This was such a great book, I flew through it in two days. David Nicholls is absolutely unrivalled in his ability to write relatable and incredibly likable characters. “You are here” follows Marnie and Michael, who are both leading quite solitary lives following relationship breakdowns. They meet on a walking trip arranged by a mutual friend and end up walking coast to coast across the north of England together after everyone else leaves. The progression of their relationship was adorable and I found myself rooting for them right from the start. I loved the fact that it was set in such beautiful scenery too, it really made it feel like you were there with them. I’d recommend this book to everyone.

Thanks to netgalley for providing this advanced copy for the purpose of review.

I have read many books from this author so had high expectations from this. It did not disappoint. The author writes so well that it is easy to get drawn into the story. I found it to be a gentle but relatable read that never lost my interest from start to finish.

Nicholls has done it again! You Are Here is a beautiful, bittersweet romance, following Marnie and Michael as they unexpectedly fall in love... or do they? A kind of Beatrice and Benedick of the modern age, the reader certainly falls in love with them.

An ode to the north, to nature and to new chances, You Are Here is a gentle, humourous and affirming novel that belongs right where it is, at the top of everyone's reading list. Zero regrets with this read.

Marnie and Michael have met once. They live at other ends of the country and are both single and feeling a bit sad. They are both friends with Cleo who has arranged a walking holiday with Michael and some others. Cleo thinks Michael will get on well with Tessa, and Marnie with Conrad. Tessa doesn’t come; and Conrad only comes for one night. Michael and Marnie get on really weak but neither seem in a hurry to make a move. This is the story of their walking holiday and what happens after. I really enjoyed this book.

Beautifully written, the author is a wonderful observer of what makes us human. Marnie and Michael meet on a walking holiday, Marnie is a editor and Michael a geography teacher, and over the course of a few days they find that in eachother's company a future is possible. I love the author's gentle, yet seductive writing style, giving us all hope that in this unpredictable world, love and happiness is there to be found

A really clever story that pulled me in from the first page and kept me hooked to the end.
David Nicholls has a beautiful writing style and this tale is skillfully structured and expertly plotted. The novel is intelligent with dark comedy scattered throughout. Marnie and Michael were completely immersive and relatable characters that you get to know throughout the trials of the coastal walk they are attempting. The description of the landscape and scenery added to the atmosphere.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

The first David Nicholls book I have read and it certainly won’t be the last! I really enjoyed this book, I loved Marnie and Michael they felt like real people and characters that most readers can probably relate to in some way. What kept me most engaged was the conversations between the characters and the banter, it was just effortless and so believable. I loved the scenic descriptions and I would have been happy if there was another 100 pages of this book, I didn’t want it to end.

This is a lovely story filled with wonderful, British characters. The banter between the characters is spot on and the descriptions of the hiking made me want to walk coast to coast too!

I’ve read and enjoyed all of David Nicholls’ books and this one was no different.

I would love to know what happens next. I would love a sequel

‘You Are Here’ takes the reader on a path with Michael and Marnie as they journey through a week of self discovery. The writing slowly builds your knowledge of the characters and it’s hard to believe it focuses on such a short time period when you discover so much about them. The descriptions felt beautifully representative of the British weather and landscapes. Similarly, the descriptions of the characters emotional thoughts and worries felt current to modern day concerns. I felt easily able to connect with the Cumbrian scenery. I really enjoyed the tale focusing on finding and connecting with someone when you’re least expecting it.

A really brilliant 5-star read from David Nicolls, You Are Here is a must read - here's hoping for a TV adaption!

"You Are Here" is a poignant tale of two individuals, Marnie and Michael, who find themselves stuck in life's complexities. Marnie feels trapped in her London flat, while Michael is grappling with the aftermath of his wife's departure. When fate and a mutual friend intervene, they embark on a transformative journey across the moors and fells, where they discover the possibility of a new friendship. Nicholls masterfully weaves together themes of loneliness, resilience, and the power of human connection in this heartwarming novel. "You Are Here" reminds us that sometimes, getting lost is the first step towards finding our way home.

You Are Here by David Nicholls is the long-awaited new novel by the author of One Day. Michael, a Geography teacher, and Marnie, a freelance copy editor, embark on a 190 mile long walk across Britain from the Lake District to the North Sea coast on a group holiday set up by their mutual friend Cleo. A connection begins to blossom between Michael and Marnie, but loneliness and insecurity caused by past relationships impacts their self-confidence in the present. Marnie’s slightly extreme self-deprecation is reminiscent of Emma’s personality in ‘One Day‘ while the road trip aspect is a smaller scale version of Douglas’s tour of Europe in Us. ‘You Are Here’ doesn’t have a shock ending like ‘One Day’ – which a lot of readers will probably be grateful for – but Michael and Marnie’s journey is witty, warmly written and very enjoyable. Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for sending me a review copy via NetGalley.

Nicholls' latest rom-com offers a charming escape into the world of Michael and Marnie, whose witty banter and realistic quirks make for an engaging read.

