I was immediately pulled into Katherine Center's novel "How to Walk Away". The ordeal faced by the protagonist, Margaret, as she deals with a life-altering incident, was so well-developed and intriguing that I simply could not put this book down. Center does a superb job of developing the characters. I was immediately rooting for Margaret. Overall, I cannot say enough great things about this novel. I immediately added all of Center's other works to my To Be Read list

How To Walk away by Katherine Center totally captivated me... she truly gave voice to very honest and raw emotions. The will and endurance required to overcome crushing life events are all told through Maggie, a young woman who boards a private plane expecting to be engaged to the pilot, the love of her life, when her greatest nightmare unfolds and alters her life forever. This narrative is compelling and moving, chronicling the despair and small steps to victory in the messy parts of life. Throughout it all there is just so much wisdom. I highly recommend this book! I received an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

I absolutely LOVED THIS BOOK!!!! 5 Stars for sure. This tore at my heartstrings and made me want to read everything Center has written ;)

This novel is one that will stay with me for a very long time. It's the story of Margaret/Maggie and how her life is turned upside down from her perfectly planned one she had lined out. This book had my emotions running all over the place in so many ways. I felt the pain Maggie was going through. I felt the victories she won. The joys, the anger, the ups and downs. Katherine Center has a way of writing the words into a story that pulled me in and never let me go. She writes so descriptively as in this little bite .. "He was so serious, so sour, so much the opposite of jovial that he practically has a little cartoon scribble of grumpiness above his head." That made me laugh but I could also envision it. The story is so humanly honest about the feelings, thoughts, fears, and pain...but also the joys, hopes and loves Maggie went through. I love the sarcastic humor and the lightness of the story, too. The characters are so likable...well, most of them...and totally real. Her sister never gave up on her and pushed her to keep going past her limits. There were so many lines that stuck with me in this book. "I am better for being broken." "But you have to live the life you have." When you don't know what to do for yourself, do something for somebody else." "But I knew one thing for sure: The greater our capacity for sorrow becomes, the greater our capacity for joy". These are all such great life mottos to me. As I finished the book I found myself feeling so much emotion. It is one of the best books I've ever read. I want to thank The Girlfriend, Netgalley and mostly Katherine Center for the opportunity to read this book! I would give it more than five stars if I could.

Katherine Center did an amazing job portraying Margaret's life and recovery after her accident. Inspiring and honest without being sappy. A great book,

I am sorry to say that I just couldn't get into this book. Something about the style of writing, the meandering through details, the drawn-out conversations .... I just couldn't finish it. I appreciate those who were engaged in the story, and I did want to know how things turned out, but I just couldn't get there. Sorry!

What a truly beautiful, inspiring, thought provoking book. I couldn’t stop reading this. I promised myself when I got to 40% I’d go to sleep. I read until 75% and didn’t even realize it.

The characters in this book are some of the best I’ve ever read. They each had such distinct personalities, it’s hard to believe they’re not real people with feelings. I loved the sarcasm mixed into the dialogue and felt it was used perfectly, especially when Margaret was talking to his sister and about her mother.

This is a new author to me, but I am already ordering her others, as I assume they’ll be of the same high quality as this one.

I received and Advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

I have a confession to make – contemporary fiction is not my favorite genre. But to my surprise, this author’s writing skills won me over early in the story and I was genuinely hooked for the majority of this book.

STORYLINE – 4 STARS
I’m a sucker for novels where MC’s thinking/lifestyle is challenged by outer factors. I love to witness their way of overcoming THE problems, rearranging their lives and coming stronger out of it. If done properly, such premise usually makes for powerful and memorable novel. Even though author did follow the above described storyline and I appreciate the fact that she did research physical therapy, I still can’t get over all the other stuff that author omitted. I’m not going into details but let’s say that beside physical therapy, there was no mention of other parts of recovery after highly traumatic event (no psychologist even though MC was clearly depressed/suicidal!) and it made whole recovery a bit unbelievable.

Romance – 2 STARS
I’m sad to say this but romance part ruined the essence of the story for me and made it over-the-top and unrealistic. Anytime the story focused on romance, the book lost its charm. Fortunately, there was so much more to this novel than just romance so I was still able to enjoy it, even though I didn’t end up loving it as much as I hoped I would. Still, did the romance have to be so cheesy, dramatic and over the top? I had the feeling as if author didn’t know how to make this story powerful on its own so she turned it into social drama in the second half.

Talk about lost potential, this could have been unforgettable story if approached differently...

How to Walk Away is an incredibly satisfying book to read. The author has crafted a beautiful yet heartbreaking, novel that centers on a life changing event that soon will show Margaret, the main character, a new path in life. Not wasting any time, the author insures the reader is caught up with the storyline, having Margaret Jacobsen’s world changing in an instant within the first pages of the book. The main character not only has physical challenges but emotional set backs that make her tougher. Between Margaret, her sister and her physical therapist, Margaret learns to craft a new life, among twists and turns.

How to Walk Away is a thought-provoking book and makes the reader increasingly aware of a realistic subject without making it a Lifetime Movie. The author has clearly done her research on Margaret’s medical condition which adds authenticity to the storyline, which as a former medical professional, is appreciated.

How to Walk Away is highly recommended by this reviewer, who was provided an advance copy from #NetGalley and the publisher prior to publication in exchange for an honest review. I can't recommend this book more.

