The story is about Lucy, a woman who is head of the English department at the local school. After becoming separated from her husband Paul, she is hoping for a new relationship, finding a kindred spirit in Joseph, a humorous, likeable young man who works at the local shop.
There are quite a few characters introduced in the first few chapters, and at first the story seems a little slow, but becomes more interesting as you get to know them. I like the light humorous tone of the writing, typical of Nick Hornby. The two main characters are likeable and amusing, Joseph particularly is hard working, doing several jobs in order to improve his lifestyle, and I enjoyed the interaction with his friends and family, who are suspicious of his new relationship with Lucy – a woman 20 years older than him. Though different in age and lifestyle, there is a real chemistry between Lucy and Joseph. The dialogue at times is hilarious and light-hearted, exploring different, topics ranging between Brexit and Joseph’s part-time DJ job.
On the downside, the story lacks pace, with little plotline to make it more entertaining. A stronger story would have made more of a page turner.

A promising story of a couple who appear to have little in common, set around the Brexit debate. I found it easy to get into but hard to stick with. The dialogue was confusing, (And there’s a lot ) and there seemed little actual chemistry between Lucy and Joseph. Thanks for the opportunity to read this.

Nick Hornby’s latest novel tells the story of an unlikely relationship unfolding against a backdrop of contemporary Brexit-obsessed Britain.

The story is told from the points of view of Lucy, a 42 year old white woman and Joseph, a young black man. As Nick Hornby is neither of those things, there’s a lot that could go wrong, but I think he pulls it off.

As the title indicates, this is a story about the many differences and surprising similarities between people, crystallised by the backdrop of the 2016 referendum. (There’s no escaping it, even now.) Nick Hornby writes very well about the febrile, often toxic atmosphere of that, with people becoming entrenched in their differences and incapable of tolerating disagreement.

Hornby’s observations about people are often razor sharp, and it’s a very enjoyable read.

I feel like I should declare my love of Nick Hornby books at the start of this review - I usually love the dialogue and the insight into people and the humour of Hornby's writing. Indeed, 'High Fidelity' is up there with my absolute favourite novels and I think I've read pretty much all his work.

This book had so much promise - essentially an age gap romance between a 42 year-old white woman (Lucy) and a 22 year-old black man (Joseph) set against the Brexit referendum. There's loads of scope for exploration of people's attitudes to race, class, age, 21st century British society...so far, so good! And indeed, a lot of this is delivered upon very well by Hornby - he perfectly captures, for example, the rage caused by Brexit on both sides of the Leave/Remain debate. Lucy's job as a teacher also struck a chord with me as reflecting my own life.

However, it's not a perfect novel. While it's enjoyable and interesting, it doesn't quite hit the spot for a romance as it's too messy and makes you wonder what the appeal is in the relationship, especially for Lucy who tolerates some pretty poor behaviour from Joseph. It felt a bit more like social commentary than a fully absorbing novel in places.

Overall, I would say this is an engaging and light read with some interesting points about British culture in the age of Brexit and Black Lives Matter. Whether it works as a romance is more up for debate - it didn't for me. If you like Hornby's writing (as I do) then you'll probably like this, but for everyone else then I'd start with 'High Fidelity' or 'About a Boy' as Hornby's real masterpieces.

I have read a number of Nick Hornby's books and enjoyed them, but I was disappointed by this book, which felt like an attempt to write a topical book, regardless of whether the author really had something to say. I found Lucy quite unlikeable, and I really couldn't believe in her relationship with Joseph. Most of the other characters were real stereotypes, and a lot of the dialogue in the book was just too long. I really wanted to like this book as Nick Hornby is a good writer, but I'm afraid I was glad to have finished this one.

Lucy is 40 something, a mother and recently separated. Joseph is 22 and has numerous jobs to keep him going. This is the story of their relationship and how it develops in spite of their differences, including the fact that Lucy is white and Joseph black.

