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It Started with a Van: A true story of a home on wheels built on hope, carpet glue and decent brews
What do you do when your car breaks down during a pandemic, nobody will fix it and you end up buying a carpenter's van with no windows, no experience and absolutely no idea what you're doing?
If you're Andy, you convert it into a campervan. You install a diesel heater, carpet the walls, put a coffee machine on the worktop and drive to Lake Como.
If you're Claire, you make a lot of tea.
It Started with a Van is the true story of how a faulty Mercedes, a bolt that took two weeks and an angle grinder to remove and a YouTube channel that started with five views led two people from Barnsley on the adventure they never planned and couldn't stop having. It is a book about a van, a marriage, a dog called Pablo and the difference between vision and reality.
Told in two voices, with no agreement on the timeline and considerable disagreement about most of the details.
The authors live in Barnsley.
If you're Andy, you convert it into a campervan. You install a diesel heater, carpet the walls, put a coffee machine on the worktop and drive to Lake Como.
If you're Claire, you make a lot of tea.
It Started with a Van is the true story of how a faulty Mercedes, a bolt that took two weeks and an angle grinder to remove and a YouTube channel that started with five views led two people from Barnsley on the adventure they never planned and couldn't stop having. It is a book about a van, a marriage, a dog called Pablo and the difference between vision and reality.
Told in two voices, with no agreement on the timeline and considerable disagreement about most of the details.
The authors live in Barnsley.
293 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 16, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 26, 2026
This was such a hilarious read! I was cracking up throughout, Andy’s antics, Claire’s sarcasm, I was dying to know what would be happening next in the world of camper vans!
It was so much fun, following them whilst the van was being set up and their journeys within it, I really enjoyed the references to the places they visited and will be viewing their YouTube channel.
If you enjoy memoirs, this needs to be on your TBR, the short chapters and male/female perspectives will have you hooked and wanting to build your own campervan.
Rounded up from 3.5
It was so much fun, following them whilst the van was being set up and their journeys within it, I really enjoyed the references to the places they visited and will be viewing their YouTube channel.
If you enjoy memoirs, this needs to be on your TBR, the short chapters and male/female perspectives will have you hooked and wanting to build your own campervan.
Rounded up from 3.5
July 23, 2026
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'It Started With A Van' by Andy & Claire Stocks
I will start by admitting that this is not the typical sort of book that I would usually chose to read with it being a memoir and automotive humour. I have no interest in vehicles whatsoever, apart from when I need one to get somewhere that is!! Although I tend to steer away from these genres, I was also extremely intrigued by the concept of creating a campervan and campervan life at the same time so I jut had to give it a read. I was also drawn in by the book's simple but captivating and eye catching cover so I decided to take a chance on something completely out of my comfort zone. I must say that if you are the same as me and don't normally read memoirs or automotive humour then please DO NOT let that put you off and pick up your copy of this great book today. Expand your reading genre choices, expand your minds and give this book a try!! I can guarantee you will NOT regret it and you can thank me later! I am extremely pleased that I read it as I absolutely LOVED it!!
IF YOU READ JUST ONE BOOK THIS YEAR MAKE SURE THIS IS IT!!
