The Day We Met

by Roxie Cooper

Stephanie and Jamie are meant to be. The problem is they're both with other people...
________________________________

Stephanie doesn’t believe in fate, true love or living happily ever after. She’s content enough being engaged to Matt. But then she meets Jamie, who understands her more than anyone else ever has.

Jamie is happily married to his childhood sweetheart Helen and believes in everything Stephanie doesn’t. So why does he have such a strong connection with Stephanie?

When Stephanie and Jamie meet one fateful weekend in 2006 it will change everything...

Ten years. Two people. One epic love story.

The Day We Met is an immensely moving and heart-warming epic love story perfect for fans of Josie Silver's One Day in December and Zoë Folbigg's The Note.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Audiobook, Adult

373 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 7, 2019

Reviews

[Irena BookDustMagic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warning: This review contains spoilers

Warning no2: This book talks about cheating!!

There is a reason why I told myself multiple times I have to write my reviews as soon as I finish a book.
I read this book during Valentine’s Day (and was nervous because I expected an epic romance and got a cat in the bag!), so I have to warn you that this review will be all over the place, because it has been a month since I finished it.
I will try to keep it short, and the only excuse I have is that I wasn’t ready to articulate my thoughts, after so much disappointment this book brought into my reading life.

The Day We Met was presented as a love story between two people who were ment to be together, but they have to find the way to be with each other.

Let me tell you stories about destined lovers who have to find their way and courage to be with each other are my absolutely favorite.
I love stories in which it takes time for love to find happiness, so because of that The Day We Met was my most anticipated novel of 2019.
I expected to be similar to One Day in December, but instead of that we got a story about two cheaters we should root for.

I don’t mind cheating in my stories, I think it is one big part of the world we live in, but this time it was too much even for me.
I couldn’t morally agree with our main characters, and the fact they were too weak to grow a spine, so they made fools of their partners for 10 years with cheating and daydreaming about each other.
And the worst thing? It could have all been avoided, because when they met Stephanie wasn’t even married!

Talking about main characters, I really, REALLY didn’t like Stephanie. She is that type of girl who is actually a snake in lamb’s clothes. She is selfish cheater who thinks of herself as a victim who needs protection.
Jamie was a whole nother story!

The only good thing about this book was the writing style. It was almost perfect, read so fast and it is the reason why I would want to read another book by Roxie Cooper.

The end was, in lack of better description, Nicholas Sparks going bad.
You know how his stories usually take dramatic turn… Well, this one took that turn and run over bridge.
It made me question if I’m a bad person, because I didn’t care for that “heartbreaking” thing that happened. I wasn’t sorry. There, I said it!

And speaking of the end, the very end was unrealistic and just plain stupid. There is just no way Stephanie’s husband would allow it!

Overall, since so many people find this book to be amazing, if you thought about reading just give it a try, but I can’t say I recommend it.

[Berit☀️✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A romantic story full of emotion and fated love💕

Roxie Cooper has painted a beautiful Story with her words... she turned me the cynic into a true believer in soulmates, well for at least the length of this book... sometimes I wonder why I Love reading romance, I certainly don’t believe in epic love or one true love or soulmates or any of that... but then again I occasionally enjoy a vampire or werewolf book and I certainly don’t believe in them either... this is a book that on paper I really should not have enjoyed, it is about two people who are involved with other people who cannot help but be drawn to one another... my cynical and jaded brain says, BS people can help who they are drawn to, and people aren’t drawn to others unless they’re out looking for it, so I don’t buy this premise for one single minute! And I probably still believe all this, however this book was aBSOLUTELY FABULOUS!

Stephanie and Jamie meet one weekend at an art retreat... Stephanie and Jamie have instant chemistry, the problem? Stephanie is engaged to Matt and Jamie is married to Helen... Stephanie and Jamie recognize there is a strong connection between them unlike no other, but they respect their significant others.... for the next decade they meet up about once a year as friends, but can two people with this strong of a connection stay just friends? Now my logical brain at this point was saying, I certainly wouldn’t want someone to stay with me when they were this fated to be with somebody else? And I think that was my biggest struggle with this Matt and Helen deserve better than what they were getting... but life is messy and nothing is ever black-and-white, this book really had my emotions flying all over the place....

The story is told from the perspective of both Jamie and Stephanie... and not just when they are together we also got a front row seat look at their family life with their significant others who were good people.... Stephanie and Jamie were also extremely likable, seriously I really liked these two characters and I really wanted them to end up together, even though I thought it was wrong... or maybe I didn’t? See what I’m saying very messy and a whole lot of gray! Matt and Helen were very likable as well I wanted nothing but the best for them, I was so torn throughout this entire book... this book was truly playing with my emotions and then... and then... that ending! What? All I’m going to say is have tissue handy!

