Review by Booklist Review
A springtime walking tour across England frames Nicholls' (Sweet Sorrow, 2020) tale of more internal midlife wanderings. Geography teacher and tour leader Michael is also, unfortunately, the only enthusiastic member of the group, put together by his friend Cleo (though the woman she'd hoped to set Michael up with had to cancel). It turns out that clambering up hillsides in the cold and rain is hard, and everyone drops out after a few days, except for copy editor Marnie. Readers follow Michael and Marnie in alternating chapters, so we know Marnie hates the walk as much as everyone else. But, single while most of her friends have started families, Marnie is afraid she's too good at being alone. And Michael, generally more comfortable with pebbles than people, enjoys Marnie's goofy banter and finds a reason at the end of each day for her to keep going with him. Slowly, Nicholls builds true chemistry between Marnie and Michael, two roughed-up souls, and doesn't let readers know what will become of them before they do. Reaching back into the lives they've already lived and the concomitant sorrows therein, their enjoyable story unfolds in addicting inner monologues and fizzing dialogue, as they put one foot in front of the other, again and again.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Releasing in tandem with a renewed interest in Nicholls' blockbuster One Day, which has been newly adapted for Netflix, this book is sure to fill up hold lists.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Two lonely strangers meet while hiking England's Coast to Coast Walk in the witty latest from Nicholls (Sweet Sorrow). Marnie Walsh, 38, has been wiling away her days as a freelance copy editor, working out of her one-bedroom London flat. Over the years, her friends have started families and left town, but she hasn't had a relationship since her divorce a decade earlier. Michael Bradshaw, a 42-year-old geography teacher from York, likes being alone, though he finds it hard spending time at home ever since his wife Natasha left him nine months earlier. On weekends, he sets out on long, strenuous hikes. Marnie's and Michael's stories converge when a mutual friend invites the two to join a three-day walk on the fells with stays at inns along the way. The two are left alone together by the second day, after the others quit due to heavy rain. While hiking, they develop an easy rapport. Marnie shares why her marriage failed, and Michael divulges that he and his wife were unable to have kids. Marnie is excited to have the time alone with Michael, though unbeknownst to her, he's planning to meet his ex-wife at a point farther along the trail. Nicholls's story unfolds rather predictably, but the terrain, the elements his protagonists face, and their engaging banter save the day. Fans of the author's previous books will get just what they came for. Agent: Grainne Fox, UTA. (June)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Two solitary adults take the plunge into postpandemic socialization to quell their growing discomfort from loneliness. Marnie Walsh, a 38-year-old London copy editor, embraces the fact that she has more control over her time than her friends with spouses and children do--but she starts to question the appeal of her lifestyle when an autogenerated year-in-review photo compilation reveals only "her oven light-bulb, a recipe for hearty lentil soup, a close-up of an ingrowing hair…all accompanied by Carole King's 'You've Got a Friend.'" Marnie's most steadfast friend, Cleo Fraser, is eager to capitalize on Marnie's recent self-awareness and invites her on a trip to the northern countryside. This is much to the dismay of Cleo's colleague, geography teacher Michael Bradshaw, who had planned this walk across northern England from west coast to east as a solo undertaking. Michael is just as lonely as Marnie but even more depressed. While Marnie's coping mechanism is a Bridget Jonesian style of self-deprecating humor, Michael's is to walk the countryside until numbness sets in. Cleo's intention is to bring a group of singleton friends together, but given Michael's recent, painful separation from his wife, "trying to picture himself on a date now was like trying to imagine himself bungee-jumping, theoretically possible but under what circumstances?" As Michael and Marnie walk together, they begin to banter, and the fresh air and copious pints at trailside pubs revive long-buried versions of themselves. Like their arduous walk, this love story isn't glamorous or fast-paced but it's worth the mileage. Given the witty dialogue and sublime natural settings (think Wordsworth and Brontë), it's not hard to imagine this as another of Nicholls' big-screen adaptations, like One Day (2009). A relatable and satisfyingly realistic love story to cure any lingering lockdown blues. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
