After really not liking Sweet Sorrow, I was a bit apprehensive about reading this one, so I borrowed it from a friend and I should not have worried at all, it was brilliant.
Marnie is living alone after the split of her marriage 18months ago and is forced out of her solitary life by Cleo and invited to walk across the Lakes with a group of people. One of them being Michael, a geography teacher and newly separated guy.
The humour and the sometimes awkward conversations just felt so incredibly real. The two main characters we lovable in their quirkiness and i could have spent way longer in their company.
The audiobook was narrated so well and I loved the journey the characters took, both literally and figuratively.

Novel set in CUMBRIA and YORKSHIRE

Oh, goodness, if this isn’t a reminder of what a terrific author can conjure up? I have long been a fan of David Nicholls and this is probably the most polished and engrossing read yet. The story is set just after the pandemic, specifically over the Easter period 2021.

It tells the story of Michael and Marnie, who both have failed relationships behind them. Marnie is a little world weary and enjoys her own company, working at home as a freelance copy editor and Michael is a geography teacher, who enthusiastically loves his subject They are both set in their ways and given their ages, 38 and 42 years old respectively, they are bringing a great deal of baggage to this hike, in more ways than one. Marnie has packed more than enough changes of underwear, including an assortment of evening dresses, whereas Michael, the ardent and experienced walker (who is itching to hone Marnie’s walking acumen) has packed only the bare necessities.

They have been invited to join a group of friends for a post-pandemic hike, lasting several days and following an A W Wainright route from Cumbria through Yorkshire to Middlesbrough, with a target destination at Robin Hood’s Bay. It’s maybe 190 or so miles that will pass through some of Britain’s most stunning countryside.

He beautifully captures the banter and repartee between the two, with Marnie excelling at witty ripostes. They talk about all manner of things and the reader is wonderfully roped in to the minutiae of their walk, written with a charm and insight sustained almost throughout the narrative. Some of the places they stay (which are an invention of the author’s mind but have such British universality) are grim – to put it mildly – but he mercilessly yet nicely depicts the desolate nature of some of Britain’s accommodations. Everyone will recognise some – if not all – of the elements.

A shout-out to the two audiobook narrators who made this such an engrossing and entertaining listen.

This is a beautifully penned novel that has been created with care and thought. And certainly, if you are going to be walking in England’s green and pleasant land, then this is a great accompaniment. If you are intent on following in Michael’s and Marnie’s footsteps, then the author suggests that the first four days are perhaps the most rewarding.

As if we needed any convincing, David Nicholls has shown once again how he has perfected the recipe for a wholesome, feel-good read. You Are Here is an absolute delight. Funny, poignant and heartwarming, it’s that rare oxymoron: a beautifully grounded, down-to-earth piece of escapism.

I read this switching between the audio and ebook and found the narrators excellent, especially during the dialogue scenes between the two main characters.

Meet London-based, freelance copy editor Marnie. Divorced, childless and still licking her wounds at the unfairness of life, she’s pretty much withdrawn from the world around her.

Geography teacher Michael is in a similar place, drifting aimlessly after separating from his wife and taken to long, solitary hikes to walk off his unhappiness.

Cajoled by a mutual friend, the two are reluctantly thrown together when persuaded to join a group hike from coast to coast across the north of England.

From the beginning, it’s clear where this setup is going. But it’s the knowing that makes it so deliciously compelling. There’s plenty of will they, won’t they; false starts and missteps. A gentle dismantling of defenses, a tentative, blossoming friendship, a stirring of attraction.

Marnie and Michael are so well drawn, so undeniably human, that accompanying them on their joint physical and metaphorical journeys, is like sharing in the experience of dear friends. If I wasn’t egging them on, I was shaking my head in despair, or giving one or the other a metaphorical kick up the backside.

Forced proximity and second chance love are well-worn tropes, but what make this story special is Nicholls’ unerring eye for what makes ordinary people tick, along with the magnificent setting among the hills, lakes and moors of northern England, which he paints with the flair of a landscape artist.

It would have been easy to let this tale run its obvious course and tie everything up neatly with a big pink bow. But Nicholls rightly eschews such sentimentality, keeping the narrative grounded in a reality that is at once both believable and fitting.

The perfect ending to a wonderful book.

