Why we’re excited
Sophie has no interest in football. Her uncle Keith does, and when he backs Leicester at five thousand to one to take the Premier League, he places a matching bet for her. As the season keeps going their way, the bookies offer her money to settle early, and she starts weighing risk in the rest of her life too.
Nick Hornby wrote Fever Pitch, about his own Arsenal obsession, and High Fidelity, so fandom mixed with romance is squarely his lane. Leicester really did win the title in 2016, which gives the premise a nice twist. Good for fans and for people who would rather read about one.
On our most-anticipated list since 21 October 2026. See all the most anticipated books →
What to know about Cash Out
There are no reviews of Nick Hornby’s books on The Bookish Elf yet.
From the publisher
Known for his iconic, bestselling books on both relationships (High Fidelity) and sports fandom (Fever Pitch), beloved writer Nick Hornby finally brings his two great talents into one irresistible a hilarious and emotionally gripping novel about soccer, love, and not selling yourself short
“It is very, very funny and it is Nick Hornby at his best.” — Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize winning author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha
“A joy from start to finish.” — Kate Atkinson, bestselling author of Life after Life
'So clever and funny [about] what it means to be a fan... I loved it.” — Ben Markovits, Booker Prize finalist author of The Rest of Our Lives
Sophie is not a soccer fan, but she has always humored her uncle Keith when he goes on about his favorite (losing) Premier League team. So when Keith places a longshot bet on that team, Leicester City, to win the championship, he places one in Sophie’s name too. The odds are five thousand to one.
But then the odds in Sophie's life start to improve in every way. The team starts winning, their wins become a streak, and suddenly the bookies are offering Sophie good money to cash out. Maybe she can finally pull herself and her slacker boyfriend out of the financial holes he keeps digging. In fact, maybe she no longer has to settle for the slacker boyfriend at all.
Soon, Sophie finds herself swept up in the exhilarating world of sport, replete with unexpected connections, spontaneity, and camaraderie. There’s a new man on the horizon. A potential windfall is in reach. Sophie must decide whether to play it safe and cash out, or to risk it all—in soccer, and in life.
A novel for soccer lovers and non–sports fans alike, Cash Out is Nick Hornby on a bombastic, irrepressible, and resonant. A return to form from our most indelible chronicler of life’s inflection points, this novel will sweep you off your feet and onto the pitch.
Description supplied by the publisher.
We haven’t read Cash Out yet. When our review goes up, it will replace this page.
