Published in paperback 3rd August 2023 by Hodder and Stoughton.
From the cover of the book:
London. Nine million people. Two hundred and seventy tube stations. Every day, thousands of chance encounters, first dates, goodbyes and happy ever afters.And for twenty years it's been where one man and one woman can never get their timing right.
Jennifer and Nick meet as teenagers and over the next two decades, they fall in and out of love with each other. Sometimes they start kissing. Sometimes they're just friends. Sometimes they stop speaking, but they always find their way back to each other.
But after all this time, are they destined to be together or have they finally reached the end of the line?
***********
Jennifer and Nick meet at college in 1986, and although Jennifer is irritated by his pretentious attitude she falls in love with him at first sight. Jennifer is certain Nick will never be interested in a girl like her, so when a dramatic incident at a Smith's concert forges a close friendship between them, she accepts that their relationship is destined to never be a romantic one, however much she wants it to be.
Over the next twenty years, Jennifer and Nick are fated to meet again and again, and each time the connection they share draws them together. But somehow, the timing is never right for them both to acknowledge at the same time that the spark between them could be something more. On each occasion, they follow a pattern of harmony, followed by emotional bust up that breaks their friendship. What really lies between them, and will it ever blossom into true love?
London, with Love follows the mixed up will-they-won't-they relationship between Londoners Jennifer and Nick, set against a wonderfully nostalgic journey through the decades. Told through the eyes of Jennifer, as she goes through various iterations of the person she wants to be (with accompanying changes in her preferred first name of Jen, Jenny and Jennifer), sometimes with Nick as a central character in her life, and others when she wants to never see him again.
Fate decrees that Jennifer and Nick will keep on meeting, with echoes of David Nicholls' novel One Day, however, this gorgeous book affected me so much more than the unfulfilling tale of damp dishcloth Emma and insufferable Dexter (apologies to One Day fans, but they are). Manning writes Jennifer and Nick with such authentic yearning and the course of their mistimed love for each other drew me in completely. Jennifer makes for a wonderful heroine, vulnerable and feisty in equal measure, as all heroines should be, and Nick has a fathomless quality to him that gives glimpses of the tenderness that he hides within. With lashings of heart, humour, aching sorrow, and soaring joy, this is a story about the lows and highs of true friendship, and the bittersweet history of a couple for whom the timing never seems quite right - until the moment that tragedy makes them really look closely at their feelings for each other... but no spoilers here. However, I will say that the combination of their characters is enchanting, and in a strike of brilliant story telling, Manning keeps her cards close to her chest when it comes to the final outcome.
There are so many things about this book that I adored. The little twist of setting each chapter around a rail/tube station is genius, with the Tube as a character in its own right, and Manning perfectly evokes the feeling of time and place for each decade - from spot on popular culture references, to the tragic events that take play out in the background of Jennifer and Nick's own bumpy journey. Their deep affection for the glorious messy city of London comes through loud and clear, and will resonate with those of us who feel strong ties with the city of our birth (even if you are from south of the river, as I am). Manning conveys the complex emotions that we often feel about family beautifully too.
I do not know how I have not read a Sarra Manning book before this one, because London, with Love is simply delicious. Romantic, moving, and totally unforgettable, this book hits the emotional sweet spot to perfection.
London, with Love is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook, paperback and audio formats.
About the author:
Her novels, which have been translated into fifteen different languages include Unsticky, You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me, After The Last Dance, The Rise And Fall Of Becky Sharp and Rescue Me. Sarra has also written over fifteen YA novels, and four light-hearted romantic comedies under a pseudonym.
She started her writing career on Melody Maker and Just Seventeen, has been editor of ElleGirl and What To Wear and has also contributed to The Guardian, ELLE, Grazia, Stylist, Fabulous, Stella, You Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar and is currently the Literary Editor of Red magazine.
Sarra has also been a Costa Book Awards judge and has been nominated for various writing awards herself.
She lives in London surrounded by piles and piles of books.
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