I enjoyed reading this book but didn’t love it. About a third of the way through I wasn’t sure if I would finish it but I stayed with it to the end. David Nichols portrays the highs and lows of life so well and in these times when the media makes you feel you are somehow falling short if you enjoy a simple day to day life it was comforting. Worth a read.

I devoured this book in two days, loving the growing relationship between Michael, recently separated, and Marnie, used to living alone and content in her own way, after a difficult divorce. Her sense of humour and clever wit help ease Michael out of his desire for solitude and offer us the joy of listening in to their banter and growing mutual respect. The intensity of the writing and the description of the beautiful scenery (and, often horrendous, weather) made me feel I was accompanying them on their hike coast to coast across the glorious English countryside. Many laugh out loud moments, along with the recognition of the loneliness and social alienation experienced by so many, make this an emotional but fascinating read.

Many thanks for NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book but I didn't love it like I wanted and expected to. I'm a similar age to the characters in the book and found I did connect with the book's themes of loneliness and how easy it is to just stay in the house and not put yourself out there. I found I liked Michael's character more that Marnie's - I found her a bit annoying. I loved the concept of the book - a walk with a group of people. It's simple and effective as you don't need to concentrate on anything else other than the main characters and them overcoming their own fears and anxieties.

Would recommend if you are a fan of David Nicholls.

I loved this book. The characters, locations and issues are all relatable and whether you are laughing along or close to tears, the journey is well -worth it. A must read for fans of One Day and Sweet Sorrow - Nicholls' new novel does not disappoint.

A story of the messiness of love and loneliness, set against the backdrop of the coast to coast walk from St Bees to Robin Hood’s Bag. Two people thrust together through the unintended matchmaking of a mutual friend, both intended for others.

Outstanding! Having just watched the Netflix version of One Day I was really excited to receive this ARC. It surpassed all expectations - a sure fire best seller. Can't recommend it enough.

Michael and Marnie are on the cusp of middle-age. They’ve both come out of failed marriages and in Michael’s case, a traumatic event that has left him both emotionally and physically scarred. They’ve each embraced their solitary lifestyle. So when they’re thrown together on a long walk across England, the relationship that develops between them takes them both by surprise and, predictably, is far from plain sailing. So much so, that it’s not clear until the very last page whether or not things will work out for them this time.

This is the story of two people who have got out of the habit of expecting happiness and don’t know what to do with it when it sneaks up on them. David Nicholls is brilliant at depicting the small events that add up to hope or disappointment. An utterly addictive read and the book I’ve most enjoyed so far this year.

I loved this book so much! It is the story of Marnie and Michael who are both persuaded to come along on a walking holiday by their mutual friend, Cleo. They are both happily single after each coming out of difficult relationships, and are an unlikely match. When they find themselves alone for several days, a friendship begins to develop and I really enjoyed this relationship developing. There were laugh out loud moments and it was so cleverly written, with these two flawed characters growing on me with each passing chapter. This is my first book by this author and I’ll definitely be looking for more as it was a joy!

Two lonely people, the coast to coast walk, lots of geography and blisters. In David Nicholls' hands this becomes the most delicious, quirky, funny tale of trying and failing, starting again and enjoying the journey. Marnie and Michael are great, rounded, funny, flawed characters and I wanted to stay with them longer.

David Nicholls has done it yet again.

Marnie and Michael are in their late ‘30s/early ‘40s and have shut themselves off from the world. Both are incredibly lonely and have a lot of emotional baggage that they’re trundling around with them.

They find themselves embarking on a very long walk together, after being introduced by their mutual friend Cleo, and abandoned by the rest of the walking group after a couple of days and a lot of rain.

David Nicholls has such a talent for creating characters that you feel like you know so well. I always feel like I’ve lost some friends when I get to the end of one of his books, like I want to continue on their journey with them and I’m sad that it’s over. That’s exactly how I felt about Marnie and Michael.

It was so refreshing to read a romance about characters in their late ‘30s/early ‘40s, who were a bit worn down by life and struggling to deal with moving forward. It made it all a bit more hopeful. I was rooting for them both the whole time.

A little slow starting, (but I love a slow book) I found the novel really took off for me when their friends left and it was just Marnie and Michael. I felt like that there was where we really got to know the characters and I became fully immersed in their conversations and their thoughts. I also loved the way their personalities, thought quite opposite in a lot of ways, bounced off each other so well.

A really lovely story.

