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The Understudy

ebook / ISBN-13: 9781848944008

Price: £9.99

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***Pre-order David Nicholls’ new novel YOU ARE HERE now – Coming April 2024***


A COMIC MASTERPIECE BY BELOVED BESTSELLER DAVID NICHOLLS


A scintillating comedy of ambition, celebrity, jealousy and love


‘Irresistible’
DAILY MAIL

‘Wonderfully chaotic’
THE TIMES

‘Delightful’
OBSERVER

‘Brilliant’
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

‘Funniest book of the year’
MARIE CLAIRE

For Josh Harper, being in show-business means everything he ever wanted: money, fame, a beautiful wife and a lead role on the London stage.

For Stephen C. McQueen, it means being stuck with an unfortunate name, a hopeless agent and a job as understudy to Josh Harper, the 12th Sexiest Man in the World.

When Stephen falls in love with Josh’s clever, funny wife, Nora, things get even more difficult. But might there yet be a way for Stephen to get his big break?


ONE OF BRITAIN’S MOST ACCLAIMED WRITERS


‘One of the most astute chroniclers of England as it is now’
FINANCIAL TIMES

‘An uncanny ability to make us laugh out loud, but also care passionately about his characters’
DAILY TELEGRAPH

‘Nicholls writes with such tender precision about love’
THE TIMES

‘No one else writes novels that are both relatable and revelatory in the way he does’
EVENING STANDARD

‘Genuinely brilliant’
NEW STATESMAN

What's Inside

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Reviews

Bitterly funny
<i>Observer</i>
A comic genius
Maria Beaumont on David Nicholls
Darkly funny and oddly romantic.
<i>More</i>
An unusual mix of cynicism and romance - no slush, just lots of laughs!
<i>Company</i>
A brilliantly funny book.
<i>Marie Claire</i>
Hugely entertaining with a high ratio of chuckles and snorts per chapter.
<i>Good Book Guide</i>
I adored THE UNDERSTUDY. It's a fantastic comedy ... delightfully written.
<i>New Woman</i>
A funky, less-fluffy-than-funny rom com.
<i>Metro</i>
Deeply funny, with brilliant dialogue.
<i>Good Housekeeping</i>
Sweet and funny.
<i>Eve</i>
Book of the Month
<i>Red</i>
Highly enjoyable ... both knowing and charming.
<i>Mirror Ticket</i>
Both hilarious and heartbreaking.
Hannah Stephenson, various regional papers inc
I laughed a lot
Jeremy Paxman on STARTER FOR TEN
Moving, wickedly observed, warm, uplifting and above all blindingly funny, STARTER FOR TEN hits the spot time after time. Read this book
<i>Jack</i> on STARTER FOR TEN
Brilliant... we would recommend it to anyone
Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan on STARTER FOR T
Funniest book of the year
<i>Marie Claire</i>
'Romantic comedy with a charming British accent....plenty of material for screwball hilarity... His prose is laugh-out-loud funny... This jaunty, big-hearted novel is chick lit with a Y-chromosome.'
<i>Kirk US Reviews</i>
Brilliantly written and very funny
<i>Closer</i>, 4 stars
The set pieces of social embarrassment are neatly threaded together, and there are some well-crafted tender moments too... It could hold its own against a Richard Curtis script
<i>Independent on Sunday</i>
The humour is authentic and perfectly pitched.
Waitrose Weekend
I adored The Understudy. It's a fantastic comedy . . . delightfully written
New Woman
A zippy comedy with laugh-out-loud lines, grounded on a solid plot and first-rate dialogue . . . irresistible
Daily Mail
Sharply funny . . . wonderfully chaotic
The Times
An entertaining follow-up to Nicholls' brilliant debut
Heat
This bitterly funny book is a delightful reminder of how much acting we all do in the name of love
Observer
Darkly funny and oddly romantic
More
An unusual mix of cynicism and romance - no slush, just lots of laughs!
Company
Hugely entertaining with a high ratio of chuckles and snorts per chapter
Good Book Guide
A funky, less-fluffy-than-funny rom com
Metro
Deeply funny, with brilliant dialogue
Good Housekeeping
Sweet and funny
Eve
Highly enjoyable . . . both knowing and charming
Mirror
Funniest book of the year
Marie Claire
Jaunty, big-hearted . . . Romantic comedy with a charming British accent
Kirkus
Brilliantly written and very funny
Closer
The set pieces of social embarrassment are neatly threaded together, and there are some well-crafted tender moments too . . . It could hold its own against a Richard Curtis script
Independent on Sunday
The humour is authentic and perfectly pitched
Waitrose Weekend