This was a nice feel good book. I loved the characters and I liked how the characters were written by a husband and wife.

Apologies to the author and publisher for not reading and reviewing this sooner. I finally tried to read it today and I couldn’t get into it at all. I found 10% in I was very confused and didn’t know what was going on. This one isn’t for me and I DNFd it. I will not be recommending it.

I enjoyed the setting of the book & the idea of walking the trail. However I found the will they/ won't they nature of the story quite frustrating & slightly hollow. Nevertheless I finished the book.

Beautiful book with such an interesting plot, I found all the characters likeable and would 100% buy this book to pass on to friends and family.

Very many apologies that in this instance I was unable to read and feedback on this title in a timely manner. I previously read The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion and adored it.

Two Steps Forward is a story that took me a while to get into, one I wasn’t entirely sure about, but found myself eager to read more of. It’s one of those stories that has me conflicted, one that I had hoped for a bit more from.

I think my main issue with this one is that I did not connect with the characters until quite late in the story. I was curious about how things would play out, but there was too much miscommunication for me to fall for the tale. I wanted to see how the pieces would come together, but – more importantly – I wanted the characters to simply talk. It would have saved a lot of trouble, and I feel I would have connected with them a lot easier.

Although this wasn’t quite everything that I had hoped it would be, it certainly had me turning the pages to see how everything came together in the end.

Thought I was going to love this book but it didn’t quite meet up to my expectations. That is not to say it wasn’t nice to read - it was a good idea but didn’t sparkle.

I wanted to love this book because I loved the adventure aspect of it - the descriptions of the towns along the Camino, the quirky cast of characters that Zoe and Martin met along the way, and the general trope of finding someone while you’re trying to find yourself. However, beyond that, this book fell really short. I didn’t particularly like either Zoe or Martin but didn’t dislike them enough to really care, either. I also found that the constant missed chances along the way could’ve been cute and kept me on my toes but were really just annoying and repetitive after awhile.

As a side note, I would’ve really loved a collection of short stories that followed each character individually on their journey - I found that some of the side characters had more depth than the main characters and would’ve loved to hear more about their stories.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley.

Very smart. Very funny. Full of tender moments. A real good feel good novel that has you reevaluating your life. I loved it and it should be added to everyone's reading list.

Two Steps Forward is an absolutely endearing story by Graeme Simsion the author of The Rosie Project.and Anne Buist (his wife!) That alone was a treat for me!

When grieving wife Zoe, takes a modern day pilgrimage along a walking trail to The Chemin, Camino de Santiago, (from southwest France, across the Pyrenees to northern Spain) she meets Martin and romance blossoms. What follows in a long hike down a new emotional path, and even memory lane, as they journey together meeting all kinds of characters, taking time to really get to know themselves along the way. The challenges they have embarked on are not only physical but emotional and really fit in with each other within the storyline well.

A terrific - will they - won't they get together tale, with a few ups and downs along the rocky path of fate.

Being a huge fan of Graeme Simsion's Rosie series, I was intrigued to see what this book was all about. Would it live up to my Rosie expectations? Well, not quite. But that's not to say I didn't enjoy this story. Co-written with his wife, each takes on a character voice to tell this romance story.

It has a slow, scene-setting start and then ramps up the plot nicely. We meet Martin and Zoe who, for their own personal reasons, go on a cathartic, and epic, walking trail - The Chemin, also known as the Camino de Santiago. This trail is where they meet and romance blooms. I also liked the delicate themes of loss and pilgrimage it explored so well.

It took me a little while to get into, but I'm glad I got to know Martin and Zoe and I loved discovering all about the Camino trail. The authors have actually walked it, which is the kind of real-life fact I love. Made me want to to the walk one day!

Who wouldn't love this book!? The characters make you feel you are part of their lives, you experience their highs and lows just as you would in your own lives with the hope that the ending would turn out well for them, after all a fairy tale always does doesn't it? Set in wonderful France this is a fabulous book, humorous, poignant and a true reflection of modern life. A great read - highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this story! It didn't necessary grab me in the feels, so to speak, but it was a nice little story with a ton of emotion and pretty interesting. I love the idea of it though, and the cover and title are great! Well written.

Interesting read from two different POVs - a husband and wife team. I absolutely adored the Rosie Project, but this didn't quite grab me in the same way!

Heartwarming story of discovery after personal tragedy. Zoe and Martin start the Camino in France separately, but their lives are to become linked together with the journey. A beautiful depiction of pilgrimage in the modern day.

Absolutely loved this book!!! Great to read something written by 2 people & following their experiences. Would be great if they wrote a second book, to follow their second journey together.

My rule of thumb with books is 'I've started, so I'll finish'. It's been a struggle sometimes. Here, I very nearly didn't get past the second sentence, which started 'It was laying on its back….'. Gah! How can an editor/proofreader not notice this? I did wonder if I could pretend I never started this; one howling grammatical error only a few lines in wasn't exactly promising.


Well, I did carry on. And there were a few more howlers. Unfortunately, I can't say that the novel was so good it didn't matter. It was mediocre, at best.

Recently widowed Zoe…and I mean recently, as in three weeks (how on earth can you organise a funeral then a trip abroad all in three weeks?) decides to take herself and her grief to the Camino de Santiago, a network of pilgrims' ways, between France and Spain, deciding at the same time to become a vegan (probably not the best decision when she needed a lot of walking energy). Martin, an engineer, recently divorced (and embittered by his wife's infidelity), also decides it's a good idea, at the same time prototyping a wheeled backpack, which he hopes will stand up to 2000 kilometres of pushing and pulling. Inevitably, the two are destined to pair up at some point, as in, intimately. But…oh, so, slowly. This dragged on rather and the absence of any interesting details of the Camino meant the whole thing never really warmed up.

The authors tried to provide interest with colourful/annoying/philosophical/young/old/multinational/transgender characters, but they didn't elevate this book beyond mildly pleasant.

Having stuck with Zoe and Martin for over 2000 km, I do feel there's possibly a sequel in them, as the ending wasn't neat and tidy and all wrapped up, but without the Camino backdrop and its walkers, these two rather ordinary, rather boring characters would find it hard to provide a decent backbone to a second book.

Having walked the shorter Camino Ingles, I was drawn to this from the start and I wasn't disappointed. Told in alternating chapters (by real life husband and wife), we follow Zoe and Martin's journey from each character's perspective. It's a very realistic portrayal of the Camino, with the obsessions of getting a bed for the night and finding your next meal. Plans often go awry and the challenge is not only about putting one blistered foot in front of the other, but in coping with what life throws at you.

Occasionally plodding (much like the Camino) but enjoyable none the less

I didn't love this. It was a bit too saccharine for my tastes but if you're a fan of e.g. Jodi Picoult/Cecelia Ahern, etc. I think you'll enjoy it.

Unlike other books detailing a journey on a famous trail, I found this much more amusing and far less self promoting. This tells the story of 2 main characters who embark on the Camino Trail for different reasons and the characters they meet along the way. I enjoyed the pace of the book which echoed the pace of the walkers, and gave time for their thoughts and introspection.
These authors came up trumps again in my opinion, and gave already recommended it to others in my reading group.