Gentle feel-good story of 2 unlikely pilgrims who make spur of the moment decisions to trek from France to Santiago. English engineer Martin is still trying to come to terms with his divorce and hoping his trek with a luggage cart of his own design will reverse his fortunes and kick-start a new career. Meanwhile recently bereaved American Zoe has headed to France to meet an old friend she hasn’t seen for 20 years where she hears about the pilgrimage and how it can give new meaning to your life and sets off with little idea of what she’s up against but the determination to see it through. Of course they bump into each other along the way but will they succumb to their attraction or will they see the pilgrimage through to its conclusion instead? Lovely holiday read.

I loved this book,a cross between a novel and a travel book,about two people doing the Camino de Santiago walk.The authors had done this walk and described all the emotions and hardships that it provokes very movingly but also with a lot of humour.They also describe locations,food and wine in such a way that I wanted to get on a plane and head off to France( but not to do the walk)
A great read for anyone thinking to do this walk or anyone who likes travel.

Husband and wife team Graeme Simsion and Anne Buist teamed up to write this novel drawing heavily on their own experiences of walking The Chemin. It’s classed as a mature love story and does have a Rom Com feel to it, however there is also particular attention taken to ensure the accuracy of the practicalities surrounding the pilgrimage.

The journey is important in Two Steps Forward, ultimately that’s the journey of the hearts and souls of the two main characters but day to day this journey is played out through the literal challenges of walking over 2,000 kilometres of The Camino Way.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I shared in the daily physical strains, felt thrilled by the overall achievement and the love story was charming. Nothing is hurried in this book, it’s not supposed to be, it’s all about the journey, settle in and enjoy it.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of the many and varied characters walking the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. It is so descriptive, I felt as though I was suffering the blisters and enjoying the camaraderie along with the two main characters Zoe and Martin. It was not only about progress made on the walk and its challenges, but about people contemplating their lives and changing views and behaviours. It wasn't religious but there was a spiritual element which I appreciated.

I'd read this one again as I was enjoying it so much, I sort of rushed it. Every bit as good as The Rosie Project and The Rosie Effect (maybe even better).

Two contrasting people conspire to be on the Camino – the pedestrian pilgrimage to Santiago in NW Spain – at the same time. They both have baggage, as the phrase goes, and neither may be fully aware of it. But ahead of them is twelve hundred miles of terrain to be walked over, so surely they have time to open their bags, see what's what, and repackage their mentality if necessary – whether apart or together? I can see that people can easily point out the huge number of contrivances and coincidences forcing these people to keep crossing paths, but for once I actually didn't mind that. In giving us such rich characters and certainly a heightened setting, the authors don't overburden their leads with plot points. And besides, you're pretty much guaranteed nothing too serious to stop them both getting to the end of the walk – or are you…?

You're also guaranteed that shtick where one character's authorial voice negates what the previous has just told us, but again that is not belaboured. In the end you get a really good spirit from these pages – it might not feel like heart-warming stuff at certain times, but… I know from this and other sources that the length, the weather, the doubt over accommodation and the very practicalities of it all will prevent me from ever doing the Camino, but this is the first novel I've read based on the full length of it, and I have to say it energises you almost to the extent you want to follow in their footsteps. I wasn't sure about this book at all, having found copious faults with his "Adam Sharp" nonsense, but I really did enjoy it. A four-and-a-half star read that's worth walking to the bookstore for...

I was so looking forward to reading this novel set in Spain by the author of the Rosie Project, which I loved. Sadly it had none of the warmth or gentle humour that Rosie had and I found it frankly boring and struggled to finish it.

Sorry.

While this is far from a ground breaking or soul shattering read, it is solidly entertaining. The characters and the setting are interesting and the dual narrative is nicely done. The romance is low-key, non-slushy and if romance is not your thing, there's plenty more going on to keep you page turning. It is a little convoluted in parts and over relies on coincidences, but as an easy beach read with a little bit more to it than most this is perfect.

