Tuesday, May 22, 2018

How To Walk Away, Katherine Center


I received a copy of this book to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.
There are affiliate links throughout this post. Please use them to shop and buy all the books!

So, a few weeks ago I traveled to California and when I got there I finished reading How To Walk Away. And then? The very next day? I listened to Katherine Center speak and, AND, y'all!!!

I met her.

And I may have been just a little too excited about it.

Because How To Walk Away was such a fantastic read.

It was such a wonderful book.

The characters. The story. It was so so good.

Before I get into all of that - look - we took a selfie! And she gave me an autographed copy of her book to give away to one of you. But more on that later.


Now, back to the book.

Let's discuss Margaret. Soon to be known as Maggie.

Margaret has everything going for her. And I mean EVERYthing. She's got the man, the perfect job lined up, and all of her dreams are coming true.

Until. They're not.

Margaret's life changes in an instant. I mean, really really changes.

And we're devastated. Even though we only just met her.

Even though we half expected things to go this way.

And even though we're not really sure what her status is.

We're still devastated.

Now, stay with me and don't worry - I'm not giving that much away.

Center writes family in a way that makes us hold on to hope. The dynamic of Maggie's family, the way each relationship is unique to its characters, pulls us into the story until we can't put it down. We want to know what happens between Maggie and her sister. We want to know what happens between her sister and her mother. We want to know what happens between her mother and her father. And above all, we want and need to know what happens to Maggie.

I'd be letting you down if I didn't introduce you to Ian. Honestly, Ian's a bit of a jackass, but we kind of like him anyway. He's Maggie's physical therapist, and somehow he's figured out a way to help her work towards healing. Even though she kind of can't stand him.

Maggie's road to healing isn't all hearts and flowers. And that might be one of the things I loved most about the story. She's been through a lot and her life is quite different - and in some ways she is able to find her way back to being herself, whereas in others her life is completely changed forever. These aspects of the story seem very very real. For anyone who has ever experienced a life-changing event, you know - we know - that things are never quite the same, no matter how much we start to feel like ourselves again. Katherine Center brings us this and more in How To Walk Away.

Now, back to the copy I have for one of you. If you'd like to enter to win a copy, consider leaving me a comment below with the name of one of the books you've read this year and why you recommend that I read it. And if you want a second chance to win - copy this draft below - tweet it out and drop the URL to your tweet in a second comment.

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I'd love to win my very own copy of How To Walk Away by @katherinecenter from @goodgirlgonered! Enter here to try and win: https://bit.ly/2khDvHC #giveaway

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That's all. Super simple.

I'd love to send this copy off to you, as I just know you're going to love it, too.

I'll wrap this up with one of the most important things Katherine said at the conference I saw her at (Mom 2.0 Summit, for anyone interested) in early May. She spoke about writing, and why she writes, why WE write, and of the importance of well written stories.


Let the stories of others teach you and guide you along your journey, my friends. I plan on remembering the importance of doing that myself. And hopefully in my remembering I will continue to grow and share stories of my own.

* As previously stated, and as is the case with any and all of my book reviews - all opinions shared here are completely my own. This book was provided to me by the publisher without compensation. *

Click here to purchase an amazing book or two.

And have a look at these reviews for more recommendations:

Between Me and You, Allison Winn Scotch

The Promise Between Us, Barbara Claypole White

7 comments:

  1. not entering to win--I have a copy I need to read. I need time. :) I'm looking forward to it.

    denise

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  2. I loved hearing Katherine speak at Mom 2! I"m not entering either as I feel like this book should go to someone who doesn't have it yet, and I do. She was so raw, and it was just really nice to hear for once.

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  3. This novel sounds captivating and memorable. What a wonderful giveaway. The photo is beautiful. Thanks for this lovely feature and giveaway.

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  4. A life changing event has occurred for me so this book would be greatly appreciated and enjoyed. Many thanks.

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  5. I am currently reading A Discovery of Witches. I love the modern-day science mixed with history and fantasy. It is an intriguing world. How To Walk Away sounds like a wonderful story and would be a great way to break away from witches and vampires for a bit! Thanks!!

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  6. I already read it and enjoyed it so don't enter my name in your gracious giving. While I was reading I thought this book would make a good movie. If some actor doesn't option this I would be surprised!

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  7. Here's a book for you (in case you haven't read it): The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. I loved this book. It talked about adventure ... POW suffering ... family ... love ... Alaska ...

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