An exquisite love story that will pull at your heartstrings and leave you reeling and in tears! Recommend!

🎵🎵🎵 Song Running Through My Head The day we met,
Frozen I held my breath
Right from the start
I knew that I'd found a home for my heart
Beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave?
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall
But watching you stand alone?
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow
One step closer
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this
One step closer
I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
And all along I believed I would find you...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rtOvBOT...

*** A big thank you too Ebury Publishing for my copy of this book ***

[Stace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Reviewed by Linda on www.whisperingstories.com

The Day We Met by Roxie Cooper is an epic tale of two people whose love has spanned over a decade. The story begins in 2006 with Stephanie and Jamie meeting at an Art and Photography retreat weekend where an instant connection is formed between them. The problem is that both of them already have partners. Stephanie is engaged to Matt, Jamie is married to Helen.

Being a romantic at heart I just love a good romance story and this book ticked all the boxes. I also loved all the art and music references throughout which play an important part of the plot.

The main characters, Stephanie and Jamie are so superbly written that they come across perfectly realistic. I also felt for their partners as these two people over the course of a decade met up in secret, but as friends, at first yearly, and then more often. They both knew that their connection to one another was strong, they also knew that they had their families to think of too.

The book is executed perfectly with all the highs and lows of life examined. The plot unfolded steady and at a good pace. There were lots of my favourite chapters, but chapter thirty certainly gave me the feel-good factor. I felt every possible emotion reading this beautiful book and needed the tissues, on several occasions.

An excellent page turner it had me reading very late into the night as I was unable to put it down and the unpredictable ending just added so much more to this novel.

Well done Roxie Cooper a first class read and I will definitely be recommending this book to all who love romances novels. I now Look forward to reading more from this author.

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roxie Cooper writes about Stephanie Carpenter and Jamie Dobson who just happen to coincidentally meet at Heathfield House in 2006, just as Stephanie had made her mind up that she was going to leave the Arts and Photography course being run there. Stephanie is obviously suffering from personal trauma, afflicted by panic attacks, there are broad hints of major issues from her past, and she is trying to get back on track in her life, supported by her psychotherapist, Jane. Feeling a strong connection to Jamie, Stephanie stays for the course, surprised when Jamie turns out to be art tutor on the course. Jamie is a passionate art teacher in a struggling state school, he is married to his childhood sweetheart, Helen, who works in advertising, constantly trying to persuade Jamie to leave his poorly paid teaching post and take up more commercial art roles that pay significantly better. He loves Helen, but there is no way he wants to work in a more soulless environment. Stephanie is engaged to be married to Matt, but whilst the two of them are such different personalities, they feel such desperately strong feelings for each other. This is the story of their relationship through a decade in which they are married to other people, have children, but just cannot forget about each other, despite the pain and heartbreak.

Jamie and Stephanie actually meet each other on very few occasions, initially an annual get together at Heathfield House, keeping their relationship secret from their respective partners. Whilst Stephanie edges ever closer to acknowledging and acting on her deep feelings for Jamie, he cannot contemplate the break up his marriage and family, despite the strains of his relationship with Helen. Guilt and pressure from Helen after she secures a much sought after promotion in London has them moving to a commutable Cambridge village, which just happens to be closer to where Stephanie lives. Music plays a important role in their relationship, where they text each other links to YouTube songs that express an big aspect of their feelings for each other. There is a lovely moment in which a drunk Stephanie belts out a Dreamgirls musical number originally sung by Jennifer Hudson, a beautiful if flawed performance of 'And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going' for Jamie. This is a epic story of complex and complicated emotions, of just how messy life can get in a marriage, of how one can fail to grow and develop together in a relationship or change so drastically that what once made sense, goes on to become a nightmarish source of never ending pain.

Roxie Cooper slowly reveals Stephanie's demons, the death of her mother, her troubled past when she went completely off the rails, her slow steps to becoming more self aware about her past and her relationship with Matt. Jane, her therapist, plays a central role in nudging Stephanie in the direction of painful self truths. For Jamie, he responds to Stephanie's efforts to help him realise his inner dreams and ambitions to become an artist, something Helen has never supported him in. There is heartbreak and glimpses of real joy in the relationship and romance between the couple, and Cooper does a stellar job in her characterisation to make both of them feel like flawed and authentic real people. This novel is for all those who want to read about a story of love against all the odds, with the kind of characters you can believe in and root for. An wonderfully entertaining and engaging read. Many thanks to Random House Ebury for an ARC.

