Way Back

by Sara Cox

*THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 2024*

Here is the feel-good listen you have been looking for... A big-hearted novel brimming with warmth, humour and heart. It's never too late to live the life you want...

'Gorgeous! Warm and funny and brimming with tenderness and heart' GRAHAM NORTON

'Full of Sara Cox's natural warmth and wit' PRIMA

'Relatable, observant and funny' WOMAN & HOME

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?

This is the life Josie never believed possible. The life she needed when her heart was breaking as a child, when her mum wasn't coping and Josie had to grow up too fast. So why this feeling, nibbling away at the edges of Josie's thoughts? The sense that she has lost something. That she has lost herself.

If Josie is to truly live, she must now take back the reins and confront her future. And to find her way ahead, she needs to go back - way back.

To the place where it all began . . .
_______

'A gorgeously written story of starting over, secrets, friendship... and going wild in the country' LUCY DIAMOND
'A warm and moving dive into childhood secrets' JO BRAND
'Excellent!' ALEX JONES

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Book Club, Romance, Comedy, Chick Lit, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published March 26, 2024

About the author

Sara Cox is a British television presenter and radio host.

Librarian's note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Emma.catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

FULL REVIEW

🌟🌟🌟🌟

There were two things that made me pick up this book:
1. The author - Sarah Cox - I admire her work and particularly love the British book TV series she hosts ‘Between the covers’ and enjoyed her previous book ‘Thrown’
2. The concept - ‘Sometimes to move forward you have to go back.’

With those two in mind I anticipated a good book and it certainly didn’t disappoint! Sara seems to have a natural talent for writing brilliantly funny books. Throughout the course of this book there was an air of humour; even when she wasn’t explicitly making a joke, the choice of language used gave a uplifting and fun feeling to what could have been a rather depressing story.

Josie and her husband of 23 years have just split up. Her father died at the age of 38 and her mother is a tricky character, that refuses to look to or think about the past in any sense of the word. And to make matters worse, Josie’s daughter Chloe had just flown the nest as she headed off to university. What was left? Not much it seemed…Josie was lost; “If I’m not a mum at the school gates or a wife organising the home then who the hell am I? Where’s the woman who took herself off to uni, who bagged a great job in New York, who worked hard and played harder? What next?” To find her way forward, she needed to go back to where she grew up…’to the place where it all began.’

One thing I really notice, and love, about Sara’s writing is her abundant use of brilliantly clear metaphors. For instance when Josie and James decided to split up she wrote: ‘Agreeing to split up was a relief, like getting home and taking off your bra.’ - it doesn’t get much clearer than that..am I right?!

As her best friend, Fay, moves to Boston and the farm she grew up in calls her name, will she end up packing her bags for Thistlefold Farm or will the comforts of her London home win her over? Josie has some big decisions to make. Especially as she is reminded “ there’s nothing to fear in life more than fear itself - never let it hold you back, Josie. Promise me that much. Life is short, my love, you must throw yourself into it feet first while you can.”

Will she find a new rhythm? A new direction for her life to follow? Or will the overwhelming stress of a mid-life crisis be too much?…

Tractors and dirty wellies or a pampered London life; which would you choose??? I have to say, I think the squirming little piglets would win me over 🐷🐑🐮

I’m not giving any more away but boy was that ending intense…those last few chapters had me so captivated I could take my eyes off the page. Let’s just say ALL is revealed and what started off as a causal easy read became a more intense and incredibly powerful book.

I truly hope Sara continues to write more books 📚

[Adrian Dooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 and a half stars rounded up for this cozy if somewhat twee story of midlife crisis, marriage break up and starting afresh while rediscovering your past.

Our main protagonist is Josie, a fifty something married woman with a grown up daughter and a husband she’s no longer in love with. Living in London the last few decades, she still dreams about her childhood home, a farm up north where she had the happiest of childhoods. That was until her father was killed in a car crash when she was 12. A night her mother refuses to discuss and an event that Josie hasn’t grieved properly, not knowing what really happened. Herself and her mother had to leave the farm shortly after for financial reasons and Josie longs to revisit it after not setting eyes on it for 40 years.
Her impending divorce gives her the perfect opportunity and when she sets eyes on it again she is immediately drawn to it and feels a connection, so much so she decides to rent it for a year and move back in, much to her mother’s displeasure.

