Overall, the book was ok, an easy and light read, though the ending was a bit drawn out for my taste.

However I found its portrayal of alcoholism to be somewhat unrealistic, with a lighter approach to the true nature and impact of the issue. As a person who had to live and handle and alcoholic, I often found myself smirking and thinking, "I wish it were this easy."

The ending felt like a convenient, Hallmark-style resolution, which didn't fully capture the complexity of the topic. However, it's always valuable to discuss and raise awareness about such situations, even though those who might benefit most from reading books like this may not actually do so.

Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

*I'll include a list of possible triggers at the end of this review.*

Wendy's personal life is in crisis, and she is the last to realize it. She is an overwhelmed wife, mother, and nurse who barely comes up for air before she's swamped again. Desperate for change, spent from riding an emotional rollercoaster, and at her wits end, Wendy makes a drastic move. She decides to rent an off-grid cabin in the French Alps for six months.

The audiobook was performed by Eilidh Beaton, she brought these characters to life complete with their English and French accents. I did speed the narration up to 1.25 a few times because the audio felt a little slow. May have been just me though.

The author's development of Wendy is where this novel sparkles. Her character has a realistic thought life and voice. She is struggling to cope and is written accordingly. There are no simple designs or easy answers. There is an uphill battle for her well-being I found to be brave. Her turmoil and uncertainty were palpable, and the incremental growth was reasonable. Wendy's resilience was inspiring as she faced down denial and a myriad of emotions. She finds an unlikely friend in the local postwoman who delivers to her cabin. They were the type of friends who bond because they fill in each other's blanks. I enjoyed seeing a female friendship that was uplifting and not focused on dating but working towards becoming a better version of oneself. Their exchanges added a warm-hearted layer to the narrative. I enjoyed seeing Wendy out of her element having to build fires in the cabin for warmth and venturing into the scenic outdoor spaces in the area. I felt like giving up certain creature comforts probably helped to bring a lot of the mental baggage to the forefront of her brain so she could begin to process.

A journey of self-discovery, gaining perspective, and healing takes a woman who's spiraling giving her new answers to the age-old question.

What now?

⚠️List of Possible Triggers to Follow⚠️
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Alcoholism (in depth)
drug abuse (mentions of)
cancer
Parkinson's Disease
miscarriage
Covid pandemic (in depth)

Thank you to Bookouture Audio for providing an Advance Listening Copy via NetGalley.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC audiobook.
I enjoyed it and will recommend.
The narrator was perfect for the story.

A story of a husband and wife during and after the 2020 Covid shutdown. The wife is a nurse on the front lines while the husband is not and stays home to work and take care of their kids. She was made to feel during covid that she couldn't come home and stayed in a friends air bnb to keep the family safe. However when the world started to open up she was made to not feel welcome at home by her husband and kids because they think she brings too much drama and drinking. She ends up going abroad for a 6 month break and to figure out what to do with her life and marriage. This was a very interesting book following her journey of self discovery and a new community. It will for sure have you looking at your life.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Had to think about this for a bit before I came here to write this…

This one is a hard one to read and digest. Especially since I’ve been a nurse for many years…

Wendy is a nurse who was in the thick of it during all the tumultuous times of Covid. She saw lots of lives lost, including some of her friends. And….to be honest…she can’t seem to get past it.
She’s now turned to drinking… with lots of wine….

When she realizes that her family is literally falling apart, she decides to take some time alone… in the south of France… to try to find herself…. and figure out the course of her life.

But it’s not all it’s cracked up to be… it’s really rural… with only intermittent power and heat and really the basics in life.

BUT, how she goes about her life there, the choices she makes, and the bonds that are formed… well, that really MAKES the whole book worth it!

There were times where I thought about giving up on this one, as it was just a bit too ‘off the rails’ for me, but I’m happy I stuck with it, as the ending put it all together just perfectly!

3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounded up to 4!

#WhereDoWeGoFromHere by #NickAlexander and narrated nicely by #EilidhBeaton.