[Warda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A love story that occurs over the span of years.
This book is tricky.
Though it deals with relationships, the unfulfilling kind you can be in, where the person isn’t the right person for you, and you settle for less than what you actually want and stay in it for the sake of it, because it’s safe, it is slightly centred around cheating.

Now, hold up.
Both characters are in a relationship that they’ve decided to be in. Yet, they find in one another what they don’t have with their partners; actual understanding.

I personally don’t think it glorifies cheating. The whole concept to me isn’t black and white anyway, but there are a whole range of things that contribute to the once-a-year- affair these characters started.

It’s a mess. It’s acknowledged that it is a mess. It’s a human mess. People innately are fucked and these characters aren’t bad people, they’ve chosen to make a ridiculous mistake.

We follow them both on their journey and get to the root of it all.

As much as I enjoyed it, I didn’t connect with it as much as I would’ve liked, but the story was good enough.

[Leanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hm. Well, I can't say I'd describe two people cheating on their spouses as an 'epic love story,' as per the blurb, but whatever floats your boat, I guess. I picked this one up mostly because I'm a sucker for books that dip into characters lives over a number of years (see also One Day, Five Years From Now) but I didn't love this one. I mean, it's a page-turner, for sure - you'll want to find out what happens next - but it's all fairly predictable in the end. Also, Ugh! Cheaters! Don't you just hate them?!

[Nina Draganova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Очите ми приличат на две цепки от плач. И много ме разстрои .
Не подозирах какво ме очаква.
Разбърка из основи моралните ми пунктири.
До вчера , можехте да ме чуете как се гневя на хора , които са тръгнали да изневеряват.
И да, в живота наистина не всичко е черно и бяло.
Сега от мястото до което съм стигнала в моя живот, много добре разбирам мисълта : "...между това,което искаме, и това , от което се нуждаем, има голяма разлика..."
И още : " Вероятно всички се нуждаем единствено и само от насъщното:хляб,вода и любов."
Но малцина са тези , които срещат в живота си такава любов. И още по-малко са тези , които ще те познават по-добре и от самия теб. И да повярваш абсолютно в отсрещния човек.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't adequately explain how betrayed I feel by this book. It does have more depth than most in the genre (and by that I mean the plot is a bit more complex, the characters are more fully explored) but the blatant tugging of heart strings and the deus ex therapist both grated on me a little by the finish. The end itself was a punch to the face of the romance genre and I don't even know if that's a good thing or not.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this emotionally confusing book.

[iyreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephanie scheint auf dem ersten Blick ein glückliches Leben zu haben; Marketing Managerin, ist mit dem Mann verlobt, den sie liebt und hat eine Familie, die sie unterstützt. Doch sie ist trotzdem unerfüllt und kämpft mit Panikattacken. Um ihr mal etwas Gutes zu tun schickt ihr Verlobter sie nach Heathwood Hall zu einem Kunstkurs über das Wochenende.
Dort angekommen lernt sie wie durchs Schicksal den attraktiven Kunstdozenten Jamie kennen. Beide fühlen sich direkt zueinander angezogen und sind regelrecht hynotisiert. Ich habe wirklich von der ersten Begegnung an die Verbundenheit zwischen den beiden Protagonistin so deutlich gespürt. Jamie weiß zwar, dass es nicht richtig ist, sich in eine andere Frau zu vergucken, da er selbst verheiratet ist, doch er kann sich von Stephanie nicht lösen, sodass sie vereinbaren sich jedes Jahr an einem Wochenende zu treffen.
Sie wollen das ganze freundschaftlich halten, doch seit dem ersten Moment an, waren sie zum Scheitern verurteilt. Beide sind so ineinander verliebt dennoch halten sich beide zurück. Über 13 Jahre hinweg wird eine Liebesgeschichte erzählt, die noch nicht mal auf sexueller Ebene übertragen wird sondern lediglich aus Gefühlen und Zuneigung. Es gibt auch keine stetige Email oder SMS Kommunikation lediglich ab und zu YouTube Links zu Liedern, die ihre Liebe und unausgesprochenen Worte widerspiegeln.
Und doch habe ich auf jeder Seite und jeder Zeile die Verbindung und Liebe beider gespürt. Ich habe mir nebenbei sogar die Lieder angemacht und war somit umso mehr Teil dieser Liebesgeschichte.