I'll start by saying that ultimately I did enjoy this book, it's a classic tale of boy meets girl, they have hardships along the way, and ... well I'll leave you to read the ending.

The setting of the Camino was wonderful, I have known many friends that have walked in, looking for something that they couldn't find elsewhere, and from what they've explained to me and the stories they told, they seemed to be captured beautifully in this book. Like others some of the depth of detail regarding the walk were often a little bit laborious. I like scereny, and there was great descriptive language, but it also happened extensively. I felt at times I was reading a guide book on where to go and where to stay and the routes and it took away from some of the story.

The best part of this book is clearly the characters, wonderful and fully developed. I think having read previous Graeme Simsion books that this is clearly one of his strengths. Initially I wasn't a huge fan of Zoe, but as you learn more about her she really grew on me.

This was a really nice and sweet book. If you want something easy to read and light hearted then it's definitely the right book for you. I think I probably just wanted a little bit more from it.

This is a really enjoyable read, Zoe and Martin are both walking the Camino de Santiago. This book tells of their adventure and also the stories of the people they meet along the way. Both Zoe and Martin have had a lot of pain in their lives and they have a lot of time to reflect on this whilst walking. This is a beautifully told story which I would definitely recommend.

3.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Two Steps Forward is about Zoe and Martin, who are walking the Camino separately. They meet each other on their first day, with Martin not making a good impression. Each chapter alternates between Zoe and Martin's POV. Each are middle aged running away from their problems.. Zoe is running away from dealing with her grief of her husband dying. Martin is running away from his ex wife who cheated on him. 

I really enjoyed The Rosie Project and went into this novel expecting the same humour, which wasn't really there. So I think my rating is due to my disappointment. Maybe the rating would've been better if I hadn't had such expectations.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this novel. But it's just not on the same level as The Rosie Project.
The novel can also be very slow at times what with all the explanations about the Camino and the walking.
What I can take from this novel is knowing that you can learn new things about yourself and learn how to be a better person at any time in your life.

I enjoyed some of Two Steps Forward, but I had some pretty serious reservations.

This is an older-person's love story, set on the Camino, the pilgrims' way to Santiago de Compostella. It read to me a little like Bill Bryson's A Walk In The Woods with a somewhat cloying Richard Curtis film script imposed on it. Two middle-aged characters with recently ended marriages coincidentally begin the 2000km walk at the same time and for very different reasons. She is a Californian, he is a buttoned-up English engineer; the first time they meet there is hostility, and as things progress…you get the idea. And as they walk they both learn Important Life Lessons.

It's better than I make it sound; the writing is good, I found both the central characters pretty believable and reasonably interesting, and for the first half of the book I was quite enjoyably involved in an OK-I'll-go-along-with-this sort of way. I found the second half an increasing struggle as the plot relied on more and more unlikely coincidences, implausible misunderstandings and sudden interruptions at critical moments which prevented people saying something important. One or two of these are inevitable in a book like this, but it really did get absurd. I did find the final section of the walk quite touching (it would be a spoiler to say why), but overall the Important Life Lessons which every single character learns seemed rather pat and trite in the end.

Like everyone else, I thought The Rosie Project was brilliant and tried Two Steps Forward on the strength of it; this isn't in the same league, I'm afraid. I've rounded 3.5 stars up to 4 (just) because I did enjoy aspects of this, but I can only give it a qualified recommendation.

(My thanks to Two Roads for an ARC via NetGalley.)

This book about a journey along the Pilgrims' Route from France to Spain was well written in the main. Although a bit repetitive in places, as it's written from two aspects and flits back and forth between Martin and Zoe's stories., it gives more insight into different views and opinions and also the importance of timings in life and its journeys. I enjoyed the gentle descriptions of the countryside and the views which contrasted well with often less than gentle relationships between cohort of travellers who make up the rest of the story. I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy reading about the outdoors, second chance love and working through life's issues.