***** THIS HAS NOT YET BEEN RELEASED!! Look 👀 for it on 4/23/25!! *****

Thanks so much to #NetGalley & #BookoutureAudio for an ARC of the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.

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This is a great story with great depth and very realistic situations. Some parts of the story were elongated possibly more than necessary but did help with buildup of the depth of the characters denial of her situation as she hit rock bottom. I’m glad I listened to this on audiobook because it’s possible I would have put it down and I’m glad I didn’t! The narrator was great and kept me interested and engaged!

This book pulled me in from the beginning, it broke my heart that Wendy felt rejected or no longer needed by her husband and kids, however as you start understanding the relationship and history it’s no wonder this happened. Her staying in France really helped her bring everything into perspective and heal from past trauma she didn’t realize she had. This is a really beautiful book, thank you NetGalley and Bookouture audio for an advanced copy of this book.

Where Do We Go From Here by Nick Alexander was far from what I expected. The summary doesn’t disclose that Wendy is an out-of-touch alcoholic. We spend too much of the book unsure whether the author wants us to realize this or if her behavior is meant to be acceptable.

I didn’t enjoy a single moment of the Jill storyline and found myself not wanting to come back to the book. Even after the final explanation of their friendship, it still didn’t feel believable or necessary. On top of that, Wendy is deeply fatphobic, even toward her own daughter, for no reason. I had the sense we weren’t supposed to like her, but I never once rooted for her. This might be a case where a male author writing female characters creates a distorted lens.

By the end, I didn’t care how things came together, especially once the book implied that sheer willpower is all it takes to stop drinking.

Still, I gave this 3 stars because the earlier scenes between Wendy and Harry felt very real. I could feel their anguish, resentment, and pain, and one particular revelation genuinely shocked me. Their relationship was what I thought the book would focus on, and those parts were the strongest and most enjoyed.

Eilidh Beaton is a decent narrator.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio for providing me with an ALC.

4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


✨ Uplifting story. Up and down emotional. Loss and finding strength.

This is for my own preferences. But I definitely recommend to read the book rather than the audio side. I think the casting for this book doesn’t fit to the story, hence she still amazing , just the voice can’t fit to the story.


✨ fmc is Wendy which I found on the first chapter loss so much, grief and sadness. As the story was evolving covid times and she is overworked.
Repression started to appear and I know she doesn’t want to. But the end was a great change of air.

Just this book goes to show that we needed a break once in a while to re group and to fight again.


Definitely worth the read.
Thankyou @bookoture for this arc copy for a honest review.



❤️shaye.readss

At first I was disappointed because the storyline appeared frothy and frivolous but I think this was down to the narrator's voice as much as anything because as soon as we got as far as Wendy's experience on the front line during the pandemic it became more interesting. The situation was relatable but most of the characters were somewhat unlikeable. I couldn't stand Harry but again a lot of this might have been down to the narrator who generally jarred with me but that's purely my opinion of course and no offence meant.
I thought the book went on much longer than necessary but overall it was enjoyable and interesting.

Author Nick Alexander
Narrated by Eilidh Beaton

Publishes April 23,2025

We have Wendy, who worked during the Covid pandemic as a nurse which left her with awful unresolved grief and so much stress. So to get away and take a sabbatical sort of rents a house in a very remote area south of France for six months. This house was off grid for the most part, solar panels and fire place style home. I feel for Wendy with what she went through being on the front lines but some of her coping strategies aren’t the healthiest.

I adored the local post woman Manon, not only did she deliver mail to went but she also would bring her groceries to! Maron also helped Wendy out of some very difficult situations multiple times. I loved Maron’s tough love she gave to Wendy and just how much support she gave her.

I feel Wendy is very relatable to many with her coping strategies for stress and unresolved grief and trauma. Her use of alcohol was the one thing that really struck a nerve with Wendy, because you can’t just drink away your troubles as so many think, they will still be there in the morning when you wake up likely with a lovely hangover. I know so many struggle with alcohol addiction and dependency and I was really glad that Wendy started her journey of personal recovery.


Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ALC audiobook. All opinions are my own.

