Loved One Day? Watch this next...
Plus: Why we love a friends-to-lovers plot, and the joy of Valentine's Day even when you're single.
The other night, I walked into my parents’ living room and my mum immediately reached for the remote. “We can turn this over! What do you want to watch?” I looked at the screen, half-expecting The Exorcist or one of her favourite horror films. Instead, she was watching Love Island All Stars.
She later told me that she thought watching Love Island would be too upsetting for me, as I’m going through a break-up from my long-term partner. It’s been a week and I’m still in the first stage of grieving (listening to a lot of Sinéad O’Connor).
But she needn’t have worried. Firstly, I don’t think you can class the relationships on Love Island as “love”, unless love is “having your head turned” 10 times a day. But, most importantly, she can’t protect me from seeing love. Everywhere I go, I see heart-shaped candles, cuddly toys, and cards that say things like, “I love you beary much” with two bears holding hands on the front. It’s unavoidable; it’s Valentine’s Day season.
And while I’ve been having a hard time adjusting (yes, that’s a Taylor Swift reference), I’m genuinely OK with these displays of public affection. Don’t get me wrong, when people I know get engaged I will like their post and then delete Instagram for a week. But I love seeing strangers in love.
Since I was a teenager, I’ve adored Valentine’s Day – watching men in suits running and holding flowers; couples kissing; people holding balloons on their way home from work. Controversially, I still think the film Valentine’s Day is a cinematic masterpiece – although I might be slightly biased, as it does star my two favourite Taylors.
All of this is to say: I love love. So, when the new adaptation of One Day came out last Thursday, it went straight to the top of my watch list. My friend Yazz came over on Saturday with a bottle of wine and we devoured half of it in one sitting (the TV show, that is; we devoured the whole bottle).
Judging by my social media, we weren’t the only ones to binge the show in 48 hours. So, what is it that kept so many of us hooked? Partly, it’s the plot – which is told in 30-minute, addictive chunks.
But mostly it’s the characters: unlike in the 2011 film, Dexter has a softness to him beneath that bravado that is endearing, while Emma is sharper but more insecure.
One Day is one of the best examples of the “friends-to-lovers” trope – it’s like a less pretentious Normal People. Dex and Emma see each other at their worst and at their best, and push each other to be better. Their relationship is a universal fantasy. We all want to be understood and truly seen by the person we love – and who knows you better than your best friend?
Of course, One Day is not a happy show. We all know how it ends (and if you don’t, where were you when the book came out in 2009?). But there’s something deeply comforting about its core message: love has the power to transform you, even if there is no happy ending.
Cosy reccos
If, like me, you now have a One Day-shaped hole in your life, you might enjoy the following happy, hopeful and (sometimes) heartbreaking stories about love and friendship.
6 friends-to-lovers books to read 📖
You Had Me At Hello by Mhari McFarlane. Ben and Rachel were best friends at university but, 10 years later, they’ve drifted apart. Now, Ben is back. He’s married, he has his life together, but he’s still the same man Rachel fell in love with when they first met. This is a beautifully-written book about first love, friendship and regret. It was Mhari McFarlane’s debut novel and it’s so warm, wise and witty that it’s one of my faves.
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary. Tiffy and Leon share a bed but have never met. Thanks to the housing crisis, they take shifts sharing a one-bedroom flat. But gradually, through leaving each other Post-Its and, inevitably, meeting face-to-face (in that bathroom scene), they become friends. And then they become more. This is a surprising romance novel that was a word-of-mouth hit when it first came out. It has depth and, like in One Day, the characters feel real.
Emma by Jane Austen. This is one of the few Austens I’ve actually read – and it doesn’t hurt that it’s one of the slimmest. If you love Clueless, you probably already know the rough plot: Emma Woodhouse is a beautiful, rich woman who is a matchmaker (and pot-stirrer). Over the course of the novel, she realises she is in love with her friend and confidante, Mr. Knightley (aka Paul Rudd in Clueless).
One Day in December by Josie Silver. Laurie catches eyes with Jack through a bus window and instantly knows he’s The One. But after weeks of searching for him, she accepts she’ll never see him again. And then her best friend introduces her to her new boyfriend... What unfolds is an epic love story that spans 10 years as Jack and Laurie face obstacle after obstacle. While I question a lot of Laurie’s choices in the book, this is still an unforgettable tale of all-consuming love, heartbreak and friendship.
You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry. If you loved the bit in One Day when Dexter and Emma went to Greece for a holiday filled with sexual tension, you’ll love this book. Poppy and Alex have been best friends for 12 years, and go on holiday together every year. But this year, there’s a rift in their relationship and this trip is make-or-break. Emily Henry is the master of quick dialogue and sexual chemistry, and this book is no exception.
What to watch📺
When Harry Met Sally (Apple TV/Prime). Can a straight man and woman be friends? That’s the question at the heart of this film. It’s the ultimate friends-to-lovers romance, it’s highly quotable and, if you’re going through a break-up, the scene when Meg Ryan has a breakdown in her room (“I’m difficult”) is highly relatable.
Love, Rosie (Disney+). Rosie and Alex are best friends in sixth form but their lives go down different directions when Rosie falls pregnant after a lost-condom incident at prom. It’s funny, warm and surprising, and also makes you think motherhood could be fun.
You’ve Got Mail (Prime - paid). It was the golden age of rom-coms, and Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks were the stars. In this film, Kathleen and Joe have never met but they are pen pals who anonymously send each other deeply personal emails. While their friendship is blooming online, in person they are work rivals – Kathleen runs a small bookstore and Joe runs a big chain (think Amazon in bookshop form).
500 Days of Summer (Netflix). A brilliant film that did nothing to hinder my “pick-me” phase as a teenager. Tom comes to terms with his break-up from Summer, the girl of his dreams. This isn’t a friends-to-lovers story but, like One Day, it shows the power of love to change people for the better.
13 Going on 30 (Prime). Jenna makes a wish on her 13th birthday to be “thirty, flirty and thriving” and wakes up as a 30-year-old. With her former best friend Matt, she pieces together her life and tries to undo the bad decisions she has made. One of them is rejecting Matt – who is now engaged to someone else.
The Way We Were (Prime - paid). Katie and Hubbell are total opposites – she’s a Marxist, he’s a WASP. But in the years after university, they fall into a tumultuous relationship. Like One Day this is a slow-burn romance, where their love evolves over the years and they are both changed for the better. It’s also a great break-up film.
Love Life (BBC iPlayer). This is a TV show starring Anna Kendrick who, as 20-something Darby, makes all sorts of bad decisions in love. But, as in One Day, each of these choices has an impact on her life, and brings her closer to the person she is supposed to be.
This newsletter was slightly ahead of schedule as I was keen to write about One Day. I was also sad and needed the distraction. The next edition of Comfort Culture will be out 1 March.