Every Step She Takes
A Novel
Published on 2. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
384 pages
978-1-6680-2125-5 (ISBN)
Description
A swoon-worthy sapphic romance following two women who are thrown together on a European adventure, from the Lambda Literary Award-winning author of the "sexy, insightful, and utterly charming" (BuzzFeed) Kiss Her Once for Me.
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 problem: 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.
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 problem: 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.
Reviews / Votes
"With an addictively acerbic sense of wit and the most empathetic of hearts, Cochrun deftly delves into the complexity of human emotions and the many ways in which we connect with one another. She also perfectly conveys just how scary it can be at any age to try and discern who and with whom we want to be."-Booklist "This later-in-life coming-out story is a rich exploration of queer identity and community, wrapped in a vacation romance."
-Library Journal "An earnest journey of self discovery in this introspective contemporary... with witty banter, emotional vulnerability, and a delightful supporting cast. This slow-burning love story, deepened by a heartfelt depiction of a woman's late coming-of-age, is sure to please Cochrun's fans."
-Publishers Weekly "With Every Step She Takes, Alison Cochrun has once again crafted a gorgeous, nuanced, coming-of-age and love story all wrapped up in one. This book will make late bloomers feel seen and anyone with a beating heart feel. I'll read absolutely anything Alison Cochrun writes."
--Rachel Runya Katz, author of Whenever You're Ready "Alison Cochrun has done it again. Every Step She Takes is a heartfelt pilgrimage of self-discovery, sexy in its vulnerability and intimacy. For the late bloomers finding themselves, and forgiving themselves, and discovering they're exactly where they're supposed to be."
--Rachael Lippincott, New York Times bestselling author of She Gets the Girl "Witty, moving and unforgettable, Every Step She Takes will immediately win your heart. Alison Cochrun has a special way of making her characters shine through their humor and vulnerabilities. Throw into the mix a literal trek to self-discovery filled with practice kisses and the quaint Portuguese and Spanish backdrop of el Camino, and you get the perfect kind of romance."
--Elena Armas, New York Times bestselling author of The Spanish Love Deception "Every Step She Takes healed something in me that I didn't even know was broken. Alison Cochrun is an absolute master of the genre, seamlessly combining powerful journeys of self-discovery with the most heart-warming love stories. Sadie and Mal's trek along the Camino was so brilliantly painted, I felt like I was on the trail with them. Told with humor and so much heart, Every Step She Takes should be at the top of everyone's TBR pile. A truly perfect romance."
-Falon Ballard, USA Today bestselling author of Change of Heart
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
map
Dimensions
Height: 205 mm
Width: 134 mm
Thickness: 26 mm
Weight
335 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6680-2125-5 (9781668021255)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Alison Cochrun is a former high school English teacher and a current writer of queer love stories, including The Charm Offensive, Kiss Her Once for Me, Here We Go Again, and Every Step She Takes. She lives outside of Portland, Oregon, with her wife, her son, and two very needy dogs. You can find her online at AlisonCochrun.com or on Instagram as @AlisonCochrun.