A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book. I have enjoyed all of this author's books, he writes so well with characters you can relate to. It is the story of a family falling apart and we come to understand what has led to this as the book progresses. The book really hits home hard with its theme of alcohol abuse and is written very realistically. An emotional but ultimately uplifting book, with a bit of humour, I really enjoyed it.

Nick Alexander’s books always get me emotional. There’s always at least one subject that resonates with me personally book. This book hit me hard. The subject of alcohol and about the deaths of some characters family members just reminded me of some of my past. Wendy reminds me of me to a point.

Nick, looks like you have yet another hit on your hands.

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Bookouture.

When I started reading this, there were two things in particular that I hoped for; a book that would help me to escape for a while, and a book that would take me on an emotional journey with its main character.

At the start of the book, Wendy sees an advertisement for a secluded cabin somewhere in France, and she decides to go and stay there. She just wants to take some time to focus on herself.

I enjoyed the idea of the cabin as an escape, and I was excited to follow Wendy's adventure. I also really enjoyed getting to know all about Wendy and her life, seeing her as a wife, a mother, a nurse, and a friend. There were some loveable characters that made me smile, like Jill and Manon. There was also something about the bond between Wendy and her husband, Harry, that warmed my heart. It may be fair to say that every relationship experiences misunderstandings and miscommunication, but I felt, more than anything else, the two of them seemed like very good friends.

I found this both emotional and heartwarming to read, and the characters were easy to connect with.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

This was a fantastic feel good read, with a heartwarming ending. It didn't take quite the direction I thought it would but was a journey nonetheless.

When Wendy decides to head to a cabin in France for six months to reassess her life it feels very akin to a mid life crisis. The shift in her relationship with her husband and young adult children has been massive thanks to the COVID pandemic and things don't seem to have gone back to the way they were.

It's interesting to anticipate the thoughts Wendy might have surrounding her family situation and whether to separate or remain in her marriage. Sometimes absence really can make the heart grow fonder but will that be the case here? The trip definitely turns out to be eye opening that's for sure with some new friendships on the cards.

Wendy’s job as a nurse undoubtedly showcases her compassionate nature. However, her personal life leaves much to be desired. In fact, her husband urges her to leave. Go away. After the pandemic and the lockdown, Wendy and her husband, Harry, have drifted apart. With their children older, Wendy agrees to leave for a while.

Wendy’s absence from her family isn’t new. Due to her job as a nurse and her concerns about the pandemic, she had already been spending time away from home. So, when Harry suggests they take a break, Wendy agrees. Unsure about the future, Wendy tries to assess her life and problems, hoping to find solutions.

Deciding to spend time in picturesque France, Wendy embarks on a journey of self-discovery. She even comes to terms with certain aspects of herself that require serious consideration. Finding a new friend in France proves instrumental in helping Wendy unravel the root causes of her problems. This emotional story by Nick Alexander delves into challenging issues, allowing readers to witness Wendy’s struggles while holding onto the hope that her life may take a positive turn.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Thank you to netgalley and publishers for allowing me to read this book for my review. This book was the first I've read by this author and I'm definitely going to be looking out for titles. This book will really test your emotions as well as your patience and frustration levels, well it did mine. There are so many and topics within the story including loss, grief, alcohol issues,family and friend dynamics as well as the impact of covid, all written with a real knowledge and sympathy. The location of the book is so well described, you could imagine being there and wanting to be there. A great book that I definitely recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for gifting me the perfect trifecta of a physical, digital, and audio ARC of the latest novel by Nick Alexander, with the audiobook perfectly narrated by Eilidh Beaton, and for including me on the blog tour today! All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 4.5 stars!

Wendy is a nurse, especially difficult in the time of Covid. At home things are no easier; her kids are getting older, and her marriage seems to just be hanging on. When everything comes to a boil, she decides to rent a remote cabin in France to spend some time figuring out what’s next. But being all by herself forces Wendy to take a good look at her own behaviors.

This was such a good character study, and I especially loved Wendy and the postal carrier, Manon. How many of us think escaping from everyone and everything would make our world better? But is it the people in our lives that make us better? It’s always tough to look inside and much easier to blame others when things go wrong. There’s a lot of humor in this book while tackling the tough subjects of loss, addiction, and social connection. It would be a great book club read!