This book is extremely well written and completely absorbs you into Andy and Claire's fascinating experiences creating this campervan from a carpenters van and then their travel experiences with not only each other but also with their absolutely adorable dog Pablo!! I am a HUGE animal lover and even run my own cat rescue called Golden Oldies Cat Rescue And Hospice which you can find on FB if you wish. Therefore any books including animals are a HUGE bonus for me and Pablo is such a sweetie so definitely gets bonus points!! One of the things that I absolutely LOVED about this book is the alternating chapters from Andy's perspective and then Claire's. I thought this was absolutely BRILLIANT and had me in stitches on so many occasions with Andy thinking Claire thought one thing and then Claire telling us the reality! In this brilliant page-turner Andy and Claire tells the reader all about their experiences transforming the van from a workman van to a campervan, the highs and lows, the accidents, the travels taken, the mistakes made, the social media issues, travelling with Pablo with them, exploring new areas and much more! They take us travelling around with them from Barnsley to Conwy to Formby to France and several other places in between!! Andy and Claire have managed to weave their camper and travel experiences into a fascinating, intriguing, hilarious, unique and unputdownable memoir that will keep you hooked. This is definitely one of those books that it really does not matter whether you read it while soaking up the sun in the garden or curled up on the sofa listening to the rain as their stunning and evocative descriptions completely transport you to wherever they are at the time at the turn of the page. I was that absorbed in the book that when I did manage to look up it took me a few moments to work out where I actually was. When I was finished I was actually gutted that I had to "unpack my suitcases" and return Wales, although at least the sun is shining for a change!! Andy and Claire really do ensure that you get a photographic image of everything they do and each destination they visit, see how stressful some of the experiences have been, feel the joy they feel when jobs are accomplished and targets hit, realise how stressful some of the camper and travel organising can be and makes you fall in love with Claire, Andy and the delightful Pablo!! It is a travel and camper journey filled with adventure, laughter, love, stress, humour, disasters, fun, warmth, madness, emotions, intrigue, kindness and much more!! I thoroughly enjoyed discovering and exploring the lifestyle and surroundings of travelling in a campervan and I love how open and honest Andy and Claire are about how they were feeling and what they were going through at the times. I must say that my heart was in my throat on one particular occasion and I could feel myself welling up but I am pleased to say that it wasn't as bad as I was dreading! I wont say more as I don't want to spoil it for future readers! I love the fact that they included photos at the end of the book and that they also have a YouTube Channel, website and social media pages where you can follow them on their journeys!! I am extremely pleased that they now have 46.9 subscribers which is a lot more than the 3 they had half way through the book, even if one of the subscribers is myself lol! I have had a quick look at all their social media and loved what I seen and am looking forward to going back and doing a deeper dive after I have finished this review. I am really hoping that this wonderful couple are going to write more books about their adventures and I have hope there will be more with the fact that they stated it was their first book at the end!! I cannot wait to return to this brilliant family of 3 and go on more adventures with them! Regardless of whether you are interested in travelling or campervans I would still definitely recommend this book to anyone as it truly is an absolutely fantastic memoir!! Be careful of reading it in public though and I would definitely avoid hot drinks while you are reading!! I made the mistake of drinking tea and ended up spitting it out laughing on several occasions!! It truly is eye wateringly hilarious and I just loved the openness, honesty, madness and fun!! I I also really loved the chapter titles which I found intriguing and hilarious in themselves and enjoyed discovering the link between the chapter titles and the chapter itself!! It is one of those books where there is just no point telling yourself you are going to read 'Just one more chapter' as, if you are anything like me, it just will not happen and I ended up devouring it in one sitting of a few hours. This book truly is a delightful, honest, adventurous and open memoir which I just could not put down. I carried this book everywhere with me and ended up devouring it in one sitting and then wishing I hadn't read it so fast!! Andy and Claire's incredibly vantastic writing skills really sucked me deep into their adventures and travels where I could see everything come to life in front of my eyes and they left me with the emotions that they were going through. It is an absolutely AMAZING read packed with adventures, mayhem, humour, experiences, fun and emotions. I would definitely recommend this book to absolutely anyone looking for a fascinating, unique, refreshing, hilarious, unique, intriguing and unputdownable non fiction escapism. I LOVE the fact that this book is completely unique to me! I have read so many books but yet this is the FIRST book I have ever read about converting a van into a campervan and then travelling in it!! Thank you so much Andy and Claire for this unique and brilliant read!
Clear your schedules and get ready to take a journey with Andy and Claire through van conversion, campervan travels and more!!! You wont regret it and you wont be able to put it down!!
OMG!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THIS BOOK!! IT TRULY IS AN ABSOLUTELY STUNNING, UNIQUE AND ADDICTIVE MUST READ!! AN ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS READ FROM AMAZING DEBUT AUTHORS!! GRAB YOUR COPY NOW AND I CAN GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!! YOU CAN THANK ME LATER.
Congratulations Andy and Claire on a fantastic, intriguing, unique and fascinating read! I absolutely loved learning about your travels and would love to read more about your journeys!
Overall an absolutely brilliant, entertaining, unique, hilarious and fascinating travel memoir that you will LOVE!
