And once again, David Nicholls did not disappoint! Marnie and Michael are both victims of broken relationships: Marnie is divorced and Michael is separated. Their social circles are virtually non-existent and Marnie, a copy writer, seeks solace in working from home whilst Michael, a geography teacher spends his time walking alone. A mutual (and bossy) friend decides to take them in hand and invites a number of her friends on a walking holiday, led by Michael. Things do not go to plan and as they follow one of Alfred Wainwright's famous walks, members of the group find excuses to go home leaving just Marnie and Michael to continue together. This book was funny and touching; I felt like I had been enveloped in a warm hug as I travelled on their journey. A brilliant read.

I haven't read any David Nicholls before but did watch a few episodes of the latest One Day drama adaptation before giving up. So, I'm perhaps not the target reader. When I started reading this novel I thought that it would be "chick lit" and confess to not being wowed a few chapters in, but then... the story of Marnie and Michael really drew me in. It was such an easy read and I found myself really rooting for Marnie and empathising with her situation. The novel will make a fantastic beach read in the summer or a curl up with a book on a bad weather day or a duvet day book when feeling under the weather. It is very skillfully written.

Marnie is 38 and divorced. Her emotionally abusive husband had an affair and quickly married the other woman, had a child and is now living in domestic bliss. Marnie, on the other hand is frantically working as a freelance copy editor in order to pay the rent and try to keep afloat in a decrepit top floor 1 bed flat in London and is rather lonely as her female friendships have fallen away as her friends have become ensconced in their family lives. Marnie has one good friend left who lives near York and insists that she comes for a few days for part of a group walking holiday in the Lake District. Marnie digs into her savings to pay for the trip and brings along the latest book she is proof reading, an erotic thriller which has a tight deadline. The novel follows the group as some jump ship, they battle the elements and Marnie and Michael's back stories are revealed over the course of a few days.

What a great read, an easy page turner but with hidden depths!

Michael is trying to get over the trauma of his wrecked marriage. He is trying to erase the pain by walking across huge distances but unfortunately his friends are trying to help him by involving him in an organised walk with friends and a date. Marnie is also being helped by her friend who practically manhandles her onto their holiday walk in the Lake District. They have arranged a date for her too. Unable to wriggle out of it they find themselves forced into walking through rain sodden English countryside together. Enjoyable read.

Thank you so much for lending me the ARC, greatly appreciate it. This was a great read, David Nicholls is no doubt the master of the non traditional (or should I say realistic) love story. The characters are very relatable and it’s refreshing to see a story that it’s not about spring chickens and young love. It’s also very good that it’s raising awareness about male infertility as the burden of that usually tends to fall on the woman, over all, I really enjoyed reading it and particularly the bits over the lakes as that’s where I live :)

I’d like to thank Hodder & Stoughton, Sceptre and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘You Are Here’ written by David Nicholls in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Marnie Walsh works as a freelance copy-editor/proofreader in her flat in London, Michael Bradshaw lives in York and is a Geography teacher, both living solitary lives. When a friend organises a walking holiday Michael is determined to complete the entire nine days, whereas Marnie will stay just a couple of days. The other members of their party leave and as she’s enjoying Michael’s company, and he appears to be enjoying hers, Marnie continues walking for longer than she intended. As they walk they discuss their past lives, their loves, dreams and death, but know that eventually they must return home to their normal lives.

‘You Are Here’ isn’t your usual ‘happy-ever-after’ love story but is a poignant story of two lonely people who take on a challenging walk through the picturesque Lake District and soon realise that their new friendship is building up to more than they’d anticipated. Marnie and Michael come across as lovely people and are entirely relatable, and the dialogue is so witty and ingenuous that it’s impossible not to become totally immersed in their lives. David Nicholls has a wonderful turn of phrase and I especially enjoyed the description of the aborted attempt at wild swimming that made me laugh out loud. This has been a truly wonderful and inspirational story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and although I desperately wanted an ending where they’d fall into each other’s arms we’re left with something even better, the promise of what could happen in the future.

Oh, David Nicholls, how I love your writing. This is my third book, and I just love the way he writes.

Fresh off the back of total One Day Netflix series induced nostalgia, I loved this book. He has perfected the love story, without being too focused on it being a love story. More a people story.

This is a slow burn, the description is beautiful, the characters are brilliant.

A new David Nicholls book is a Very Good Thing, and I was already feeling very nostalgic about his amazing writing after re-reading One Day and devouring the 14 episode Netflix show in less than 24 hours. Whenever people ask me what my favourite book of all time is, I always cite One Day. It is absolute perfection.

