I really liked the way the feeling of nostalgia just creeped through this book. What a lovely read.
It had some real laugh out loud moments for me.
Well worth a read

Absolutely loved this book!

The writing style was really good and I look forward to reading any other books from this author in the future :)

This is a beautiful telling of love, loss and friendship, it’s funny , so descriptive and I really just didn’t want it to end. Sensitively written I really did enjoy this

3.5 but I'm rounding up to 4.

The Way Back To You is a really lovely read. Told in two time lines, it was so sweet reading about Simon, Raj and Ian's friendship when they were teenagers. Simon and Ian's escapades in the present day were very entertaining. There are some real laugh out loud moments, some poinient ones and a touch of nostalgia (I am old enough to remember taping songs of the radio). I feel like romance takes a back seat in this story and it's about finding yourself, letting go of the past and living life to the full.

Heartwarming story alert 🚨 #TheWayBackToYou by James Bailey

This story is about Simon, who runs a B&B with his daughter. When he reconnects with his first love Sylvie - the French pen pal he never met - he is determined to not let her go again. Along with his childhood friend Ian, Simon sets off on a bike ride from Bristol to Bordeaux, on the very same route they covered as teenagers in pursuit of love.

This was such a sweet book which combines a coming of age story with second chance love. I enjoyed the flashbacks to Simon’s teen years, with his teen friends Raj and Ian. The letters he wrote to Sylvie were so sweet and made me feel quite nostalgic 🥹 Especially making mixtapes of your favourite songs 😂

You are rooting for Simon all the way, and the love he has for his family is so adorable. The story is engaging, the characters are lovely and I love an adventure 🚲 I laughed, I cried and was left with a big smile 😊 Recommend if you love feel good books.

3.5 stars!

simon and sylvie are penpals in 1975 until they are no longer in contact.

fast forward to the present, simon is now 60 running his B&B with his daughter anna. after received news that his school friend raj has passed, simon is catapulted into the past and upon reunion with his other school friend ian, they plan to recreate the cycling trip they did as teenagers to see sylvie in france.

this book was really unique and i loved the second chance aspects in both friendship and romantic love.

Thank you netgalley for the arc for the way back to you by James Bailey in return for an honest review. I don't often read books by male authors so thought id give this one ago and ill be looking for more of James' books in the future

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun, sweet and mushy, exactly what I hoped it would be! Would definitely recommend.

Simon runs a Bed & Breakfast near Bristol. His wife died many years ago, and his daughter, Anna helps him run it. When Simon hears that one of his old school friends, Raj has died, it takes him on a journey to France with another of his friends, Ian to help scatter Raj’s ashes. But Simon has also been remembering his school French pen-pal, Sophie and wonders whether, after 40 years, he’s left it too late to rekindle the feelings he had for her…

What a lovely read this was! It was completely different to what I expected with the main character, Simon being a 60-year-old man! Such a refreshing change to have a main character of that age and the storyline was original and different! Simon is such a likeable character, and I have to admit to feeling a little sorry for him at times. He seems very lonely, working long hours running a B&B which was his wife’s dream, not his. The storyline switches between present day and 40 years previously when Simon, Raj and Ian were at school. They were obviously good friends, but circumstances meant they all lost touch, and it was quite sad that it was too late to reconnect with Raj before he died. I did like Ian’s character though…I thought he was great! Such a larger-than-life character, and while seemingly annoying on the outside, he obviously had a heart of gold on the inside!

Their journey to France was delightful! Not just the scenery and location, but the few minor mishaps along the way made me laugh out loud! This was a story filled with warmth and feeling, and it did make me feel quite emotional at times. I loved the flashbacks to Simon’s teenage years and found the reminders of that era comforting! I remember clearly myself recording music off the radio and making mix tapes and found myself smiling along with these memories! This was a fun, heart-warming read revolving around friendships, family, love and regrets. Would definitely recommend!

A really lovely read. The story was entwined with humour and loss. Sensitively written but gave a great perspective of overcoming loss, reconnecting with old friends. and overcoming loneliness becoming a widow can bring.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
Simon has reached an important part of his life as his daughter is getting married and he is getting older so running the B&B he set up with his wife (who died 10 years ago) is becoming increasingly difficult. He is faced with the death of an old school friend and this begins a chain of events. The story becomes a dual timeline: now, with Simon in his early sixties and 1975 when he was still at school. I loved the reminders about the music of that time, and the realism of schoolteachers who threw the blackboard rubber at pupils and having to stand when teachers entered the room brought back many memories! This is a really engaging story with lots of comic moments, teenage angst over first loves and realistic relationships, I loved it and I'm now following the author.

