A decent contemporary story. A good relationship plot with good character dynamics but not quite enough growth/development. Would recommend.

This is the story of two people following the ancient pilgrimage route from south west France, over the Pyrenees and across northern Spain. The Camino Trail, also known as the Chemin de Santiago is an arduous walk which is well supported by the population along the way. To say that some hostels are better than others is an understatement.

The story is alternately told from the points of view of the two main characters: divorcee Martin, an English inventor and engineer who is testing his buggy, and Californian widow, Zoe, an artist.

It starts slowly, but soon gathers momentum until, towards the end, it sweeps the reader along at great pace. The ending is great.

There were times when I was irritated by the switching of narration from one character to the other, but it mostly worked and I enjoyed the style.

What I loved about this story was the building of the characters, from two distinct points of view, and the interactions between them. At times, they were hilarious, at other times they were surprising. There are a few shocks along the rocky way.

The will-it-ever-happen romance between the two main protagonists was extremely frustrating. I was almost screaming at the page. “Get on with it!” Do they ever get it together? Well, you’ll just have to read the book, because I am not about to tell you.

I thoroughly recommend this book. It is very interesting and I learned a lot about the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail. I was almost tempted to embark upon the walk for myself.

A sweet romantic read perfect for summer and great for readers who dream of doing a long walk or pilgrimage.

This was the first book I've read from this author and I thought it was ok but not great. I just had a hard time getting into the story and the characters were a little lacking for me.

I have really enjoyed this book. It is truly inspirational! I only wish I had read it sooner. A very different kind of story to the previous books by Graeme Simsion - but equally riveting. The story has two main characters who separately go on a pilgrimage and fate appears to bring them together along the way. The reader is able to travel the 'camino' and experience both the physical and emotional journeys they experience along the way.
I did not want the book to end...
Thanks for the copy from netgalley to review.

A multiple viewpoint narrative about walking the Camino trail. I enjoyed the accounts of the people met along the way, the scenery, the challenges of walking such a distance, and the way the love story unfolds. My only disappointment about this book was that the information about vegainsm is incorrect - particularly that protein is difficult to source on a vegan diet. I have given a lower star rating because of this because of concern that the misinformation will give readers the wrong perspective about a vegan diet.

I previously read and loved Graeme Simsion's debut novel, so I requested Two Steps Forward. It was rich in visuals and a touching story. I loved reading about the Chemin pilgrimage across Spain, though the mere mention of it makes me feel tired instantly.

I came to this book having read Graeme Simsion's other bestseller The Rosie Project, as I imagine most people who've read this did. To be honest, it says it on the cover, and his name is in bold black print. This one is written in partnership with his wife, Anne Buist, alternating chapters from the main characters' points of view. 

I enjoyed it! It's a gentle love story that undulates with the Camino. This could be seen as a bad thing, as the pace might be too pedestrian for some people (boom-boom tish), but a novel about two people walking two thousand kilometres is hardly going to be stuffed with car chases and rocket-propelled grenades. This is a novel for people looking for something calming and hopeful, like chamomile tea in book form. 

In terms of the story, I did find it a bit puzzling that Zoe would trek halfway across the world basically equipped for a trip to the shops, but I suppose there had to be some drama somewhere. I found the depiction of the Camino to be lovely. I've never done it, nor been to this part of the world, but this story made me want to explore that area more. I'd be very surprised if there aren't people who have actually ventured out there based on this book, especially if they were in a similar state of emotional turmoil as these two. 

Would I recommend it?

Yes, I would. Especially if you're either on holiday or dreaming of one. Apparently it's been optioned for a film by Ellen DeGeneres, which should give you an idea of its tone.

At first I wasnt too sure of this book, very boringly I dont like books that are not set in the UK however I soon got into it and enjoyed the different settings and the story of Zoe and Martin making their difficult journeys along the Camino (which I had never heard of but made sure to look it up). Reading about the struggles they endured and the various characters they met along the way it could almost have been a biographical journey it was so 'real'. Glad I was offered the chance to read it and would surely recommend as a book that is just a bit different from the norm.

A very enjoyable read. Immersive, charming - a smart and funny love story. Would recommend. Made me uncharacteristically want to go walking.

I've read the Rosie books by Graeme Simsion and enjoyed them very much. This collaboration novel is a bit different but still an enjoyable read. Martin and Zoe are walking the pilgrims' way to Santiago in northern Spain. Zoe is recently widowed, Graeme recently divorced and although they're walking separately they keep meeting up along the way. There's a lot of other characters who they hook up with along the walk.
Although it was a bit slow to get going, as the story progresses it picks up pace.
Well worth sticking with.

