I am in love with this book. I opened it and got sucked into this unusual story of two people in two different parts of the world trying to find a way to each other and overcome everything in their way.

Two lovable characters connect over sharing love for the same band in online forum. Little do they know that such a small thing will ignite something a lot bigger. Friendship of Cecilie and Hector, two people living nearly 10 thousand kilometers away from each other, will grow into something more. Something they both realize is more like finding a soulmate than just a person they get on with. But they both have their lives on their side of the Earth. Cecilie is set in her ways, with jobs she loves and place she spends all her time at. She’s not really big on exploring the real world, she has her imagination to do that for her. Hector being in relationship with his girlfriend in Mexico is about to get married.

This story gives you this real connection to characters you fall in love with, your heart will break for them and you will cheer them on to take that leap in hope of their future together. You get upset over obstacles in their way and you would do anything to help them realize that all those little things stopping them are nothing when it comes to true love.

The book seemed a little slow to start but really we were just getting to know the diverse characters and the even more diverse settings for each character. I was very soon swept away with the drama that surrounded each of the players and the delightful way that they story was woven together. Each of the settings were beautifully described so that you felt the heat and dust in Mexico and the beauty of the Artic Circle. I loved this book, a truly lovely summer read

I read this book in one sitting.

This is a beautifully written story involving three characters and told from their points of view. Kate, Cecilie and Hector.
Cecilie lives in the Arctic Circle and signs up to a chat room for her favourite band and starts chatting to Hector, who lives in Mexico. Before long they swap numbers and are chatting on a daily basis via text and occasionally face time and Skype. Discovering that despite the distance, they have a lot more in common than you would expect. They, of course begin to develop feelings for one another but neither really acknowledges this to the other and Hector goes on to marry another woman.

Kate lives in England and suspects that her husband is cheating on her. For a while, I really wondering why Kate was popping up and why we were going into such depth of what she and her family were going through – obviously it was all going to tie in but, I could have done without the Kate parts. I don’t feel that it added anything to the story and although I found it interesting, I really just wanted to get back to Cecilie and Hector. The Kate parts would have been fine as a standalone book, I think, although I don’t think that I would choose to read it.

We follow their lives through many years, trials and tribulations, breaks in communication, and misapprehensions.
When we first meet Hector, he’s living the life of Riley. He’s enjoying life with a fantastic social life and is a real party animal. Cecilie on the other hand comes across as being very young,childish and rather like a stroppy teenager. Although through the course of the book, they both grow up and make the changes to their lives that we all have to as we take on responsibilities.

This is a story of heartbreak, finding love and taking a chance.

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I give 5 stars to books that make me want to keep reading and not want to put the book down and The Distance by Zoe Folbigg is one such book. I loved the writing and I found the story between Cecilie and Hector quite charming. I did enjoy the story around Kate, although I sometimes felt that I was reading a different book when I was reading the chapters involving Kate and I didn't quite understand where she fitted into the story - even really the bit at the end in Paris. But that aside I really did enjoy the book and I look forward to reading more books by Zoe Folbigg! I am a huge fan!

The characters seem to be completely different from each other at the beginning of this book, but as the story progresses the author does an amazing job of highlighting the similar traits that they share. Well written!

I did enjoy this book. It was a gentle meander.
Hector has made a few injudicious choices in relationships and this book unravels some of that.
He has made an online connection with a lady in Norway, despite living in Mexico and there is a real strong feeling between them. Despite this ,he marries Pilar but the marriage is not successful.
There is also a girl whose heart he broke when she was 18 and doing a spell of work at a Children's home in Mexico.
This is a book about putting things right and second chances and all works out in the end.
Enjoyable. Thank you to Netgalley for the chance t oread and review this..

