I like to discover new writers, but I’m always a bit wary on what they’re going to be like as it’s starting something new for me. Luckily I’ve a bit of time on my hands lately and Nick Alexander kept popping up on my goodreads as an author recommendations.

Nick Alexander’s Where Do We Go From Here is a deeply emotional novel that explores grief, relationships, loneliness and the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. What made the book particularly powerful for me was how realistic it felt. Rather than focusing only on the virus itself, Alexander shows how lockdown changed people emotionally and socially, especially within families and relationships.

This story follows Wendy, whose life begins to fall apart during lockdown as she struggles with isolation, family pressures as well as personal loss. Reading her story made me think a lot about how differently people experienced COVID depending on their personal circumstances. One of the most interesting parts of the novel was comparing Wendy’s life during COVID with my own experiences.

Wendy’s lockdown experience is filled with emotional isolation and tension in her relationships. Her home becomes a place of stress rather than comfort, and she feels trapped in a life that no longer makes her happy.

Although everyone experienced restrictions and uncertainty, not every household suffered the same level of emotional breakdown. The novel reminded me how much a person’s environment and relationships shaped their experience of the pandemic. Some people used lockdown to become closer to loved ones, while others, like Wendy, found existing cracks in relationships becoming impossible to ignore.

There is a sense that the pandemic did not create every problem, but it intensified them. I remember hearing many stories during and after lockdown about divorces, separations, families and friendships falling apart because people struggled emotionally and mentally during such an unusual time. This reality was captured very well without making the story feel exaggerated.

The part of the book that affected me most emotionally was Wendy losing her mother. This felt very close to home for me because I have also experienced losing my mum. Because of this, those sections of the novel were difficult to read at times, but also very moving. Alexander writes grief in a very honest and understated way.

Another strength of the novel is how believable the characters are. Wendy is not perfect, which makes her more relatable. She makes mistakes and struggles to know what the right decisions are. This realism makes readers more invested in her journey because she feels like an ordinary person rather than a fictional stereotype. Nick Alexander also writes in a simple but effective style that allows the emotional moments to stand out naturally. The book is not overly dramatic, yet it still carries a strong emotional impact.

Overall, Where Do We Go From Here is an emotional and thought-provoking novel that captures the emotional reality of the COVID-19 pandemic. What makes it stand out is not just the storyline itself, but how relatable it feels for readers who lived through that period. The novel explores how differently people experienced lockdown and how easily relationships and mental wellbeing could suffer under pressure.

Nick Alexander succeeds in creating a novel that is both heartbreaking and realistic, leaving a lasting emotional impression long after finishing the book.