A rewarding journey for this reader
Having enjoyed Graham Simsion's earlier work I was pleased to find that the high standard had continued but perhaps in a more straightforward approach. Misunderstandings still abound and it is fun to have the opposing viewpoints, each quite rational in their own way. Family and career threads are well woven in and the author successfully manages to depict the growing camaraderie of such a testing journey as the Camino de Santiago.

This review will be added to amazon.co.uk on release of the book on 5 April 2018

Zoe, an artist of no particular fame, is from California. Martin, an engineer, is from Engineer recently divorced from his erring wife. . Both have ended up in picturesque Cluny, in central France. Both are struggling to come to terms with their recent past - for Zoe, the death of her husband; for Martin a chance to renew his his friendship with his daughter who was caught in the middle of warring parents. and for finding himself.

They both set out alone to walk the 2000 kilometres from Cluny to Santiago de Compostela, in NW Spain, in the footsteps of pilgrims who have walked the Camino Way for centuries. The walk has the ability to change people., Its somewhere to renew and begin something. .These two people are very different but the challenges they face along the way are heart rendering and it was a delight to read. The book had some very funny moments in it with Martin and Zoe together with eclectic mixture of people they encounter along the Camino Way.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it interesting to contrast the approach of the two main characters to the Camino, and how this shaped their experiences.
The last 70% could have done with tightening up I thought, to make it even more enjoyable.

A love story set on the Compostela de Santiago. I found the detail around accommodation and over description of aspects of the walk to be a bit tiresome. I enjoyed some of the characters but found the plot was predictable and not always engaging.

Lovely story that was a little slow to start but soon had me enjoying the read. Zoe and Martin are both walking the Camino ( the route through France and Spain that goes to Santiago a pilgramage route) Both have their own reasons for the long walk . The Camino changes you or so they say - Their paths keep crossing . The chapters alternate between Zoe ad Martin. They meet some real characters - Its a funny and unusual book with a little bit of romance and it has made me want to walk some of the route! However those of you who know me realise I hate walking !!

This book brings to mind a cross between Wild and When Harry Met Sally. The fact that this is written by two authors, two authors who are married really intrigued me to begin with, and the fact that this is already well on the way to becoming a film also makes me see it in a different light. Altogether this was a very different reading experience but a pleasurable one nonetheless!

This is dual narrative and I actually bought this one and listened to it on audiobook which meant that the dual narrative was even more pronounced. I am such a fan of dual narrative and it works really well with this story, especially since it was written by two different authors. I think the fact that is is dual narrative means that you get to know the characters a little deeper and you feel more sympathy/empathy with them sooner into the book as well.

I learned a lot about the Camino in this book and it has definitely piqued my interest in the areas. The great thing about the setting is that it is new to both of these characters as well since we have someone from Yorkshire (like me, woo!) and someone from California. As the blurb suggests, there are lots of challenges along the way and i think because, we the reader, are seeing this through fresh eyes, we feel those challenges more deeply as well.

The characters are both at a slightly later stage in life to me but I still found them easy to identify with and championed them throughout the walk. I could relate to what they were going through not because I've been through it but because they are well-developed likable characters who were easy to get along with. You don't have to have read anything by these authors before to enjoy this story, nor do you have to have an knowledge of The Camino.This book was unique, enjoyable and challenging in parts and I can't wait to see what becomes of it in the future!

An enjoyable novel about the power of friendship as the lead characters walk the Camino - it reminded me a bit of the Martin Sheen film 'The Way' which is based on the same walk - people from all walks of life are on the trail and everyone is there for a different reason. The way the story is told by two narrators is a good device and keeps the reader engaged. Well written and memorable, I enjoyed this book.

I was very much looking forward to this book, dual narrative storytelling is one of my favouite devices and I really enjoyed Stimison's The Rosie Project. I'm pleased to say that this didn't disappoint at all.
The growth of the characters felt plausible, and their trials and tribulations whilst walking the various footpaths made me feel that I was walking with all of pelegrinos.
Travel writing is another of my favourite genres and so this just ticked so many boxes - I can't stop talking about it already.