A lovely read about starting again and finding your happiness. A great cast of characters and a wonderful story. Recommended.

I love Sara Cox's writing style - smart, funny and relatable.
When Josie's marriage ends, she takes the rash decision to leave the city and take on her late dad's farm.
Great characters and a fun storyline follow.
Highly recommended!

Josie is 51 (hooray!) and lives a charmed life in leafy Hampstead with a well-off husband and a loving daughter, not having to work and getting to dabble, although it's clear she made her own initial luck, fighting to get to university from a less-than-stellar start. But when it looks like her marriage is ending, she's a bit lost. Thanks to a trip with her best friend to an eccentric wellness retreat full of rescue cats, she both visits her mum and pops in to the village - and farm - where she grew up before her dad died in an accident and her mum moved them then fell apart. When things in London are no longer so rosy and Fay's off on a year's sabbatical, should Josie take the plunge and revisit old haunts, where some people are new since she left and some remember her family only too well? Nice LGBTQ representation and a lovely pig and cat (which are both OK) with well-done farm scenes and a mystery I thought I'd worked out made for an ideal holiday page-turner.

Reviewing on my blog on 20 March: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2024/03/20/two-light-netgalley-reads-mrs-quinns-rise-to-fame-and-way-back/

I was a little nervous about trying this as, if I'm honest, I didn't love Sara's first novel. I needn't have worried because this was brilliant. I thought it was refreshing to read a story about a couple who had decided to move on from their marriage but in a calm and supportive way. I thought the dynamic with Josie's mum was fascinating- you want to scream at her to just cut ties and all contact with her mum because of the way she treats her, and yet Josie is so understanding and kind and really feels for what her mum went through as a young woman. I love Josie rediscovering her roots and finding the purpose that she had struggled to find when she'd been younger and married. Plus the hot farmer love interest on the quad bike doesn't hurt! I thought this was really interesting and thoroughly enjoyable read- I'll definitely try the next novel too!

I really enjoyed Thrown by Sara Cox so was looking forward to this.

A nice easy read with great characters

Fun and lighthearted

I loved Thrown, but struggled to get into this one as easily.

I could really hear Sara's voice coming through in this book. Possibly because I know she is the daughter of a farmer and often recounts tales on the radio. I think this also enabled her vivid descriptions of farm life throughout the book.

Josie is a 50 something and has split up with her husband, but what does she want out of life now she finally has the chance to find out. I certainly wasn't expecting what happened to Josie, and at times worried that she had bitten off far more than she could manage.

I thought the first half of the book dragged a little for me. It contained a lot of descriptive writing and revisiting the past. I prefer narration so it could just be me. I never thought about not finishing it, but it didn't make me want to get back to it. The second part of the book was much more lively with a little twist, which I hadn't seen coming, as I thought I had it all sussed out.

Overall I enjoyed the book and the characters, which were well developed and had depth.

Many thanks to publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to read arc of this book

I enjoyed this book and the chacters and wish the author all the best with this book

This was an enjoyable read, it took me a little while to get into it but once it got going i quickly found myself immersed in the experience of it all and to be honest I enjoyed the parts where it dealt with the relationship between Josie and her mother and i found myself empathizing and understanding where she was coming from

good story

3.5 stars rounded up

Josie's life is fine. Absolutely, completely fine. Nice husband, brilliant best friend, and a gorgeous kid at uni. The big house of her dreams on its leafy London street is a lifetime away from the Lancashire farm of her childhood. So hat if her mother is tricky, and James isn't in love with Josie anymore, and maybe she's not in love with him either? It's great to have time to herself now Chloe's flown the nest.... isn't it?

Josie and James's marriage is not working the way it used to, so they decide to separate amicably. With a new start in life, Josie's not quite sure what to do, but she decides to visit her childhood home, Thistleford Farm. When she gets there, the farm is empty. She decides to rent the farm she's always dreamed about, where her childhood memories were made. Josie's father has been killed in a car accident when she was twelve. Her mother still refuses to talk about that night.

It did take me a while to get into this story, so I took off half a star for that reason. The first half of the book is character-driven, and Josie's looks back on her relationship with her mum and childhood memories. The second half did pick up.

Published 26th March

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Hodder&Stoughton and the author #SaraCox for my ARC of #WayBack in exchange for an honest review.

I felt this was a book of two halves. One giving all background information and the second where the story gets going. I loved this book. It was an interesting easy read which captured my attention from start to finish.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A warm and relatable book, especially about being northern! It never leaves you. It took a while to warm up but once it got into its stride this book was off and running. Great characters and fantastic family dynamics, thank goodness for the hint of romance!