The Distance by Zoe Folbigg a five-star read that will make you smile. This author has a great way with words, you will read this story and fall in love with the characters. I am a fan of the author and adored The Note, and I was so glad that I had the chance to read this book. Cecilie and Hector have a story that will move you, you will laugh with them and you will fall in love with them. Kate was a character I liked but I didn’t warm to her as much as the others, but overall all of the stories were moving and deep. The descriptions of all of the places visited in the story are so beautifully written you can imagine yourself watching sunsets and listening to the music. An amazing story by an amazing author.

Overall this is a really good read. I liked most of the characters and felt so sorry for Cecilie. I liked the idea of the story. Long distance love via the internet with one person scared of going anywhere. So many things happen to keep them apart. I liked the writing style and the way the story was put together. My only gripe was that I thought that it was a bit too long in places. Overall I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This is another classic book from Zoë Folbigg, I really loved The Note and assumed it felt so real and intense as it was based on real life but unless Zoë has led a REALLY interesting life I guess this book just proves her talent at drawing you into her stories. She paints a picture of the brightly coloured hedonistic lifestyle of Hector partying in Mexico who connects to Cecilie who lives in cool shades of hygge in the Artic circle run through with a dash of the English church mouse, Kate in the heart of Suffolk. Had difficulty putting it down and rushed through to the end in hope.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I received a copy of The Distance via Netgalley for an honest review. I enjoyed this book with it's tale of long distance love and the trials and tribulations involved in getting the couple together (there is a HEA). I am not sure why the Kate chapters are included, they add nothing to the story and seem like the start of another story. But overall I enjoyed Zoe Folbigg's writing style and her use of words.

Fantastic cover, really fits the story.

I might not be the biggest fan of romance novels, so not so much experience there, but I've read a lot of YA books with love stories in them etc. And this lacked any real emotional attachment.

The story flows and the writing is good but I didn't feel my eyes tearing up once...and isn't that kind of the point for a story like this?

Thank you NetGalley for introducing me to Zoe Folbigg.

What a stunning book. It’s difficult to even find the right words to do it justice.

I liked Zoe Folbigg’s last book, but this one is even better.

It’s beautifully written, the story flows perfectly, the imagery and dialogue is so evocative, and the characters’ stories all intertwine so well.

The settings are amazing, such contrasting places, Mexico and Norway, and I almost felt as though I had been there after reading the book.

A story of love and hope, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys excellent literature. Quite possibly one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Cecilie and Hector live 8,909 kilometers away from each other. She's in Norway working 2 jobs and he's in Mexico living with his wife, Pilar. I reviewed the ARC of The Note, Zoë's previous book and both were very different but both wonderful. The characters were fleshed out very well and the pace was brilliant as were the visuals. Cecelie and Hector's method of conversation is online. Kate is in England. I found Kate and George's relationship realistic and each and every character had some tensions and happiness in their life.

I think that, overall, I enjoyed Cecelie and Hector's stories than Kate's, and the book would have been better if it was all in Cecelie and Hector's POV in alternate chapters. I felt the introduction of Kate, George and their family was like introducing too many characters and I also felt that Cecelie and Hector's plot was more engaging and more of a "main" plot that the one about Kate and her family.

As someone fluent in Spanish, I liked the inclusion of the Spanish words in the text, but there was one phrase, "puta madre," which is an exclamation that means brilliant or amazing in slang, is used in Spain a lot, and Hector, who said it, is Mexican. Also, only people who know Spanish would know that "desayuno" means breakfast. If you don't know Spanish this and the other words can take a good bit of work to decipher. Some English translation would have made these parts more accessible to everyone. Also, the word "chupito" comes from the word for (drink) shot. That is another one that people may not know.

Apart from that, I loved the book. The mix of different cultures places and plot between Cecelie and Hector was magical.

Thanks to Zoë Folbigg and Aria, an imprint of Head of Zeus, for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. Thanks also for an opportunity to take part in the blog tour for this title.

