What a lovely book, well done Sara! The characters were so varied in age, personality, lives etc that they held my attention as much as the storyline - which was really good.
There are twists and turns aplenty and I was reading and enjoying the book when I should have been doing other things. Trouble is, reading it so quickly, I came to end before I was ready to let go 🙁.
Read it, you won’t be disappointed

Sara Cox returns with her new novel which is sad in some places,poignant in places and laugh out loud in others.

Josie has separated from James,her banker husband and her daughter Chloe has finished university.
She needs change in her life and hopes tofinds it in the Lancashire farm where she grew up.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton Coronet Publishing for the chance to read and review this book.

Having read Sarah Cox's first novel I was hoping I would also enjoy this second one. In fact, I think it is a better read than her first, possibly because of the varied range of other characters, the supporting cast to the main player, Josie. I especially enjoyed the wit and humour and pin point dialogue and description. As a southerner, married to a northerner, I did also appreciate all the social and linguistic references. The opening scenes of divorce and separation in middle age did not seem a very encouraging start but the plot and characterisation mean that it becomes natural to want follow Josie's progress beyond the breakup. The reader becomes engaged in her life and feelings as the details of her family past unfold.. Ultimately a good heart-warming read.

A really great read. When Josie and James decide to end there marriage its very amicable but she dreads telling her mother with whom she has a difficult relationship ,after she lost her father and her family home when she was a young girl. When on a weekend away with her best friend she gets a sudden urge to go and visit her childhood home which is an old farmhouse and suddenly she gets a yearning to move back permanently when she learns it's up for rent. It's a fantastic story and there are lots of twists and some heartbreaking memories that come to light as she finally finds out what happened to her father and why her mother had so many problems.

I tried to get into this book and kept giving it time but it just didn’t work for me. I couldn’t connect to the main character and the story just floated along for me.

Josie's life is about to change when her marriage comes to an end. It's time for a new adventure but also an opportunity to return to her past.

Sara Cox's second novel was an enjoyable and heartwarming read. It's a book about friendship, family and finding a new life. Great for a cosy weekend read.

As a long term fan of Sara Cox wi was delighted to be approved by the publishers to read this ARC.
I missed out reading her first book so came to this one with new eyes.
This isn't sort of book I usually enjoy it is the usual mid life crisis of middle age married women plot but with this I feel Sara's wit and charm made it much more than that and it stands out among the many books likes this. It's good read and her name backs up her writing

A heartwarming story of 51-year-old Josie, who decides to leave her pampered London life when her marriage ends. She returns to the place she grew up and uncovers some mysteries from her childhood as a result. With an excellent cast of characters, the relationships rang true - Josie's challenging mother was particularly well written - and some twists to keep it interesting. It kept me up late, wanting to find out how it all panned out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy Sara Cox as an author … her Northern roots shine through in her writing . Married to James for many years Josie enjoys a lovely life in London however with the marriage at a mutual end Josie is at a cross roads in her life …. What next … losing her beloved father when she was young has left lots of unanswered questions and Josie finds herself gravitating back to her roots to the farm she grew up on in Lancashire . Well written lovely characters a great read that keeps the reader wanting more

Cozy, relatable and beautifully written. What happens when you have to start again. Poignant for this day and age.

Way Back : Sara Cox's gorgeous and big-hearted new novel. Middle aged Josie appears to have it all, but underneath things are falling apart. Her husband no longer loves her, her daughter has flown the nest, and the dream house and lifestyle is no longer the dream. This is the story of Josie's return to her childhood home and her attempts to make sense of everything that happened so she can move on with the rest of her life. It is emotional, funny in parts, and very human. Many people will identify with how Josie feels and her search for meaning and a happier life. A good deep read.

This is a cosy, heartwarming story about starting again after a divorce.

Main character Josie feels a bit lost after her relationship ends and decides to move from london back to the rural village she grew up in up North. She has fond memories of growing up on the farm, but this ideallic lifestyle was sadly cut short when her father died in a farming accident and her grief stricken mother moved them away.

In search of the magic she remembers Josie heads back to the village. However, for some reason her mother is less than pleased about her decision...

I really like Sara Cox's writing style - relatable and humourous. The idea of a farming lifestyle doesnt appeal to me but somehow she convinces us with this story (and the description of the hunky farmer next door helps a little!) Another fab read, I look forward to more from her as an author!

Absolutely loved this book,full of family dynamics, revelations from the past and lots of feel goid heartwarming cheer!
Josie is middle aged, her daughter has left home , her marriage has ended and she’s left home alone rattling around her swanky London house with no idea what to do next!
A road trip with her best friend ignites an idea to return home to her childhood farm, although her childhood was marred by her fathers sudden death and her mothers downward spiral into alcohol, josie is drawn to her past!
Back hone at the farm Josie throws herself into her new life, makes new friends but most importantly finds herself and gets answers from the past!
A truly beautiful heartwarming read that will stay with you long after you have read it
Thank you NetGalley for this early read

There was definitely relatable elements here with the questions that we can all ask ourself, this made it an easier read for me.

Sara Cox's previous novel, Thrown, was a pleasant if forgettable read. Way Back was, I thought, a significant step up. Actually, I loved it. A really engaging story with a few genuine laugh out loud moments

Having split up with her husband at the age of fifty-one, and in need of direction in her life, Josie finds herself returning to her Lancashire roots and to the farm where she lived as a child, before everything changed.

The twin threads of Josie getting to grips with the farm/rediscovering her roots, and a past her difficult mother has flatly refused to ever talk about, work really well. Josie was a really relatable character for me and I loved the farming stuff, especially the animals, and the contrast with her London life.

When Chekhov's Hot Grumpy Farmer was briefly introduced early on, we all knew where that was going, though I have to say it took a turn I was not expecting. There's a great cast of subsidiary characters - Ruth, Mary, Fay and the two Chrises, among others.

Fabulous read.

I could hear the author's voice all the way through this! I do like Sara Cox so that is no bad thing!
I like the trip back in time for the main character Josie when she revisits her childhood home. There are quite a few very believable and pretty eccentric characters involved and a lot of humour. However, I did feel it veered a bit too much into chicklit territory focusing on romance which was a bit cheesy at times. I enjoyed reading about Josie struggling but finding her feet in the countryside, and discovering the circumstances surrounding her father's death and her mother falling apart afterwards.
I would probably describe this as a cosy read, I did enjoy it.

Way Back by Sara Cox


Josie's life is fine. Absolutely, completely fine. Nice husband, brilliant best friend, 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 what if her mother is tricky, and James isn't in love with Josie any more, 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?

We all hanker for a nice life don't we ?
But it seems that Josie's it's having it all , isn't all that she thought it would be and that includes her husband and ' perfect home '.

Loved the characters in the book and how Josie found her happy.

I love a good novel that explores the what if? And if you had a chance to go back what would you do differently? Way Back by Sara Cox seems to answer all those questions and more. I can’t wait to share my full thoughts and review on this one! I am absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to have an advance read on this one!