A story of courage and second chances.

When Magnolia finds her daughter’s travel journal, she can think of no better way to honour her life than setting off on a gap year trip that 23 year old Brontë had dreamed of .

Forced into taking a sabbatical from work Magnolia knew she had to find a way to work through her grief. So she decided set off travelling around the world with Brontë as her tour guide .

Thank you so much to @CathyBramley, @netgallery and @orionbooks for sending me an early release copy of this beautiful book. Publication date 31st July 2025.

This is my first Cathy Bramley book and I can’t wait to read more. Cathy writes from the heart and her ability to bring a story to life is remarkable. I felt like I was there every step of the way on Maggie’s travels whether it was walking through the streets of Bali or the vineyards of Australia.
I found Maggie a truly inspirational character and how she used her grief and courage to help others overcome their fears .

Did I enjoy this ?
Definitely. I couldn’t put it down and read it in 2 sittings. It was uplifting and heart warming whilst at the same time dealing with some sensitive issues .It takes you on one woman’s journey through grief after the sudden loss of her child.
This book is a celebration of life, family and love. It makes you realise how precious life is and how we should never be afraid to take on new challenges.

Would I recommend it ?
Absolutely this book was beautifully written and I can’t wait to recommend it to friends and customers.
#somewhereonlyweknow
#cathybramley
#heartwarming
#grief
#makingmemories
#gapyear

What a cracking read such a great book, had me in tears at the start with such a difficult subject to tackle grief is probably the hardest and especially when it’s your child. But life does go on and maybe a new normal can be found

Somewhere Only We Know by Cathy Bramley is the story of a mother losing her only daughter in a hit and run incident. Maggie was a single mother and brought Brontë up on her own. When she is killed Maggie decides to follow Bronte’s itinerary to take a gap year but does her in her own way.
Along the way she finally starts to grieve and remember her daughter, who was the most important part of her life. By going to the places Brontë wanted to see she finds so much more than she ever expected.
A moving uplifting story of grief, friendship and finding new paths to follow and love again.
Highly recommended

Maggie`s daughter Brontë wants to have a year out after uni before working, and they argue but before making up Brontë is diesel in a car accident.
When Maggie's boss tells her to take a long break Maggie decides to follow Brontë s travel journal on where she wanted to go ending up where she was conceived and hopefully learn about her father.
A very moving story with a great ending but the description of Nepal seemed to go on forever which put me off.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review

Maggie has lost her only daughter, Bronte, in a car accident. Bronte was her whole world for so long and now she has no anchor. She tries to go on by burying herself in work but eventually something has to change. When her boss suggests a sabbatical, Maggie decides to follow Bronte's travelplan for her gap year and to see where it leads.
I loved this story, full of wise words and giving much to think about. Definitely my favourite book by this author and not tobe missed.

Cathy Bramley has done it again, this is such a gorgeous, fantastic book. I can't praise it enough.
It is heartbreaking but also heartwarming,an emotional rollercoaster of a read.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my arc.

I wasn’t sure about this book at first, the characters were well written but some of it was a bit “wordy”, once I got into it I did enjoy it and the concept was a great idea, I felt all the emotions with this one, laughed, cried and hoped for a happy ending

Somewhere Only We Know by Cathy Bramley is an emotional yet heartwarming read. I absolutely loved everything about this book- the writing style, the richly drawn characters, and especially the beautiful relationship between Maggie and her daughter Brontë.

As a mother myself, I found Maggie’s journey particularly moving. I can’t imagine experiencing the kind of loss she endures, and the way she navigates her grief is both powerful and inspiring, even within a fictional context. Cathy Bramley handles the themes of loss and healing with such sensitivity and grace. It’s a poignant reminder of the strength it takes to move forward after heartbreak.

When Maggie's daughter Bronte passes away, Maggie decides to take time out and help herself heal by following Bronte's plans for a gap year. Following her travel journal, Maggie is led on a journey of discovery - of the world, of her daughter and of herself.

Extremely emotional storytelling - I laughed and I cried (a lot!), I simply couldn't put it down and read it in a day. Beautiful descriptions, wonderful characters and fabulous writing. I look forward to Cathy Bramley's next novel.

