As a recovering medieval historian I am partial to stories of pilgrimage both past and present. Andrew McCarthy gives a lovely account of contemporary pilgrimage and the multiple motivations beyond religion that might inspire the undertaking. An entertaining travel narrative combined with touching thinking about father-son relationships.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book other than a blast from the past and an interesting premise thinking about tackling a month-long walk with my own young adult son, but I was drawn right in. While on the surface this is the story of McCarthy and his son undertaking the Camino de Santiago across Spain, it's more a story of them getting to know each other and themselves better along the way. I enjoyed the story of their relationship and how it changed as well as the references back to when McCarthy had undertaken the walk alone when he was younger to reset his life after instant fame and family issues. Short, sweet, and full of entertaining side characters that they met along the way, Walking with Sam made me want to fly to Spain with my own kid and walk a few hundred miles. Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the early access in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another great book about the Camino de Santiago! And this one by a celebrity you might remember from your past life.

Andrew McCarthy took to the road again - he'd done this road before - but this time his son, Sam, was his partner. Five hundred miles starting in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France ending at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia, Spain - known as the Camino Frances. There are many caminos, all ending at the Cathedral.

This engaging book tells of a father and a son, both mostly grown, bonding and learning about each other before they part ways as all parents and children do when each turns to the business of living their own lives separately. Families are families forever on paper, in records, but in real life there is a true crack, one fine day when the break is felt through and through. When the launch is real.

Between France and Spain, on this big walk the McCarthy Men were acknowledging each other, that moment, and it was charming. They were raindrops in the rivulet, part of streaming humanity filling these paths and roads for centuries. Tradition sang its song to them: fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, whatever the mix of loved ones - blooded or not. Pull on those walking shoes, and come along, come along . . . start down the roads the saints have walked. . . this thousands-year-old road waits. . .

An inspiring read. Read this book, and maybe, like me, you'll be googling up your own trip, your own Big Walk.

*A sincere thank you to Andrew McCarthy, Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for a free ARC to read and voluntarily review.*

I loved this book! Having read Andrew McCarthy’s Brat, I knew I was in for a well written story. His relationship with his son is portrayed so vividly that I feel like a member of the family. It’s also a great history of Spain, which means a lot to me having just visited the country a few months ago.

Andrew McCarthy and his son Sam decide to walk the Camino de Santiago. They have many good and bad experiences along the way. They deepen the relationship and come to understand each other a little better. Andrew is always looking out and helping Sam just as any parent would do. This book is a fun and informative read.

Let me preface this review that despite growing up in the era of the Brat Pack, I was not a fan. Never saw St. Elmo's Fire, Pretty in Pink, etc. I vaguely knew who Andrew McCarthy was but it's not like i had posters on my wall. But this book intrigued me because I am a hiker. I am in love with the idea of hiking the Appalachian Trail someday and because of that have watched or read up on other long trails like CDT, PCT and the Camino. With that in mind, I loved everything about this book. So much of what McCarthy writes about I have heard from others or experienced myself (despite just doing day hikes). Most of my hiking is done with my husband which is hard enough, I cannot imagine hiking with one of my kids. Some days you just want to be alone in your own thoughts and other times my mouth runs non-stop and I find myself telling my husband things I wouldn't have otherwise thought about talking about. I saw that happen in this book. There is a saying in the hiking world... Hike your own hike. And although it took them some time to come to terms with that, that is what I saw father and son doing in this book. I thought it was funny, heartwarming, eye-opening and realistic. Loved this one!

Andrew McCarthy writes a funny and touching travel memoir about his recent journey with his eldest son, Sam. The two of them walk Spain's historic 500-mile Camino de Santiago (a major Christianity pilgrimage route). I had read snippets of this trip on McCarthy's Instagram page and was curious to read this book. Besides the typical father-teenaged son relationship meanderings, I was impressed with the author's retelling of the Camino's history. I am amazed that the Camino is as popular today as it was back in the 10th century.

Plenty of colorful characters as well as lots of pizza, ice cream and coffee! I highly recommend to anyone interested in travel memoirs, father-son relationships and Spanish history.

Thank you Grand Central Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

An inspirational book for the aspirational walker for the Camino de Santiago! It is also a touching story for every parent who longs to get quality time with the child who is swiftly moving towards a life of their own. Add excellent writer to the already known acting and directing credentials of Andrew McCarthy. Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Waking with Sam by Andrew McCarthy: such a great story. As someone who grew up watching McCarthy’s movies, I loved reading his words and seeing him with his son on the road where there was nothing between them. It was both enlightening and entertaining, with some sweet moments and some laugh out loud moments. Definitely a good read!

I have always enjoyed Andrew McCarthy the actor and now can say I enjoy him as a writer. A very good book that was interesting and held my interest.

I LOVE Andrew McCarthy *insert pic of him and I together at a book event in 2017*. I have been a fan of his since I was 12 and when he was on this journey I saw the things about it on his instagram. When I found out he wrote a book about it I knew I needed it and wanted to see what happened in more depth.

I felt that Andrew did a great job being authentic with this time with his son, he did not hold back at all. I knew about the Camino de Santiago because of Emilio Estevez's 2011 movie The Way, but did not know Andrew had done it himsel whe he was younger. Andrew wrote about some of the history behind The Way, what the weather and walk was like, the discussions with his son, who they met in their journey etc. I really enjoyed this.