I enjoyed this one despite its shortcomings and flaws. I’d describe it as a cozy drama, very light reading. There are some reveals towards the end but they are kind of predictable.
You will also have to get over the rather heavy handed handling of Josies idolisation of her dead father, especially in the first half of the book. It feels like at every opportunity Josie daydreams about him in the good old days and how fantastic he was. It was quite distracting and clumsy I thought. Yes it’s part of a set up for secrets later in the book and one of the main reasons Josie wants to return to the farm but it was a subtle as a brick and honestly she was getting on my nerves daydreaming about the past and her dad all the time.

The story is decent enough and there is a fun cast of characters and it zips along quite nicely. As I say, it’s a very light read, bordering on twee but fun all the same.

I did struggle on giving it 3 or 4 stars but despite my misgivings I enjoyed myself spending time with Josie and co and enjoying a book is what it’s all about for 4 it is!

Many thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC through Netgalley.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way back by Sara Cox is the first book from the author I have read, and I really enjoyed this heartwarming story.
Josie is fifty something and is married to James. They both realise that their marriage is not working anymore, and they decide to split amicably. She is excited that she has a new start in life but is not sure what to do with herself. As her daughter has left home and gone to Uni and she doesn’t really talk to her mother and her best friend Fay has got a job in Boston, so she is on her own.
After a visit to a health retreat, she decides to visit her childhood home Thistleford farm. Memories of her dad who was a farmer and herself as a little girl coming rushing back. But the place is empty. She decides to rent the farm and make new memories which might help the rift between herself and her mother.
At first this story took a long to get going, but I am glad I preserved. This is a heartwarming tale of friendship, love and second chances in life. It is a great read. 4 stars

[Angela Leivesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually stear clear of novels written by TV personalities but was glad I gave this one a try after reading recommendations.
The novel was written in an entertaining voice with a liberalb scattering of inventive and amusing similes.I preferred the second half where Josie returns to the farm in Lancashire where she lived as a child as this is when the story really takes off. I also liked the fact that I thought I knew where the story was heading but I was wrong!

[Romy Chinery · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abit slow

It’s a sweet story but far too description heavy and unnecessarily detailed for me so I’d often get bored and I read it very slowly.

[Sofia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had some good bits but was quite overly descriptive and the plot was so slow it took me a while to get through.

The plot twist was kind of silly I thought it as a joke and then it actually happened lol

[Rhian Hughes]

I finally finished a book! Cute lil holiday read with cows in it

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable read from Sara.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially I thought that this would be a four star book, then the part on the farm seemed so unlikely that the rating dropped lower, so even the shocking ‘revelation’ at the Christmas party and the final disclosure of the events surrounding Josie’s father’s death didn’t raise it back.
Yes, I know Josie had lots of money, care of her ex, but she just seemed to drift from day to day as a pretend farmer and the real one next door seemed too good to be true: handsome (naturally), available (of course), and very helpful (mmm, I’m not sure he’d have the time for all this). I hated her mother, Sandra, too, and felt their relationship was resolved too neatly.
Sandra thought the farmer was her dead husband’s son so Josie couldn’t be with him. This was because he was named on her husband’s life insurance policy as a beneficiary. It turned out he’d been named because her husband felt guilty that he’d lost both families’ money in bad schemes. Sandra had let the cows out because she was so angry that he’d lost it all, and he crashed the car while going to get them back in.

[Trina Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A refreshing life affirming take of a 50 something woman who starts her new life where she left her younger years. Josie is separated amicably from her husband but wondering where life is going to take her. On a visit to a retreat she drives close to the childhood farm where she lived with her parents. Having wonderful memories of her life as a farmers daughter she wonders whether she needs to go back to her beginnings.
Queen of the Airways, Sara Cox is strongly becoming Queen of the feel good novel writing too. There are moments of sadness but mostly light hearted and funny. It's a delight to read

[Karen Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having the author narrate this meant I found it tricky not to think of her as the main character, Josie. However, the story is a feel good character study with some emotional moments.
Josie is about to divorce her husband. As part of moving on she decides to rent her childhood home. Learning about her family and their past offers some humour and some emotional moments.
I enjoyed this, a lot.

[Susan Potts · Rating 3 out of 5]

A light hearted read, slightly predictable and I found the ending a bit rushed, but Sara Cox's witty turns of phrase come through well in the book.

[Izzy Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

girl from the rural north lives w her posh southern partner in London and decides to go buy a farm back home……… interesting………

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Sara Cox on the radio and the telly. I was surprised to discover she’s written three novels and I bought this one on a whim.

It what you might expect. An entertaining - ‘big-hearted’ according to the promotional blurb - romantic novel. It’s a light-hearted read, much of the plot is predictable and designed to induce a fuzzy glow in the reader’s heart. I’m not ashamed to say I liked it even though no-one would claim it’s a thought-provoking piece of important literature. But as listeners to her Radio 2 show will attest, Ms Cox has a witty and funny turn of phrase - and that shows up very well in the book. And anyway, what wrong with a bit of fluff in your reading occasionally?

