So Good to See You

by Francesca Hornak

You are cordially invited to the wedding of Tristan Cowper and Justin Paul Delahunt

The Cowper-Delahunt wedding promises to be the event of the summer. Four days of celebrations at a remote chateau in Provence. Everyone who is anyone is invited.

It's been over a decade since five old friends were gathered. Surely they can set aside their differences for one weekend to celebrate their good friend Tristan?

But as the cake is cut and champagne begins to flow, familiar rivalries emerge, exes reconnect and old secrets threaten to surface...

A big wedding always throws up a few surprises - but this is going to be a weekend that nobody forgets.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Drama, Friendship, Novels, Ebooks

279 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2025

About the author

Francesca Hornak is a British author, journalist and former columnist for the Sunday Times. Her debut novel Seven Days Of Us was published by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in October 2017. Little Island Productions and Entertainment One have pre-empted TV rights to the book.

Francesca's work has appeared in newspapers and magazines including The Sunday Times, The Economist, The Financial Times, The Guardian, Metro, Elle, Grazia, Stylist, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan and Red. She is the author of two nonfiction books, History of the World in 100 Modern Objects: Middle Class Stuff (and Nonsense) and Worry with Mother: 101 Neuroses for the Modern Mama.

Reviews

[jocelyn • coolgalreading · Rating 1 out of 5]

i was fooled by the cover 😭

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was okay i guess?? wasn’t boring, just not remarkable really which is sad cus the cover is so beautiful and i was expecting more from it. the premise of 30 something year olds reuniting w their uni friend group that fell out actually seemed promising but any attachment i possibly could have w the characters + their relationship w each other never really came through. maybe if more of the book was abt their younger selves and their dynamics before the falling out and if the falling out itself didn’t feel so anticlimactic there would’ve been more tension to their interactions and it would’ve felt more compelling. idk they all seemed flat and one dimensional and whatever growth they had either felt cliche or forced. also kinda annoys me how many typos there were in this like do we not proofread before publishing anymore

[Silke Drevel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's enjoyable and a nice read. I liked the different layers but sometimes it was a bit too much information with different places and times (past &present) and different pov's. I also thoroughly hated Serge, didn't like his pov's and his whining. It took me out of the story every time. Especially because he is the sole person the other three pov's have problems with for most of the book. So I don't really care how he feels or what he thinks because I already feel for the other three characters.

[Luisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't expect this to be so good!! Similar vibes as One Day with extremely well-written characters. For 5 stars I was missing a certain spark tho

[Bethany Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

somewhere between 3 and 3.5? found this really hard to get into but BREEZED through the last 2/3 of the book. tldr: everyone sucks except for my king nate but appreciate the character growth. epilogue felt too cheesy to me and entirely unnecessary

[Honey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. I can absolutely see this in a film. Like a typical Richard Curtis movie.

But whilst engaging enough, I didn’t really warm up to the characters. They are all flawed in some way, and you kinda want to root for them but you feel frustrated instead because they are incapable of communicating properly.

Interesting premise, but I wish it went somewhere with a bit more depth.

[Mariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating throughout my reading went from a 4 to a 3 to a 3.5 and then back up to a 4 once I hit flow state around 200 pages. I stand by what I said about everyone being unlikeable and annoying (except Nate) but I found the simultaneous development of Serge, Daniel, Isla, and Rosie was really well done I think even if they all pmo. I was saying this to Mar but a British literary fic is immediately 10x better than an American one it can’t be explained

[Catherine Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

First holiday read and really enjoyed it. The whole premise of the book (4 young socialites navigating the world after going to Oxford) was really up my alley and I enjoyed the different POVs offered with each chapter. Very interesting to see 4 sides of the same story and what a lack of communication can do to a group. Perspective is everything. I grew attached to some characters more than others, and whilst I liked some at the start I grew to resent them and vice versa. I found the final chapter very satisfying and it was a warming, wholesome end. My auntie Anne shoved this book into my hands as the plane landed so shout out Anne thank you for the recommendation (?) albeit a forceful one.

[Georgia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 rounded down - Started strong, then kind of wandered off like it forgot what it was doing. Not terrible, not amazing — just vibing in the land of “meh” - will undoubtably forget this within 24 hours

[Milly Wilson · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a load of boring nonsense

[Stacey-Leigh Jappy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was meh, only word I can summarise with. Story follows a group of old friends reuniting again for a wedding with different points of view each chapter. Light and easy read but one I will probably forget as it wasn’t memorable -2.5 stars ⭐️ (rounded up for Goodreads)

[Ananya · Rating 4 out of 5]

honestly sped through this. seen some reviews say it was lackluster but overall i think it was a good blend of humor, friendship, nostalgia, etc

[Vivi Whalen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - first bookclub of the year! It took way longer to read than it should’ve bc I couldn’t get into it at the start. I really wasn’t rooting for any of the characters (minus Nate), but still wanted to keep reading and find out what happened to everyone

[Floor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was everything I needed and I had a lot of fun

[Mariama Syll · Rating 3 out of 5]

very average

[Rob Sedgwick · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley).