One will find a very relatable, realistic character dealing with a very real situation in this emotional, character driven novel of self-discovery. Needing some time for herself after feeling a bit burned out due to work, mothering, her troubled marriage and just life, Wendy heads to vacation in France. Her cabin is a bit more isolated than she was expecting, but she also formed unexpected friendships and a whole lot of reflection that aided her in her journey to find her purpose again. The plot moved a bit slow in some parts and I still find it is not my favorite thing to read plots that involve Covid (totally a personal choice) but overall an emotional, relatable story.
I was able to experience and enjoy this as a tandem read. The sole female narrator, Eilidh Beaton did a great job bring Wendy and her internal thoughts to life.
3.5 stars

This was my first book to read by Nick Alexander and I look forward to reading more. The book was a deeply emotional read with likeable and relatable characters.
This book pleasantly surprised me.
It shows insight into the lives of others and made this reader turn the pages at an impossible to put down.
Overall an emotional and engaging story.

While Covid played havoc with all our lives, it probably affected the lives of health care workers even more so. Nurse Wendy never questions the need for a drink or two, or more, to help her deal with the stress of her work, but she does wonder why her family seem to be so antagonistic towards her and decides to take a six-month rental in France to figure out how to move forward with her life. When a local woman helps her to face her addiction to alcohol, life becomes much clearer for Wendy.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Where Do We Go From Here?' by Nick Alexander

'Where Do We Go From Here?' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Nick Alexander discusses/includes COVID, alcoholism and grief.

Wow!!!! Just flipping wow!!!! What an absolutely epic page turner!!! Well done Nick!!! How on Earth have I never read any of your books before? Absolutely smashed it!!!!!!! I have absolutely no idea how this is the first time I have read one of this incredible author's books but I am so glad I have rectified that problem and I cannot wait to get hooked into more books by the extremely talented Nick. I cannot wait to get stuck into the rest of his books as I can guarantee they are all amazing even if they are just half as good as this book they are guaranteed to be epic which means I will fly through them like I did with this book!!

WOW!!!! What can I say?!?! What an absolutely beautiful book that I fell in love with front the first chapter!!! I cannot wait to read more books by this extremely talented author! This book is beautifully written with vivid descriptions setting the picture perfectly in the readers mind. The title, description and cover works perfectly with the storyline.

This book is an absolutely gorgeous, compelling and emotive page turner!!! It is an absolute rollercoaster ride of emotions that will have you smiling one chapter and crying the next so make sure you have the tissues at the ready as well as a free day as you will not be able to put it down. In this immersive and addictive page turner Nick transports his readers to a beautiful cabin in the French Alps where they will meet Wendy. Wendy is married to Harry but her marriage is falling apart, she has two children Todd and Fiona but their relationship isn't great, is struggling with the grief and trauma from losing her Mum and works as a nurse. If all this was not enough she also worked during COVID where she was surrounded by loss, grief and death. Thankfully she has a best friend Jill who has a home in the French Alps that she rents out as an Air B&B. Wendy has inherited some money from her Mum's death and decides to take a 6 month sabbatical at Jill's holiday home to find herself again. With the help of Manon the post lady she meets will Wendy discover herself again? Grab your copy to discover Wendy's story for yourself and I can guarantee that you will not regret it!! You may even discover a new favourite author just like I have!! With a storyline ram packed with emotions, friendship, self-discovery, escapism, reality, healing, reflection, stunning settings and so much more what on Earth are you waiting for?? I was completely swept in the storyline and I absolutely loved the realism of it. It was also nice to discover a male author that wrote about females in a realistic way and with the everyday problems that women do deal with. The fact that Nick has done his research shines through the storyline. It is one of my pet hates when an author does not do enough research on the topic they are writing about as it can lead to unnecessary mistakes which can spoil the storyline for me so a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS Nick. This book really is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I was utterly glued to the pages and I could not bring myself to put it down. I was carrying my kindle around and reading it every chance that I got. I adored the ending and would love to see this book turned into a movie. I don't want to say anything else about the storyline as I don't want to give to much away but I do want to mention two more things. Make sure you have your tissues at the ready as I am only normally emotional when it comes to animals but even I had tears streaming down my eyes when certain events happen and make sure you clear your schedules as you won't be able to put this stunning and compelling book down!!! Nick's evocative writing skills will take you straight to France and into Wendy's life at the turn of a page. A gorgeous page-turner filled with history, mystery, friendship, hope and overcoming fears that will warm your hearts . I am off to add the rest of Nick's books to my Amazon wish list as soon as I've finished this review!!