Das Buch ist in 4 Teile aufgeteilt und wird abwechselnd aus Stephanies und Jamies Sicht erzählt.In jedem Kapitel wird das Datum angegeben, sodass man weiß wie wie viel Zeit vergangen ist. So bekommt man als Leser Einblicke in das Leben beider. Stephanie und auch Jamie sind beide nicht glücklich und versuchen sich mit dem zufrieden zu geben was sie haben, aber nur zusammen sind sie vollkommen und geborgen.
Roxie Cooper hat mit diesem Buch wirklich einzigartige und komplexe Charaktere erschaffen. Auch die Nebencharaktere wie Stephanies Schwester Ebony, ihr Vater und ihre Psychologin Jane sind perfekt in die Geschichte verwoben worden und haben voll und ganz mein Herz für sich gewonnen.

Ein fesselndes, emotionales und herzzerreißendes Buch, kurz: ein für mich perfektes Buch. Ich wurde regelrecht in ein Bann gezoge, sodass ich das Buch innerhalb kürzester Zeit verschlungen habe. Nie hätte ich gedacht, dass mich dieses Buch so packen wird und ich die eine oder andere Träne vergießen muss. Ein absolutes Jahrenhighlight!

[T. Rosado · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

The writing was well done, but the overall message was too conflicting for me. The relationships in this book were very messy, but there was also plenty of psychoanalysis that showed depth in the messiness and qualified the actions of the characters. At the same time, I didn't think the therapist should have instilled unrealistic expectations in her patients. The message of “If you’re unhappy, just leave" sets up every marriage to fail. Normal marriages go through ups and downs and it's not always fun, but the effort and work can be worth it. Leaving is one option, but shouldn’t be the ultimate option. Unfortunately, I felt like that was the overarching message in the book and I couldn't relate.

The other thing I didn't care for was the story’s emotional manipulation. Yes, I was sad, but I was also frustrated that it made me sad. I saw the ending coming half-way through the book. This was while I was still considering how I felt about the questionable actions of the characters.

Again, I enjoyed the writing style and would try something from this author again, but the overall story in The Day We Met wasn't satisfying and the therapist was unlike any I would want to be counseled by regarding marriage.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. For once everything I read about this book was right - it was such an amazing and well written story. The love story was gentle and drew you in not quite knowing where it was going to go. The ending was certainly not what I expected but I don't want to spoil it for anyone. Made me cry on more than one occasion. Well worth a read and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

[Julie Parks · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like romance books that are smart and witty and break your heart - read this!!!

However, for those with weak nerves, craving at least an occasional sex scene...not the best pick. Seriously, though, it's 2019 - and the sex scene is still a fade out? Roxie Cooper goes all out to describe their kissing and grabbing each other, the tossing on the bed in great detail, including all the panting and how they each smell, but later the actual sex is simple...blank in-between paragraphs?! Hmm...

In my opinion, the best and most brilliant part of this story is how realistic the two dead-love-beat narrators are. It felt like reading a book version of GIRLS as far as romance is concerned. They click, they swoon, the flirt...and then they return to their other halves (aside from the empty paragraph of a sex scene in the middle of the book).

I loved it, don't get me wrong.

I hate the sappy, predictable, six-pack, accidental BBQ bikini scene airport novels that nobody on this planet has ever felt happen in real life. This story is real life all the way. But it blows, too.

Blows your mind reading, and also blows for both narrators because instead of each other they get that nasty, stinky, ugly thing called real life. Although, a true Shakespearian could argue if you really can love two people with the exact same strength. And if not with the exact same then maybe you should be able to choose the one that will make you the happiest and stick.

I loved both characters with all of their indecision and flaws. Very Colleen Hoover, in many ways as well. Both the story with their YouTube texts and also dialogue.

Highly recommend to tough love lovers. With one tiny but a necessary warning. This story is something-something meets ONE DAY, be ready for when IT comes!!! I wasn't and it killed me.

Thank you Penguin Random House for the chance to read this in exchange for my honest thoughts.

[Adele Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am crying as I write this. What a heartbreakingly beautiful book!! I will remember this for a long long time.

[Jolis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Divi cilvēki iemīlas, bet nevar būt kopā, jo abi jau ir precējušies.

Man it kā patika, kā šis romāns desmit gadu garumā ir uzrakstīts, bet tas neaizkustināja nevienu dvēseles stīgu, tāpēc arī tāds viduvējs vērtējums.

