When you think that you can’t possibly love the next book by Alison more than you love the last, she knocks it out of the park again!

I love this book with my whole heart! I love the travel and the adventure, the soul searching and awakening . I love the found family and personal growth.

I will be thinking about this book for a long time!!!

I enjoy Alison Cochrun’s work, and this book was no different. This is a sweet, late bloomer kind of story about a woman figuring herself out in her mid-30s. It was fun to escape to Europe in this journey of self reflection and discovery.

I couldn't go wrong with Alison Cochrun's newest as my third read for Pride Month!

Sadie's adventurous travel blogger baby sister gets injured and Sadie impetuously offers to go on her trip--walking Portugal’s Camino de Santiago--for her. This is unlike anything Sadie, an anxious and quiet person, has ever done. She's spent her life devoted to her sister and her Nana's antique store, which she's run since her Nana's death. Sadie has gone on many dates (set up by her sister) but has never clicked with a single man.

So imagine her surprise when, during some very bad airplane turbulence, she dramatically comes out as lesbian to her seat-mate, Mal.

It perhaps rivals Sadie's surprise when she realizes that Mal--attractive, queer Mal--is also on Sadie's tour to Camino. We soon learn that Mal is dealing with her own issues, grappling with her father's death: the same dad who disowned her when she was 18. Mel's a serial monogamist who seeks comfort in women--until they get too close. She promises her friend, Inez, who is leading the tour, that she will not get involved with Sadie.

But Sadie is just so hard to resist. These two are drawn to each other from the beginning, as Mal works to help our sweet little baby gay who is coming out in her 30s. As always, Cochrun gives us a tender story featuring realistic characters with trauma, flaws, normal body types, and relatable problems. Randomly assigned as roommates, they get to know each other in just a few weeks. Mal offers to help Sadie learn to be gay, but of course, the two can't help but grow deeper feelings for one another.

Cochrun never makes these feelings feel trite or contrived, though. She treats Sadie's later in life coming out with the deep respect it deserves and takes the same honest and direct approach to sex and sexuality. Sadie and Mal's sexual encounters are frank and funny but also honest and straightforward.

This is such a lovely story, equal parts funny, sensual, and vulnerable. It lags a teeny bit in the middle as it harps a bit too much on Mal's inability to commit, but overall it's such an emotional and well-written look at a woman coming into their identity late in life and another person struggling with grief and growing up later in life. It masterfully highlights the power of the queer family and the quirky cast of characters walking the Camino is wonderful. Also the lesbian inside jokes are laugh out funny. (Please note that Mal is described as a mix of Kristen's Stewart's face, first season's Shane's hair, and Tig Notatro's body.) I am still laughing. I love Alison Cochrun's writing!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC copy. Despite, my thoughts are my own.
As a long time Alison Cochrun fan, I (literally) yelled when I saw the notification of getting this arc.
I loved Sadie and her messy finding of herself. She brought me joy and giggles and reflections.
I also wanted to shake Mal so many times. Her character felt immature and frustrating. Which maybe made me love Sadie more.
The writing and imagery was fantastic, and I loved the side characters.

This may be Cochrun's most reflective, healing romance yet! This book is for the out-later-in-love queers, those who are still figuring it out, and those on a searching journey of their own! Sadie and Mal are both well rounded and loveable, and Cochrun managed to provide a significant cast of intentionally crafted side characters.

I've never wanted to walk a pilgrimage in my life until reading this book!

thank you netgalley for the e-arc 💚 this book was honestly so cute. i loved the parallel of a physical journey with the mental/emotional journey of our characters. it honestly made me want to walk a camino and i know my sedentary mid-sized butt could never, but sadie made me feel like i too could do the impossible. i loved the representation of having a mid-30s character figure out her sexuality and hell all of these characters figuring themselves out at various ages and stages in life. this is a book that feels like an adventure and hugs you with the feeling that you are never too late and are always at the point you need to be at.

I loved this book. I love everything the author writes but this was by far my favorite. The love story is rereading and authentic to real life. The characters experience love and life on their own timeline show how society fights us against that every day. I can’t wait to get a physical copy of this book!

3.75 stars

I liked this one. It wasn't my favorite by alison cochrun but it was still enjoyable. It made me want to book a queer friendly trip to walk the camino. I want to see all the sights that these characters saw and have an eye opening experience about myself. I loved the cast of characters that were on the trip. My biggest complaint was that the whole point of Sadie going on this trip was to write a blog about it and I felt that that plot point fell through the cracks. We didn't get nearly enough of the blog posts. I wanted more. I think that if there had been more emphasis on the blog posts it would have brough a bigger impact. That being said, I still enjoyed it and there were a lot of great moments about exploring ones sexuality and experiencing acceptance. I would still recommend checking it out especially if you've enjoyed Alison's books in the past.

content warning: spicy content, death of parent, grief, homophobia, panic attack, abandonment

Alison Cochrun delivers once again in Every Step She Takes. Thanks so much to the publisher for the ARC via NetGalley!

The story follows main character Sadie on an adventure in Portugal. The Camino de Santiago is a rough trek and so is Sadie’s journey discovering herself. Sadie is chronically single but throughout the book she starts coming to terms with her sexual identity in respect to gender & attraction. Cochrun tells the story in such a real and heart pulling way that it literally made me cry.

Sadie meets Mal on the plane and confesses her deepest thoughts in a panic, stress induced fury, thinking Mal is a stranger. However, Mal and Sadie are both apart of the same queer group for the Camino de Santiago, which results in plenty of awkward & tension filled moments throughout the trip!

Cochrun also uses text messages and group chats, which add in some really funny moments & help to break up the text and keep you intrigued.

