I found this book to be charming, emotional and inspirational.
A story of an unbreakable friendship, which I very much enjoyed.
Would highly recommend and have already bought as a gift for someone!

This is the first book I've read by Giovanna Fletcher and I enjoyed it. I can't say I was wowed by it and that it's a story that will stay with me though. A decent four stars, can't quite give it the fifth star. It's cover might make you think this is a Christmas read, but it isn't. That was fine for me, as it still feels a little early to be reading Christmas books. I enjoyed the details of the trek. I enjoyed the way the story was told by three different characters. I enjoyed seeing how both women (Vicky and Zaza) worked their way through their issues, and the way Mike started to heal. A good read. With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Mike and Pia moved in with Vicky and Zaza they become best friends for life. Vicky got married and had children, and Zaza got engaged, and they were no longer all living together but their bond was unbreakable. When Pia died the other 3 were devastated, and started to question their lives. When they find a list from Pia instructing them to share a trip trekking in Peru.

They may have lost one of their best friends but they find eachother and themselves on this trip of a lifetime.

I loved this book. It takes you through the full range of emotions from sadness to joy and back again. I love the very real friendship between the three remaining friends - not sugar coated, and at times difficult, but they are all there for eachother. The description of the trek is amazing and almost made me want to go myself (almost 😁). All in all a very enjoyable book.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4336444222

When Pia dies her partner, Mike, is struggling with life and Pia’s best friends, Vicky and Zaza are there to help him while dealing with their own grief. Soon a plan is formed with a trek in Peru. Can they leave their own troubles behind and reconnect and move forward with their lives.
Gi’s stories never fail to make me feel happy and are always fantastic reads. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A story of love and loss.
Three friends have lost an important part of their lives, but their journey is still to carry on.
Great ideas, touching scenes, but I could not connect with the book or the characters.
Probably more about me, as I know this has been well received.
Thank you NetGalley for the early read

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

I have read a few of Giovanna Fletcher’s books before and was looking forward to reading another. The front cover gave me lots of Christmassy vibes and was thinking I was reading a cosy festive read… let’s just say I was wrong and the cover doesn’t really do the book justice in this case.

Instead the story focuses around three friends in their late 20s/30s…. I can’t quiet remember… but their best friend has passed away and left them some rules to follow. One of those rules happens to push them onto an epic trek in Peru! There they learn lots about themselves and each other.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to rate this book initially, there is a lot of telling rather than showing and I couldn’t quite enjoy the characters. However, as we got onto the trek part of the story I found myself wishing I could be there too. The ending is so full of hope and clarity and about trusting what life throws at you and trusting yourself and your own instinct. I had been a bit stressed and this book made me feel calmer about some things and made me feel hopeful and excited about the future instead of scared.

A really beautiful message about hope, adventure and so many other things. The books features lots of tough topics which are very real, sometimes they do feel a bit shoehorned into the story …. But actually I think it was more representative of life, some of the topics weren’t the focus of the story but people have so many other things happening around them that it makes the characters much more 3D and life-like.

There were a few sections of the story that I didn’t enjoy as much, but on whole because of how hopeful the book left me it’s a great read to uplift your spirits and open your eyes and heart to life!

A beautiful, uplifting story.
Even though it was incredibly sad at times, as it revolves around one of the main characters (Pia) who has died before the story begins, it still manages to be a feel good story.

The other three main characters, Mike (Pia’s husband), Vicky and Zaza, her two best friends.
They each have their own battles, Mike is obviously grieving, Vicky struggles with a lost identity in motherhood, and Zaza isn’t sure about marrying Liam.

But then they find a last wish of Pia’s and together they embark on a life affirming journey that will change them all.

I'll be honest, I'm a bit confused by this book. I skimmed the synopsis on the back but had no memory of it by the time I started the book. From the cover I expected this to be a winter holiday romance on par with Hallmark films.

I've not read any of Giovanna Fletcher's books before other than the Eve of Man series she co-wrote with Tom so I didn't fully know what to expect but it definitely wasn't this. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it because I absolutely did! It's just that the cover seems to be a complete misrepresentation of the book...

