You Are Here by David Nicholls

You Are Here by David Nicholls was published in 2024 and has just been published in paperback. I was lucky enough to find a hardback copy in our village bus stop library, which mainly has what appears to be people’s junk in it, but occasionally there’s a gem in there. I found You Are Here at the same time as I found Cell by Stephen King and This Must Be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell, which I have yet to read.

Michael is newly separated. He hates to be at home surrounded by his wife’s things, so he spends his weekends walking alone. His friend, Cleo, thinks he spends too much time on his own and arranges a group of people to walk with him.

Marnie has been divorced for a few years and barely leaves her flat. She works from home and has no social life, but thinks she is happy to be on her own.

Michael sets out to do the Coast to Coast Walk from St Bees in Cumbria, on the Irish Sea, to Robin Hood’s Bay in Yorkshire on the North Sea. And he is accompanied by Cleo, her teenage son and a couple of her friends.

Marnie has packed three dresses in her rucksack. She is way too much of a Londoner for walking, the countryside and rain. Michael is a geography teacher, who can’t resist pointing out the things he finds interesting on the walk – even if everyone else finds them boring.

It’s not long before only Marnie and Michael are still walking…

This is a beautiful book about two people who have been through some difficult times learning to enjoy the company of others again. They are both very likeable characters. I love their conversation, which feels very natural. And I love the descriptions of the walking too – the mountains, hills and lakes, as well as the ever-changing British weather.

I don’t read much romantic fiction – usually only one or two books a year. But I’m really glad I read this one. If you’re looking for a feelgood read, I can’t recommend You Are Here highly enough.