Oh, oh, oh, a new David Nicholls book! And it didn't disappoint. I didn't want it to end, although I did, to find out what happened.
Michael and Marnie are two single strangers approaching middle age, living lonely, separate lives, north and south of the country. Michael is a geography teacher, obsessed with geology and his broken relationship with his beloved ex. Marnie is a self-employed, self-taught book editor who is finding her way after divorcing her entirely unsuitable husband She is anchored to her work, her 'cosmopolitan' life in London and, most of all, the joys of the English language. The two are thrown together by a mutual friend on an arduous walk across luscious countryside in the Lake District and Yorkshire Moors. As the walk progresses, and as other walkers fall by the wayside, the reader learns more about the two of them and their problematic love lives. We are willing them to get together, to reach some kind of understanding that will see them triumph, ultimately, as a couple. But the course of true love, just like a coast-to-coast walk, does not run smoothly.
I loved this book. I loved the characters of Michael and Marnie (and most of all, Marnie, who has a kick-ass sense of humour and pedantic eye for detail). Nicholls' writing is seemingly effortless and a joy to read. Tender moments are captured with humour and clarity. There are laugh out loud moments and I imagined myself picturing who might play the roles when it's adapted into a television series.
Unlike 'Us', this novel has so much hope at its core, following the desperation and isolation of the covid lockdowns. It reminded me a little of 'Sweet Sorrow' in the playfulness and naivety of the main characters.
Thoroughly recommended.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance readers' copy of this novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this lovely book.

The last David Nicholls I read was Starter for Ten and it didn't live up to the hype, which put me off reading more. However given the chance to read this ARC I thought why not? The premise sounded fun and it was everything it promised and more.

The characters of Marnie and Michael were perfect. Just the sort of people you'd love to meet in the pub. Funny but not trying too hard, self deprecating, silly and not taking themselves seriously throughout the coast to coast walk from the Irish to the North Sea across beautiful countryside. What better way to figure out what (and who) you want in life?

Not that it's plain sailing for 2 casualties of previous relationships who both prefer their own company to anyone else's. But David Nicholls effortlessly brings the two protagonists plus their supporting cast to life plus we have the joy of a walk without having to set foot outside our own doors or do any of the hard work.

Really enjoyed it. It made me laugh and cry (a bit). Really engaging story that I'd highly recommend to anyone who wants to spend a few hours lost in someone else's life.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advance review copy.

A heartwarming and enjoyable read! If you're looking for something easy and light and fun to read then this is the book for you! It didn't quite pull me in in the way that I would have liked, but I didn't struggle to read it and found it really refreshing and nice. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC!

A gorgeous ramble with characters getting to know each other and work through their issues whilst on an iconic walking trip from coast to coast. Nicholls brings to life the inner struggles of those hovering around 40 years old who haven't quite got it all figured out but need to know if they can try it all again.

Filled with lots of lovely moments that will resonate with readers, I loved this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC of this book. Best wishes for the release in April!

You Are Here is a heart-warming read. I truly enjoyed its two main characters, Michael and Marnie, and found them as endearing as relatable.
It made me want to walk and felt like a hug when you most need it, it is a book that doesn't quite grip you in but you won't find hard to finish.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC.

Michael is a geography teacher. Eighteen months ago his wife Natasha left him and moved back in with her parents. Since then he has become a bit of a hermit, only happy in his own company, and he spends evenings and weekends walking alone. One of his oldest friends, and now boss, is Cleo who constantly nags him to go out, to meet people, to try dating, but despite being lonely, Michael still isn't over his marriage. When Michael tells Cleo he intends to do the 190 mile coast-to-coast walk devised by Alfred Wainwright she persuades him that it would be fun to have some company, at least for the first couple of days, Cleo and her husband and teenage son, a couple of other people etc.

Marnie is a divorced copy-editor. Self-employed, since her divorce she has noticed that friends have drifted away as they start families so that now she rarely sees anyone or goes anywhere. After a depressing collage of her photos for the year reveals no social activity whatsoever, Marnie admits to herself that she is lonely and resolves to agree to any opportunity to socialise when it next occurs. So when Cleo invites her to join her, her husband, and Marnie's godson on a three day walk she agrees.

Things go wrong right from the start. Cleo's husband and one of the other guests can't make it. The weather is foul, and Cleo's godson decides he would rather stay in his hotel room and play video games. One of the other guests decides he'll just take a taxi to the next hotel on their walk and take advantage of the bar. Eventually, all the other guests make their excuses and leave early, but Marnie, perhaps because she can't afford to change her ticket, decides she'll continue for the rest of the three days.