And so we come to You Are Here – the story of Marnie and Michael, who meet on a coast-to-coast walk. The introductory chapters are classic Nicholls. He has a brilliant knack for telling you everything you need to know about his creations before the journey starts. It’s not just what the characters would tell you about themselves if you met them - it’s everything else as well. They are fully formed, and you completely understand the world that they are living in. In both Marnie and Michael (and Emma and Dexter before them), he presents likeable people with an incompleteness which you long to be filled. I feel like a lot of women will see something of themselves in both Emma and Marnie, and what always amazes me is the author’s talent for describing what could be considered a bleak situation with absolutely no judgement. Marnie and Michael are, at first, living a black and white existence, which slowly opens up to vibrant colour.

I struggled with the middle of the book in a way that I haven’t done with Nicholls’ work before, but it was fleeting, and I was soon wrapped up in the story again as it rapidly came to a conclusion. His endings are never corny or rushed, but left to breathe. I often find myself wondering what everyone’s up to now, and it will be the same for Marnie and Michael.

The dialogue is beautiful, witty and sharp – and a testament to the author’s stellar achievements as a screenwriter too. I also particularly love the way he tells us not only what his characters do, but also what they don’t do – I haven’t seen this device executed as well by anyone else.

One Day is still my favourite book of all time, but I really enjoyed spending time with some new friends and will definitely be recommending.

One Day is one of my favourite books, so I was keen to read You Are Here. Whilst I loved certain aspects of this read, mainly the beautiful descriptives you'd expect from this author, I found the pace a little slow for me this time around. That said it is a beautiful story, and one I'm sure many will love. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read an early copy.

I loved this book - not your standard romantic comedy but one that was a slow burner showing the relationship buolding between the two main characters. It's very much in the style of One Day and beautifully written, you are willing the characters on.

Not having read anything by this author, it probably took me no more than a handful of pages to ask myself, WHY have I not I read anything by this author?

It's a romance; it's an organic, down-to-earth romance with two very likeable main characters. With such witty, sharp and credible dialogue, I can't help thinking this author would be a very entertaining guest at one of those 'which ten people present or past would you invite to a dinner party'.

It's about two lonely people (Marnie and Michael) who meet on a challenging group walk. But, are they lonely or just alone? That's the beauty of Nicholls' writing…the question is cleverly and beautifully examined.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and loved being in Marnie and Michael's company. The minute I finished it, I headed straight to Amazon to seek out Nicholls' other books. He'll never be at my dinner party, of course, but I'll have many hours in his company.

Loved this book. The female lead was like looking in the mirror and reading about the story of my life in my younger years From the singlehoodship and a bad marriage to the good career and hill walking, it's all me. The way the author captures a character (warts and all) is a pure joy to read and shows how even the good people have bad bits to them. Thank you for the most realistic, everyday person love story that I've ever read, making me laugh and feel contented wrapped in my own warm blanket.

This is a beautifully written story that you need in your life. I adore this author, they create stories to lose yourself in, they have a world that we live in, but it’s all encompassing and allows you to slip into the world we live in, but with a little something extra, so you are still tethered to the world, but allowed the escapism. This story is so good that you feel the lose when you get to the last page. You get to know the characters and care for them so deeply, I don’t want to get into details about this as I wont do the story justice, if you get one thing from this review make sur that you pick this story up, even if it’s the only one you pick up this year.

A moving and joyful read. The story follows two lonely main characters, they are well fleshed out with their quirks and plenty of life baggage, this is alongside actual baggage for a successful hiking expedition.
Nature is celebrated throughout this book, with the scenery described vividly and the weather thrown in to immerse you.
What I enjoyed the most was the internal dialogues and the conversations, they are all believable and witty.
Overall an engaging feel good book. Definitely a must read for lovers of One Day and also The Flatshare.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Marnie and Michael are both recently single and both still recovering from the breakdowns of their relationships, to the point where they both still prefer being on their own. This avoidance of company has not gone unnoticed by mutual friend Cleo and, even though they have both told her that they are fine and not to meddle, she can't help but invite them both on walking weekend to try and get them out and about with other people.

Michael decides to take the opportunity to do the coast-to-coast walk and continue on once the others weekends are over, the perfect opportunity to take part in two of his favourite things, walking and being alone! While self-confessed city girl Marnie is looking forward to getting back to London at the earliest opportunity. But when the group thins out due to the awful weather, she decides to stick around for a little longer, and what a journey they both end up on!

I loved this book! The characters were believable, relatable and refreshingly older than your usual rom-com characters. Already full of life experience and burned from previous relationships, it was a different take which will appeal to all, but especially those of us in the elder-millenial/gen X age group!

I was lucky enough to get an audio ARC from netgalley and have to say the narrators both did a brilliant job.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC!

Marnie, a 38 year old book editor, has fallen into a rut in which she hardly leaves the house. She's still recovering from her divorce to a man she never should have married and who left her self-esteem wounded. She doesn't think she needs more. Her good friend Cleo does and insists that Marie join her on a coast to coast hike across the north of England. Cleo also another friend, Michael, to join them. Michael, 40, is in the process of going through his own divorce. Once through the awkwardness of meeting and setting off, Marnie and Michael fall in synch, sharing witty personalities and a willingness to face the elements.