Love Cathy Bramley books. When Maggie was 24 she went to Bali and met Jackson. She fell in love but then had to go home with no way of knowing how to get in touch with him when she found out she was pregnant. Her Bronte wanted to go on a gap year but died before she could. Maggie decided to do it for her

This is an amazing book by Cathy. An emotional and thought provoking read. A story of travel without leaving you chair and of second chances. Highly recommend.

Transport yourself to the other side of the world with Cathy Bramley’s new novel. Maggie is a single parent to daughter Brontë who has just secured her dream job, but when she informs her mother she wishes to defer the placement to go travelling for a year, they argue and before they can reconcile, Brontë is tragically killed. Overcome with grief Maggie is unsure how she will cope, and following an incident at work, she is forced to take a sabbatical. Maggie decides to use this time to travel and by using her daughter’s travel book to guide her. From a backpackers dream in Nepal, to the Blue Mountains and vineyards of Australia and on to the island paradise of Bali, Maggie goes on a journey of self discovery, trying to overcome her grief but also to find herself again. This book is beautifully written with some amazing characters and I can highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley, Orion Publishing Group and the author for the chance to review.

Ah this book was so good! Emotional (I had tears at various points), heartfelt, you felt like you were travelling with Maggie on her journey, sensing the smells and sights she was experiencing.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I love reading Cathy Bramley’s books, but with this one, I found it hard to get into at the beginning. As I continued reading I enjoyed it.

The story is about Maggie and her daughter Bronte. Both have a special bond, but when Brontë dies, Maggie is bereft and grieving her loss. Bronte wanted to take a year out before starting work, she had planned where she was going and how she’d experience different things.

Maggie makes a decision to do what her daughter never got to, and go on the gap her for Bronte.

I loved how the places were described that Maggie visited.

Oh my goodness what a beautiful book. Emotional, heartbreaking, uplifting and inspirational all at the same time. PS Tissues required.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Another wonderful read from Cathy Bramley delivering a read that was very emotional and uplifting at the same time. A storyline that I became fully immersed in from start to finish and unable to put down. A great book to lose yourself in.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

this was an amazing book, it’s a story of love, loss and adventure.
this is a new author for me and i will definitely be looking out for other books by her.
I did not want this story to end as you get to know the characters so well, a great read

I've read and loved every one of Cathy's books and I have to say she just gets better and better. This book was outstandingly beautiful, sad, poignant and awe inspiring. It touched on every single emotion. The grief felt by a mother on losing her beloved 23 year old daughter, Bronte, in a car accident was so moving but also remarkably hopeful as she bravely takes on the challenge of fulfilling her daughter's planned gap year adventures in Nepal, Australia and Bali. Encouraged and motivated by Bronte's journal setting out her planned itinerary day by day, Mum, Maggie, sets out to go to the places that her daughter never got to see. The places were beautifully described and I felt I was there on that journey and I learned quite a lot about the countries that Maggie visited. The themes of deep love, especially that of a mother and daughter relationship, grief, regret and hope all feature here with a lesson to do those special things and go to those special places with our loved ones while we can as regret when it is too late to do so is a very painful emotion.. I absolutely loved this beautiful book that will stay with me for a long time. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, once again Cathy Bramley triumphs with a wonderful book. I have enjoyed many of her previous titles and this was a slightly different tale for her, but it was once again very enjoyable. When Maggie loses her only daughter, she is struggling with life, then she remembers Bronte’s gap year journal and sets off on an adventure of her own. A heart breaking, emotional, yet uplifting tale, I loved it.

Thanks to @netgalley and @cathybramley for this read!

WOW! An endearing story of the worst kind of grief and the best kind of love.

This book had me smiling hard and reaching for the tissues in equal measures.

I felt nothing but excitement at the beginning of this story until the twist of death and my heart broke for Maggie. Grief really does affect people in different ways but this story encourages you to embrace it rather than bury it.

With her daughter as her tour guide and the kindness of others, Maggie discovers who she is and what she wants from life. As she embarks on her daughter's journey little does she know that the final piece needed to help her come to terms with her next chapter, can be found where it all began.