This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic 
 One night, Douglas Petersen's wife wakes him up to tell him that she thinks their marriage has run its course, and that they should go their separate ways. But she also thinks they should wait to separate until their son, Albie, goes to college at the end of the summer. Which means the three of them should still go on the "Grand Tour" of Europe they have planned. 
 From here, Us actually breaks off into two stories - the story of Douglas, Connie and Albie on their vacation, and the story of Douglas and Connie's relationship. I find I'm coming across this "two stories, one novel" approach more and more these days, and I'm becoming less and less convinced that it works for me. I usually find myself preferring one of the stories over the other, and ultimately wishing that the author had chosen to focus more thoroughly on the "better" story, rather than try to tell both of them. 
 In the case of Us, I thoroughly enjoyed their Grand Tour. The strained relationship between the family members was evident, and since they were forced to spend time in such close quarters with one another, those tensions often became arguments and those arguments could become quite heated. In particular, I liked the way Us explored the complicated relationship between a father and his son. Families are full of complex layers and emotions and this novel felt very true to that. 
 The story of Douglas and Connie was a different matter entirely. Douglas may have been the narrator of this sad tale, but Connie was the primary focus. And yet in spite of that, her character fell completely flat. She fell victim to the all-too-common manic pixie dream girl trope - she burst into Douglas' life in a whirlwind, she was funny and cool and liked things "ironically," and she gave him the new perspective he needed on life. But despite the reader being told (frequently) how artsy/inspirational/amazing she was, it felt like she had no substance whatsoever. If you've ever seen the movie 500 Days of Summer, think of Us like the marriage-length version of that. 
 It didn't help that while Douglas was an interesting and dynamic character in relation to Albie, in relation to his wife he became a self-pitying "nice guy." His reflections on the early days of his marriage/parenthood came off a little cliched and repetitive. I actually had a similar problem earlier this year with another British novel, The Crane Wife. It's just not a character that works for me personally. 
 However, despite some flaws, this was an interesting book. I really enjoyed Douglas and Albie's relationship and how it changed and developed throughout the novel. Anyone who has children - especially teenage or adult children - will find a lot that they can relate to. And there are a number of humorous moments as well. Douglas is an awkward, stumbling sort, and this leads to some great comedic scenes (knocking over the bikes in Amsterdam comes to mind). Some elements of Us really didn't click with me, but maybe another one of Nicholls's novels would be a better fit.