For my first book by Katherine Center, I was not disappointed. The author was able to draw me in to the story quickly, with the idea of an idyllic day, that quickly turns bad. Although, from the book description you already know what is comomg, it is still just as shocking. I loved watching with he way the main character “grew” into herself, her courage, and her family. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves family drama, women’s fiction or fiction.

I received this book from netgalley for honest review. I did like the book. It shows how quickly our lives can change and how to make the best of what we are dealt. It was a little predictable buy an easy and pleasant read.

I have never read any of Katherine Center's books, but after reading this book, I have to now!
I will be back to write a longer review, but for now, I just want to say that this book is a perfect reminder of how when life hands your lemons, you make lemondade!

Great book thank you Net Galley!

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center is a contemporary read that while it does have some romance it also was so much more. The exact example of an emotional roller coaster of a novel it will have readers laughing through their tears.

Margaret Jacobsen has always been afraid of flying and doesn’t want to be anywhere near an airplane but dating a man who is becoming a pilot has him whisking her off to he airport for a romantic getaway. Battling her fears she goes along with the ride only to have Chip propose along the way but then what should have been a beautiful night turns to one of horror.

When the weather took a turn for the worse Chip’s inexperience as a pilot has the small plane crash landing. After the tragic event Margaret finds herself in the hospital with a back injury, her fiance no where to be found and a very long road of recovery with months of physical training ahead of her.

The moment the story begins we meet a young woman with everything ahead of her in life and then see that in the blink of an eye life can change so drastically. The story is one that is tragically heartbreaking while being powerfully inspiring all in the turn of a page. There’s humor in the heartbreak and hope in the darkest of places to make this one powerfully compelling read. Such a beautiful book that I do hope readers will give a chance and pick this one up for one emotional ride.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book is so fantastic. It is funny and sad and inspirational and heartbreaking and warm and tender and hopeful. When the story begins, Margaret has her future all mapped out....great new job, attentive boyfriend-soon-to-be-fiance...and then a horrendous accident changes her entire life course. Margaret's story is told with so much candor, as she deals with physical and emotional pain; her triumphs become our victories; her setbacks become our losses as well. I absolutely loved Margaret...her resilience, her humor, her passion, even her despondency are so beautifully written, I felt like I was by her side cheering for her, celebrating with her, and crying with her, too. This book is a wonderful reflection on happiness...what makes us happy, what causes us to be unhappy, and, while in the dark depths of despair, wondering if we will ever be happy again. We all get hit with "plot twists" in our lives, we get sick, we are hurt in an accident, we have our hearts broken...this book really gets that we only get one life, and it's up to us to move onward...we may not get the happy ending we thought we'd have, but that there are all kinds of happy endings

LOVED this book! How to Walk Away by Katherine Center has everything you could ever want from a book. The story was amazing and so emotional that you will literally feel like you are in the story and will get invested in all the characters. It has been weeks since I read it and yet I am still thinking about Margaret! Katherine’s writing is amazing! I must admit that How to Walk Away is one of my 2018 favorites and Katherine is now on my radar and I will be diving into her other books! #MustRead

Loved this book. Didn’t want it to end. Highly recommend.

Love love love. Incredible book. Fabulous book club pick too

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

If you’re a fan of Barbara Delinsky this book is for you. The plot is pretty predictable and there’s a comfortable amount of drama to keep the book interesting but that’s about it. I didn’t hate the book but I also wasn’t dying to read it everyday.

Norma and I started off lost in a coulee with seven of our traveling sisters reading How To Walk Away. This story lead to another interesting and fun discussion amongst us as we dug deep into the layers and meaning to this story.

How to Walk Away is an inspirational heartwarming story told by our memorable main character Margaret who experiences a traumatic accident. It is Margaret's story of recovery that focuses on second chances, acceptance and family support and love.

Katherine Center does a great job creating likable, interesting well-developed characters and we loved the dynamics between them and their relationships. We all really loved the dynamics between sisters Margaret and Kit and loved the humor and warmth Kit brought to the story.

Most of us loved the ending and were left lost in the inspirational, sunny sweet smelling lush coulee feeling so warm and happy with this story while one sister was left standing alone with a little too much sweetness that affected her enjoyment for this story till another sister joined her. We highly recommend for readers who like a lighter, inspiring feel-good story or for a nice change of pace from darker reads.

Published May 15, 2018

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Katherine Center or a copy to read and review.

Review written and posted on our themed book blog Two Sisters Lost In A Coulee Reading.
https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com
Coulee: a term applied rather loosely to different landforms, all of which refer to a kind of valley.

To me there is no better feeling than sitting alone and having a book make me laugh out loud or cry, this did both. I absolutely loved this book. It was sweet, beautiful. quirky, sad and most of all uplifting. Every single character in this book was unique and lovable. Well except Chip, he was a first class jerk ! This book was a very emotional read. I really had no idea what it was about, I was just seeing it all over Facebook and took a chance on it and getting approved by NetGalley to read it. So thankful to get a chance to read it. This is a book any person will love. I hope you will read it !

This was an engaging story of a woman’s recovery after a life-altering accident. While some might find it a little predictable, the writing and characters are strong enough to make it fresh. Very enjoyable read.