While the narrative flows smoothly and the humor is genuine, I couldn't help but feel it lacked the depth I anticipated. The story unfolds predictably, with few surprises along the way.

While enjoyable for a light holiday read, its reluctance to delve into more challenging themes left me wanting more.

Despite this, Nicholls' mastery of dialogue and knack for creating relatable characters shine through, making it a pleasant but ultimately forgettable experience.

Having read One Day and loving it as being of an age where it reasonated with me this book did the same. Time has moved on and he is writing about an older 'crowd' and the challenges faced by those finding life hasn't turned out how they thought and coupled with Covid meeting people hasn't been the same as it was and being more hermit like is a thing.

Walking can be cathartic and it's always easier to talk side by side rather than face to face - a simple but big difference.

It's not fast paced but tells the story of how friendship can be found quickly with shared experiences. A great read.

A really lovely and typically British book, full of banter, and warmth. The dialogue between Marnie and Michael was fabulous and I felt I was walking with them.

One day is one of my all time favourite books and like everyone else I thoroughly enjoyed the recent Netflix adaptation. The Anne Hathaway film was one of the first films I ever saw in the cinema with my husband years ago. I was absolutely delighted to receive and ARC of You are here and had high expectations going in. It did not disappoint. I was lost in the story and loved the main character Marnie and really wanted things to work out for her. I read this while under pressure with deadlines and it was brilliant escapism. The descriptions of the lake district helped bring the book to life and I felt like I was there walking with Marnie and Michael. I highly recommend this book- a heart warming funny book.
Thank you to the @netgalley , the publisher and @davidnichollswriter for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#scottishreader #irishbookstagram #youarehere
You are here is out now.

Michael and Marnie meet on a walking break organised by a mutual friend. When they are left as the last two on the trip will they take a chance with each other? A great setting for the book too.

A gentle story of friendship, love and walking.

Michael organises a walking break with his friend Cleo and her family and some of their friends. Marnie joins them and after a couple of days, only Michael and Marnie are left.

Walking alongside each other, they find the confidence and space to talk about their lives and lost loves, as well as being honest to themselves about their feelings.

I loved Michael’s character, I wasn’t so keen on Marnie, however, I really enjoyed this book. I have thought about it since, it actually goes a lot deeper than just a book about walking. It sympathetically addresses so many emotions, fears, things we struggle to accept about ourselves let alone reveal to others.

It’s a cleverly written book, I’d definitely recommend it.

The premise of this book is a simple one - circumstances bring together a man and a woman on a walk from coast to coast across the north of England. Both of them feel old and have experienced past misfortunes in love which stick with them. The story progresses exactly as you would expect, gently ambling towards its inevitable destination.

Through not so strong as David Nicholls' previous works, 'You Are Here' is an enjoyable and genteel stroll through the countryside. It's undemanding, for the most part, and pleasant to spend time in the company of. The characters are fun and the repartee witty.

This is not a complex or deep book, but it's a journey worth taking.

You Are Here by David Nicholls

I have had the joy of reading two books, each by one of my favourite authors, back to back on my holidays and I have genuinely loved it. David Nicholls has been a household name thanks to the new production of One Day on Netflix. The beauty of Nicholls’s novel about friends Emma and Dex makes it one of my favourites of all time and I’m definitely not alone. There was a time back in the 2000s where if you were on a train journey most of the people in your carriage were reading One Day. It was a book that utterly broke my heart because I believed in those characters so much and the shock of what happened is still with me, to such an extent that I haven’t been able to watch the last two episodes of the series. I can’t bear what’s coming. Similarly, both the book and BBC adaptation of his novel Us was deeply moving but utterly real. With the wonderful Tom Hollander as his lead, we become so emotionally invested in this couple, then just as they’re ready set to out for a once in a lifetime trip his wife asks for a divorce. Their plan, to spend all summer travelling around Europe, would be their last trip as a family, before their son leaves home for university. Can they set aside this bombshell and continue with their holiday? The set up in both these earlier novels is so simple and You Are Here is no different. A group of friends travel from London to the Lake District to walk some of Wainwright’s pathways through the Cumbria towards the Pennines. Cleo has invited four single friends; Conrad is meant for copy editor Marnie and Tessa is intended to get on with geography teacher and dedicated walker Michael who is extending his trip to walk the entire coast to coast, ending in Robin Hood’s Bay. Michael is still getting over a divorce so finds these social occasions difficult, much preferring solitude. Marnie spends much of her time alone too, so this will be a step out of their comfort zone for both of them. When the others bail out after a day of endless rain, Marnie and Michael are left to walk together. Can they both strike up a friendship?