With that said, I enjoyed the multiple PoV element of this book and really related to Vicky, Zaza and Mike in different ways. This was mainly about each of them having insecurities and flaws, and seeing them through their own individual journey whilst grieving their friend and wife. I actually wasn't sure how this would end and I thought I would be able to so it kept me engaged to the end. A real fun, uplifting and surprising read interwoven with some real human and emotional issues.

The publishers just need to sort the cover out!

When Mike loses his long term partner, she has left a legacy for him and her best friends. A heart warming tale of how friends can get you through even when life seems dark. A lesson on how to appreciate what we have with some laughter along the way.

A sunny, sweet story that's perfect to lift these chilly wintry nights. Fletcher is such a consistent writer and you always know you're in safe hands with her - and Walking on Sunshine is no exception.

As is usual with Fletcher's writing, there are some really deep issues below the sunny exterior of the story, and in Walking on Sunshine we delve into loss, grief and how to find your way back after tragedy. After Mike loses the love of his life, Pia, after a seventeen year relationship, it's her two closest friends (and Pia herself!) who help Mike begin to heal. This isn't only Mike's story, though, as Pia left instructions and wisdom for her closest friends as well - commitment-phobic Zaza, and Vicky, who might be drowning in motherhood.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and it's absolutely another smasher for already established fans of Fletcher's writing. For newcomers, this is a wonderful place to start discovering this lovely writer's work.

I really enjoy Giovanna Fletcher's books. I have read every book she has released - non fiction and fiction.
It really pains me to say it, but I really did not enjoy this book. This is my least favourite Giovanna Fletcher book.

I found the premise to be very similar to other books I have read - mainly thinking about PS I love you - so it didn't feel particularly original. It was also very very slow going, especially at the beginning.
Then when the expedition happened, it felt very similar to Fletcher's own experiences going on her charity treks. But by the point the trek happened in the plot, I really was a bit 'over it' as it took so long to get there.

Overall, I didn't enjoy this book at all, and even though it had some emotional themes, I didn't feel emotionally connected to any of the characters. Disappointed with this as it was a book I had been hotly anticipating.

This wasn’t my favourite read of the year but if you are in to womens fiction then this is probably for you just for me
It didn’t really do it for me although I loved all the main characters.

This was such a lovely, uplifting story about three best friends finding themselves on a life changing trek after Pia, Vicky and Zaza’s best friend and Mike’s wife, passes away. After being given Rules to help him move on by Pia the friends decided to book this adventure to Peru together which led them all to face the things in life they need to in order to move forward and be happier.

I enjoyed that this book was told from the perspective of all three characters as having multiple perspectives is always a huge plus for me as I love knowing what all them are thinking rather than taking everything from one main perspective. I’ve read all of Giovanna’s fiction books and I find her writing style easy to read and enjoy and this book was no exception to that.

If you’re looking for a story of friendship, finding yourself and uplifting moments then definitely give this book a try!

I really enjoyed Giovanna’s writing style, it was light and easy to read, but every now and again there would be a genius sentence that eloquently hit home and needed a re-read for extra appreciation. The characters were likeable, each having their own issues to explore, and the friendship was lovely to read. Overall, I enjoyed and would recommend to anyone looking for a pleasant read with a few hits of emotion.

Thought provoking, emotional and inspiring!
⁣
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin UK for my arc of this! 😍⁣
⁣
This was my first Giovanna read. And I can see why her books are so popular!
⁣
We follow Mike, Vicky and Zaza all college friends who have lost their 4th friend, and Mike's wife, Pia to cancer. ⁣
⁣
However Pia has left behind different rules following her death to ensure her friends and family move on and continue to live without her! And it's one of these rules that start their adventure together!
⁣
The characters in this were so relatable! Very well written, down to earth people. All with very different lives but as friends often do, coming together for a shared connection. ⁣
⁣
They argued with each other about petty things and worried about the everyday like we all do. But still managed to band together and achieve something great! Which I think is admirable!!
⁣
The first 30-35% for me was a little slow because there was alot of character building and background added. But after that I whizzed through the rest!⁣
⁣
Each chapter was from 1 of the 3's point of view. So you get a 3D insight into what's happening! Which was great! ⁣
⁣
Plus this book delivered that all important 'what happens next' factor yes that's right we got a 5 years later section!
⁣
In this book you go on a transformative journey with 3 great characters you can't help but cheer on! Their adventure together will have you grabbing your passport and possibly some tissues! Very emotional and freeing all from the comfort of home

Giovanna always writes such lovely stories that it is always such a pleasure to read them. She's the perfection definition of an escape read. This is a really moving and emotional read involving a group of best friends. Life has profrssed since university and various life changing events have happened. This is a trek of moving on, healing and learning who you really are. A beautiful tale of friendship.

