What a lovely book this is! Nicholls has written a story that will resonate with anyone who is still bruised from a previous relationship and is unsure whether they are ready to begin again, or prefer to continue living their lonely (but it’s not that bad, right?) life. Sometimes the advantages of a solo life seem to far outweigh the supposed advantages of being in a relationship. Combining this with an epic walk across the English landscape is a marriage made in heaven!

Marnie, 38 years old and Michael, 42, find themselves thrown together by their mutual friend Cleo on a group walk for the weekend. By the end of three days, the rest of the party has peeled away, leaving Michael and Marnie to continue the walk together. As they face predictably unreliable English weather together, and tackle blisters and slippery slopes, they discover that they actually enjoy each others company. As each day dawns, and Marnie should return to London, she finds an excuse to continue the walk with Michael, who plans to complete the famous British coast-to-coast walk. Michael initially wants to walk alone, but then realizes that he in fact prefers Marnie’s company to being alone.

Nicholls is a master of dialogue, both external and internal, and this book is no exception. I found myself laughing out loud on more than one occasion, but also quite teary at others. I raced through to the end, as I wanted to know how it works out for these two lovely people; people you would love to meet in a pub and get to know over a pint of two.

Jojo Moyes describes this book as ’tender, wise and joyful’ - I couldn’t agree more.

Highly recommended.