I enjoyed it as a whole, but was not 100% blown away.....also...I want more pictures!!

This is my second book by Andrew McCarthy and I am so glad I have his others waiting in the wings - I really enjoy him as an author and even more as a narrator and this was, even in the midst of all the feels, was an excellent read for me.

I have a very fractious and currently, nonexistent relationship with my father [I am blessed to have had a fantastic stepfather, who loved me like I was his own blood and I have been bereft since he died. He was a man among men and all of us who knew him will never forget him]. He too [like Mr. McCarthy's own father] is an angry man and ALL of the anger issues that I too struggle with comes directly from him and is something I have been working on for years. I also struggle with the feelings of failure [I am the eldest child in a family where much was expected] and I found that it was these parts of the book that really resonated with me. While Sam initially bothered me [most of that simply stems from the fact that I would not have raised my child the way he had been raised and that is on me, not on the book or the author himself - much like the Camino, where your walk is YOUR OWN WALK, raising a child is the same and once I had reminded myself of that a MILLION times, did I get it. {EYEROLL - I am not always the quickest learner LOL} ], learning more about his story and what he has gone through in his short life made me realize he was way more "adjusted" than I was giving him credit for [or his parents in how they raised this free-spirited child]. Listening to the conversations father and son had while traversing The Camino made me weep at odd times and made me wish, once again, for the father I just never have had.

A brilliant memoir of a really tough, but satisfying time, this is something I would come back to - the lessons within its pages will always resonate with me. Plus, Andrew McCarthy's voice, narrating this compelling adventure, is never a bad thing. ;-)

Thank you to NetGalley, Andrew McCarthy, and Grand Central Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. I was very excited to receive this ARC. I always loved the movies that the author did in the 80's. I am not really into biographies. But I wanted to give this one a shot due to my fond memories as a child from his acting.
I enjoyed the story a lot. It was a great story about bonding with your child and all the whole going on a once in a lifetime adventure. Highly recommend.

I love Andrew McCarthy. I’ve met him in an airport and he was just lovely. I love him even more now reading this book. The love for his family is so evident and I just loved the realness of the story.

I had never heard of this pilgrimage before this book, and while I’d like to say I am tempted to take it myself that would be a lie. That’s okay though because Mr. McCarthy gives an accurate account of the month long trek. I loved all the interesting characters they met along the way. But my favorite moments were between dad and son. Bro (iykyk)

I am not a history buff in the slightest but Mr. McCarthy’s way of dispersing the tidbits had me hooked.

I could write more but really take my word for it and read this book.

Walking with Sam is the story of actor Andrew McCarthy (he of Brat Pack fame), walking the Camino De Santiago with his young adult son Sam. I appreciated how McCarthy doesn't sugar coat his humanness, his frustrations, and his sometimes petty behavior. He had walked the Camino as a younger man and it feels full circle to come back with his son. I got a sense of the rigor of the journey and enjoyed this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion. Walking with Sam is available now.

*Note- I do not rate memoirs, but this passes the vibe check with a resounding yes.

As a child of the 80s, I was (of course) a HUGE fan of Andrew McCarthy. As a fan, I’ve followed him for years on sm and enjoyed the relationship he has with his kids. So when I got the opportunity to read the arc of his travel/memoir I was so excited. I’d never heard of the Camino before and I would probably give up 10 minutes in but to think Andrew’s walked it twice and now Sam’s walked it is incredible! A 500 mile pilgrimage sounds daunting. I listened to the audio (through Libby) as well and hearing it in their voices adds so much to the experience.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing, Andrew McCarthy, and Netgalley for the early review copy.

Part travelogue, part father/son bonding story, 80s actor Andrew McCarthy details a trip across Spain on the Camino de Santiago with his 20-year old son Sam. Having traveled the Camino about 25 years before, McCarthy had longed to experience it with his son, and share what had been a changing trip for himself with the hopes that it will be a similarly transformational trip for his son. We get to meet a colorful cast of fellow pilgrims along the way. I wish there had been a few more details on the conversations between father and son and a few less details about each and every turn of the walk, but overall this was a good read and is giving me some inspiration to think about what ways I can challenge myself (spoiler: it won't be by walking 500+ miles across Spain!) physically, mentally and emotionally. Also note, if youare looking for inside scoop on the 80s brat pack life, this is NOT the book for you. Very little about that period of McCarthy's life is discussed and - surprisingly - it seems like few of the people he met along the way in Spain recognized him and/or cared about him in that way. Just a few random photos with fans over the monthlong journey.

NOTE: Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honet review.

A wonderful story about a father and son getting to really know each other while walking through Spain. I loved the interactions between them as well as the other pilgrims and the snippets of history of the Camino and the towns they pass. Sam, through most of the book, annoyed me, as most teenagers do, and I think this would have been better solely from Andrew McCarthy’s point of view. There was also the issue of his walking just to walk, no greater purpose, so it seems almost like a marketing ploy despite being the second time he’s done this; it just seemed off. There’s lots of great parenting advice and I laughed here and there. An enjoyable read.

Very good read - Father and son spend a month walking the Camino de Santiago. The interaction between Andrew and his son Sam kept me reading to see how the journey ended.

Entertaining and moving. McCarthy allows his father-son journey to unfold without cliche or sentimental commentary. It’s both a great travelogue and a great parenting memoir.