This starts as a story about an essential worker during COVID coping with the stress of her nursing job. She had to live apart from her family during the height of the pandemic and the two times she contracted the virus. Now it’s behind us (for now), yet problems in her personal life persist. She decides to take some time on her own to think things through, leaving behind her husband and their two nearly grown children.
The author peels back the layers as the MFC must acknowledge things about her and her past. It gets messy, and it reinforces the importance of having people in your life - even ones you’ve just met - who can hold up a mirror or just be there to listen without a lot of baggage and history. It’s a sensitive, occasionally funny (in the way someone can be funny when self-deluding), and long-ish story (because real change doesn’t happen overnight, though I got impatient with the novel’s length). Worth a read or a listen, especially if there’s someone in your life who might need a change or a slight push to change.
There were long bits of dialogue (phone call transcripts) where the person speaking was identified as M: or N: For the audiobook, I think this could have been handled with an additional narrator and would have been smoother and feel less abrupt or awkward when listening. Otherwise the novel was well narrated.
My thanks to the author, publisher, producer, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook for review purposes. Publication date: 23 April 2025.

Where Do We Go From Here? is a book which includes some surprisingly hard hitting issues. It’s about Wendy who takes a sabbatical of sorts and rents a house in a remote part of the south of France for six months. She is full of unresolved grief coupled with the enormous stress of being a front line nurse in a hospital during the COVID pandemic. Repression of her feelings mean that her relationships with her friends, her family and her colleagues are at breaking point.

It really was quite difficult to like Wendy at times. I had a lot of sympathy for her at the beginning but some of her behaviours were quite shocking. To use a cliché, she really does find herself in France: and finds she doesn’t like the person she’s become.

Wendy is of course a much nicer person by the end of the book. By working through so many issues and taking the time to involve her family and friends, she finds out a lot about herself and her family. Honesty with herself and with others becomes so very important to her.

The local post lady Manon is a wonderful character. As well as delivering the post, she often delivered the groceries and got Wendy out of difficult situations on more than one occasion. I did enjoy the smattering of French during the parts Wendy and Manon were together. Manon was wise beyond her years and after some tough love, such a support and encouragement to Wendy.

The narrator of the audiobook is one of my favourites, Eilidh Beaton. She was excellent as always bringing the story to life with her distinct voices for the various characters and great tone and pacing. I admit I was slightly surprised that she wasn’t using her Scottish accent that I am used to from her previous narrations!

Where Do We Go From Here? is a book I feel will resonate with many readers. I expect that many women of a similar age to Wendy whose family are reaching adulthood will have that feeling of wondering what life is all about and many may be dealing with those questions in the same unwise ways as Wendy. It’s a thought-provoking read with themes of friendship, second chances and finding strength to make a new start.

Thank you so much to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this audiobook. The following review is my honest opinion.

In this novel we follow Wendy, a middle-aged nurse. After the height of the COVID pandemic she quits her job, because she is feeling burnt out. She is also going through a rough patch with her husband and daughter. Feeling rejected from her family, she decides to spend the next 6 months in the south of France to find herself again. On this journey she has to take a good look at herself if she wants to find the root of her problems, but will she manage to do so?

I liked the last 20 % of the book, however the rest felt a bit too long, as I couldn’t connect to our main character.
Also, even though the pandemic was a very formative period for a lot of people, I learned that I really dislike reading about it in books.

If you keep on reading you will eventually discover why Wendy is making the decisions she is making and why she is unlikable in the first part of the book. However, what I felt was missing was the inner conflict/self reflection. In order to connect and root for her I needed her to show some sort of remorse or sadness in her inner dialogue. Without this I only got the impression that she is selfish.

The highlight of this book was the narrator. She did a fantastic job incorporating the French accent. It was a very pleasant experience listening to this audiobook.

All in all I believe that this book was not for me, however I can see how others could find this story uplifting and inspiring.

This was a little long and the characters slightly unlikeable, yet the whole thing was relatable and readable. Strong narration.

