Thank You St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read this fabulous book.. You will root for Margaret throughout the book.
The characters were great, some you will dislike and others you"ll love.
I was very sorry to see this book end. This was the first book I've read by this author and I'm recommending her to others.

This story made me happy. I loved that Margaret was able to live with her injury. I loved Ian. The story probably wasn't realistic, but I don't care. I root for the underdog. This is one of my favorites this year. I loved the humor and family dynamics and the fact that all of the characters are flawed. Bravo Ms. Center!

My goodness! This book was one of our top reads this year. What an amazing rollercoaster of emotions. My heart literally ached for Margaret. There were times I wanted to punch Chip in the face, slap Margaret's mother, and hug her sister Kit. The most unfair accident brought on by Chips actions and Margaret had to suffer but that old saying will niggle at your brain..."everything happens for a reason"... we just don't know it right away. Maggie's story is one that will take you for an emotional ride. You will laugh, cry, scream, and feel a bind to her. I loved this story!

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced reader. I absolutely loved this book. It really pulls at your heartstrings! You will like the characters, they feel familiar. It's about having it all and then having it taken away from you in a blink of an eye. I highly recommend reading this book!

Maggie Jacobson hates to fly. So when her boyfriend, Chip, decides to propose to her while he is flying a plane, she is flattered, but can't wait to land. That's when things go horribly wrong. There is an accident which leave Maggie paralyzed from the knee down. Life will never be the same for Maggie again, but will she and Chip be able to build a life together after this incident? Will Maggie be able to "walk" away from this event with her head held high and go on with life?

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.

What would you do if you're whole life literally got flipped upside down in a matter of moments? For Maggie her fear of flying came to a head with this accident. I'm not sure what I would do. This book started out very interesting for me. I dove in head first. I don't know where things slowed down for me. I wanted to find out what was going to happen next, but the ending seemed a bit predictable for me. Overall I enjoyed the book. I like the story line and the play on words with the title. With the title and the context of the book, I thought Maggie would one day walk away. There are a few times when I wanted to jump in the book and smack a couple of people. When you read the book, you will understand.

Even though Maggie was the main focus in this book, she wasn't the only one who had some issues they needed to "walk" away from. There is her sister who she hasn't seen or spoken to in three years. Her mother, who carries on a facade of being the perfect mother, but has some deep secrets, and Maggie's therapist, Ian. He loves the work he does, but every day his boss is tries to find ways to get him fired.

This is the first book I have read by Katherine Center. This was also the first I had heard of this author.

I have read some AMAZING reviews on this one! I was super excited to get a review copy and I was not disappointed. Well ok, maybe I was disappointed at the ending, but I still enjoyed it.

Margaret is having a wonderful day, except for the plane trip with her aspiring pilot fiance as she is afraid of flying, but getting engaged and a grand spanking new job is worth celebrating! Except suddenly her good day turns into a nightmare when the plane crashes. With burns to her body and a debilitating spinal injury, things are about to get very challenging for poor Margaret.

Lets just start with the medical parts of the novel, because as a critical care nurse I get a bit nervous when I read about medical treatment in novels, especially burns because I have a lot of experience nursing major burn victims. So she did pretty well with this one. A few parts were a bit unbelievable, but overall it was done really well.

I really liked the characters. There were a few that were so fun to dislike! And the banter between the characters, especially Margaret with her sister and Ian, was often laugh-out-loud funny!

Ok, the elephant in the room.. The ending... All was going SO WELL, up until the last 9-10% of the book. The absolutely stupidly unbelievable and totally crappy corny ending! It turned my 5 star read to a 4 max. I absolutely hated it. I rolled my eyes at pretty much every page and was longing for the clever, intelligent writing of the first 90% of the book. I felt utterly let down.

Otherwise, it was clever and tender, heartwarming and entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of it immensely and if it weren't for that hallmark card stupid ending and some out of the blue silly decisions made by the main character, it would have been a solid 5 stars. But alas.

Would I recommend How to Walk Away?

