An engaging story. I felt the main character happened to fall in love very quickly after her loss, but perhaps that is what some people do?

A wonderful read with charming characters and an engaging plot!! I look forward to reading more by this author.

The subtitle this is a "feel good novel about second chances" that takes you around the world... to the point where it reads like a travelogue. I was expecting a light, fun read and that's what I got.

A book that all mother can relate too at some point feeling that they are just there to organise everyone else and that their input goes unnoticed.

I loved reading this book and how Lori took control of her own destiny and broke away to follow the dreams of what she wanted to do. Janice brings so much of her own adventures to this book and that makes everything so real and the descriptions jump from the pages.

A great story that I loved and I will definitely read more by this author.

I was really looking forward to reading this book. However as I read it I felt like I was reading a travel book. I did not connect with Lorraine and skipped chapters to the end.

This little book makes you want to give up your day job and travel just like Lori. A really nice read that swept me away

Lori's life falls apart when she finds out her husband has cheated with her best friend. She could be forgiven for climbing under the nearest rock bus she doesn't do that. Instead, she picks up her passport, grabs a backpack and heads to Thailand.

Now, this all seems like one big cliche, but don't be put off!  The beautiful travel destinations that Lori visits on her travels are truly brought to life by Janice Horton's exquisite writing. An inspirational and fun read about gaining independence, relishing adventures and grabbing opportunities. I loved the visit to the turtle sanctuary, I was truly envious, and all the beautiful island hopping inspired me to travel more myself.

Tired of your 9 to 5 life? Not sure where your life is about to head? In need of a break from your current relationship? Looking to find your other half? Trying to escape an abusive relationship? Or freshly separated from the man you spent decades with?

For those and many more questions, the answer sounds very simple nowadays: get your passport, book that flight and run! Hopefully you have enough funds into your account or a job which allows you to work remotely. Doesn't matter your age, relationship status and mortgage situation. Take a break from the everyday chores and look for a beautiful island to soak under the sun sipping your coconut from your hammock. It is amazing how many books and memoirs are on the market lately encouraging wanderlust and taking risks far away from home and I (at least partially) support such mindset.

The hour after Lorraine discovered she is betrayed both but her husband and her best friend, she is leaving behind her quiet family life to embark on an adventure on a lifetime. It starts in Thailand and continues with a happily ever after. It doesn't matter that she was '(...) homeless, redundant and my marriage vows are void'. She flipped a new page of her life and I can only support such people, either in real or literary life. What matters is to be happy and purposeful, especially after living a lie for such a long time.

The author of The Backpacking Housewife, Janice Horton is a traveller and travel writer herself, therefore many of the descriptions of places in the book sound authentic and based on her own inspiration. Targeting mid-aged women, in a difficult personal situation, travel looks like the proper answer to overcoming a complicated time. Especially if you are looking for a purpose and your account is fat enough to help you finally make your dreams come true.

What a great read. Well written and a good story
It is entertaining and will make you look at life differently.
It shows that there are always opportunities open to you but you need to grab them with both hands

From reading the blurb I knew I had to read this book. I love travelling (although don’t get to do it) but it sounded a lot of fun and heart warming. Sun, sand, sea and saving baby turtles! What more could you honestly want from a long holiday?

I was truly invested in Lori and the strength she has, she is a remarkable woman and very sensitive and inspiring! I truly do admire her for just upping and leaving. I loved the friends she made on the way apart from Jack (what an ass!). But when she met Ethan… wow, you felt the sparks coming out the book (or in my case kindle).

I thought it was quite funny that her sons met Lori in Kuala Lumpur and tried to persuade her to come home. But she managed to convince them that under no circumstances was she ready to go back and wasn’t going anywhere but onto Borneo.

There was a slight twist towards the end, but in a way, nothing really unexpected. The book just flows and I love the way the chapters are named after the places Lori visits. I’ve given this book a very sunny, shiny and well deserved 5/5 rating. I’d most certainly recommend this as a poolside or beachside read. Or even just to be transported away from the wintery blues.

I love to travel so this novel was the perfect combination of romance, getting back on your feet and travelling vicariously through Lori as she made her way through Thailand and beyond. You can tell the author is an experienced traveller by the wonderful descriptions of the islands and the confident way Lori moves between places. Thailand has never been some where I've particularly wanted to visit, but after reading this I may reconsider. I thoroughly enjoyed Lori's journey in all senses and would definitely recommend it.