If you think you can pretty much guess what happens, you're probably right. There are no surprises in the book. There's very little plot of any kind. Towards the end, there are some mild wrench thrown into the works, but they're quickly overcome. Michael and Marnie had no clashing integral beliefs or personality qualities which which would have served as interesting obstacles to their romance. It's the prefect kind of novel for people who want mild enjoyment without any stress or deep emotion.

The banter between Michael and Marnie was the most enjoyable bit. Their senses of humour matched perfectly and there were a lot of genuniely funny moments and jokes. They both came off as lovely people trying to recover from emotional damage. Neither were all that interesting, although Marnie revealed a surprisingly irritating side towards the end. The last-minute drama near the end, keeping the couple apart until they could get together again, felt very manufactured and a bit lazy.

I was surprised by the lack of detailed visual description. You'd think that a book about hiking through the British countryside would be over-flowing with lush sensory description, but there was only the bare minimum. I did feel empathetically exhausted from how miserable the section in which they had to hike through the rain were, though.

What I enjoyed about it: the banter and the fact that it was a romance between people around 40, rather than youngsters. It was nice to read about people who had lived and learned finding a new start.

Ultimately, this book was fine. No drastic flaws. Fun banter, but no real bones or drama. It perfectly okay, and I'll forget about it in a week.

I was so happy to receive a copy of this to review, as I have been a fan of David Nicholls since Starter for Ten.. He is the master of romance (One day, Us.) and this does not disappoint. It is full of sparkling dialogue, and although Marnie sounds like a Marian Keyes ditsy female at times, she does have depth. Michael is vulnerable and has a dry wit. I enjoyed his interchanges with his pupils. I have never attempted the coast to coast walk and I am not sure Nicholls has, but the research he has done makes it feel realistic. I will buy a copy of this for my sister-in-law who is doing the walk later this year.

David Nicholls is flavour of the month at the moment with the recent #netflix release of One Day, which happens to be one of my most favourite books and movies of all time. When the news broke that a new novel was on the way I was of course overcome with excitement and tried my very best to get a copy as early as possible - thank you #netgalley.

Two middle-aged single people lacking confidence in the dating scene brought together by mutual friends on a walking holiday. Nicholls succeeds in keeping us on the edge of our seat throughout in another story of will they or won’t they. Some genuine touching moments making me laugh and at times bringing a lump to my throat. In a strange way it felt rather nostalgic.

Marnie and Michael bond together over the many miles, and pubs of the great English countryside. But the real beauty is in Nicholls writing; his almost poetic cadence keeps on pulling the reader along as though we are secretly peaking into the blossoming relationship of the central characters.

Quote of the book ‘Each story inconsequential in itself but adding detail, as if increasing the resolution of a photograph’.

A solid 5 star read, Nicholls has knocked it out the park again and this will stay with me do some time.

This an absolute delight. Oh my goodness I enjoyed it SO MUCH. It’s about two lonely people who meet as part of a group doing a Coast to Coast walk in the UK. Michael’s marriage recently ended and he’s still hoping to get his wife back, while Marnie has been single for some time and it trying to force herself to get out more. The woman who organised the group is vaguely trying to matchmake each of them with other people but circumstances throw them together and they become friends.

David Nicholls is also a screenwriter and he has such a gift for writing conversations. A lot of the book is the banter between Michael and Marnie and I felt like I was there, with them, being entertained by their witty conversation and hoping they’d figure out that they were meant to be together. But also not wanting the book to end, because I just wanted to keep hanging out with them both.

If you enjoy The Trip, it has that kind of feel to it. I felt like I was seeing lovely parts of northern England (this book made me want to lace up my hiking boots and get out there immediately, which believe me is quite the feat) whilst also being entertained by their random and often very funny conversations.

I received an ARC from Net Galley, but I want to buy this and have it on my shelves forever. I adored it.

This was a great book and beautifully written. The concept was excellent- the walking coast to coast, incredible geography and location descriptions interspersed with sections where we get to know Michael and Marnie. What is Michael pacing away from, why is Marnie so out of practice with social interaction? I loved the characters and the gentle exploration of their past was very cleverly done. I admire that he’s left me wanting more from the ending, an excellent read that I would highly recommend.

My first book from David Nicholls after hearing fulsome applause for his writing and it did not disappoint. This story follows the developing relationship between Marnie and Michael as they walk the coast to coast route from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin's Hood Bay in the east.
Most of the chapters are short and alternate between the two main character over the days of the walk. Through his characters Nicholls carefully studies themes of loneliness, love and middle age, set against the background of hills, lakes, cooked breakfasts and past loves.
Having lived in Shap for a while I was intrigued by the way it was portrayed and knowing many of the other places on the route only increased my interest.
I have to admit at times I wanted to shout at Michael to 'get on with it' but that would actually have spoiled the story but this book is an excellent lesson in letting go of the past and learning to start again.
With thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an early copy in return for an honest review.