Super refreshing to read a rom com from a male point of view. I enjoyed James' previous book a lot and this is another step up on that one.

I've also not read a lot of books with a main character in their 60s, and I will admit due to the age gap I did struggle to connect with Simon at this stage of his life. I much more connected with the Simon onf the 1970s.

Second chance romance is not a usual favourite of mine, but I really enjoyed this one. It felt fresh and very sweet.

Simon being a widower is written really well, with a lot of respect and tact for what is a difficult time.

This was an easy read and was refreshingly told from a male perspective. It was a fun and sometimes poignant read and I really enjoyed it.

I loved this book. It was such an easy read and very nostalgic. It was set in Dorset which I know very well and it switches back to the 1970’s. This was a funny story about 3 boys in school and they decide to cycle to France to visit a pen-pal. It was descriptive and funny and I didn’t want it to end. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I was reading through reviews before I started the novel, and I read someone call it a "hug in a book" and after reading it all - I genuinely agree.

I found it a really refreshing and unique romance novel, what really set it apart in my opinion, was that it was written from a male's perspective - which was so different to the majority of the romance novels I have read so far. I found Bailey's writing style light and refreshing, and like a breath of fresh air.

The Way Back To You was a charming and light read; and one that genuinely made me feel happier. While I usually don't enjoy novels with flashbacks throughout and shifting between different periods, Bailey manages to pull it off to create a warm novel about love and friendship. A truly great read.

At the age of 16, Simon, Ian and Raj cycle to France to meet Simon's pen pal, Sylvie, his first love, but never find her. The friends lose touch over the years but following Raj's funeral, Ian and Simon decide to repeat the cycle ride to scatter Raj's ashes in his favourite place of that trip. Now a widower of 10 years, can Simon find Sylvie and rekindle that love? Funny, touching, and hard to put down.

This was my first time reading a romance book from the male's perspective in its entirety and I thoroughly enjoyed it as it was very unique and a refreshing take from the other romance books I have read. It provides an insight into the mind of a male in love which I liked.

The plot was so ridiculous and unbelievable that you cannot help but laugh as you travel in time from past to present with Simon. From the bike ride with Simon, Raj and Ian making the trip to France as young teenager's to unite Simon with his love, Sylvie. To adult Simon and Ian making the trip to scatter the remains of their dear friend Raj.

It is a beautiful telling of love, loss and friendship and although it is categorized as a love story, I believe it more to be a story of friendship and how the people we view as our friends can almost be like our family and can guide us when we lose our way or forget who we once were.

I really enjoyed The Way Back to You, it’s light-hearted, heart-warming and funny.
The book flits between then 1975 and now and centres around Simon reminiscing about his time at boarding school with his two best mates and then his life now some 40+ years on as a B&B owner, father and widower.
After learning about the death of one of his childhood best mates, Simon feels at a real crossroads in his life and embarks on a trip down memory lane.
Back in 1975 we get to learn about Simon’s friendship with Ian and Raj, his love of music and his infatuation with his French pen pal Sylvie.
Simon and his friends decide to go and visit Sylvie by riding stolen bikes from Bristol to Bordeaux!
What awaits them when they get there and will they be rumbled when they get back?
I loved going on that adventure with the 16-year-old Simon and his mates through the 1975 chapters.

I won't give too much away but present day Simon is around 60 and decides to make the trip again and the reader gets to tag along too!
There’s a real exploration of friendship, long lost love, teenage dramas, regret and growing up.

It really makes you think, what would you do differently if you had no commitments or restrictions? What would happen if you took that chance?

I was rooting for Simon all the way through and I think you will too.

I just loved this dual timeline story from James Bailey! I found this book a little different to my usual reads as it is focused on a male main
character, but I loved Simon, and enjoyed getting to know him in the present day and in his school days with his mates Ian and Raj. It's a really heartwarming story that will make you want to reconnect with long lost friends, as Simon embarks on a hilarious road trip with a difference with his old school friend Ian. Ian is a real one-off, he would drive anyone crazy but it makes for some really funny moments on their adventure! The developing romance in both timeframes make this book a winner for me, I
loved it! I was lucky enough to read an advance copy of this book on NetGalley, so thank you to Penguin Michael Joseph for the opportunity to
read this in exchange for an honest review - I highly recommend this book and award it my top rating of 5 stars!

Such a beautifully crafted story with reliable characters and life lessons overall.
I loved the dual timeline in here. I usually get annoyed by them but here everything makes so much more sense and adds so much to the story. The friendships the characters build is a beautiful one full of heart and emotions and even some down to earth scenes.
It’s raw and heartwarming, a story that makes you call your long time friends before it’s too late.