Clear your schedules as this is one gorgeous and unputdownable stunner

The characters are strong, realistic and I became completely invested in each and every one of them. They all had their own problems, secrets, feelings and all had unique personalities and I just absolutely loved getting to know them all. I felt each of their love, friendship, pain, heartbreak, happiness, worry, happiness, fear, sorrow and so much more. I loved getting to know Wendy and seeing her change throughout the pages, including how I felt about her from when I started to the end. My heart went out to her for everything that she was going through and had gone through in the past, especially as a nurse and one during COVID. I also loved getting to know each and every other character that we met during her life time and seeing how her relationships and friendships changed throughout this beautiful book. Nick really does do an absolutely amazing job of bringing the story to life and the characters leap out of the pages as your turning them thanks to his evocative writing skills!! It is so hard to say what I feel about the characters without giving anything away so I won't say anymore about them as I don't want to go into too much detail at the risk of spoiling it for other readers but Nick really has done an amazing job at bringing each of the characters to life and I am missing them already. Well done Nick!!!

Congratulations Nick on an absolutely gorgeous, emotional rollercoaster filled with everything you could ask for in a page turner!!! I am looking forward to reading more of your books and I would absolutely love to see this book turned into a movie!!! This is why I would like to welcome you to my favourite author list and here's to your next success

Overall an absolutely gorgeous book that will take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions !!!

Overall a compelling, addictive, emotive, beautiful and fantastic page turner!!

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Alexander is a new-to-me author, so I only had the strength of the book's blurb to go on. Turns out I needn't have worried as the book was thoroughly enjoyable.

It's an uplifting story that deals with some hard hitting subjects and we go on quite the emotional journey with main character Wendy.

Wendy is quite a vulnerable character who has hit rock bottom and needs time to recoup to rediscover herself and heal. I had so much empathy for her character and I just wanted to give her a hug and tell her that 'what now?' does get better.

Alexander's writing style is akin to another of my favourite author's - Mike Gayle. So I'm already looking to invest in more of his works.

It has been a long, long wait but finally one of my favourite authors, Nick Alexander has published his latest novel “Where Do We Go From Here? Talk about being excited, I felt as though all my Christmases had come at once!

The story is set just after the pandemic. Being a nurse in the NHS meant Wendy has been in the thick of it throughout, sometimes having to put her patients’ wellbeing above her family’s. Now she is burnt out, her children are leaving home, and her marriage is on its last legs. The time has come to put herself first for a change.

Nick’s eye for detail is truly remarkable. His description of the cabin in the South of France, overlooking the mountains with the sea in the distance, gave me a bird’s eye view of the surroundings that Wendy had escaped to. Even his mention of the cold made me shiver.

Wendy is a beautiful, flawed and complex character and Nick really brings her to life. He depicts all the conversations between Wendy and her family and friends with an inherent and raw honesty that really touched my heart and made me feel quite embarrassed at times on our heroine’s behalf.

I love how the author goes back in time to tell how Wendy and Harry first met. He portrays a couple whose lives were filled with love, laughter and caring. This is in stark contrast to how they react towards each other now. His words just carried me along, but they also made me stop and think “how and why have they arrived at this point?

He never spares Wendy’s feelings in his exploration of her life and the choices she makes. His writing really did make me sit up and think. He doesn’t preach and though his words are harsh at times, he tempers them with compassion. He knows and understands her mindset and this goes a long way to showcasing to us, his readers what an incredible talented writer he really is.

This deeply moving and emotional story will capture your heart. Wendy is so memorable that I will remember her for a long, long time….. probably until Mr Alexander publishes his next book.