#ItStartedWithAVan #StChristopherOfAtlantis #AndyStocks #ClaireStocks #SwiftPress #BlogTour #Bookstagram #Bookblogger #Tr4cyF3nton #TracyFenton #CompulsiveReaders
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Review for 'It Started With A Van' by Andy & Claire Stocks
I will start by admitting that this is not the typical sort of book that I would usually chose to read with it being a memoir and automotive humour. I have no interest in vehicles whatsoever, apart from when I need one to get somewhere that is!! Although I tend to steer away from these genres, I was also extremely intrigued by the concept of creating a campervan and campervan life at the same time so I jut had to give it a read. I was also drawn in by the book's simple but captivating and eye catching cover so I decided to take a chance on something completely out of my comfort zone. I must say that if you are the same as me and don't normally read memoirs or automotive humour then please DO NOT let that put you off and pick up your copy of this great book today. Expand your reading genre choices, expand your minds and give this book a try!! I can guarantee you will NOT regret it and you can thank me later! I am extremely pleased that I read it as I absolutely LOVED it!!
IF YOU READ JUST ONE BOOK THIS YEAR MAKE SURE THIS IS IT!!
This book is extremely well written and completely absorbs you into Andy and Claire's fascinating experiences creating this campervan from a carpenters van and then their travel experiences with not only each other but also with their absolutely adorable dog Pablo!! I am a HUGE animal lover and even run my own cat rescue called Golden Oldies Cat Rescue And Hospice which you can find on FB if you wish. Therefore any books including animals are a HUGE bonus for me and Pablo is such a sweetie so definitely gets bonus points!! One of the things that I absolutely LOVED about this book is the alternating chapters from Andy's perspective and then Claire's. I thought this was absolutely BRILLIANT and had me in stitches on so many occasions with Andy thinking Claire thought one thing and then Claire telling us the reality! In this brilliant page-turner Andy and Claire tells the reader all about their experiences transforming the van from a workman van to a campervan, the highs and lows, the accidents, the travels taken, the mistakes made, the social media issues, travelling with Pablo with them, exploring new areas and much more! They take us travelling around with them from Barnsley to Conwy to Formby to France and several other places in between!! Andy and Claire have managed to weave their camper and travel experiences into a fascinating, intriguing, hilarious, unique and unputdownable memoir that will keep you hooked. This is definitely one of those books that it really does not matter whether you read it while soaking up the sun in the garden or curled up on the sofa listening to the rain as their stunning and evocative descriptions completely transport you to wherever they are at the time at the turn of the page. I was that absorbed in the book that when I did manage to look up it took me a few moments to work out where I actually was. When I was finished I was actually gutted that I had to "unpack my suitcases" and return Wales, although at least the sun is shining for a change!! Andy and Claire really do ensure that you get a photographic image of everything they do and each destination they visit, see how stressful some of the experiences have been, feel the joy they feel when jobs are accomplished and targets hit, realise how stressful some of the camper and travel organising can be and makes you fall in love with Claire, Andy and the delightful Pablo!! It is a travel and camper journey filled with adventure, laughter, love, stress, humour, disasters, fun, warmth, madness, emotions, intrigue, kindness and much more!! I thoroughly enjoyed discovering and exploring the lifestyle and surroundings of travelling in a campervan and I love how open and honest Andy and Claire are about how they were feeling and what they were going through at the times. I must say that my heart was in my throat on one particular occasion and I could feel myself welling up but I am pleased to say that it wasn't as bad as I was dreading! I wont say more as I don't want to spoil it for future readers! I love the fact that they included photos at the end of the book and that they also have a YouTube Channel, website and social media pages where you can follow them on their journeys!! I am extremely pleased that they now have 46.9 subscribers which is a lot more than the 3 they had half way through the book, even if one of the subscribers is myself lol! I have had a quick look at all their social media and loved what I seen and am looking forward to going back and doing a deeper dive after I have finished this review. I am really hoping that this wonderful couple are going to write more books about their adventures and I have hope there will be more with the fact that they stated