Thirty-five-year-old Seattleite Sadie Wells needs an escape. She’s desperate to escape her monotonous routines, the family business that has consumed her entire life, and the unexpected gay panic that has her questioning everything she thought she knew about herself. So when her injured sister offers Sadie her place on a tour along Portugal’s Camino de Santiago, she decides this is the perfect chance to get away from it all.

After three glasses of wine on the plane and some turbulence convince Sadie she won’t even survive the flight, she confesses all her secrets to her seatmate, Mal. The the plane doesn’t crash, and it turns out Mal is on her Camino tour. Worst of all, Sadie learns that she is on a tour specifically for queer women, and that her two-hundred-mile trek will be a journey of self-discovery, whether she wants it to be or not.

Fascinated by the woman who drunkenly came out to her on the plane, Mal offers to help Sadie relive the queer adolescence she missed out on as they walk the Camino. As Sadie develops her newfound confidence, Mal grapples with a complicated loss and unexpected inheritance. But as their relationship blurs the lines between reality and practice, they both must decide if they will forever part at the end of the tour or chart a new course together.

With “funny, poignant” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) prose, Alison Cochrun explores the power of letting go of your past and realizing that it’s never too late to live as your authentic self.

I received a complimentary advance copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

By now, I’ve learned to trust Alison Cochrun. This is the third book of hers I’ve picked up, and once again, she delivered the kind of story that reminds me what a good romance novel looks like. Her characters always feel like people I could know, and this book is no exception.

The story centers on Sadie Wells, a 35-year-old from Seattle who has spent most of her life doing what was expected of her while dating man after man after man, and feeling absolutely zero spark with any of them. When her sister’s injury lands her a last-minute spot on a Camino de Santiago tour through Portugal, Sadie sees an opportunity to escape her life for a while. What she doesn’t see coming is Mal, the woman who sits next to her on the plane. After a few glasses of wine and a bumpy flight, Sadie blurts out that she thinks she may be a lesbian to this total stranger. It should’ve been a one-off moment, but then Mal shows up on the very same tour.

From there, things only escalate. Sadie soon realizes she’s signed up for a trip specifically for queer women, which means her carefully constructed walls don’t stand a chance. Mal, patient but mischievous, offers to help Sadie experience the queer adolescence she never had. Their slow-burn connection is filled with humor, tenderness, and just the right amount of spice.

Sadie’s journey resonated with me, maybe because I’ve seen friends go through that late-in-life awakening, where suddenly everything they thought they knew about themselves doesn’t fit anymore. It can be terrifying, but it can also be exhilarating. Watching Sadie stumble, blush, flirt, and finally claim her identity was sweet in a way that felt earned, not forced. Cochrun gives her characters room to be messy, which makes them all the more real.

I adored Sadie, and I especially loved Mal. She’s grounded but not without her own complications. The alternating viewpoints between her and Sadie helped the relationship feel balanced. You get to see not just the romantic tension but also the private fears and hopes each woman carries. On top of that, Cochrun uses blog posts and text threads throughout the book, which adds a clever, modern touch. It makes the story feel like you’re not just reading it, but eavesdropping on it.

The side characters deserve a shout-out, too. The Camino tour group is made up of such a vibrant cast, and even though they aren’t in every scene, they bring a warmth and humor that makes the book feel expansive. It really does feel like you’re walking the trail with them.

As for the romance itself? It’s fun, sexy, and swoony in the best way. I found myself grinning during Sadie and Mal’s banter and rooting for them during the more vulnerable moments. When the ending arrived, it felt right. Nothing rushed, nothing out of left field. Just two women who had earned their happy ending.

If I had to nitpick, I’d say the middle section stretches a little long. Walking across Portugal means lots of steps, and sometimes the emotional pacing mirrors that slow march. But even in those quieter stretches, I never felt like the story lost me. Those pauses gave it space to breathe.

All in all, this book is sweet without being saccharine and heartfelt without veering into melodrama. Cochrun knows how to balance humor, romance, and character growth, and I’m already looking forward to whatever she writes next. If you’re craving a queer rom-com that makes you laugh, swoon, and maybe even tear up a little, put this one on your list.