[Tracey]

DNF at 16%

[Jena]

Self note avoid. Spoilers..how it ends. Spoilers.

No HEA.




H is married to ow.
She is engaged ,then she married the om.
MCs go on to have kids with their spouses, but
for 10 years, they spent 1 weekend with each other, because it’s true love between them. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄


Then h died.😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[Norwyn Schäfer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 Sterne
Kein Jahr ohne dich
Roman
von Roxie Cooper
Piper Verlag
„Stephanie glaubt nicht an die große Liebe und »glücklich, bis der Tod euch scheidet«. Dafür ist sie zu realistisch und bodenständig. Mit ihrem Verlobten hat sie alles, was sie will, sie ist zufrieden. Doch als sie Jamie kennenlernt kommt es, dieses Herzklopfen, das man nicht überhören und schon gar nicht ignorieren kann. Jamie glaubt an all die Dinge, die Stephanie kitschig findet. Er hat seine Traumfrau bereits gefunden – glaubt er zumindest, bis er Stephanie begegnet. Und alles verändert sich. Sie sind füreinander bestimmt, doch das Leben hat andere Pläne. Von nun an treffen sie sich jedes Jahr für ein Wochenende, das nur ihnen gehört. Und jedes Jahr kehren sie zurück in ihre getrennten Leben. Dabei gehören Seelenverwandte doch zusammen …“
Ich bedanke mich bei Netgalley und dem Piper Verlag für das kostenlose Rezensionsexemplar des Buches. Ich gebe hier meine unabhängige und unbezahlte Meinung zu dem Buch ab.
Ich habe dieses Buch als e-book vom Verlag erhalten und dann auch als Hörbuch geschenkt bekommen. Ich weiß nicht ob es am Hörbuch lag, aber bei mir ist während des gesamten Hörens kaum ein Funke übergesprungen und alles fühlte sich unheimlich langatmig und langgezogen hin. Vielleicht lag es auch an den Stimmen der Sprecher, ich weiß es nicht. Vielleicht hätte ich wirklich selbst das e-book lesen sollen in meinem Tempo. Oder ich hatte auch mehr so etwas wie „Salz auf unserer Haut“ von Benoîte Groult erwartet, was einen als Leser einfach nicht mehr losläßt. Jedenfalls waren meine Erwartungen und ich deshalb ein wenig enttäuscht von diesem Buch.
Irgendwie habe ich wirklich erst zum Ende des Buches hin eine Verbindung zu den beiden Hauptprotagonisten aufbauen können, als alles schon fast vorbei war. Erst da hat mich die Geschichte wirklich eingenommen und fesseln können. Aber 80% des Buches über habe ich mich irgendwie dahin geschleppt und immer gehofft es passiert noch was um diese Geschichte nicht so langsam und fast eintönig laufen zu lassen.
Ich weiß, dies ist nur meine Meinung dazu und andere Leser mögen es anders empfinden, aber selbst für das Hörbuch habe ich unglaublich lange gebraucht um es zu Ende zu hören und wirklich dabei zu bleiben und das ist für mich persönlich ein sehr seltener Zustand.
Mir fehlten wirkliche tiefgehende Emotionen, ein Gefühlschaos, welches auch beim Leser ankommt, diese Zerrissenheit zu fühlen zwischen dem was man hat und dem was man begehrt. Die Hoffnung und dennoch diese Hoffnungslosigkeit.
Ich kann es nicht besser beschreiben, als wie ich es hier getan habe. Das Buch war sicher nicht schlecht, aber dennoch fehlte mir dieser gewisse Funke um eintauchen zu können. Daher kann ich dem Buch nur 3 Sterne geben.
#liebesroman #belletristik #frauenroman #rezension #rezensionsexemplar #roman #bookstagram #roxiecooper #piperverlag #bücherliebe #booklover #reading #keinjahrohnedich #leseratte #bücherwurm #bookaholic #lesen #lesenmachtglücklich #instabooks #booknerd #readingtime #ilovebooks #netgalley #netgalleyde #ichliebelesen #buchnerd #ichliebebücher

[LoveBook_Junkie · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I will start out by saying I never write reviews. I’m not great at it and it’s hard to leave out spoilers, but with this book I just really felt the need to get this off my chest.