I found this book clever and well-observed- the dialogue between the characters as they tried to navigate the complications of being a person in your thirties and forties, and trying to make new friends, date again, or start all over again, was razor sharp.

This book is funny and wise, but also full of heart, and was a great read!

Marnie is a woman in her late thirties who has become a bit of a recluse. Divorced, she lives alone, works from home and never minds too much when people cancel plans. But she is lonely and wonders what will become of her life.

Michael is a geography teacher who lives alone having split up from his wife when the pressures of trying and failing to get pregnant become too much. He likes to keep busy by hiking.

They have a mutual friend Cleo in common who persuades Michael to let her, and a few friends join him on part of a coast-to-coast walk, from St Bees in Cumbria. The whole walk to Robin Hoods Bay in Yorkshire is around 290 miles but Cleo, Marnie and a few others are only doing a short part of it.

Before long, everyone apart from Marnie and Michael drop out but Marnie decides to carry on, despite how tiring and difficult the walk is and her and Michael slowly get to know each other.

I’ve read quite a few romance books recently and have enjoyed them, but I often find I am considerably older than the main characters and don’t have much in common with them. It was wonderful to read about two characters much nearer to my own age, who are divorced and are struggling with finding a life they can truly enjoy again, rather than just exist in.

I loved both characters – they felt so real and were funny. I listened to the audio with both Marnie and Michael narrated by excellent narrators who completely brought them to life. They had me snorting with laughter but also cringing at the awkwardness of the situation at times.

One of my books of the year, I love a book that has characters you want to be friends with, and I was genuinely gutted when it ended. I really wanted to stay with them and see what happened next! A life affirming and enjoyable book – brilliant.

I very much enjoyed YOU ARE HERE, having not read Nicholls for a number of years. The slow build between Michael and Marnie was done beautifully and I listened in two sittings as it was just really lovely. I also really enjoyed both narrators.

When Marnie’s friend Cleo invites her on a small walking holiday with several of Cleo‘s friends, Marnie is reluctant to attend as she is quite satisfied, in her own way with her safe life at home.
However, her New Year’s resolution was to grasp the nettle, spend more time with other humans, and change the photo reel On her yearly review.
This lovely Book explores the countryside of England, the pain of exposing your true self, and hope for a better future after Heartbreak. .

It is gorgeously written, highly entertaining, I laughed out loud: Particularly at Marnie and her excellent humour. This is a book to be enjoyed, shared, and shouted about. Believe the hype!

Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity. Read this ahead of publication and exchange for an honest review.

I listened to the audiobook and it was incredible.

The narrator were 100% believable as Michael and Marnie.

This is an extraordinary book, which I think is David's best book yet. The characterisations are fantastic, the settings brilliant and the story sublime. The narration was first rate. Every one on the planet needs to read this book.

If you loved One Day, then this romantic comedy will be a must-read with Nicholls' trademark wit, and heartfelt connections. Marnie feels like life is passing her by in her London flat, while Michael's life is spiralling after his wife has left him. The pair find themselves on an epic hike across the country, which they use as a physical and emotional act of catharsis. Long chats amidst the gruelling walk and many mishaps forges a bond. Their histories unwind as their new friendships weaves together. All the little details that add up to meaningful connections and romance are composed so well. Two loveable protagonists, one epic journey, and two hearts coming together as one makes fot the perfect story. The audiobook is tenderly narrated by Lee Ingleby and Lydia Leonard #youarehere #Davidnicholls #netgalley #audiobook #wfhowes

Slow-moving but realistic finding-new-love story.

I found this surprisingly moving, as someone divorced and having found a different sort of relationship and bond later in life. This felt 'true' and measured and right to me.

The characters are everyday, could-be-you types - an isolated editor, alone in a city flat, gradually realising she's lost friends along the road as well as her former partner. A geography teacher mourning the loss of his recently-left wife, escaping his own home with long walks.

Of course the two shall meet. A mutual friend and a planned cross-country walk, pubs and overnight stays, poor weather, sore feet, chats and a gradually increasing acquaintance... a slow build from initial impressions to a possible lasting connection.

It's not all-out hilarious, it's not sob story. It's two real people with two histories and quirks and jumbled feelings talking and walking and finding commonalities over many days in the English mud and hills.