it was their first book at the end!! I cannot wait to return to this brilliant family of 3 and go on more adventures with them! Regardless of whether you are interested in travelling or campervans I would still definitely recommend this book to anyone as it truly is an absolutely fantastic memoir!! Be careful of reading it in public though and I would definitely avoid hot drinks while you are reading!! I made the mistake of drinking tea and ended up spitting it out laughing on several occasions!! It truly is eye wateringly hilarious and I just loved the openness, honesty, madness and fun!! I I also really loved the chapter titles which I found intriguing and hilarious in themselves and enjoyed discovering the link between the chapter titles and the chapter itself!! It is one of those books where there is just no point telling yourself you are going to read 'Just one more chapter' as, if you are anything like me, it just will not happen and I ended up devouring it in one sitting of a few hours. This book truly is a delightful, honest, adventurous and open memoir which I just could not put down. I carried this book everywhere with me and ended up devouring it in one sitting and then wishing I hadn't read it so fast!! Andy and Claire's incredibly vantastic writing skills really sucked me deep into their adventures and travels where I could see everything come to life in front of my eyes and they left me with the emotions that they were going through. It is an absolutely AMAZING read packed with adventures, mayhem, humour, experiences, fun and emotions. I would definitely recommend this book to absolutely anyone looking for a fascinating, unique, refreshing, hilarious, unique, intriguing and unputdownable non fiction escapism. I LOVE the fact that this book is completely unique to me! I have read so many books but yet this is the FIRST book I have ever read about converting a van into a campervan and then travelling in it!! Thank you so much Andy and Claire for this unique and brilliant read!
Clear your schedules and get ready to take a journey with Andy and Claire through van conversion, campervan travels and more!!! You wont regret it and you wont be able to put it down!!
OMG!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THIS BOOK!! IT TRULY IS AN ABSOLUTELY STUNNING, UNIQUE AND ADDICTIVE MUST READ!! AN ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS READ FROM AMAZING DEBUT AUTHORS!! GRAB YOUR COPY NOW AND I CAN GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!! YOU CAN THANK ME LATER.
Congratulations Andy and Claire on a fantastic, intriguing, unique and fascinating read! I absolutely loved learning about your travels and would love to read more about your journeys!
Overall an absolutely brilliant, entertaining, unique, hilarious and fascinating travel memoir that you will LOVE!
#ItStartedWithAVan #StChristopherOfAtlantis #AndyStocks #ClaireStocks #SwiftPress #BlogTour #Bookstagram #Bookblogger #Tr4cyF3nton #TracyFenton #CompulsiveReaders
@StChristopherOfAtlantis @AndyStocks @ClaireStocks @SwiftPress @Tr4cyF3nton @TheBookDealer @TracyFenton @CompulsiveReaders
https://m.facebook.com/Bookwork86/?__...
https://www.instagram.com/bookwormwhi...
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https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3...
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https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/profile/a...
August 28, 2026
I bought this book with no idea that the authors were YouTubers. "I want to be clear about that, because it matters" - a phrase that crops up with grating, superfluous regularity throughout.
I'd been hoping for van adventures, so was disappointed to be confronted instead with a tale of a married couple chasing views and subscribers rather than memories.
On a more positive note, it was an easy read, and the alternating narratives were a clever, funny touch.
I'd been hoping for van adventures, so was disappointed to be confronted instead with a tale of a married couple chasing views and subscribers rather than memories.
On a more positive note, it was an easy read, and the alternating narratives were a clever, funny touch.
September 7, 2026
Brilliant
So much better than I thought it would be. Read it in a day. It made me laugh it made me smile it even made be cry. I’m not going to watch some of those earlier vlogs🥰🍺🐶. Cheers Guy🍻.
So much better than I thought it would be. Read it in a day. It made me laugh it made me smile it even made be cry. I’m not going to watch some of those earlier vlogs🥰🍺🐶. Cheers Guy🍻.
October 1, 2026
I really enjoyed this book. The authors are creative, fun, light-hearted and write with determination, capturing a moment in their lives! An honest account.
I had not seen their YouTube channel, I found the book.
I had not seen their YouTube channel, I found the book.
July 28, 2026
As funny as their YouTube vlogs. It was like a catch up with friends and a cup of tea.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews