Where Do We Go From Here is a touching and uplifting story of a woman struggling with the enormity of life’s everyday battles. It’s a beautiful study of a journey towards self-awareness and beyond, to healing. As I closed my Kindle at the end I was left feeling gratitude and appreciation for my own life, especially my family. Ultimately this is a celebration of the value of honesty and people supporting one another through stress and grief, as well as an honest assessment of the cost of trying to carry a burden alone.

This was a heavy book with a lot of unlikeable actions by the characters. The ending was hopeful, but parts of it were a slog to get there.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bookouture for sending me a copy of this book.

This is a heavy, heartbreaking book that also is about loss and finding yourself and could be hard hitting for some.

I found some of the dialogue throughout a bit disjointed and broken which made it hard to follow sometimes. The conversations were a little stilted and kept stopping which I think was a writing choice to show the break in the characters communication as a whole.

I like how Wendy isn’t a flawless character in herself, she’s real, sometimes unlikeable and very much someone who you could meet in real life. You kind of see what everyone else around her sees but by also seeing from her POV you sort of let her off with things. She’s a strong protagonist too, as she has to face many peoples opinions about herself and make an active change but also rightfully sticks up for herself.

This is a great story which has so many wonderful moments woven in. This may look like a "typical" chick-lit book, which is fab if that's your preferred genre, but it has a deeper more serious plot woven through it which makes you keep turning the pages to find out what happens.

The serious plot element is balanced beautifully with descriptions of France, the weather, quirky one-liners, so you still get that warm fuzz of the book whilst also aware there's something heavier simmering away.

I love the way this main character questioned herself, her life, what she wanted. She blamed Covid and lock down for her troubles, but it was only when she took time out that she realised they had been going on for longer.

I loved this book. The characters were fantastically crafted, the plot intriguing and the setting incredibly atmospheric.

Where do we go from here? - Nick Alexander

Wendy finds herself at a crossroads in life, unsure of who she is after leaving her job as a nurse after 30 years, the Pandemic being the straw that broke the camels back. Unsure of how she feels about everything, including her marriage to Harry, she promptly takes herself off to a secluded cabin in France where she discovers some very unexpected things about herself and her life. Will she like what she learns about herself? And can she finally come to a decision about which direction her life is going to take from here on out?

This is a beautiful, hopeful novel about love, loss and starting over. The theme of addiction does feature quite heavily, particularly in the second half of the novel but the way in which the author develops this plot line is with the utmost sensitivity and care. It's a novel that makes you think and reflect. It's also a novel that depicts the reality of long lasting relationships, warts and all, while remaining heartfelt and emotive. I thought this was a genuinely lovely read and so reflective of the real life experiences of so many.

Nick Alexander delivers an emotional yet uplifting story in Where Do We Go From Here?, a novel that beautifully captures the turmoil of a woman at a crossroads. Wendy, a devoted wife, mother, and nurse, has spent years caring for others—often at the expense of her own well-being. Burned out from the trauma of nursing during COVID and struggling with the impact on her family, she makes the bold decision to rent a remote cabin in France for six months. With her children on the verge of adulthood and her marriage barely holding on, Wendy hopes that solitude will bring the clarity she desperately needs.

However, the reality of the cabin is far more challenging than she anticipated. Remote in every sense, it offers only intermittent power and a fireplace as the sole source of heat. As the days stretch into weeks, Wendy is forced to confront the truths she has long tried to suppress. Her isolation, coupled with the comforts she has relied on—like France’s renowned wine—only highlight the depth of her emotional struggles.

One of the novel’s most moving aspects is the friendship that develops between Wendy and the local postal delivery woman. Their bond is unexpected but profoundly life-changing, proving that help often comes from the most unlikely places. I especially loved that their connection continues even after Wendy returns home to England, reinforcing the novel’s message that healing and growth don’t happen in isolation.

Nick Alexander handles Wendy’s struggles with care and authenticity, making her journey deeply relatable. The depiction of PTSD, grief, and the emotional toll of caregiving is done with such respect that it’s impossible not to feel for Wendy. Her story is both heartbreaking and hopeful, reminding us that even when life feels like it’s falling apart, new beginnings are always possible.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

4.5 stars

Really enjoyed this book. I went through every range of emotions with it. Some parts I ddi find a bit slow but on the whole was an emotional read

Where Do We Go From Here offers moments that are thought-provoking, insightful and inspiring.
Wendy has struggled immensely with the grief of her mother’s illness and death, plus the harrowing experience of working as a nurse during the COVID pandemic. Wendy is an example of how the combination of trauma, social isolation and alcohol addiction lead to a downward spiral.