This may not have the epic emotional clout of One Day, but especially for those who've been through relationships, come out the other side and see past the glossy tint of the happy-ever-after narratives that just 'aren't', this rings more gently and true.

Nicely brought to life by two narrators, they take you on the walk with them as their personalities clash, meet and link. A lovely journey.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample audio copy.

You are here by David Nicholls is a charming and heartwarming read about second chances, healing and finding yourself again.
Marnie and Michael are relatable and believable characters that you can really root for, they may not be perfect but they are trying their best. A very engaging but peaceful story following the protagonists as they journey on foot through the English countryside as they attempt to walk from coast to coast. Be warned, this may inspire you to dig out those old hiking boots.

This book was superbly narrated by Lee Ingleby and Lydia Leonard who managed to really bring Michael and Marnie to life and were able to inject emotion into the story while never being soppy or schmaltzy

With thanks to the author, W.F. Howes Ltd. and Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this lovely audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

David Nicholls doing what he does best yet again.
In this book we meet Marnie and Micheal, two single forty-somethings who are introduced by mutual friends on a walking weekend.
This is not a soppy romance book. This is raw, and realistic. It explores the complexities of relationships and second chances at love
Set in the beautiful scenery of the Lake District and Yorkshire dales this was a truly wonderfully written book

You Are Here by David Nicholls
Narrated by Lee Ingleby, Lydia Leonard

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and W.F. Howes Ltd and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Marnie is stuck.
Stuck working alone in her London flat, stuck battling the long afternoons and a life that increasingly feels like it's passing her by.

Michael is coming undone.
Reeling from his wife's departure, increasingly reclusive, taking himself on long, solitary walks across the moors and fells.

When a persistent mutual friend and some very English weather conspire to bring them together, Marnie and Michael suddenly find themselves alone on the most epic of walks and on the precipice of a new friendship.

But can it survive the journey?

My Opinion

Having recently read One Day, seeing a new book by David Nicholls really appealed to me. I was not taken by this book, it was okay but it didn't grab me. That being said, I listened to this as an audiobook and I thought that it worked well - I also listened to the majority of this in a day. I am clearly in the minority by not loving this book but it just didn't click with me. I think that this is going to be a big book and will make for an enjoyable holiday read.

Rating 3/5

I listened to 'You Are Here' on audiobook, and found myself walking further and further as I didn't want to stop listening to the story! I absolutely loved the slow-burn love story of Michael and Marnie, played out over the course of a very long walk. It made me laugh several times, but it was also a poignant, rather heartwrenching story too, and one that will stay with me for a long time.

I'm struggling with what kind of rating to give this book, but I think I'm settling on a 3.25.

'You Are Here' is a very simple novel at its heart. Its two protaganists - Marnie and Michael - are both stuck in their various situations and end up on a walking holiday through the North of England in an attempt to get out of those sticky situations. And, as you can perhaps inevitably draw the conclusion of, things spark between them. Nicholls writes romantic books, this a romantic plot - it doesn't take a rocket scientist.

And I really enjoyed the beginning. The chapters are short and sharp and Nicholls is a master of dialogue and character, constructing scenes that are funny and witty and charming. But I felt as things began to get a bit unravelled as we hurtled towards the ending. The holiday kept getting extended and so, it felt like, did the book. I got a sincere sense of deja vu as they got into the Yorkshire Dales...I also came to kind of dislike both of the characters as we got stuck into the third act. It's like the two most annoying people you know finding love with each other. The self-deprecation, the inability to step forward despite having tromped through Yorkshire in the rain - it didn't feel like these characters had changed suitably enough to warrant us following them for 300 pages. It also WILDLY jumped the shark at two separate moments producing scenes that were so wildly off-kilter tone wise that I had to go back and double check that I'd actually read the right thing.

Like a ramble, 'You Are Here' is gentle - is sweet, it's overwhelmingly British and will likely be seen on beaches across the summer alongside the new Marian Keyes. And I definitely enjoyed myself while I was reading it -it pulled me out of a bit of a slump. Maybe I'll even read more David Nicholls now, who knows? I also read this on audio and thought the narrators were really lovely to listen to, so kudos to them too.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley as an audio book. I loved every minute. The narrators were so good! They really matched the characters. I loved how realistic this storyline was. Life does throw us lemons at times. I really enjoyed the humour - the little asides often made me laugh out loud.
If you’ve enjoyed any of David’s other books, you will love this one too. Really recommend it.