After the stress of the pandemic and her mother’s horrible cancer death, English nurse Wendy can only think about getting away from it all by herself.
She books an extended stay at an isolated mountain cabin in France and it soon becomes apparent to the reader that things aren’t that rosy between Wendy and the family she has left behind - her teacher husband Harry and two adult children.
With the weather much colder than she had anticipated, and the cabin more rustic too, Wendy has plenty of time to reflect on her life. Then her best friend Jill comes for an unwelcome visit and matters get out of hand.
This is such an emotionally raw story about a woman who’s been living in denial about her life falling apart, and the slow reveal of the root cause behind her troubles was handled so well. It’s been my favourite read so far this year.

I have been a big fan of this author since like forever it seems! Starting way back with his Fifty Reasons series and continuing through all his duologies and standalones right up to this, his latest offering.
In this book we meet Wendy, warts and all. And there are quite a few warts, which I will obviously leave you to discover, as she herself discovers as the book progresses. She is a wife and mother of two and, when we first meet her, she has run away to a remote cabin in France to, well, kinda find herself and also, if truth be told, to try and force her family to worry and miss her. She's not an easy character to like! But she has been through quite a lot in recent years, stuff falling on her shoulders before the previous stuff has been dealt with meaning that it has all compacted and is totally weighing her down.
Sounds all doom and gloom doesn't it? Well, it is quite heavy on the emotional side but also quite funny in places too. This is well aided by the setting and the perils and pitfalls of living in a remote cabin in a place where you don't really know the language well. Especially when your power comes from a source which is rather weather dependent!
We also have a great relationship between Wendy and Manon but again, I will leave you to discover that for yourself. Other characters include Wendy's family - husband and two children - and how their behaviour also affects Wendy. Again, you'll see how as the book progresses but I do feel like they contributed their fair share to quite a few of her woes... It takes two...
And then there's the cat!
It's all about soul searching and honesty, about facing things rather than pushing them down. Working through things and not running away from them, even though it takes running away to face them. And yes that does make sense! Something I think we could all do a bit of every so often - the working not the running. It also contains some of the uglier side of the Covid pandemic which I know is still raw for some people. But all that said, I felt completely safe all the way through reading. There's always that spark of hope, occasionally out of reach, but always there for the taking... And although the ending was perfect, I would really love to reconnect with Wendy and her family in the future. Pop in, see how they are doing. They kinda gripped me that way...
All in all, a cracking addition to an already well impressive back catalogue. Roll on next time.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I really wanted to like this novel because it felt similar to the vein of Matt Haig's Midnight Library, but in France and the main character is a woman who has a husband and children. I guess I just wasn't in the mood, but I'm not sure because I'm always in the mood for this type of literature. Anyway, the story didn't really grip me, and I didn't like that the main character smoked and didn't think much of her best friend; she DID think of her best friend, but not in a way you expect old friends to think of each other. I just found this book to be an uninteresting mid-life crisis for the main character.

The author approached the topics of trauma and addiction with thoughtful sensitivity. While I found it challenging to connect with the main character, I recognize that she was conveyed effectively since she was experiencing these emotions in her life.
I felt the character development could have been stronger, but still found the story enjoyable.

Based on the synopsis, I expected to absolutely love this book however it fell flat in every way possible.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ written by Nick Alexander in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Wendy and Harry’s marriage has reached the point where they’re barely communicating. Wendy thinks she needs a break to give herself time to think and rents a secluded cabin in the South of France where she intends staying for six months. While there she has time to contemplate her life – past, present and future – decide what’s important to her and where she goes from here.

‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ is a gentle novel that explores human frailties such as alcohol addiction, depression and lack of self-confidence, as Wendy uses the solitude to examine her feelings and decide where her future lies. I’ve enjoyed reading the descriptions of the places in France that Wendy visits, the friendship that forms between herself and the French post woman Manon, and how the feral cat Mittens gradually warms to her, although I did worry who was going to feed Mittens when she left. This is a thought-provoking novel of love, loss and new beginnings, that’s been beautifully written and is easy to read. It’s a heart-warming story with a perfect ending that I can recommend.