It has sold over a million copies[1] and was later adapted into a feature film in 2000, a Broadway musical in 2006 and a TV series in 2020.

At his record shop, Rob and his employees, Dick and Barry, spend their free moments discussing mix-tape aesthetics and constructing desert-island "top-five" lists of anything that demonstrates their knowledge of music, movies, and pop culture.

This list includes the following ex-girlfriends: 1) Alison Ashworth, 2) Penny Hardwick, 3) Jackie Allen, 4) Charlie Nicholson, and 5) Sarah Kendrew.

Eventually, Rob's re-examination of his failed relationships, a one-time stand with an American musician named Marie LaSalle, and the death of Laura's father bring the two back together.

Their relationship is cemented by the launch of a new purposefulness to Rob's life in the revival of his disc jockey career.