Two Steps Forward is a romantic drama that is also a delightful travelogue. A recently widowed American and a divorced engineer from Yorkshire meet whilst walking the Santiago de Compestela. Beautifully written and gently humorous it will make the reader want to travel to France and follow in their footsteps.

After the sudden death of her husband, Zoe leaves California to visit a friend in France. Once she gets there, she decides to embark on a journey of self-discovery by walking from Cluny to Santiago de Compostela, in northwestern Spain. Martin is an English engineer. He’s recently divorced and he’s struggling with the separation from his teenage daughter. Martin is walking the Camino, too, and that’s where he and Zoe meet. Making a journey that thousands of people do every year and meeting a cast of colourful people from different countries, Martin and Zoe have a difficult start, but soon the two get close forming a friendship and maybe something more, sharing not only confidences but also hotels’ bathrooms and food.
I have been a fan of Graeme Simsion since I first read his novel The Rosie Project and, since then, I have been reading all his novels. I love his fluent and clear writing style, which it’s present in all his novels, and he creates funny, engaging, and realistic characters. He wrote this novel together with his wife and, even though it has a bit of a more serious tone than The Rosie Project novels, this is still a captivating, entertaining, and compelling novel.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
I first started this book in April and read a bit of the book, it is only now in the New Year that I went back to carry on reading it and then to finish it. Like the title I have been “ Two Steps Forward “ and two steps back. I enjoyed the book and the details of the walk and it was a good bit of escapism to read in the month of January.
Recommended.

I really enjoyed “The Rosie Project” by Graeme Simsion and decided to give “Two Steps Forward” (a collaborative project with, his wife, Anne Buist) a try. I had vaguely heard of people walking to Santiago de Compostela in north western Spain, as a kind of pilgrimage to visit the site where St James the apostle is supposedly buried, but I had no idea of the distances, from very varied starting points, some would travel to achieve this. The book is impressively based on actual walks of the route described in the book, starting in Cluy, near Lyon in France, and covering around 2,000 kilometres, that the two authors made in 2011 and again in 2016. In the book, in Cluy, we meet up with Zoe, from Los Angeles (whose husband has tragically just died) and Martin, an engineering teacher from the UK, who is divorced, and being an engineer has been inspired to invent a cart as an alternative to a backpack for use on the walk with the hope that it could be developed for sale to other walkers. The two head off on the long walk at more or less the same time and their paths literally often cross during the journey, during which they come across a number of other travellers whose stories make the book all the more enjoyable. The book is well constructed with each character getting an alternating chapter, written from the perspective of either Zoe or Martin and this works very well, with the story merging when the two come together, either on the route or at the various overnight stops, where most of the other walkers congregate. I found this a delightful, easy to read, book with a fascinating story line developing between the two main characters whose very different personalities make for a very rocky ride on their journey, in more ways than one.

I loved this story of Zoe and Martin who meet whilst they are both walking The Camino. Both walking for many different reasons and both learnt a lot about themselves. Also really enjoyed all the characters they encounter along The Way.

"I learned that it is important to know not only what to hold on to and what to let go of, but of what to go back for"

I enjoyed this novel, but didn’t love it as much as Graeme Simsion’s previous titles. Still lovely writing and a great journey.

I enjoyed One Step Forward, however couldn’t help feeling that I knew the story in advance as it really reminded me of ‘Wild’, the book made into a film of the same name starring Reese Witherspoon. The storyline have a great deal of similarities.
Having said that it was a nice easy read, maybe one to take on holiday.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book

After reading and absolutely loving The Rosie Project, the name Graeme Simsion was firmly saved in my mind and as soon as I saw this book, I just had to have it. Blurb sounded also very promising as I am myself also considering doing Camino/Chemin walk one day, hopefully soon. I’ve read and heard a lot about it and many of my friends have done some parts of it.

Mainly for that reason it was lovely to embark on this journey following Martin’s and Zoe’s steps across Chemin. Two people going through rough time in their life, doing this walk for totally different reasons but hoping to find something at the end of it. Promised clarity where to go with their life.

Story is mainly character driven and those characters are beautiful. Their past, their regrets, how lost they are, it all helped to create very real characters. so easy to connect to. Plot I found slow at times and it took me a while to get into. Some parts I really struggled through but about two thirds into the book I got hooked.

If you love character driven stories about self discovery, forgiveness and finding new way of life, this book would be perfect for you. I enjoyed most parts of it but The Rosie Project is still my favourite book by Graeme Simsion.

This is a book jointly written by Graeme Simsion of ‘Rosie Project’ fame and his wife. Considering this dual authorship, I have been impressed with how well the writing flows, you wouldn’t say 2 different people wrote it.

This is the story of Zoe and Martin, who go on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage and with it, they transform, grow and go over their respective personal challenges.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ecopy of this book in exchange for an impartial and honest review.