A warm, funny, feel good story that's just a little bit different to lots of the others out at the moment. I loved the way the story developed between the two time lines and the reconnection of the school pen pals. The friendships were well written and I loved the message that life is short and we should take chances and always say yes to adventure!

The Way Back To You
By James Bailey

This is my first book by this Author but having read this it won't be my last.
An easy to read, heartwarming, enjoyable book, which is both funny and romantic.

Set between now and the 70s you follow friends Simon, Ian and Raj on their quest to find Simons first love Pen Pal Sylvie, the only thing is she lives in Bordeaux, France.

Whereas now running a busy B&B Simon gets news that his old friend Raj has passed away. The sad event then brings Simon back in contact with Ian, and suddenly Simon and Ian are back on their Journey to Bordeaux, but will Simon finally be able to meet Sylvie?

A story full of love, friendship, family.

I was lucky enough to get the chance to read this ahead of is publication date 9th June thanks to Netgalley and Penquin Michael Joesph UK.

My review will be published via Instagram a week before publication as requested.
http://www.instagram.com/tracysreadingbooks

A thoroughly enjoyable light fun read. Slightly quirky and different but somehow totally believable with brilliant characters even the most annoying one, Ian, who is someone we've all come across. Written between two timelines, a mid-seventies boarding school in Bristol and modern day Dorset but both including a trip to France by bike. There are many twists and turns with various mishaps in both eras with a sense of heartwarming fun and joy against the background of unpredictable life and changing relationships. A definite light read.

Simon Brown is saddened to find out that one of his best childhood friends has passed away. Thinking about Raj brings back so many memories that he has to go up to the attic to retrieve his box of memorabilia finding the mixtape that he made for his French penpal Sylvie. The other member of his schooldays trio, Ian persuades his to repeat the journey that the boys made all those years ago to honour their friend. Simon isn't sure if its madness especially;;y as Ian doesn't seem to have grown out of the unreliable character traits he had all those years ago. Fun madcap adventure definitely brings a smile to your face.

I loved this feel good, romantic, funny, joyous book. It's like a big hug in book form and really enjoyable. Loved it.

My first book from this author.

Simon is a widower, living and working at the Dorset B&B he ran with his wife up until her sudden, unexpected death 10 years before. His only daughter Anna is due to be married soon and is ready for her new life. For Simon, it looks like life is standing still for him until one day he catches sight of a notice of death for his best friend from when he was 16. Raj, Simon and their friend Ian spent the summer cycling to France at 16 in order to meet Simon’s pen pal Sylvia. The trip didn’t quite go according to plan and the boys didn’t see each other again….until paths are crossed in memory of Raj.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the way the story was told in the present day as well as through flashbacks to the 1970s. I was rooting for Simon all the way through.

Thank you NetGalley for my chance to read and review.

Not sure if it was a file/download issue but there were lots of gaps, stop/starts which really ruined the flow. I would love the chance to read a better version as the description of the book appeals to me.

Thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved this! I read this book within a day, I couldn’t put it down. I loved the characters and the way I had to keep asking myself if I was right in how I thought the plot was turning out. A really enjoyable read.

A Four-star read that will surprise you. I picked this up as I thought the premise was a great story, a long-lost love affair that time hasn’t dimed, despite never meeting, it sounded whimsical and wonderous, that wasn’t what I got and that took me a while to get my grip around, but honestly it still made me smile in wonder. Simon goes on a literal and metaphysical journey in this story, and its one that will surprise many. It has taken three reads, as I kept getting distracted and also a couple of writes as every time, I tried to write my review it just never seemed right to me. This is a great story and one I hope many will pick up.

Lovable, emotional, touching.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this gorgeous book. I love romantic stories especially those that take us back to when the world was our oyster. Will be doing a full in depth review on my blog. Gorgeously written.

Three friends. Two summers. One chance to find the way back to you . . .

When Simon Brown reconnects on Facebook with his first love Sylvie - the French pen pal he never actually met - he is determined that this time things will be different.

However, life isn't so straight-forward at sixty as it was at sixteen. His daughter's getting married, he's got difficult guests staying at his B&B, and his larger-than-life school friend, Ian, has abruptly waltzed back into his life.

Adamant that he can't let this second chance pass by, Simon sets off on a bike ride from Bristol to Bordeaux with Ian in tow, on the very same route they covered as teenagers in pursuit of love.

But although they now have better bikes, more acceptable haircuts, and Google Maps, some things never change, and it soon becomes clear that this trip will have even more bumps in the road than the first.

Is it ever too late to make up for past mistakes?

How far can one friendship be pushed?

And will Simon finally meet Sylvie?

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was an easy, enjoyable coming-of-age story, dealing sensitively and skillfully with love and loss. Bailey created imagery well, and I was invested in the connection between Simon and Sylvie.

This is such a fun read that I read in one sitting. It is lighthearted, heartwarming and funny. I thought it was well written with a good storyline and well developed characters that were relatable and really likeable. I really enjoyed it.

A quick and easy read that I found myself picking up after a long day to unwind. The characters are beautifully written and I came to love them within the first few pages and was rooting for them all the way to the end. At times I wanted to stop reading because I just wanted the experience to go on for longer.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read this authors first book ‘Flip Side’ and really enjoyed it so was really looking forward to his second novel. This is a feel good novel and completely different from my normal thriller genre but made a great change.

Sixty year old Simon Brown is widowed and looking forward to his daughters imminent wedding. They get on famously and work well together running a B & B but there is something missing from Simon’s life. With encouragement and help from his daughter he reconnects on Facebook with his first love Sylvie, the French pen pal he never actually met, although frequently dreamt of. And when a friends funeral brings another pal Ian into his life again it is not long before they are talking about meeting up with his teenage love.

A previous attempt to meet Sylvie failed miserably when Simon and his two friends tried to cycle to Bordeaux. Re enacting their first attempt Simon and Ian set off on a bike ride from Bristol to Bordeaux on the very same route they covered as teenagers in pursuit of love.

Life is never straight forward when Ian is involved and the journey is going to be a challenge for the sixty year olds.

A fun novel, that I enjoyed without having the usual head scratching my thriller reading gives me.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

In The Way Back To You, Simon Brown, now sixty, has recently reconnected with his first love Sylvie, his French pen pal that he never actually met. Through the book, Simon embarks on a journey to Bordeaux, with the goal of achieving a different outcome. This was a heartwarming second-chance story. I really enjoyed reading about Simon and Sylvie, and the development of their relationship, both past and present day. Thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph UK and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.