David Nicholls has this amazing ability to articulate the minutiae of conversation and communication between the opposite sexes. He’s also brilliant with those tiny moments of shared humour, stolen glimpses and the body language of love. It may seem strange that a whole book is about two people walking across the country, but everything happens within that time spent together. After a couple of days Michael can see that Marnie is an inexperienced walker but determined, intelligent and well-read, has been in relationships that eroded her confidence, has a keen sense of humour but tends to lose it a little when tired and hungry. Marnie is surprised by Michael. Although she knows little about geography she can appreciate how passionate he is about his subject, he wears his beard as a mask so that people keep their distance, is perfectly comfortable in his own company and is hurt very badly by the break-down of his marriage. This isn’t two young people swept up in the blind passions of love at first sight. This is a slow burn. It’s a potential romance that grows slowly and unexpectedly for both of them. It’s lovely to read a ‘real’ love story about people who are older and have been kicked about a bit by love in the past. Nicholls has alternated each character’s chapters, so we’re also taken into Marnie and Michael’s inner worlds. Within these chapters we have flashbacks through their lives and their past relationships, slowly learning what has built these people who are in front of us, trying to bring their lives together. We are also privy to private thoughts that let us know this couple could be perfect for each other. When bullied into social activity by friends we can see that they’re both introverts. Michael agrees to a plan just to make Cleo shut up. She means well, it’s just that for her the answer to a empty weekend is the presence of others, while it’s their absence that floats his boat. Similarly Marnie knows that a bit of socialising is expected, however…

‘She had become addicted to the buzz of the cancelled plan […]for the moment no words were sweeter to Marnie than ‘I’m sorry, I can’t make it.’ It was like being let off an exam that she expected to fail.’

I understood Marnie. I was the kid at school who was so excited to have finished the reading scheme by age eight, because while everyone else was reading to the teacher I had free library time. I would pull up a beanbag and disappear into the world of the Little Women or Jane Eyre, loving that I was alone, out of the hustle and bustle of the classroom I was free to be anywhere just by opening a book and stepping through a wardrobe. Marnie gives a similar description of her early reading years to mine, the weekly library visits and the devouring of anything I could find and making no distinction between what was deemed literature and what wasn’t. My only criteria was that I enjoyed it. I learned to enjoy activities with friends - ice skating, horse riding, cinema - but nothing beat that thrill of knowing a delicious book was waiting in my room.

‘Private, intimate, a book was something she could pull around and over herself, like a quilt.’

Reading is a little like Michael’s walking in that it takes me on a journey, but also helps me unplug from the stress of daily life. If I’m reading a physical book it’s even more separate from the world because it’s not alerting me to things on social media, emails or messages from friends with cat videos. She wonders if her reserve and need for alone time comes from her upbringing with parents she’d describe as cautious and timid:

‘At no point did her parents move house, gamble, use an overdraft, change jobs, have affairs, go abroad, shout in public, park illegally, eat on the street or get drunk, and while they must have had sex at some point, this was covered up as carefully as a past murder. Marnie was the only evidence.’

Michael is taking in the world around him, but at a totally different pace. He can stop and concentrate slowly on a beautiful bird song or the reflection of the hills in a still lake. He is a Romantic with a capital ‘R’, perhaps not a flowers and surprise trip to Paris sort of man, but he can see poetry in the everyday. As they stroll the hills he truly does understand the Romantic poets, engaging Marnie in conversation about routes that William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothea might have taken. He tries to feel the state of the sublime and thinks he often finds it in a spectacular that couldn’t have been seen any other way than walking. He is still so caught up in the breakdown of his last relationship, still to some extent thinking as part of a couple although it’s clear to his friends that his wife has definitely moved on. He’s been so disconnected from his wife, for so long that he didn’t know anything was wrong and the shock was seismic. This is why Cleo invites him on the weekend in the first place, to try and point him forwards, rather than backwards. This is a spiritual and mental journey for him, as well as a physical one. Michael has that symptom of depression where you feel like you’re looking at the world through a thick pane of glass, removed from reality. This is a protective barrier too, he keeps his pain so deep inside himself he thinks no one can see it. It stops him from being able to express himself and he finds Marnie so performative at first. She rails against her sore feet, the weather, the mud - all things that are so part and parcel of hiking it wouldn’t occur to him to do the same. Her humour does break through occasionally.

‘You’re funny, but I’m the one with the lighter rucksack so who’s laughing?’ ‘That is true. I’ve got twelve pairs of pants in here, for three nights.’ ‘Why?’‘I don’t know. Maybe I worried I might shit myself four times a day.’ ‘Has that ever happened?’ ‘Not since my honeymoon.’

By the end my heart was breaking for these fledglings. I so wanted them both to be happy, even if they simply ended as friends. David Nicholls throws in one last obstacle that takes us by surprise, even while my heart was racing I could see how much it was needed for that character to have a final epiphany. He’s brilliant at creating that bittersweet feeling that comes as we’re older and have romantic baggage. At first when we lose someone the shock and pain is everything, then after time and doing a little bit of work on ourselves a day hopefully comes where we can look back and it not hurt. We can acknowledge the pain but not let it overwhelm us. In fact we can look back and smile about the good times, the love that was shared and how glad we are that we experienced it. That we’re able to move forward and enjoy new adventures. I really understand this from my own life and I genuinely closed the book with a smile on my face, knowing that both Marnie and Michael have so much life to look forward to whether together or apart on their journey.