Yes. Despite the ending, the rest of the book was fabulous. If you like back-from-nothing type novels with a lovely romance and awesome characters, I am sure you will enjoy it! You may even appreciate the ending more than I did!

Thanks to the author and St Martin's Press via Netgalley for a copy of How to Walk Away to review.

Many thanks to netgalley for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book despite perhaps not being exactly in the target audience age bracket but none the less I had plenty of laugh out loud moments throughout the book!

In brief, Margaret has the perfect life - the dream job and an upcoming wedding and a night out to celebrate with all the other 20 somethings! A night out that with tragic consequences that and spells the end of her perfect life as she knew it. A life changing injury leaves Margaret facing many physical and emotional challenges and struggles as she attempts to rebuild her life. This is a truly inspirational story that I thoroughly enjoyed and I really look forward to reading more from this author.

Margaret Jacobsen just knew that her boyfriend, Chip, was about to propose. They had been together for three years and they were both heading down the successful career path, marriage was just the natural progression of their relationship. She was expecting Chip to take her to a romantic location that Valentine's Day, instead, he took her up in a small plane, even though she was completely terrified. Yes, he did propose, but before the day was over Margaret would find herself in the hospital and her life changed forever. Instead of planning her wedding Margaret is trying to relearn the most basic tasks in order to put her life back together. Her parents are there to help support her, no matter what. Even if her mother is a bit overbearing, Margaret knows that she just has her best interests at heart. Plus, Margaret's estranged sister, Kitty, returns to Texas to help her sister. Their relationship strengthens because of the accident. And there is Ian, her Scottish Physical Therapist. Ian is tough but has a way of pushing Margaret past the limits she sets for herself. He looks past her current circumstances to make Margaret see what could be. But Chip - Chip is nowhere to be found. His guilt over the accident has sent him spiraling out of control and he barely wants to be around Margaret. Will Margaret ever be back to normal and will she and Chip ever be able to repair their relationship?

How to Walk Away is already getting a lot of buzz as the book to read of the summer. And I don't disagree. Margaret Jacobsen, Maggie to Ian, is the kind of character that a reader can really get behind. She didn't do anything to cause her circumstances except for falling in love with a real tool. And make no mistake, Chip is a real tool. While Margaret was going through rehab it was obvious that her relationships were also going through a rehab of sorts. Her relationship with her sister had the biggest improvement. Her relationship with Chip was also going through a rehab of sorts and I was ultimately relieved the way that relationship turned out. How to Walk Away had the most perfect ending and I could have hugged the author for giving us an epilogue - ten years in the future. - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS

- Bottom Line - Margaret Jacobsen is a character that you are not likely to forget anytime soon. Her strength and resiliency is a story that from which we can all learn. How to Walk Away will be on sale tomorrow, May 15th.

Details:
How to Walk Away by Katherine Center
On Instagram
Pages: 320
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: 5/15/18
Buy it Here!

Wow. As I am going through some hard times myself, along comes this book to remind me not to give up. Superb, unforgettable and inspiring. A reminder to us all not to give up, even when everything seems lost.

This book would make a wonderful Hallmark Channel movie. What more can I say? Predictable, a bit of a sappy romance about a woman who is afraid of flying but goes up with her boyfriend pilot in his small plane. He proposes, they crash, he walks away, she is paralyzed. Add in a few family conflicts and a HOT physical therapist. You can guess how this will end long before it does. This is not a poorly written book, in fact I can see its appeal but it's just not my cup of tea.

This book was just not for me; I didn't like the characters, I had very little sympathy for them and I didn't enjoy the story or the language that was used throughout. The narrator for the audiobook was also not my cup of tea. All-in-all, this was not a story that I enjoyed and I feel like I totally wasted my time with it.

After Margaret is paralyzed due to the plane crash, it takes some time for her to even realize the gravity of the situation. She goes through a myriad of emotions that we expect - anxiety, hope, despair, determination, depression - and the whole cycle repeats day to day. I really admire her for her strength, not just in the wake of the accident, but also breaking up with Chip, losing her dream job and basically losing a sense of her old life and not knowing what the future has in store. She never completely lets go and holds onto some sliver of hope and works very hard every single day.

