Marnie and Michael are both single and meet on a walking tour through the English countryside.
A slow moving story about new friendships and taking chances.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unlike the two protagonists, Marnie and Michael I raced through this book and found it an enjoyable read. The two key characters have both encountered significant challenges in their lives that are skillfully revealed as the two journey from coast to coast . Their relationship deepens as revelations are shared and as the miles clock up you start to share their tentative hopes of possible differing futures . The joy and the pain of walking in glorious scenery is skillfully explored and as a walker the experiences ring true . I laughed and sighed and feel these two characters will be great company on your next holiday be it on a challenging walk or restful lounger .

This was something of a warm hug in a book, even with all of the rain encountered, and it was a real feel good read where you knew you were in safe hands and that the ending would be satisfying.
In addition to this it made me really want to re-visit the Lake District, but maybe not to do the coast to coast walk.

ng coast to coast. None of the rest of the group are attempting anything as ambitious, and soon the relentless rain has scared off the three other walkers, who have scattered back to the safe havens of their various homes. Marnie decides, however, to stick it out, and soon they are two.

Marnie is in her late thirties, Michael in his early forties, and both have gone through recent separations and are reckoning with their next steps in life. Over the course of the long, wet hike, they open up to each other about their biggest hopes and fears. Marnie keeps intending to get the train back to London, before deciding to stay for just one more day of the trek.

You Are Here is brimming with Nicholls’ trademark charm and heart. It’s funny and sentimental without being overly so, and the characters, for all their foibles, are lovable.

Nicholls perfectly captures the English countryside in all its beauty (and otherwise) and has a knack for the perfect metaphor to capture a character’s feelings, like how he describes “Melancholy … creeping in, the kind of distilled, high-grade sadness found under a bus shelter in a rainy seaside town.” Maybe these cultural references won’t translate to foreign audiences, but anyone who has spent any time in the UK knows exactly what that means. The two leads have rich internal lives and we depart the novel feeling like we know them quite well indeed.

Most of this book is conversation, and Nicholls is a gifted screenwriter, so it’s no surprise that this has a cinematic quality to it (and after the success of the magnificent One Day Netflix adaption, watch this space…) You Are Here is warm and wry and profound in its simplicity.

This book was so beautiful! I raced through it and was so sad to finish it, I wanted to find out what happened next with Marnie and Michael. The plot was quite simple but I just adored the conversations between the characters, the banter between the two main characters was so well written, I laughed out loud numerous times. I also cried at the end of the book so it was a whole range of emotions really! The descriptions of the landscape during the walking scenes were absolute perfection. Just beautifully written. I want to start it all over again. Highly recommend.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was an enjoyable read. The two leads were interesting characters and Nicholls wrote a dual narrative well. I enjoyed the Coast to Coast backdrop (and spotting places referenced in the Yorkshire Shepherdess books). The plot was a fresh take on romance genre which I enjoyed, although the ending felt a bit abrupt.

I enjoyed this book but must admit I was a little disappointed.. David Nichols is an excellent writer and the pathos in this storyline resonated with me. It is definitely worth a read but there is something I cannot put my finger on that is missing for me.

Beautifully written, glorious settings and descriptions of our English landscapes and beautiful countryside. The characters were sweet and enjoyable. A nice, cosy read.

David Nicholls book, You Are Here, is a fabulous read from a master of fiction.
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The story is mainly of two people, Marnie and Michael, middle aged and single.

Arranged by a mutual friend, Cleo, they set out on a group walk starting at St. Bees on the west coast and to end at Robins Hood Bay on the East coast.

With the cosy way that is David Nicholls own, these believable characters are written with style as they walk through heartaching beautiful descriptions of the countryside.

Ive read many of David Nicholls books and this doesn't disappoint.

My thanks go to NetGalley and the publishers Hodder & Stoughton, Sceptre, for an advanced copy of this book for my honest review.

I have two complaints to make about this book. The first is that it’s over, and after coming to love Marnie and Michael I wasn’t yet ready to move on from their story. The second is about the unfairness of David Nicholls possessing quite so much talent when surely it would only be reasonable to share this out a little more equitably with his fellow authors?
I devoured You Are Here during a stressful 24 hours in which I only managed about 4 hours of sleep, and the book was well worth staying awake for. Immersing myself in Marnie and Michael’s world, in their walk and the complexity of their back stories, their budding relationship and their personal growth, made for a glorious way to forget my own worries. I smiled often, always warmly and sometimes wryly, as I shared in their experiences and relished their banter. The dialogue sparkled and the pace bowled along. Now that this book has ended, I’ll miss it, and it’s one of my top reads for 2024.
Thank you to the enviably talented author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this gorgeous, uplifting book. I’m sure to be droning on about it for ages to anyone who’ll listen. Highly recommended.

Being a huge fan of David Nicholls I had high expectations for his latest offering and I was certainly not disappointed.
'You are Here' is a beautiful and compelling story full of humour and characters that you become highly invested in alongside an engaging storyline set amidst a stunning landscape - what more could you want from a book?

Marnie and Michael, two lonely individuals as a result of relationship breakdowns are brought together by their mutual friend Cleo on a planned group rambling trip in Cumbria. As various party members leave the group the two main protagonists find themselves the last two rambling and unexpectedly find comfort from each other along the way. Obviously things are never straightforward and there are a few twists in the tale as the book progresses all adding to the anticipation regarding how things will end.

A lovely read and one I just didn't want to end. I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book and am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

A very tender read that made me well up in parts. David Nicholls has the unique ability to make the smallest of human moments feel big. I loved the Lake District setting and the use of the natural world to mirror the emotional journey of the central characters. Would recommend!