I enjoyed this story on the whole especially the inclusion of so many relevant issues such as gender, race and Brexit. The main characters were sympathetically drawn and likeable although I wasn't sure i felt much chemistry between them. Like an awful lot of novels these days though it was very London centric. Publishers! There are other cities you know. This continuing emphasis on the capital is quite exclusionary.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Lucy is a 40 something year old mother of two and Joseph is a man in his early 20's that babysits her children and then the pair fall for each other. It's one of these books where not a huge amount happens, its well fleshed out characters and a believable story of human interaction. Just Like You is a fairly quick read that examines what happens if people look outside of what they think is expected for them and seeking out some sort of perfect match.

I have been a reader of Nick’s books since Fever Pitch and have loved his novels including High Fidelity and Juliet, Naked.
This is a very contemporary story, mainly set against the backdrop of Brexit in London 2016. Whilst the country was trying to decide on the issues brought forward, two Londoners meet and begin a relationship which is affected by race, age and money. One is white and one is black. One has a steady job and the other has a myriad of them. One is 40+ and the younger one is early twenties. Do their differences divide them or bring them closer together?
I really enjoyed this book, finding a lot to like about both Lucy and Joseph as well as being reminded about the referendum and how that was played out with everyone having their own opinion. I would recommend to any fans of Hornby or readers who are aged 20+.

I received an ARC of this from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I just finished and enjoyed both the book version and latest TV adaptation of Nick Hornby's High Fidelity so when I got the email about this release I knew I had to read it!

I enjoyed the exploration of Lucy and Joseph's relationship in addition to the overall themes and issues of this novel and considering all this I thought the backdrop of Brexit was a great narrative choice (despite being slightly triggered, knowing the outcome now).

Lucy and Joseph are great characters and I found the writing made them easy to picture - to the point I can already envision these as a series or film, either of which I would definitely watch.

Set against the backdrop of the 2016 referendum (Brexit) Just Like You follows two very different individuals who happen to fall in love. Recently divorced Lucy, a forty-one year old white schoolteacher, is looking to date again so she hires a babysitter for her two sons. The babysitter, Joseph, happens to be a twenty-one year old black man who works part time at a the butcher counter and aspires to be a DJ. In spite of how little in common Lucy and Joseph have, the two become romantically involved. Nick Hornby tackles many different issues: politics (particularly on Brexit), class, race, interracial dating, racial profiling, divorce, drug addiction, and alcoholism.
Throughout the course of their relationship Lucy and Joseph attempt to bridge the gap between their generations and to overcome their drastically different interests and backgrounds. Their friends and relatives are not very approving of their relationship, and their age gap raises a few eyebrows.
While I did enjoy reading the early stages of Lucy and Joseph's relationship (a lot of which occurs via texting), once they begin sort-of-dating, Hornby seems to gloss over their more positive interactions, focusing instead on scenes in which tensions arise between the two. While their seemingly silly misunderstandings were realistic, in the way they often escalated to actual arguments, they didn't give a full-picture of their relationship. Their earlier chemistry seems to fizzle out all too quickly, so that we are left with two people who don't really act like they really like or even love each other. Towards the end in particular I wish that Hornby had articulated Lucy and Joseph's feelings for each other (it seemed that 'for reasons' they wanted to make things work).
I also wish that Joseph hadn't been painted as being so clueless and disinterested in politics and literature. He has no real passion for music, so his dj aspirations seemed little other than a diversion.
The story too could have been more developed as it comes across as rather directionless. Lucy and Joseph have very few meaningful connections, so that many interactions—in which either of them is sick of talking to whoever they are talking to—felt repetitive. They have awkward dinners and get-togethers, they meet up with 'friends' they don't particularly care for...
And while I understand that Hornby wanted to play the devil's advocate when he introduces us to 'likeable' characters who turn out to be xenophobic Brexiteers...well, the wound is still fresh, and I have 0 sympathy for these characters.
While I appreciated that Hornby wanted the everyday moments that make up a relationship, I found myself wanting a bit more passion or romance between Lucy and Joseph. Most pages however seemed to focus on the more negative aspects of their relationship....and by the end I was just ready to be done with the 2016 referendum. The first time around was hard enough, do I hate myself so much that I want to read about it?