I was super excited for this book! The description really got me hyped for this “Epic Love Story”, even though from the blurb I knew it might contain cheating. Honestly, that wasn’t a deal breaker for me, but hoped it wouldn’t be true. The problem I had was with the amount of time the main characters spent harboring these feelings they had for each other and doing nothing about it. I mean, who spends one weekend together a year, with no contact in between, when you love someone so much? Who stays with a spouse when you claim to have such strong feelings for someone else? How can this go on for 10 years? How can you have children with a spouse you don’t love? I really really hoped that the characters would make smart decisions, but I honestly HATED one or both of them throughout the whole book. I mean why couldn’t they just do the right thing? I understand the need for angst, but it just started to feel so completely unrealistic. They needed more contact. The amount of time with indecisiveness should have been shorter. SOMETHING!!!

And then there was the ending. WTF!!! I just can’t even. I felt like I wasted so many hours reading to end up with nothing. I mean, if they had been together longer before the tragic ending I might have felt better about it, but for the span of so many years apart to end up with such little time together is infuriating! I get that the characters helped each other on their journeys to find themselves. I get that was the real point of the book, but I just feel cheated.

So, in my opinion, the book isn’t worth the time. There were parts that were beautiful, but all in all it was just disappointing.

[Molly Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Day We Met by Roxie Cooper⠀
⠀
*deep breath* ⠀
⠀
I’ve been avoiding writing this review for awhile because I don’t know if I can clearly articulate how meaningful this book was to me. But I’m going to try. ⠀
⠀
Let’s handle the elephant in the room: the premise of this book is “same time, next year” and, yes, there’s adultery. Without spoiling, I thought it was tastefully (and meaningfully) done. ⠀
⠀
These. Characters. Primarily Stephanie. Oh my gosh, you just root for her. Her development is so inspiring and you feel like you’re in the thick of it with her. Her relationships within her family are so incredibly written. Her struggle with mental health and therapy is so enlightening.⠀
⠀
There’s art! There’s music! The pair communicate in between their meet ups by sending songs and music videos. There’s star-crossed lovers! ⠀
⠀
It GUTTED ME. The narration is available on Hoopla and the performance was outstanding. ⠀
⠀
It’s not for everyone because of the aforementioned adultery. But if you liked 28 Summers or The Light We Lost and you like being emotionally wrecked, here you go. It is one of my favorites from this year. ⠀
⠀
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫⠀
⠀
tw: cancer, depression, infidelity

[Aoife · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publishers/author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Stephanie and Jamie meet at an art retreat, there’s an instant connection. There’s one problem though - the both of them are in committed relationships. The pair decide to meet up once a year to continue their friendship/romance but how long can their relationship last without destroying everything else they care about?

Where do I start with this one? The good bits first of course! The writing in this book is really good, Roxie Cooper definitely has the ability to plot a really good story and pace it well. I definitely appreciated the writing skill.

Another good thing in this book is that one of the main characters Stephanie goes to therapy for a long time in this book to help with her mental health and continue a normal life and this was always seen as a good, healthy thing to do which I appreciate. Good mental health awareness/care!

Now, I am surprised I haven’t seen more people be turned off from this book considering its main plot is infidelity. I’ve seen lots of people hate books because of cheating and I have never had major problems with it before but this one for some reason rubbed me up the wrong way.

Stephanie and Jamie are both great characters in their own right, and they are also great together. I just really hated they continued emotionally, and sometimes, physically cheating on their partners. For years. Even after children came into the equation. I think there’s a point in such relationships where a selfishness takes control and this definitely happened here. The characters (particularly Jamie) were just cowardly and did not act in the right way. I also think the author made it a bit too easy by having the other halves act a bit difficult (or just a downright ass in Matt’s case) but in real life that’s not always the case. I just can’t help but think how smashed my heart would be if someone I was married to had such a relationship for years and wasted my life in a marriage I thought was for life.

I also do think some of the technology in this book could have been a bit off? There was a point when Stephanie and Jamie were texting each other YouTube videos to watch and I really felt like those years may have been before the time of YouTube links been text to people and being watched on phones.

Also MASSIVE cliche ending that I actually couldn’t believe (even though it did still make me cry a bit, have to be honest. I was mad and sad at the same time). I saw what was coming, I really hoped it wouldn’t happen because COME ON. But nope, it happened.

One for fans of One Day by David Nicholls.

[Beverley · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://beverleyhasread.wordpress.com/

Erm, Roxie Cooper, I have a bone to pick with you! What on earth have you done to me?! You have destroyed me with The Day We Met which is romantic, complicated and emotional. Very, very, emotional. Sheesh.