The book starts with Lori travelling to get away from discovering her husband having a sexual relationship with her best friend.
Rather than get revenge and mope, she decides to live her dream of travelling and takes off travelling lightly with a back pack.
She meets various people along the way while travelling throughThailand and Malaysia. I loved the descriptions of all the places she visited. She gained a lot of experiences along the way while she tried to find happiness.
Loved the part where she gained her Diving Certificate and later when she went to help on a Turtle Sanctuary.
In time, she found that the past hurt didn't really matter. She did miss her grown up sons. They flew out to KL to try and persuade her to return, believing her to be having a mid life crisis.
She carried on with her travels and made a real connection with Ethan.
Lovely book. Highly recommend.

Chatting to the author I found out that this story was inspired by her own love of travels and her extensive journeys all over the world. This novel is fiction but that backstory really makes this story stand out from the crowd.

In the story, Lori’s husband has cheated and so this journey is a break away from it all and a way of finding herself. Now before you all sigh, this is so much more than that – it’s an adventure in itself and a lovely homage to the sights and sounds of this remarkable region. Flying into Bangkok, she soon finds out the lovely places to go to next and so heads off for the adventure of a life time in Thailand and Malaysia.

Even the airport of Bangkok seems alien and overwhelming at first – and it’s these pauses and small details that make such a difference as anyone who has travelled alone will know and recognise. This is a woman whose life has fallen apart so she is more vulnerable than most – but perhaps because of this, more courageous to go as far as she can.

She stays in a posh hotel at first but that’s the last sign of her Western ways as she fully immerses herself into the sights, sounds, smells and oh so mouthwatering tastes of the region

This is when the book ramps up the travel factor even more as it acts like an inspired travelogue with Lori’s heartbreak but heartwarming story at the centre of it all.

From Bangkok she heads to Chiang Mai and then over to Railay Beach for a bit of diving and more. She’s not one to shirk any new chance of reinventing or enjoying herself.

Then there’s the islands – Koh Lanta on to Koh Ngai, Koh Lipe and the fictional Koh Phi Tao . There’s turtles, orangutans and more and it’s a delight to be on that journey with her.

A fun and heartfelt read from someone writing from a very unique travel perspective and it’s a great literary holiday if going there yourself is out of the question. It will make you want to go though!

This was an extremely entertaining book that I would highly recommend to those who love to travel vicariously through their literature.

I loved this book ! This is fun read and a great book for us armchair travelers. . It is the story of a women who finds out her husband of 25 has been cheating. A very familiar story for many of us. In her case she packs a light suitcase and goes to the airport to the first exotic place she chooses, Thailand . Many adventures ahead she travel the world , works with sea turtles and finds her bliss . I so enjoyed this refreshing take on a woman starting over . It is well written and the location descriptions are perfection. A excellent fun travel read and a great book about independent women and started over to live the life you were meant to live.

This was an amazing read. It felt like you were escaping on an adventure along with Lori. When she finds her husband with her best friend she goes to the airport with only a backpack and books a ticket somewhere far away and exotic. You experiences the sights and sounds of Thailand alongside her and feel as though you are going on a 'grown up' gap year. She sees some amazing places and projects and you can feel the draw of her adventure. The people she meets are fascinating. A couple of my nieces have done some similar travel adventures this year and I could just imagine the excitement of the whole experience.

When Lori catches her husband in bed with her best friend she grabs her passport clears out half of their bank account and jumps on a plane to Thailand! Having not even taken any clothes she goes shopping for a new wardrobe and sets out for her adventures. As she goes to places she has only dreamed of from working in the travel industry she soon starts making friends from Railey Beach to Koh Lanta and Koh Ngai, learning to scuba dive on the way and then through some new found friends to a turtle conservation island...... and the gorgeous Ethan........ but it's much to soon to be thinking of romance isn't it!

I loved this book but especially as I have been to most of these places and can just picture them, especially the emerald cove before it became so commercialized, and it is so easy to make friends along the way and change plans. Perfect for the beach..... our anyone who is thinking of giving Thailand a try.

When Lorraine finds out her husband has been having an affair with her best friend, she grabs her passport, clears out half of their bank account, and takes off to Thailand and Malaysia. As Lori wracks up the miles island hopping, she comes to terms with the end of her marriage and the start of a whole new life. She is keen to embrace all the adventures she can - learning to scuba dive, rescue turtles and even finding some romance.
This escapist read comes across more like a travel diary than an intricately plotted story but it’s actually all the richer for it. I very much enjoyed vicariously living through Lori’s travels.

A fabulous read about moving on and never looking back. The story focus's on Lori and how her life moves on after she flees her home from the ruined marriage..
she meets some brilliant people and the experiences are just out of this world so the author must have done them herself to be able to describe them in such brilliance.
This is a twist, and i never got that until the very end so its well worth the wait. Its not a long winded wait because theres so much fun reading throughout this book,.

Good summer read of a wife who up and leaves a cheating husband. While I enjoyed this book, I felt that there was so much left unsaid that my mind would wander from the book to fill in the space. Overall, it was an enjoyable read. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.