I loved the premise of this one and like both MC’s - really related to Marnie and liked Mike. I loved the descriptions of the route they were walking and the dialogue was so well done, I felt like I was eavesdropping on real conversations!
Only thing that let it down for me was the ending, something a tad more dramatic would have been nice - but u suppose it was more true to life this way.

‘You Are Here’ by David Nicholls is a glorious love letter to the British countryside, to friendships, to walking, to solitude but not loneliness, and to love itself. We are introduced to copy-editor Marnie and geography teacher Michael, both of whom are going through difficult times when their mutual friend Cleo corrals them - along with some other ‘strays’ - into joining her on a walking holiday. While Londoner Marnie just wants to get through the active parts of the trip and push herself to interact with others, Michael revels in the peacefulness of rambling and plans to continue after the rabble return to their comfortable homes and complete a famous coast-to-coast route. As rain falls and plans change, Marnie and Michael open up to each other, tentatively at first, and learn about the healing power of nature and conversation.

I felt deep connections to the two main characters, both to their emotions and their hobbies - Marnie’s love of reading endeared her to me, and the discussion of the book she was editing provided comic relief. I also liked Cleo, who was a driving force in the tale and had a huge heart even if not a perfect understanding of her friends’ wants and needs. I really enjoyed the scenic descriptions of the route, and the musical interlude sang out to me - immersing me into eclectic music and the great outdoors.

Like any cross-country trail, nothing about this novel was a straight line and I adored how realistic and true to their past experiences the evolution of their relationship was. The age of the main characters - a little older than many romantic protagonists - was also a selling point for me.

While it didn’t quite reach the dizzying heights and gut-wrenching devastation of ‘One Day’ for me, this was a wonderful read and one I would wholeheartedly recommend. As Marnie would say, this book is like a warm quilt to wrap yourself up in, while also inspiring you to breathe in some fresh air. 4.5 stars!

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley. The opinions in this review are my own.

The new David Nicholls, You Are Here drew me in immediately because it’s so beautifully written. It’s a book about walking; at least, one particular walk but thankfully without a lot of ‘walking and fresh air are so good for your mental health’ guff. The first section deals with Marnie. She lives alone in London and has got to the stage where she’s so used to her own company that she refuses invitations and just stays at home, working. Next, we are obviously with a geography teacher on a field trip, trying to impress upon his students the beauty of the landscape and the even greater beauty and wonder of its creation by glaciation at a time so long ago they can’t begin to imagine it. This part is realistic and very funny. The teacher is Michael, also on his own because his wife has left him and he can’t get over it.

A friend of both Marnie and Michael organises a group walk to include both. Michael plans to do the entire coast to coast walk, the others to join him for just a few days. To my disgust, the friend and others drop out when torrential rain sets in, leaving Marnie and Michael alone. How Marnie swears when she gets soaked to the skin (in spite of all that expensive new gear she bought) and curses Michael for saying the walk is easy. Yet, as they get to know each other better, she stays walking for longer than she’d planned to. Could there possibly be a future for them? Michael does later plan a field trip in London, so that he can see Marnie again but is he still too damaged for a new relationship? The book ends on this ambiguous note. It will be out at the end of April and I read it thanks to NetGalley. I haven’t really done it justice here.

Well, I hate to admit that this is my first experience of reading David Nicholas, and what a way to start.
I was hooked on this and finished in 2 sittings. Michael and Marnie, as a result of circumstances, have both found themselves becoming isolated and preferring their own company. Michael has taken to long, solitary walks and Marnie barely leaves her flat.
Both agree to a walking weekend in the lakes with persuasive friend Cleo not leaving much choice.
Michael is determined to walk coast to coast alone.
Over the course of a week and some gorgeous scenery, Marnie and Michael behind to understand each other in ways they never expected.
This book had me hooked. The characters were so well formed and I laughed out loud in places. A wonderful book.

This is another well written, thoughtful story from David Nicholls whose books I have enjoyed since I first read One Day. I like the way he dives deep into how relationships really work without being trite or expected. I’m going to buy this book in book form, rather than kindle for my husband as I know he’ll enjoy the coast to coast walk descriptions as much as the story.

This book charmed me. There is no high drama, the pace is gentle, the cast of characters small. But the writing is excellent, witty and clever, and as I read it I realised that at times my cheeks ached from smiling.
Two people with failed relationships are persuaded (coerced) by a mutual friend into joining her and some other friends on a walking holiday across North England. Both are reluctant to leave their comfort zone - they have become almost hermit-like, and spend a lot of time convincing themselves that they are happy this way. They spend more and more time together as the other walkers drop (‘chicken’) out.
Marnie and Michael, the main characters are so well written, I didn’t want to say goodbye when the story ended. Their humorous banter hides their true feelings and they are so very relatable. Who hasn’t practiced conversational gambits inside their head, or mentally berated themselves for a ‘Why on Earth did I just say THAT?’ moment?
Humour and pathos are skilfully mixed with foul weather, blisters, and the threat of wild swimming to produce a very satisfying read..

Fans of David Nichols will not be disappointed with his latest book. I found it tremendously moving as the sadnesses of Marnie’s and Michael’s lives were unfolded. I really loved Michael’s character - possibly influenced by the fact that my partner is a geography teacher! I absolutely loved the Coast to Coast setting, it almost inspired me to walk the route. The characters have stayed with me long after I have finished the book, I want to know more about how their lives continue. I highly recommend this book.

Adored this bittersweet story of Marnie and Michael, both scarred by splitting with a spouse. The backdrop of a coast to coast walk across Northern England is beautifully described but the real emotional pull is the characters and their perfect dialogue. Definitely one for Gen X!