When Jamie and Stephanie meet at an art retreat at a country hotel one Autumn day in 2006 they click immediately. The spark is palpable and sexual tension zings between them. The thing is Jamie is married to Helen and Stephanie is engaged to marry Matt the next summer. Awkward. Over the next ten years or so they find ways to be in each other’s lives, meeting in secret as friends, but is it possible to be just friends with the person you are supposed to spend the rest of your life with?

This is a book of complex themes, it is difficult to write about infidelity and make the protagonists likeable but Roxie Cooper manages it. I have a dim view of people who have affairs and I really shouldn’t have been rooting for Stephanie and Jamie to find their happy ever after, but I was. It would be easy to write their other halves, Matt and Helen as terribly awful partners to justify the actions of our protagonists but Roxie Cooper doesn’t do this. Instead she shows how people and relationships change and evolve, how you can be a good person but do bad things and how life isn’t always black and white.

Jamie and Stephanie are happy in their relationships, for the most part, it’s just that there is something very, very special about their chemistry. This chemistry is written about so wonderfully and it felt very real and never cloying or exaggerated. Theirs is a story that spans years and as the book is written from both of their points of view and in the first person, we are privy to their most private thoughts and innermost feelings. I especially loved seeing how they both grew and evolved during the decade or so we know them and I felt like I really ‘got’ their psyche. I kind of fell in love with both characters (and have to confess to having a small crush on Jamie) as they were so well-drawn I felt fully connected with them.

I can’t talk about the ending in much depth because I don’t want to spoil it, but it didn’t go where I thought it would. To be honest, I still can’t work out if I liked the ending – that isn’t a reflection on the writing by any means, I just need to discuss it and reflect a bit more I think. It is a brave book with some complex subject matter which is handled delicately and sensitively and I recommend it.

[Joanne Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was rather bemused when my review copy of The Day We Met turned up with a little packet of tissues but all I can say now is….WHY WAS THE PACKET SO BLOOMING SMALL?!?! Honestly, this book should come with the biggest box of man-sized (even though this has now been deemed politically incorrect-you know the ones I mean!) tissues you can get!! I didn’t just have a tear in my eye whilst reading this wonderfully endearing book, I had the snottiest, snuffliest, drippiest deluge of fat tears dripping down my face and onto my pillow. My poor little doggie who sleeps there (I know! Don’t judge me!!!) nearly got swept away in them and was obviously worried about me as she didn’t leave my side all night and I woke up to her licking the dried tears off my cheeks! But enough of my red and swollen eyes and more about this sublime love story that made me wonder why I’ve never read Roxie Cooper before!

When a publisher compares a book to One Day then they better be very confident about their claims as that book is one of my most favourite ever pieces of fiction. But The Day We Met lives up to that comparison with bells on! Two of the most well developed and likeable characters that I’ve ever come across really made this book for me. I adored both Jamie and Stephanie in equal measure as the book gave their relationship the perfect balance of intimacy and friendship.

When Stephanie meets Jamie while on an art retreat course booked by her fiancé there are sparks straight away even though he is married to wife Helen. They may be with other people but they are drawn together by a magnetism that is impossible to bypass. Over the next ten years their relationship travels over peaks and troughs as their respective lives lead them in different directions but at the same time towards the inevitable. And I lived through those years with them as though I were actually part of their story. I laughed, I cried, I raged at them both and I became involved in a way I hadn’t been expecting when I turned that first page.

This is a perfectly pitched book, defining the steps of a contemporary love with an emotionally stimulating narrative that was just so beautifully written. I loved every single page. And let’s talk about that ending!!! Actually let’s not! You’ll just have to read it for yourselves.

Highly recommended by me!

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sie sind füreinander bestimmt - doch sie sind beide schon vergeben.
Stephanie glaubt nicht an die große Liebe und "glücklich, bis der Tod euch scheidet". Dafür ist sie zu realistisch und bodenständig. Sie ist zufrieden, da sie mit ihrem Verlobten alles hat, was sie will. Doch als sie Jamie kennenlernt, kommt dieses Herzklopfen, das man nicht überhören und schon gar nicht ignorieren kann. Jamie glaubt an all die Dinge, die Stephanie kitschig findet. Seine Traumfrau hat er bereits gefunden, meint er - bis er Stephanie begegnet und sich alles verändert. Sie sind füreinander bestimmt, doch das Leben hat andere Pläne. Von nun an treffen sie sich jedes Jahr für ein Wochenende, das nur ihnen gehört. Und jedes Jahr kehren sie zurück in ihre getrennten Leben. Dabei gehören Seelenverwandte doch zusammen..."