Romance is not something I read a lot of, I am so often disappointed, but David Nicholls latest is exquisite, heart stoppingly joyous, authentic in its characters and their developments, so funny, and realistic in its portrayal of hiking, the landscape, British weather, so good it is likely to encourage you to venture out too! I had the pleasure of listening to the audio, just over 8 hours and 30 minutes long, beautifully narrated by the actor Lee Ingleby and the brilliantly spot on Lydia Leonard, who have oodles of real and tangible chemistry as they bring alive London copy editor, 38 year old Marnie Walsh, and geography teacher, 42 year old Michael Bradshaw, who finds solace in the outdoors and his long solitary walks.

Both have withdrawn from the world, with failed relationships, unable to picture the possibility of new partners, desperately lonely yet loath to admit this, and vulnerable. Cleo, deputy head, persuades Michael, intent on doing Wainwright's well known Lake District and Pennines walk to the coast, and her friend Marnie, hoping to encourage them to move on, having organised a small party of walkers to participate in the initial leg and booking places for them to stay at. Marnie is a city girl through and through, she equips herself with outdoor gear, is initially drawn to Conrad, another urban person, but he quits early, unable to cope. Amidst the sheeting rain, getting drenched, Marnie's scathing humour and hostility to the landscape captivates, she has no interest in Michael or his efforts to be informative about the land and its history, but somehow opens up to the prospect of continuing walking with what becomes an ever more attractive Michael.

Michael and Marnie tramp through the adverse weather, beginning to see each other, learning about each other, conversing, walking, comfortable in the silences, getting increasingly intimate and drunk, staying in different places, relating stories from their past, Marnie's marriage to Neil, the breakdown of Michael's relationship with wife Natasha, and so much more. It seems like a miracle, but life is strewn with obstacles, and this is story of love and second chances, anything worth having rarely comes easy. This is easily the best romance novel I have read in years, it has an irresistible charm, with its capacity to make me laugh and cry, for me this is Nicholl's best novel, and I can see it publishing to great acclaim! I would highly recommend the stellar audio, lose yourself in the story related by such wonderful narrators. Many thanks to WF Howes for an ALC.

This is a recent Guardian article in which David Nicholls relates his personal need for solitary and desolate walks:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandst...

This is a lovely audiobook and such an easy listen about two people called Marnie and Michael who come together on a walking holiday walking the coast to coast across the Lakes route. Along the way this pair really get to know each other and I really enjoyed their banter and chats they have together often making me giggle. It’s like being a fly on the wall with them on the journey or a gooseberry tagging along on the walks and listening and learning about each their lives, their heartbreaks and hopes and we watch their friendship blossom. Narrated by Lee Ingelby and Lydia Leonard so brilliantly - these guys made you forget it was a book and believe it really was Marnie and Michael. What a wonderful movie this would make. Thank you to W F Howes and Netgalley for my copy.

This was lovely. I don't read a lot of romance fiction but David Nicholls is an auto read author for me and this was a nice break from some heavier reads of late.

Marnie is lonely. Her marriage broke up years previously, she is self employed and works from home and while she is mostly content , she realises that she is lonely. Her friends are married with children, she doesn't have colleagues and its years since she has had a relationship.

Michaels marriage break up is more recent leaving him reeling and devastated and he has had a rough couple of years.

They have a mutual friend and end up on a walking holiday through England together and when walking , their bond develops.

Like I said, this was lovely. Nicholls is such an assured writer and these were realistic and well developed characters and it was refreshing to read a story about romance where the protagonists are late 30s/ early 40s with life experience, heartbreak, disappointment and regret on board. While I enjoyed reading both characters, I loved Marnie and her inability to stop making jokes when it wasn't needed and her vulnerability.

What I didn't really love was the setting of this story, the traipsing around the English countryside , the small towns etc.. With a different location, I would have loved this book, I am fickle like that.

This book made me laugh several times and I was invested in these two whilst holding myself back at times as Nicholls as form in devastating a reader. He writes people and relationships so well and writes women well, a rare and wonderful thing.

Lovely is the best word I have to describe this one. The English countryside was the only blip for me. This book will be so widely read and widely loved. M & M <3


3.5- 4 stars.,


* The narration was wonderful.

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.