I really really enjoyed this book so much. It goes so much deeper than just a romance and the development of the characters is so vital to the story and made me fall in love with them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for offering me an advanced reader's copy of "Every Step She Takes" in return for a fair and honest review.

Queer stories will always have a place in my heart. This one was fantastic and probably my favorite Alison Cochrun book I've read so far. The character arcs were well-done, the dual PoVs were brilliant, and I loved the concept of the Camino (and especially the way the tour guide, Inez, presented it as a spiritual journey as well as a physical one).

Sadie's story was especially poignant to me because at the age of 30, I was rediscovering my identity and figuring out where I really wanted to go with my life. I liked that the main characters were in their mid- and late-30's, since so many romance novels seem to focus on college students or the newly-graduated. The cast of characters going on the Camino were also delightful in their each individual way. I think anyone who reads this will find a character to relate to, even if it isn't Sadie or Mal.

I can't wait to see what Alison comes up with next!

4.5/5 stars

Every Step She Takes is a gorgeous story about self discovery and how that can find you at any point in your life. A love letter to the Camino de Santiago and finding beauty within the journey. A story of breaking patterns, dealing with grief, what it means to grow, and what it means to love. With a lovable group of queer characters to join our MCs along their trip, this is an unforgettable story.

Alison Cochrun is an auto-buy author for me, I love her style of writing and how she blends the poetic with the comedic in such a clear and engaging way. The Camino de Santiago as a backdrop for Mal and Sadie’s journey, opens them up to so many new experiences and possibilities. There is a tenderness to suffering alongside another person and doing so with love. Dealing with blisters and sweat and sore muscles while unpacking their own paths and learning from one another was really tender and touching.

Sadie’s character progression felt very heavy up front and then a steady following, her coming out as a lesbian in a bout of anxiety and then discovering herself through that and her “practice relationship” with Mal. But the way Mal deals with grief and attachment and how she grows from that, shows that, although she is out and proud, she’s not this perfect confident person we see at the start of the book. There were a few times where the family storylines and Sadie’s sister’s blog felt like they took a bit of a backseat. And the scene where Sadie is pushing Mal for sex made me feel a bit uneasy, but it was rectified soon thereafter.

Going along on a journey of self discovery and growth with Mal and Sadie along the Camino was a delight and I 100% recommend checking this out upon release!

Thanks to the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a sweet and funny story of self discovery. A+ fat rep. The Camino daily walk structure was a nice format for the story, adding a comfortable predictability without being too repetitive

This story was challenging and soft, in such complicated ways. I loved exploring the messy internal monologues of both Mal and Sadie even as they explored a physical shared journey. Their internal worlds were so different from not only the setting and experiences, but from one another.

I loved this. The tension, the challenge, the ending. Just perfect. Possibly my favourite read this year.

This book is a much needed love letter to late bloomers, and I’m so grateful to @alisoncochrun for writing something so validating. And fun! Planning my camino now.

If the beautiful descriptions of the Camino countryside don't have you booking a flight to Porto, Sadie's beautiful journey of self-discovery and self-trust will.

“How boring would life be if we didn’t have anything left to discover about ourselves?”

Every Step She Takes is out Sept. 2, thank you @atriabooks for the eArc!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
🌶🌶/5
🥾🍷🐘🐚📸/5

CW: compulsive heteronormativity, emotionally immature parents, death of a parent, homophobia, practice dating, sex lessons, queer awakening, impulsive haircuts, uncomfortable hiking shoes, pasteis de nata, the power of “sangria drunk”

Alison Cochrun is an auto-read author for me and this one does not disappoint! THe way she weaves tender and emotional prose with swoony love stories is the best.

Alison Cochran’s books accurately depict the queer experience with every character flaw, every windy plot and every unusual setting. This novel was no different. I loved the way late in life queers were represented. The body image issues were delicately navigated. I enjoyed my time reading this book.

Alison Cochrun has done it again! I swear every book she writes is a perfect encapsulation of queer identity. With brilliant writing and an often humorous sense of humor, this is a coming of age for every late bloomer.

Sadie Wells jumps on the chance to take her sister’s place on a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip, Portugal’s Camino de Santiago. Especially if it gets her out of her boring job and the thirteenth blind date with another man. On the plane she meet a mysterious and seriously hot stranger who she confesses some bubbling queer feelings to. Then this stranger, Mal, is also on Sadie’s Camino, because of course she is. Two hundred miles of walking and fourteen days leads to the ultimate path of discovery for them both, because no one does a Camino just because they like walking.

Mal is an absolute DREAMBOAT with a secret incredibly endearingly vulnerable side and Sadie is the relatable queer person you can’t help but love. The story is a true love letter to self-acceptance, no matter when in life. It’s sweet, silly at times, and poignant at others; this book left me smiling with my heart full of hope.

I laughed, I cried, I wanted to start over from the beginning once it ended! I in no way would want to complete this walk myself but I loved reading about Sadie and Mal’s journey, and all they learned and left behind. Alison Cochrun strikes again!

I adored this. Based on the premise, I wasn't sure I would LOVE this dynamic, with an inexperienced baby gay falling for an experienced, emotionally avoidant lesbian--but I should have trusted Alison Cochrun, because she REALLY pulled it off. These characters were SO special, and it was such a gift to be on their journeys. I absolutely love the way Cochrun writes authentic queer desire and messy, complicated, big-hearted characters.

If you’re drawn to:
• Queer women’s romance (especially sapphic),
• Slow-burn love entwined with personal awakening,
• Stories about reclaiming identity and emotional courage,

…then Every Step She Takes promises to be a touching adventure. Expect a blend of charming and introspective writing, coupled with sweeping landscapes and heartfelt companionship.