The outcome for Wendy and her family leaves readers with a satisfying ending. However, this novel is quite slow paced at times and the dialogue has a very rambling, ‘waffling’ feel to it.

Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Where Do We Go From Here is a story dealing with Covid related trauma, parenting woes, and marital problems and at the root of every problem lies alcoholism. Wendy is a nurse that Covid left feeling isolated and withdrawn from her family. Deciding to change her life, Wendy quits her job and goes to France on sabbatical alone. While in France, Wendy befriends the mail lady who is teaching Wendy French and dealing out some pretty impressive therapy while she’s at it. Denying, denying, and finally accepting, Wendy realizes she has a problem with alcohol and begins to deal with all the trauma that led her to this place in her life. Wendy is not particularly likable as the main character and I almost quit this book many times. Her family is pretty awful also but all the situations are believable in dealing with alcoholism. This story ended better than it began but I wouldn’t revisit it in the future. I found it just okay. My voluntary, unbiased, and non-mandatory review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

Well as always Nick didn't disappoint, a wonderful story with some lovely charecters, didn't want to put it down and was a bit gutted when I'd finished it, loved it, but I knew I would

This is a heartbreaking but uplifting story about Wendy who decides she wants to take a break from life and go to a different city for a few months. She learns all about herself and I really enjoyed this story. Nick Alexander captured France beautifully in the book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published April 23, 2025.

I had the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Where Do We Go From Here through NetGalley, and I was deeply moved by this poignant and beautifully written novel!

The story follows Wendy, a nurse who, after enduring the chaos of COVID-19 and the devastating loss of her mother, retreats to the mountains of France in search of clarity and healing. However, as she attempts to rebuild her life, she slowly realizes that she has been suppressing past trauma, numbing herself with alcohol instead of confronting her pain. Wendy’s journey is raw and deeply human—she is not a perfect protagonist, but that is what makes her so real! Her struggles with grief, self-discovery, and unhealthy coping mechanisms feel incredibly authentic, reflecting the many different ways people navigate loss.

What makes this novel so compelling is its ability to balance emotional depth with the beauty of its setting! The French landscape serves as both an escape and a backdrop for Wendy’s internal battle, making her story feel even more immersive! The themes of forgiveness and personal recovery are woven throughout the novel in a way that feels both heartbreaking and hopeful!

Nick Alexander has crafted a touching and introspective story that lingers long after the final page! Where Do We Go From Here is not just about grief; it’s about finding the courage to face your past and rebuild yourself, no matter how broken you feel! I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy deeply personal, character-driven narratives!

Another wonderfully written, well researched, well thought out book by Nick., his ability to transport you to the location of the story with his descriptive words is a great literary gift, The premise is addiction/loss/finding yourself/recovery, Not a complex storyline, easy to follow, no great plot twists, but an ultimately heartwarming novel that sometimes, is just what we need to read!

Such an emotional read that doesn't shy away from tough, real life experiences. It was well written and very enjoyable

This is an emotionally hard-hitting book that faces up to the impact of covid on frontline nurses and with Wendy, our main character, the devastating damage it did to her already fragile marriage.

Wendy doesn’t know it, but she is an alcoholic. For addicts, understanding and acknowledging their illness is a huge part of their recovery journey and it took Wendy a long time to recognise that she was dependant on alcohol. In fact, it took her taking off on an isolated sabbatical to a cabin in France to be able to see the truth of her situation.

I didn’t always like Wendy, I don’t think Wendy always liked Wendy either, but I did feel she was a well written and relatable character and my heart went out to her.

I love Nick Alexander’s writing; he has a skill of injecting some much needed and well-timed humour in his books, yet not trivialising the emotions his characters are experiencing. I enjoyed traversing Wendy’s journey along with her.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Nick Alexander and Bookouture, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

Wendy is a nurse who has felt alienated from her husband Harry, a teacher, and children Todd and Fiona since the pandemic hit. So she quits her stressful job and rents a remote cabin in the French mountains for six months. How she does this after Brexit is not explained even though Brexit gets mentioned repeatedly.