One tiny gripe, probably unfairly triggered by the working class chip still nestling on my shoulder, but I must point out, Sara, that a girl growing up on a 62 acre farm in Yorkshire with an Aga and a pony can’t legitimately call herself a working class Northener.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really should've DNFd this book when it became obvious where it was going - which is more or less at the beginning. It's basically a woefully predictable 'fresh start' tale of a middle aged woman in the process of a divorce who returns to her childhood home where unresolved trauma and typical family secrets lurk. Packed with stereotyped characters and trite dialogue, I constantly had the feeling I'd read the very same plot at least a dozen times before. Clichés abound, and the repeated descriptions of the neighbour as 'handsome' or 'good looking' made me want to scream, although this line actually nearly made me vomit: "He's much taller than me and twice as broad, making me feel small and secure nestled under his arm".

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book i Have read by this author and I was intrigued to read it as love their book programme on tv. This was a brilliant read which shows that it is never too late for second chances and finding happiness.

The characters and storyline were relatable and also covered lots of real life issues.

Look forward to reading more from this author.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant. Fresh, entertaining and thought provoking. I forgot that Josie was fifty one but then that’s young to me now. Very funny and one absolutely laugh out moment. I thought I’d guessed the twist and then had that confirmed only to be thrown right back into it all again. Not sure why I’ve only given it four stars.

[Agi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book, it had its moments, but it's not one that I will want to re - read.

[Julie McEvoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

So very slow

[SarahRobins_reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
Thank you NetGalley for my copy of this book. This was my first by Sara Cox and it did not disappoint. She had a cracking self of humour and this has wit and filthy jokes in which I love!
The story was a nice story, woman in her 50s getting divorced after being married a long time and starting her new life by moving back to her home town up North.
You can see Sara in this story, she’s uses her experience of being brought up on a farm and it shows.
Was it a little predictable, maybe. But I still flew through it as that extra humour really helped to elevate the story!
I’m very glad a read it and I’d definitely read more of her books!

[Sarah Dacombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another easy read, took a little while to get going for me but once I got half way I couldn’t put it down! It has a kind of feel good vibe although there is a sad story within it. As it’s written by a celebrity I found it hard to imagine the character Josie being anyone other than Sara cox herself! This was my book club read & I must admit I didn’t even know Sara Cox had written any books to find out this was her second! Recommended read, it also has some good humour in it - I enjoyed it!

[Lexy · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a great debut with Thrown I had fairly high expectations. Sara Cox you did yourself proud. Well researched witty novel. I could imagine her reading it to me.

Josie had it all. Until it all fell apart. What better than to go back to the start. Back to the countryside. Back to where her life began. With the bonus of finding out some answers to questions she has been waiting for.

Great read. Would recommend

[Sally Cowling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cosy, heartwarming story about starting again after a divorce.

Main character Josie feels a bit lost after her relationship ends and decides to move from london back to the rural village she grew up in up North. She has fond memories of growing up on the farm, but this ideallic lifestyle was sadly cut short when her father died in a farming accident and her grief stricken mother moved them away.

In search of the magic she remembers Josie heads back to the village. However, for some reason her mother is less than pleased about her decision...

I really like Sara Cox's writing style, its relatable and humourous. The idea of a farming lifestyle doesn't appeal to me but somehow she convinces us with this story (and the description of the hunky farmer next door helps a little!) Another fab read, I look forward to more from her as an author!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the advanced review copy.

[Deborah Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this book as I enjoy listening to Sara Cox on the radio and watching her TV show Between the Covers which gives me inspiration to read different genres of books.
This book starts off quite slow but does gather a little speed although it’s no page turner. However Cox has a good way with words and as she narrates the story it certainly brings the story to life.
All in all a reasonable book with an underlying narrative of in order to move forward we sometimes have to take a step back into the past.

[Sammy Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those nice light fluffy reads

[Samantha Main · Rating 5 out of 5]

BRILLIANT

[Jaime Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aah I loved this book. An easy read, simple but heartwarming storyline. Good escapism.

[Jacaranda21 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent enough holiday read. I could hear Sara’s voice with certain phrases in the book! Likeable characters, even though one or two took a little time to reach that status.

[Lizzie John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice and easy read, very predictable but lovely and I read it in Sara Cox’s voice which is slightly weird

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and lighthearted Easter read! It’s never too late to find yourself or return to your roots.