I really enjoyed Francesca Hornak's first novel Seven Days of Us, which I read 8 years ago when it came out. I was surprised she never followed it up, as I thought it was a great debut. So Good to See You follows a similar plotline with a group of old friends gathering together for a wedding, necessitating several days in one another's company, and coming to terms with the past. I especially like the way she swings the point of view between all the characters, it works well narrating a scene from different perspectives (and should transpose very well to a screenplay should the need arise).

Hornak's creation is very much the Oxbridge "set" with a sprinkling of characters from privileged and humble backgrounds, most working in the film industry. The difference in upbringing leads to much of the friction between the characters, as does gender. The women in the novel very much have to operate within the constraints of its male-dominated world, although artistic licence perhaps gives the women a happier ending than the men. All the characters have made bad choices in their careers, love lives or both, and the wedding represents a chance for all of them to make peace with themselves or one another.

There are no villains, every character is treated sympathetically. They all have their flaws and their prejudices, each has their own struggle to find their true vocation in life. If you like happy, resolved endings then you'll probably like this book.

I enjoyed this book, and it's the sort of read you just want to immerse yourself in and enjoy. It's funny and places and sad in others, and it's the sort of book that stays with you for a long time. I hope we don't have to wait as long for the next one.

[Zoe Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just okay. I felt absolutely nothing for completely vacuous characters, in the context of a story that was not at all novel, and had no 'deeper' message.

[Charlotte Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice casual read which explores the complexities of adult relationships over time, particularly how university friendships change once people start getting married, having children, experience troubles etc. Parts of the book, particularly Isla’s account of being a first time mum, were very relatable. I enjoyed how the characters weaved together and how their situations evolved, however I feel that there is nothing remarkable about the story line and it felt relatively flat, in the sense that it felt like …. nothing really happened, and the revelations were not particularly striking. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable read.

[robyn naylor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Challenging myself this year to write reviews for the books I read, and unfortunately I’m starting off on a bad note.

Let this be a reminder that good artwork on a cover doesn’t mean a good book! The start of the book was promising and I was thinking it could get really juicy, but it just maintained pretty mild throughout.

None of the characters were likeable so I really didn’t care for their storylines after a while. I was rooting for Isla at the start and even for her and Rosie to join forces against Serge, but no she just gave in!

Took me way too long to read this and ended up sticking the audiobook on 2X speed for the last 7 chapters just to get it over and done with!

Can only go up from here let’s hope !

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a slow start I enjoyed this novel, exploring a uni friendship group who reunite at a wedding in south of France 15 years after their time at Oxford.
Fast paced chapters, believably messy characters, and some good commentary on class/privilege, but I I wanted more exploration of the group’s history which felt a little brushed over at times.
3.5 stars 🌟

[Lulufrances · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating 3,5 stars
This was like a special episode of Made in Chelsea where there is a destination wedding and very deep character study.
I really had a good time reading this, might not be anything wildly out of the norm, but it is a very great portrayal of the way humans act.

Rosie, my liekable cutie!

[Mehek · Rating 4 out of 5]

at first I was like mmm idk what makes this diff from any other slow moving British character novel and then I blinked and I was completely obsessed, racing through, and needed a drink and gossip with Rosie so yes, it was so good to read this

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a nice reflection on friendship and the difficulty of “childhood” friendships transitioning into adult friendships.

While I enjoyed the overall story and dynamic cast of characters, the story seemed to drag on for me. However, the ending was wholesome and worth holding out for.

[Jessica Bode · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable book, don't think the "hilarious"/"funny" description was very accurate as I didn't really find any of it funny, I guess it could be considered a bit of a comedy of errors, but not overly comedic. Overall, pleasant if slightly predictable book.

[Amelia Saccomani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a good book that gets to the core of complex relationships, friendship and allows you to really get into each individuals dynamics / feelings / projections. I loved it!

[Brooke Buonauro · Rating 4 out of 5]

perfect sugary beach read, just what the dr. ordered, etc.

[Tiegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Pretty good.

[Helen Warner · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
An enjoyable read but it took me a while to get into it. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives across the different timeframes. The ending was very satisfying and tied up any loose ends well

[josè mcguinny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid easy read. Slow paced but really enjoyable!