I have to admit, from the blurb and the cute cover I was expecting a funnier, more light-hearted book, about a woman finding herself with the help of quirky locals and a handsome French guy. What we get is a story about a chain-smoking alcoholic who has not managed to get over the tragic death of her mother some years ago, and in the process has been alienating everyone around her. There are some quirky locals and a lovely stray cat though.

I'm afraid I did not get on with the writing style. It constantly changes between 1st and 3rd person POV, so it's all "She does this, she thinks that", with a lot of conversations, including entire therapy sessions, just written out like in a play, which feels lazy.

Wendy isn't a bad person but her addiction often makes her unlikeable, plus all the smoking and spending hundreds of Euros on wine, cigarettes and stale baguettes instead of proper food she could cook was grating on my nerves. This is written by a male author and it shows. Also, the mere mention of Tesla and Musk gave me the ick. I'm sorry but I didn't get on with this - there was just too much trauma, anger and grief for me, and Wendy's journey was hard to read.

Nick Alexander has written many novels and yet this is the first of his books I’ve ever read. What an introduction!

I loved this book, every page of it. Very believable characters, especially the main character Wendy. I imagine most women of Wendy’s age (middle aged, with grown up children) could relate to Wendy and her feelings of “what now?”, there surely must be more to life. Wendy is a fabulous character, portrayed so intuitively. I love the humour, but it’s her inner most thoughts, her hurt, her grief that she still feels after the loss of her mother and what seems to be the rejection she feels of those closest to her that makes this book so absorbing and relatable.

It’s fun too, there are many lighter moments. In fact, in parts, it’s down to Wendy’s need to put on a brave face, pull on her big girl pants and just get on with it that makes this a humorous read too, balancing out the deeper issues that lie behind the story.

I loved it and dragged out the last part of the book because I just wanted to carry on reading and not reach the end, an ending which was just as rewarding as the rest of the book. Fab, and I’ll definitely be trying some more of Nick Alexander’s previous work.

Wendy has just arrived at Nice airport after booking a six month stay in a cabin up in the mountains.
It soon becomes clear that there are reasons why Wendy has come alone and it was difficult at times to hear her story without feeling so much empathy for this person. Although Wendy has a husband, an eighteen year old daughter and a son at university, this is a separation that she needs to work through before she can move on with her life. Wendy has been through the traumatic death of her mother prior to the pandemic and then without time for pause or to properly grieve was thrown straight into working on the frontline as a nurse ministering to others in the Covid pandemic.
Wendy’s story which looks back over her relationship with her husband when they first met and the state of their marriage now is so sensitively told by the author. Having lost my own Mum just before Covid I could really relate to Wendy’s situation and how getting on with life in such an altered state with little time to grieve compounded to make her situation reach a very difficult point.
This might sound like depressing reading but how Wendy deals with her loss and anger was in the end very uplifting. This is a traumatic story so well told and it left me thinking about Wendy and the choices she made long after I finished the book. Thanks to the author and Netgalley for this ARC.

After I've read this book, I was left thinking about it for a long time. It was very intriguing and thought-provoking. The story is very unique and original. Wendy decides to rent a cabin in France where she can spend her days in nature, away from everything she has ever known, to try and answer the question: what next? She goes on a journey of finding herself, which is a very hard journey. She faces her own issues and deep-buried trauma. The book focuses on how it feels like going through hard times in life. How we sometimes think that we are the only ones going through hardships, but we often forget about the people even closest to us and are oblivious to their pain and suffering. The book opens your eyes to try and see your life from a different perspective and as a part of something bigger. It shows us that we are never alone and we can work through everything, if we find the courage to be honest and brave,

I really enjoyed the book and recommend it to everyone who wants to read a thought-provoking, unique book.

Wendy and Harrys marriage has hit a crisis point Wendy has got into some bad habits and quite angry from some past life evets. This is impacting her whole family and with all the stressful times of lockdown still with them Wendy's influence over the family has become very negative. She decides to take herself of to France on her own to face her demons.
Another brilliant story by Nick Alexander. He has fantastic insight into human emotions and the psyche. His writing style just makes his characters come off the page in three dimension. As a therapist I can also recognise that he has great understanding about addiction. I would thoroughly recommend this book as I would anything that he has written. Well done again Mr.Alexander!