Sara Cox's previous novel, Thrown, was a pleasant if forgettable read. Way Back was, I thought, a significant step up. Actually, I loved it. A really engaging story with a few genuine laugh out loud moments

Having split up with her husband at the age of fifty-one, and in need of direction in her life, Josie finds herself returning to her Lancashire roots and to the farm where she lived as a child, before everything changed.

The twin threads of Josie getting to grips with the farm/rediscovering her roots, and a past her difficult mother has flatly refused to ever talk about, work really well. Josie was a really relatable character for me and I loved the farming stuff, especially the animals, and the contrast with her London life.

When Chekhov's Hot Grumpy Farmer was briefly introduced early on, we all knew where that was going, though I have to say it took a turn I was not expecting. There's a great cast of subsidiary characters - Ruth, Mary, Fay and the two Chrises, among others.

Fabulous read.

I could hear the author's voice all the way through this! I do like Sara Cox so that is no bad thing!
I like the trip back in time for the main character Josie when she revisits her childhood home. There are quite a few very believable and pretty eccentric characters involved and a lot of humour. However, I did feel it veered a bit too much into chicklit territory focusing on romance which was a bit cheesy at times. I enjoyed reading about Josie struggling but finding her feet in the countryside, and discovering the circumstances surrounding her father's death and her mother falling apart afterwards.
I would probably describe this as a cosy read, I did enjoy it.

Way Back by Sara Cox


Josie's life is fine. Absolutely, completely fine. Nice husband, brilliant best friend, a gorgeous kid at uni. The big house of her dreams on its leafy London street is a lifetime away from the Lancashire farm of her childhood. So what if her mother is tricky, and James isn't in love with Josie any more, and maybe she's not in love with him either? It's great to have time to herself now Chloe's flown the nest . . . isn't it?

We all hanker for a nice life don't we ?
But it seems that Josie's it's having it all , isn't all that she thought it would be and that includes her husband and ' perfect home '.

Loved the characters in the book and how Josie found her happy.

I love a good novel that explores the what if? And if you had a chance to go back what would you do differently? Way Back by Sara Cox seems to answer all those questions and more. I can’t wait to share my full thoughts and review on this one! I am absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to have an advance read on this one!