A story showing the turbelence in a relationship, especially when society deems in "inappropriate" for a number of reasons. Whilst I did enjoy the story, I felt the ending did lack something.

Every once in a while a novel comes along that you just cannot put down and which lingers in your thoughts after you've turned the final page. 'Just Like You' is for me, one of those special, memorable pieces of fiction: it's one of my favourite books of the year and definitely my favourite Nick Hornby novel since 'A Long Way Down'. The story focuses on the fledgling relationship between Lucy, a white middle-class forty something teacher, and Joseph, a black twenty-two year old portfolio worker. (I also feel guilty for defining them as such as this is the core of what the novel is about). Lucy is separated from her alcoholic husband and living with her two boys, whilst Joseph lives with his mother. Their worlds collide when Lucy asks Joseph to babysit and their arrangement gradually becomes romantic and the impact of the age disparity of twenty years between Lucy and Joseph is slowly revealed. Through their developing bond, Hornby cleverly explores the opposing ideologies around Brexit, the nature of racism, inter-racial and age gap relationships as well as the class divide. All these factors are woven into the fabric of their relationship and Hornby has captured the Zeitgeist by exploring their impact. It is what elevates this novel far beyond a fictional romance and I found it to be utterly compelling. The cast of characters are fully realised supported by sharp, insightful dialogue and I hope that once a wide readership has enjoyed this wonderful piece of writing that it is adapted for TV or film so that we can enjoy it all over again.

As a longtime fan of Nick Hornby, this book did not disappoint. Heartwarming and beautifully written, this book explores the differences that can sometimes divide us - politics, race, religion alongside others and details the impact these have on the central characters.

Beautiful writing. All actual nowadays issues are there - racism, Brexit, opposites, class, education. Relationships can be hard. So much more between 40 plus white woman and 20 something black man. Shocking?

Hornby never dissapoints, brilliant characters and witty story.

This was a beautiful and romantic novel that kept me engaged throughout the entire journey. The writer’s depiction of the characters was spot on. Highly recommended.

This was an uncomfortable read for me, reminding me of that profoundly unsettling time after the referendum in 2016.

This takes the backdrop of the EU referendum and adds in a mixed race, different aged, different class couple to reflect on what we have in common as well as how our views, outlook and backgrounds rub along together. Like I said, it made for an uncomfortable read, feeling quite bleak at times, but at the same time it resonated with me and forced me to reflect on a few things which is always a good thing.

Joseph is 22, black and dreams of becoming a dj. He works a few different jobs to earn his keep but doesn’t particularly like any of them. Lucy is in her early 40s separated from her alcoholic ex with two boys, is head of English at a school and is white.

I didn’t particularly feel they had much chemistry, but their conversations were enlightening and along with the wry observations about others, carried much of the book thanks to the dry, dark humour this author does well. I wasn’t particularly feeling any romance there, but this still moved me and resonated with me.

This won’t suit everyone and politics has the ability to turn lots of people off, but if you can stomach reading about it, this is thought provoking and worth your while.

I have been a big fan of Hornby since the early days, though his more recent novels have left me a bit cold.

This is a return to form - fantastic character portrayal, great writing. Like other readers, I did find the continued Brexit discussion arduous but it didn’t detract from the story.

Highly recommended.

What happens when a 40 something white woman with two kids, recently split from her husband, connects with a 20 something black man? That’s the story in this new novel by Nick Hornby, set at the time of the referendum on Britain staying in or leaving Europe. Issues of race, class, education came up and were handled pretty organically, but all the Brexit talk got a bit wearisome at times. A novel I enjoyed but won’t rave about.

A really enjoyable read covering a lot of sensitive topics against the background of Brexit. Lucy is 42, white, in a good job and divorced, while Joshua is 22, black, single and working a variety of jobs when they start up a relationship.
The book covers the difficulties faced in such a diverse relationship by all parties, although the spark between the two is never really clear. Despite that it's an enjoyable read and all the characters are likable, especially Lucy's sons who impart a lot of their wisdom throughout the book.

An enjoyable read that addresses both colour and age discrimination in relationships. Despite the difficult subjects they are delivered with sensitivity and humour.