Ich hatte keine hohe Erwartungen und hab es mir einfach gekauft, weil ich wissen wollte was Miha da schon wieder gekauft hat.
Das Cover ist zwar schön, schreit aber schon nach einer kitschigen Liebesgeschichte. Das ist aber nicht so gewesen.
Es ist für mich eine ernsthafte, teilweise traurige Geschichte, die von kleinen Glücksmomenten lebt. Die Geschichte ist im Gegensatz zu manch anderen Büchern sehr erwachsen und spielt endlich mal in meinem Alter, womit ich mich auch eher identifizieren konnte.
Die Geschichte wird von Jamie und Stephanie abwechselnd von einem Zeitraum von 10 Jahren erzählt. Die Begegnungen, die nur einmal im Jahr stattfinden sind kurz gehalten, dafür sind die Alltagsmomente ausführlicher und geben einen Einblick wie das Leben von beiden aussieht und wie sich in der jeweiligen Ehe fühlen. Ich verstehe einfach nicht wieso man so viel Zeit verstreichen lässt und mit jemanden zusammen bleibt, der offensichtlich nicht gut für einen selbst ist. Selbstverständlich schmeißt man seine Ehe nicht direkt hin, aber über 10 Jahre an etwas halten, ist schon hart. Aber manchmal braucht es Zeit das zu erkennen und um den Weg zu finden glücklich zu sein.
Und darum geht es eigentlich in der Geschichte, dass man mutig ist, Sachen zu ändern und keine wertvolle Zeit aus Angst zu verschwenden, weil man jemanden verletzten könnte
oder das falsche tun könnte.
Das Ende hat mich schon berührt, hätte ich mit anders gewünscht, denn ist die eine oder andere Träne geflossen.
Insgesamt eine gute und nachdenkliche Geschichte, die ich gern gelesen habe.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had two different sides to me one part I loved the other I hated. On one side the cheating got on my nerves and seemed to be the whole story. On the other side such important topics were picked for this story including mental health.

The bad- The cheating takes up too much of the story and makes all the characters unlikeable including the victims of the cheating. How could Stephanie and Jamie stay apart so long? With someone Stephanie didn't even like very much.

The Good- The telling across years, I love a book across a decade or more. The music connections, I'm pulled in by music. I wouldn't say a good ending, a tragic ending but to me made the story. If only Stephanie could have been so likeable without the sad end.

[Rachel Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thoughtful and beautifully written book about the grey areas of life and morality that lie between black and white - those areas most of us live in - and the importance of taking a risk before its too late. Ms Cooper has created a seamlessly interwoven dual narrative about the hard parts of love and life and starting again and the result is heartbreaking. I finished with tears in my eyes. Bravo!

[Judith · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have to admit that I didn’t like the book from the beginning but thought I would give it a try anyway. It’s not badly written and after a while it was ok - nothing special but not annoying. I was in fact looking forward to the ending. And then - no spoiler I promise - well I don’t read books like this to get such an ending. I could only browse through the last pages because I was really angry while reading.

[Sierra · Rating 1 out of 5]

“i don’t know what i expected!” the annoyed reviewer whispered. “adultery isn’t cool, and using exclamation points with ‘whispered’ as the dialogue tag doesn’t make a lick of sense!”

[Grace J Reviewerlady · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a long time since I read a book which fits the 'One epic love story' line as well as this one does; I certainly won't forget it in a hurry, if ever.

Stephanie is engaged - happily -  to Matt, who drops her off at Heathwood Hall for an art lover's weekend. Jamie, happily married to Helen, is one of the tutors for the same weekend. When they meet, there is definitely a spark, but with both in committed relationships, can they just be friends?

In full disclosure, I am married to my second husband who is the love of my life. I first met him when I was at school and we met up many years later - I was divorced and he was separated, both with children, so it's both difficult and simple to put myself in Stephanie's shoes. It's too easy to sit in judgement of both her and Jamie, but as the book goes on, my opinion certainly softened.

This is a beautifully crafted tale, showing the angst and uncertainty of relationships and the potential heartbreak no matter what direction things take. The story flows so well, and I found myself really involved and eager to find out where it was heading. The inclusion of various songs is a masterstroke and had me rushing to find the tracks online! Roxie Cooper really knows how to write a novel which will touch your soul. I'm not going to spoil the ending - but make sure you have plenty of tissues!

My thanks to publisher Penguin for my copy via NetGalley. This is my honest, original and unbiased review.

[Daramegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://daramegan.cz/recenze/den-kdy-j...

[Sara (A Gingerly Review) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy shit. I'm not crying, you are crying.