book at all. But, I’m so glad I read it, because it is so much more than that. It’s about all different kinds of love, friendship being the most important one, but also falling in love, falling out of love, loss, and all the life that happens in between. Nell’s writing style completely pulls you in, and even if you don’t particularly like the characters at first, she takes you on this completely devastating journey with them that you can’t help but feel for them by the end. I’m very excited for whatever she writes next. I’m just gutted I didn’t read the book prior to meeting her a couple of weeks ago because now I’d be able to tell her how much of a fan I am of her writing as well as her acting.

[Jade Mollard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Something about this book really hit me, I don’t know whether it’s because the characters are my age and they are growing up being adults together, or it’s based in the uk, but it really resonated with me.

A close knit friendship group just trying to get through life the best they can, everyone slowly moving on with their lives and doing different things. It hit me the most when they take their trip to Cornwall (where I’m from), it actually really made me miss home so much and reminded me of all the nights I’ve spent with my friends at each others houses just getting drunk amongst other things.

The main character irked me a little bit when reading because she kept making stupid decisions, but again I feel like anyone my age would do those stupid things because you’re just trying to find your place in life. (That was deep)

I think of anything happened to the people I love, I would honestly have a mental breakdown.

So ya, good book.

[Ro_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

No se que escribir sobre este libro

Al principio no me estaba convenciendo mucho el leerlo, no le encontraba el sentido al libro, era como que no tenía una línea, no entendía el propósito, no es un libro donde los personajes al final se enamoran o algún final que claramente está previsto, pero al seguir leyéndolo, se me fue aclarando todo, las fiestas, las etapas de cada uno, la vida de Jo.

Al terminar el libro, me dejó con el pecho y la garganta apretada, el sentimiento que uno tiene antes de llorar. La realidad que demuestra este libro es otra cosa, siento que hace mucho no leía una historia que podría ser fácilmente la mía o la de una persona real, y no fantasiosa y perfecta.

Que bueno que seguí leyendo y no lo deje sin terminar, ahora analizando todo lo que acabo de leer, si es un libro “fuerte” en el sentido de cómo te pega la realidad de la vida en unos personajes que tienen veintitantos que siente la obligación de tener la vida resuelta y no todo es tan fácil.

[Naia Mackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An imperfect narrator navigating life in their mid-twenties who feels as if she is forever falling short of her peers. Presenting itself as a slightly harsher, more realistic take on grief, sex, love, and guilt, more so than other novels of a similar vein I have recently read, by daring to explore sub-topics of these subjects that I have rarely seen elsewhere yet ring so true. At first I wasn’t convinced this was going to be so different to books such as “My year of rest and relaxation”, however, the author continued to pleasantly surprise me through her self awareness and character/world building. I could see myself possibly rereading in a few years as the uncertainty of the narrators life provides a type of comfort while she maintains hope and cherishes little things.

[book_lover_kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just For Today
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Blurb

It all starts on New Year's Eve. A night that has to be a success, whatever the cost. For Joni and her friends, it'll be a party that promises all the high stakes and glamour of any other, but by sunrise they'll be dealing with something darker than the usual post-party comedown. 

Not that they let this stand in their way. For this is their year to revel in all that the playground of London has to offer: sneaking into places they shouldn't, breaking every rule, falling in love with the wrong people. All the while avoiding one undeniable truth: it's not if the party ends, it's how.

While I’m probably not the book’s target audience (being a 40 something single mum from Folkestone 😆) I got super invested in the lives of Joni and her achingly cool friends.

It reminded me a bit of Sally Rooney but in my opinion much better! This is a fantastically written, entertaining and raw debut and will be looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

[Vir · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 60%
He leído un poco más por si moría alguien o salía el cartel: ¡Es broma!

Me ha parecido una tomadura de pelo. Malo, plano, todos los personajes son el mismo e igual de insulso, aburrido, la mayoría de lo leído son personas avisándose para quedar jajaja ni me lo creo aún.

Siempre están fumando, drogándose y de fiesta...pero podría ser un Cola-Cao en casita porque solo lo dicen y pasan al dolor de cabeza del día siguiente, que tampoco es gran cosa, lo mencionan y a seguir. A seguir con la NADA!!

[Bookish Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in one day. It took me back to my life at university and all the desires and dreams I had for my life and my friends - that we would endlessly party and endlessly write and endlessly lie in each others beds hungover and buzzing with life and promise.

This book was desperately sad and made me think of the people I loved and lost. I cried in the bath for 2 hours after finishing it.

[Staceywh_17 · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading the book I started getting This Life* vibes.

Highly entertaining, well written and a New Year's Eve in London like no other.

It's a fantastic debut from Hudson, well written, with an eclectic bunch of characters, none of which I could form any attachment to. They're well developed, fabulously flawed and realistic, they really brought the pages to life and made the story seem credible.

Compelling, emotive and a highly entertaining read.

*A 90's show about a group of trainee solicitors and rookie lawyers in their twenties share a crowded flat while trying to launch careers in the offices of a London legal firm.

Many thanks to Random Things Tours for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[ellabobella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful look into the human experience. Showed the beauty in the mundane. One very petite note i’d have is that the end seemed a bit rushed, in saying that there is also a chance that that was exactly what the author intended. Ultimately I don’t think it’s a book for everyone but it surely was the book for me.

[R H · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a solid book- narrative was compelling and the relationships between characters was moving. The last chapter had me SOBBING. Just for today, we have this moment :) what good insight

[Ania · Rating 3 out of 5]

typowe coming of age, bohaterowie szukają samych siebie, imprezują, zakochują, rozstają... nic nowego, nic ciekawego, ale całkiem przyjemnie się czytało

[Alina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Extremely pointless.

[Nell Davies-Small · Rating 5 out of 5]

i fucking loved this book. the articulation of grief (tw) was really truly amazing, and the characters were brilliantly formed and loveable. cannot recommend enough for fans of sally rooney (who want to read something actually good) and fans of dolly alderton (who is already very good) xx

[Elle B · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT read - devoured it in less than 24 hours. Wonderful escapism in the form of 20somethings in London/UK.

[Emer Tannam · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I enjoyed this well enough, but it took an unnecessarily bleak turn towards the end, and I wish the main character had had some kind of realisation that the love interest was actually awful.

[Annika Hoogendoorn-Van Oosten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een verhaal over een groep vrienden en de ups en downs die ze tegen komen. Het einde was verrassend, maar je zag het tegelijkertijd ook wel aankomen.