This is the story of a 38 year old man looking back on his life and thinking about things in his past that have helped to shape his life. In particular, he thinks back upon one summer that he will never forget. Told from the first person point of view of Charlie, a 17 year old who is somewhat of a lost soul, this story reads like a memoir. Charlie comes from a broken home and lives with his father while his sister lives with his mother. Since the break-up, Charlie's father has a difficult time dealing with life and it seems that Charlie is left to take care of him rather than the other way around. During the summer of his seventeenth year, Charlie decides to join an acting group. This is something totally out of his realm but he is so enamored by Fran, one of the members, that he joins. From there the story's plot begins to thicken. Charlie makes some bad choices that ultimately hurt him; mostly because he can't get over own feelings of guilt. This book made me think about how choices made long ago can shape the outcome of our lives and how sometimes we just need to let things go. I really enjoyed this book and Charlie's character. His insecurities were spelled right out for the reader and it was so easy to feel the way he was feeling. I am now a David Nicholls fan!