The Happy Couple cover art

The Happy Couple

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Happy Couple

By: Naoise Dolan
Narrated by: Ayoola Smart, Bert Seymour
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

'A brilliant contemporary novel' Colm Tóibín
'I am fully in awe of Dolan's talent' Douglas Stuart
'I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed it' Marian Keyes
'Dazzling. Not a word is out of place' Katherine Heiny

Meet Celine and Luke. To all intents and purposes, the happy couple.

But Celine's more interested in playing the piano, and Luke's a serial cheater.

And as their big day approaches, the complicated lives of the wedding party begin to unravel. A fed-up bridesmaid, a lovesick best man, guests and family members all find themselves searching for their own happily ever afters.

From the author of Exciting Times, this is a sparkling ensemble novel about love and marriage, fidelity and betrayal.©2023 Naoise Dolan (P)2023 Orion Publishing Group Limited
Fiction Literary Fiction Romance Smoking Tobacco Greek Mythology Ancient Greece
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Rachel Incident cover art
Limelight cover art
This Is Not About You cover art
Watermelon cover art
The Mess We're In cover art
The Love Square cover art
Who's That Girl? cover art
If Only cover art
The Echo Chamber cover art
Boyfriend Material cover art
The Women of Primrose Square cover art

What listeners say about The Happy Couple

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    6
Performance
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    6

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Pretty boring

I finished it hoping for it to get more interesting but it felt a bit shallow and pretentious. Sadly the narrator was dull which did add the the melancholy. I was hoping a wistful holiday read but it was lame.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Vast improvement on her debut

I couldn’t finish the writer’s first novel, however, this follow-up had a maturity and a depth of meaning that meant I finally made it to the end. I’ve read some of the comments about it not being very interesting and I agree to an extent, it’s striving to be a novel that is profound and illuminating whilst dealing with fairly mundane issues. It never quite gets there, but it’s an interesting and absorbing ride nevertheless.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Just not that interesting

Didn’t go anywhere. Lost interest Amd should’ve returned it. Boring really with no exciting content

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The very short chapters

I have the book and listened aswell. I think in audio the short chapters come across much better, because the performance emotes the exasperation from the character. I liked that it had different people reading for the male and female characters. Struggled with the change in accents, just for flow purposes in the female roles and Archie (male role read by a woman)

Overall good story, like the language/lingo used, it sounded like a younger generation in their 20's. Loved that it felt so Irish in England.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A thoughtful examination of relationships in the 21st Century

A subtle, well-written love story that defies traditional archetypes. Told through the lens of five intriguing characters, this novel examines our relationship with the idea of love and the expectations that we have. Full of insights into modern dating and heteronormativity, the range of LGBTQ+ characters really adds depth to the idea of a wedding between a man and a woman.

Thoroughly recommend for readers who enjoyed Sally Rooney’s novels or Naoise Dolan’s previous novel, Exciting Times.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Pretentious

I didn't like this book, it felt pretentious. however, the narrator made this book so much worse. I appreciate characters had both English and Irish accents, but please choose one accent for the in between times. I think I might have enjoyed the book had it not been for such an irritating narration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Couldn't finish this

Dreary story, monotone narration. I abandoned this about an hour in, and had I used a credit would have wanted it back.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Utterly compelling

Naoise Dolan has woven an utterly unique and compelling story - her characters are so relatable and contemporary. She totally gets the times we live in and how we try to survive. Love her work.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Bloody loved it!

Similarly to Exciting Times, this was witty and sharp. I love how you get to experience the same situation through different characters’ lenses. I really enjoyed this!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A bit bland

I did enjoy the general themes of LGBTQ, relationship issues, etc but it was a bit bland in general

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!