Way back by Sara Cox is the first book from the author I have read, and I really enjoyed this heartwarming story.
Josie is fifty something and is married to James. They both realise that their marriage is not working anymore, and they decide to split amicably. She is excited that she has a new start in life but is not sure what to do with herself. As her daughter has left home and gone to Uni and she doesn’t really talk to her mother and her best friend Fay has got a job in Boston, so she is on her own.
After a visit to a health retreat, she decides to visit her childhood home Thistleford farm. Memories of her dad who was a farmer and herself as a little girl coming rushing back. But the place is empty. She decides to rent the farm and make new memories which might help the rift between herself and her mother.
At first this story took a long to get going, but I am glad I preserved. This is a heartwarming tale of friendship, love and second chances in life. It is a great read. 4 stars

A gorgeously warm hug of a book that draws you in from the very first page. Believable characters, including a mother who damns you with faint praise; we’ve all been there I’m sure. I’d love to see this televised.

A real feel good read about a fifty something women getting a second chance at her life and finding her calling. Josie is a loveable character trying to deal with a very problematic relationship with her mother and the mutual end to her marriage. Cox writes full rounded believable characters really well. I really enjoyed the brief appearance of a pair of characters from 'Thrown', its great to know they live in the same timeline as Josie and her friends. I enjoyed the mystery at the heart of Josie's unhappy childhood and thought early on I had worked out where the story was going but was pleased I hadn't joined all the dots. Josie is a great mum and a very patient daughter and I was really glad when she started to put her happiness first.

They say you should write what you know and this was one reason I enjoyed Sara’s first book ‘Thrown’ as she described pottery in a knowledgeable and entertaining way. In her second book Sara uses her knowledge and experience of her farming background to entertain us again in another well written, emotional and humorous story.

We follow Josie who at middle age finds herself alone in her London home after her daughter has moved out and her marriage has ended. Taking a trip to a spa with a friend she decides to visit the farm she grew up on which holds many memories but also secrets to unlock from her past which she finds having got the opportunity to rent the farm to live in. Dealing with her challenging mother and the mysteries behind the death of her father, Josie has plenty to deal with in this well written story of friends, family and finding a new life with second chances.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Let me start by saying I'm not a romance novel fan...normally. But I loved "Way Back".

Sara manages to hook me and entertain me all the way through in the most engaging manner. As with her earlier "Thrown" book, it's as if she's in the room narrating it to me. Her "voice" in the writing is so strong and individual. The characters are lovely yet real, the dialogue is bang on and there's a good sense of place in her northern settings.

While it's not perhaps with most original of stories - hence only 4 stars here - it's a tale well-told with sparkle, humour and warmth. Bring on the next one Sara and don't be afraid to be more ambitious!

A smart London suburb, a family home and after 23 years and 23 days Josie and James are breaking up, this isn't however a depressing tale instead its a positive and heartwarming novel about families, friendships and how going back isn't always the wrong decision.

Well paced, witty and warming with characters you can relate to, this novel is somewhat predictable but its also funny, warm and easy reading. Perfect for an afternoon on the sofa with nibbles.

Way Back by Sara Cox ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book took sometime to get going. The first half seemed to ramble and I couldn’t understand why it kept looking back over Josie’s life events but then it all came together in the second half and was an enjoyable read. It’s a cosy read about life after divorce in your 50’s. I nearly gave up on it but am pleased I didn’t.
I would have rated higher if the first half was as good as the second half.

I’ll be honest, I had a long rocky start to this book and came close to not finishing it. The first half of the book was very much a monologue. Listening to Josie looking back on her relationship with her mum, looking back on her childhood, all the while it had a reproachful and melancholic tone. I like dialogue in a book and apart from a few chats with a couple of her friends there wasn’t very much in the way of this. I actually put the book aside at 50% in and read another book.

I’m happy to say that the second half picked up considerably. Once Josie moved onto the farm, there was the addition of a lot more characters and a lot more chat. The book took on a somewhat lighter tone and once she started looking into all the mysteries that surrounded her younger years, it became much more compelling.

In the end I enjoyed it and thought it had a really nice ending but all the angst over her mother in the bulk of the book wasn’t really my thing, so prevented me from enjoying it as much as I would have liked.

3.5 stars.

I enjoyed Way Back. Sara’s voice is more present in this title than her last and that's a great thing. Her warm natural tone really lifts the story. A lovely easy read.