This is such a beautiful read and Giovanna Fletcher has written this so well. I listened to half by audiobook and the audiobook is even better as an experience, I loved the different narrators for different character sections. With the theme of losing someone this was never going to be the most joyous book, but it somehow had all the right moments in it to lift your spirit. I definitely recommend this read!

I really loved the idea behind this one, the premise of three friends going off on an exciting adventure together is definitely something that draws me to a book and I loved the trip when our three friends finally got there, however I just felt like it took so long to get there that we didn't have a great deal of time to explored grow and learn with them. I did enjoy getting to know Vicky, Zaza and Mike but I felt like I got to know their home lives and personal lives more when they were at home as opposed to together on their trips.

Mike is a great character and I really liked that we had a male protagonist in a romcom. We get chapters from each of their perspectives and Mike's chapters were great to read, being a bit of a break from the norm of only getting to hear the female's perspective in this kind of book. Zaza is a complex character, she has lived her life a certain way up until this point and is having trouble changing that. At points I did find her difficult to like but I did understand her motivations behind her actions and behind her selfishness occasionally.

I feel like I got to know Vicky the best and really feel like we got most insight into her life pre and post babies as well as pre and post friend Pia. Her part of the audiobook is narrated by the author and so perhaps that's why I felt like I got to know her the best, because she was narrated the exact way she was written but I just think she is the most well-rounded of the three characters that we hear narration from.

The audiobook as a whole wasn't the best I've listened to. Vicky's chapters and Mike's chapters were a lot quieter than Zaza's chapters and so I had to keep adjusting my volume as I was listening which isn't ideal when you're in Friday afternoon rush hour traffic on the M1! I did love that Vicky's chapters were narrated by the author though, I think that this was a great choice and really brought the book to life. I also like that we had three different narrators for the characters, that's always helpful when an audiobook features multiple narratives!

Once we got to Peru I feel like our journey was quite truncated and the characters didn't get the chance to grow like they could have. I loved the reasons behind their need for growth. Despite the fact that loosing a friend/partner is a sad way to begin a story, I thought it made for a great jumping off point for our three characters and I like their motivation for change throughout the book. Overall this was definitely a mixed bag for me and I don't think it was just the audiobook narration that let it down but the pacing overall that just fell short. It was a great premise and Vicky was a wonderful character but you'll have to decide for yourself whether you want to read it or not.

A moving story about four best friends who have known each other since university. Years later and after marriages, children, serious illness and broken hearts, they embark on an epic trek.
It's a journey of grief, self-discovery, confession and healing.
There's humour along the way and an epic fall-out but a wonderful story of everlasting friendship.

Three best friends in their early 30s - Zaza, Vicky and Mike - are all floored when Mike’s wife, Pia, passes away. Whilst each friend struggles to come to terms with their grief, their other relationships have begun to suffer and they all feel lost in their lives in different ways.

Zaza is engaged to Liam – who is wonderful, but she can’t help pushing him away and doesn’t know why. Vicky loves her two young children and husband but feels unappreciated, exhausted, and like she has lost what makes her herself rather than mum. And Mike doesn’t really want to move on – but wants to respect his wife’s wishes and so is following the rules she has left, which keep him on track to bond with his friends and family and make his way through the loss.

It is whilst following one of Pia’s rules – to start clearing out her clothes from the wardrobe – that the best friends find a note from Pia with an instruction. One that sends them all off on a trip to Peru that brings them all time, headspace, tensions brought to a head, and the realisation of what they need to change to be happy and move forwards with their lives.

Walking on Sunshine is an absolute joy to read – lovely, relatable characters, an emotionally touching story, and just lots of really relatable scenarios that the characters find themselves in – with those inner thoughts that we all have that make us feel guilty but are ok and totally normal to have!