For people who loved Where’d You Go Bernadette, Nora Goes Off Script, or Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, this novel is much more substantive than the fluffy romance vibes I got from the cover!

The sympathetic protagonist is doing her best as a wife and mother while also navigating the trauma and isolation from being a COVID-time nurse. As she spends time away, her relationships with her family, her best friend, anger and alcohol come more clearly into focus, and she has a lot to grapple with. It’s an honest exploration of what the line is between habit, coping and dependency; between acceptance and enabling.

Thanks to NetGalley for an opportunity to read this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had read and enjoyed a few of the author's previous books so was looking forward to this one; I must admit, I wasn't at all sure at first. I strongly disliked the character of Jill, and wasn't keen on Wendy either.. As a long term non-drinker it was hard to empathise with these characters. However, as the story unfolded and developed far more depth than I had initially expected, I became far more invested in Wendy's story. Full of humanity with all its faults and flaws, this was in fact an excellent read / listen. Great narration too.
With grateful thanks to Nick Alexander, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for an advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Net galley and Bookouture Audio for the advanced copy of this audiobook Where Do We Go From Here The is released on April 22,2025. I feel Eilidh Beaton the narrator keeps this book lighthearted despite the incredible heaviness of topics. First Covid and Wendy, the main character is an essential worker- a nurse and struggles with so many challenges with that at a time and then when life changes happened at home- children growing up- marriage changing- mother is sick/dying from cancer and relationship problems with her brother and best friend, Wendy gives up. She decides to take a break and go live in cabin in France to sort things out for six months. A tad extreme but to each their own. There were some moments of drag and uncomfortableness but the message of self care and finding themselves with a lot of denial was the primary story line. Triggers for some- death and alcoholism for sure.

This book was honest, moving, and quietly powerful. It explored love, loss, and the messy in-betweens of life in such a real way. The characters felt like people I knew, and their journey stuck with me long after I finished.

Things at home aren't great, life seems to be stuttering along. Wendy begins to question what she really wants from life so she books a remote cabin in France so that she can spend time alone and figure out her future.

The cutesy cover for Where Do We Go From Here? by Nick Alexander drew me in and the blurb had me believing this was going to be the story of an English person struggling with life in France; misunderstandings, new friendships, some personal growth, all leading to a magical epiphany. How wrong I was!

There is a serious note to the opening chapters. Wendy was a nurse during the worst of COVID. Desperate to protect her family she lived in an Airbnb during the peak of the pandemic. Isolated from her husband and two children Wendy didn't realise that the tight unit they formed got used to her not being around. COVID was a bump in the road for lots of relationships, but for Wendy, it became a mountain. Unsure if she wanted her marriage to survive, even if her family still wanted her around, she decided she needed some "me time" in the form of six months alone in southern France.

It's at this point that things begin to take a more humorous turn. The cabin Wendy has rented is more rustic than she expected, cue issues with heating and electricity. Wendy quickly realises that her schoolgirl French is distinctly lacking and winter in her remote location is just as bleak, if not worse, than winter at home.

A visit from her teenage daughter over Christmas, along with a comment from the postwoman who delivers her groceries, brings things to a head when Wendy is forced to acknowledge her drinking. Wendy reasons that lots of people enjoy a drink on holiday, but when she looks back at her first few months she realises that her drinking is out of control, and has been an issue for a long time.

Once Wendy accepts her reliance on alcohol is a problem she then has to address why. My heart went out to Wendy as we learned about some of the difficulties she had faced. For me, the harrowing impact of being on the front line during the pandemic would have been a good enough reason to use drink as an emotional crutch, but for Wendy, her reason is far more personal and heartbreaking. Brilliant narration from Eilidh Beaton allowed me to empathise fully with everything Wendy was going through.

As Wendy addresses her drinking problem she also has to address the relationships she has with friends and family. What really hit home for me here is that we can never fully know what people are dealing with in their everyday lives, particularly people who don't openly share information. It was also gratifying to see that the author didn't wave a magic wand and make the ending magical, with everything suddenly being perfect, this reminds us that relationships have to be nurtured and not taken for granted.