Despite having very little in common, Michael and Marnie do share a wry sense of humour, and as they walk they find it easy to confide in each other big feelings about love, having children, death, etc.

I was going to say I've never read a David Nicholls book (although I've seen a few films of his books) but GR reliably tells me I've read One Day and I'm pretty sure I've also read Starter for Ten, but this book is very different to both of them. For a start it features a couple firnly in middle age (thirty-eight and forty-two I believe). It also goes into a great deal of detail about the coast-to-coast walk which made me (a dedicated couch potato) dream of making the journey, even the bits where it rained like Armageddon and Marnie couldn't stop swearing at Michael as she crawled up hills.

My lasting impression is that this book has something of the Alan Bennett about it - couldn't say why, but I do.

Gentle, sad, witty, funny, grim, touching it's got everything. Loved it.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

I loved this book, and the journey (physical and emotional) of Michael (never Mike) and Marnie.
So much gentle humour, and set in a beautiful landscape, it almost makes me want to do the walk myself.
Mike is a geography teacher, Marnie a copy editor, and both have reached a crossroads in their life.
While walking coast to coast through hills and lakes they find companionship, and maybe more.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity to read this book.

Marnie and Michael unite on a coast to coast with mutual friends. Both are burdened with the scars of their previous relationships but strike up an unexpected friendship.

I loved this book, the main characters were very likeable in their own zany ways and the premise of the book was interesting.

‘These are the remains of the Drum House. Would you like to know why it’s called the Drum House?’ ‘Michael, if you tell me why, I will push you down this hill.’

I liked this book up to this point and after this I giggled and continued to giggle at Marnie and Michael’s banter. I have never read any David Nicholls books but I did watch One Day on Netflix and decided to give this a try and I have to say I really enjoy his writing style and character development. You get to know the main characters Marnie and Michael seamlessly and naturally over the course of the book. It almost felt at times I was walking alongside them and watching their squabbles while also saying to myself ‘yeah this is going to end in romance’. It seems like a simple romance novel but its oh so much more than that.

Marnie is a divorcee in her thirties who loves to stay indoors and read and for good luck, her job is editing, so she gets to read for a living. She’d never leave the house or meet anyone if she had her way. Michael is a divorce in his forties and he’s a teacher and lover of the outdoors. Michael is inward and tends to enjoy being alone for the most part but luckily for us they have a common friend who is intent on setting them up, Marnie with a handsome pharmacist called Conrad and for Michael an outdoorsy lady who unfortunately winds up not being able to make this weekend away of hillwalking so Michael gets to walk mostly alone(Fun!) Marnie and Conrad seem to hit it off but Conrad is more into F1 than reading and turns up to the hillwalking in jeans! While Marnie finds him attractive she can’t really seem to act natural around him and theres just no spark.

After the first day Conrad decides hillwalking is not for him and he heads back to the city leaving Marnie, Michael and their friend the matchmaker Cleo. Cleo has her son in tow as her walking partner so inevitably Marnie and Michael begrudgingly walk together. And it’s all uphill, then downhill then many exhausting steps together, both just hoping to get back alone and to their lives as soon as possible. And this sets up a wonderful story of two introverted and curmudgeonly people finding themselves warming to each other.

I LOVED this book and I am definitely going to make a point of reading more of David Nicholls books. The story flowed so well and you were getting to know the characters alongside them. I giggled at so many parts. I loved Marnie so much and could relate to both her and Michael. At one point I made a note on my kindle asking if such a man exists?!! I felt so endeared to him. I really enjoyed their banter and it never once felt forced or awkward. I enjoyed spending time with them while reading. I want to read it again!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the eARC of this book and thank you to David Nicholls for writing it.

Michael likes walking alone. Marnie is alone. They both dislike the word lonely. It's hard to write a synopsis for this book but it isnt hard to enjoy reading it.

I had trust issues with Nicholls after reading one day and this book has restored the trust...a bit. He has such a clever way of writing; he captures the every day in a really particular, desxriotive way. There are clever subtle details interwoven throughout and the characters are natural, people you know or have seen. Nicholls is an expert at weaving their backstories throughout the plot naturally too without it feeling trite or forced. You gradually see the characters unfurl as they get to know each other and you get to know them.

The setting of the coast to coast adds a nice British layer to the story - even if the stops areargely fictional!


I enjoyed this - it took me a few pages to get into it but then I just wanted to know everything about Marbie and Micheal.