Cecilie Wiig, who works in a library and a cafe, is a fan of Depeche Mode. As you will see above she goes online and finds Hector Herrera, who is living a very different life in Mexico, where he is being emotionally blackmailed by his girlfriend of six years, Pilar, into marrying him. The book has a timeline that skitters about, as we see both through the forum and everyday life, how Cecilie and Hector are kindred spirits, even though they are literally worlds apart. We also get another pov, that of Kate, who suspects her husband may be cheating on her. I found Kate's story the easiest to read and looked forward to how the three stories were going to join up.

I enjoyed Hector and Cecilie's exchanges, even though their music and other cultural and artistic tastes didn't really resonate with my own. I also found the Norwegian bustle a bit confusing at times. There was surprisingly one or two scenes, both set in Mexico, that I winced a little at, finding them quite tough, but in a way I suppose I could marry it with the book in setting the scene of how different Mexico was from Cecile's cozy Norway, or Kate's very relatable home in England. That being said I was mesmerized by tragic back stories that made my gut twist and marvelled at fantastic settings that made everything so real that I was right there. I was very much taken by the story itself, looking to see how, if they could, they would end up together. Thanks so much to Aria for the book in return for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5

A beautifully written love story telling the tale of Hector and Cecilie. They meet online in a fan website and live completely opposite lives. She is in Norway, land of the midnight sun and lives a cool, quiet organised life. He lives in Mexico and is passionate, erratic and in a mess. His past is catching up with him and he stumbles into marriage with his long time girlfriend Pilar. There relationship is based on drinking and destructive behavior. Cecilie brings calm and light into his life, the question is can he escape and find her and will she still be waiting. The writing is has real depth and you can feel the heat in Mexico... I also now want to visit Norway and try cloudberry cake. It will bring a huge smile to you face, I would recommend it.

The Distance by Zoe Folbigg follows three main people - Hector, Cecile, and Kate. Hector and Cecile meet in an online chat room and instantly have a strong connection to each other. Meanwhile, Kate is having issues in her life - she can't seem to keep her weight to where she would like it, dealing with the fundraisers for her kids' school, oh and she thinks her husband is having an affair. The reader watches as Hector lives his life in Mexico and marrying Pilar, whilst Cecile just continues barely living her life in Norway despite working three jobs.

The concept of this novel really drew me because it reminded me of how I met my fiancé (will be my husband in August 2018 ☺). Granted, we were not half a world apart, but he was still in California, USA and I am in Alberta, Canada.

Personally, I didn't care for Kate's chapters - to me they seemed unnecessary and felt just like "filler". I kept reading her chapters as fast as I could to get to Hector or Cecile's chapters. Also, Hector being with Pilar drove me batty! She was so clearly wrong for him!

Despite the beautiful love story of Hector and Cecile, I didn't like how much the chapters bounced around from past to present. There was even one point in the story where I'm quite sure the author even mixed up her timeline. The novel mentions it was a Sunday morning, then the next chapter was supposed to take place on a Saturday afternoon as mentioned previously in the book, but it was the following day? I was quite confused and had to flip back and forth between the chapters to try to understand what day it really was.

The ending, of course, made me very happy and I wished it came much sooner in the story. I would have liked to see how things turned out more than just a few pages in the epilogue. Lastly, I understand that Hector's and Cecile's first language was not English, however, I also didn't like the random times they would say words or phrases in their native language - I don't know what they were saying!

Even though the fact that the novel was a fairly easy read despite my issues above, I wasn't crazy about this novel and therefore can only rate it 3/5 stars.

Having absolutely loved Zoe Folbigg’s debut novel, The Note, I was really looking forward to reading her second novel, The Distance, and once again I was not disappointed. A wonderfully romantic, uplifting and compelling love story about finding love in the most unexpected of places, The Distance is a quirky page-turner you are simply going to adore.

Finding love online is an absolute minefield, so when Cecile Wiig visits the fan forum of her favourite band, the last thing she is expecting is to find the man who is absolutely perfect for her. All Cecile wants is to talk about her favourite band with like-minded individuals – she certainly never expected to find herself talking to a man who was going to turn her entire life upside down: Hector Herrera. Hector seems to have the same hobbies, likes and dislikes and feels passionate about the same things she is crazy about. Soon, they realize that they are not just kindred spirits with a passion for music, but so much more than that. However, there is a catch: Cecile lives in Norway while Hector lives in Mexico. And he is about to get married. To somebody else.

Fate brought the two of them together in the most unlikely of circumstances, but will it lead the two of them to the happy ending which they are so desperate for? Cecile knows it is crazy to throw caution to the wind and tether her heart to somebody she has never met in the flash, but she knows that she cannot let this chance of happiness slip through her fingers. She does not want to get to her dotage and regret that she never gave this relationship a chance, however, she is still troubled by the fact that she’s fallen for a man she has never clapped eyes on. Is Hector truly who he says he is? Or is he a man with secrets and demons of his own?

Hector is a man with a past he would much rather forget. Having led a life of excess and hedonism, he is desperate to break from from the shackles of his old life. Cecile coming into his old life so unexpectedly has opened up his heart and soul, but he cannot help but wonder whether theirs is a relationship that stands a chance of surviving as he is due to marry somebody else…

Will Cecile and Hector find their way to one another? Or is the distance between them too vast for them to ever cross?

A lovely read that made me smile, The Distance is a terrific story that touches the heart and tickles the funny bone. Heartwarming, tender, feel-good and emotional, The Distance is a tale of old ghosts, past secrets, healing and having faith and courage to trust your own heart.

Zoe Folbigg creates wonderful characters you cannot help but fall in love with and I absolutely adored Cecile and Hector and was swept away by their poignant, uplifting and powerful romantic story.

A fabulous read that is far too good to miss, The Distance is one of the summer’s must-read books!

Bouncing between the past and the present, Zoë Folbigg writes an engrossing story of love across distance and time, of lives meant to be together but held back by circumstances and an ocean’s expanse. This is an engaging story, characters are extremely well written and defined and the story works very well throughout the pages.

The Blurb :
Under the midnight sun of Arctic Norway, Cecilie Wiig goes online and stumbles across Hector Herrera in a band fan forum. They start chatting and soon realise they might be more than kindred spirits. But there are two big problems: Hector lives 8,909km away in Mexico. And he's about to get married.
Can Cecilie, who's anchored to two jobs she loves in the library and a cafe full of colourful characters in the town in which she grew up, overcome the hurdles of having fallen for someone she's never met? Will Hector escape his turbulent past and the temptations of his hectic hedonistic life and make a leap of faith to change the path he's on?

My Thoughts :
Cecilie and Hector meet on a music forum room, which is dedicated the the band Depeche Mode. They realise they have lots in common but the distance proves difficult as Hector lives in Mexico and Cecile lives in Norway. Soon Hector tells Cecile that he is getting married and their friendship drifts apart leaving Cecile with a broken heart.
It did take me a little whille to get into the story as there is a lot going on and you need to be focused to remember what is what and who is who. I did enjoy delving into the lives of the charactors and learning more about them. Personally I didnt see the point in Kate’s story being part of this book but it does make more sence at the end.
Looking forward to Zoe Folbigg’s next release.

The writing style and setting for this story show originality, and even though the trope is popular, the story's quirky content sets it apart.

It took me a while to get into the story and warm to the characters, I have to confess I like Kate better than the two main protagonists, probably because her personality and circumstances are more familiar to me and more comfortable to empathise.

The plot is dynamic, chronologically and geographically and this demands concentration on the reader's part. It's not something you can dip into, you need to keep reading, or you'll forget salient plot points. Kate's role in the story is not immediately apparent, although she is pivotal to the ending.

This book is my first by this author, not having read her first bestseller and in many ways, this is probably useful to make an objective assessment of the story.

Overall I like the story; it's one for the Chick-lit fans.

I received a copy of this book from Aria via NetGalley in return for an honest review.