It's the side characters and their personalities that were a huge turn off for me. Margaret's father is the calm in the storm that is her mother. And when her estranged sister Kitty comes back, more drama ensues. Both mother and sister are pushy, forceful, want Margaret to do just what they tell her to without any questions. Keeping a positive attitude in such a devastating situation is understandable but they take it whole another level. Margaret's boyfriend/fiance/ex was another person I couldn't sympathize with. I understand the guilt he was going through but he made it all about him and never even gave Maggie a chance to talk or sort through her feelings. His mother clearly loves her son but I couldn't understand how she could be so apathetic towards her best friend's daughter who was lying in the hospital. Kitty and Chip also take pictures of Maggie in the hospital and post to their social media without ever asking her permission or considering her right to privacy and it really infuriated me. Even Maggie's PT Ian initially pissed me off but the relationship that slowly developed between them was sweet and heartening. 

I also felt that the last part of the book was rushed through. The romance, the secrets and revelations, Maggie's plans for the future - everything just happened very quickly and all the storylines got wrapped up neatly which felt too unrealistic.

This was a quick read and the writing was very easy to get through. Margaret is the highlight of this book and I loved her. If you don't mind an overtly optimistic book, then you might enjoy this one. But I guess I expected a little more intensity and emotions. Not a bad book at all but just not what I hoped it would be.

Must-read women’s fiction: ‘Limelight,’ ‘Best Beach Ever,’ ‘How to Walk Away’ and ‘The Optimist’s Guide to Letting Go’
54
shares
share
tweet
email
By: Leigh Davis | May 17, 2018 12:00 am
May, the harbinger of summer, is as busy a month as June, July and August, filled with graduations, parties, gardening, lawn work and planning for summer activities. But don’t let all these events derail your reading, because there are some great May novels that you won’t want to miss. Plus, you deserve to reward yourself after sitting through 500 names being called for just that one special one.
Here are some perfect books for your well-deserved “me” time …
Limelight by Amy Poeppel
What it’s about:
In a smart and funny new novel by the author of the critically acclaimed, “big-hearted, charming” (The Washington Post) Small Admissions, a family’s move to New York City brings surprises and humor as their lives merge with the captivating world of Broadway.
Allison Brinkley—wife, mother, and former unflappable optimist—discovers that a carefully weighed decision to pack up and move her family from suburban Dallas to the glittery chaos of Manhattan may have been more complicated than she and her husband initially thought.
Allison learns that New York is unruly and bewildering, defying the notions she developed from romantic movies and a memorable childhood visit. After a humiliating call from the principal’s office and the loss of the job she was counting on, Allison begins to accept that New York may not suit her after all.
When Allison has a fender-bender, witnessed by a flock of mothers at her son’s new school, she is led to the penthouse apartment of a luxurious Central Park West building and encounters a spoiled, hungover, unsupervised teenager who looks familiar. It doesn’t take long to recognize him as Carter Reid—a famous pop star who has been cast in a new Broadway musical. Through this brush with stardom, Allison embraces a unique and unexpected opportunity that helps her find her way in the heart of Manhattan.
Why you should read this: There is no doubt — Amy Poeppel is an exceptional storyteller. Her first book, Small Admissions, was simply charming, as is this one. Allison, a former teacher and mother of three, uses her experience, intuition and training to attempt to manage bad boy Carter Reid as she also deals with helping her children adjust to the move from Texas to New York City. Poeppel’s story of domestic life is filled with humor, outrageous scenarios, genuine family relationships, while avoiding clichés. Her biggest strength is bringing the characters to life and making you care about them, so much so that you just hope that there might be a glimpse of them again in future stories.
Best Beach Ever by Wendy Wax
What it’s about:
Forced to rent out or lose their beloved Bella Flora after the loss of their renovation-turned-reality-TV show Do Over, Maddie, Nikki, Avery, Kyra, and Bitsy move into cottages at the Sunshine Hotel and Beach Club believing the worst is over. Only to discover just how uncertain their futures really are.
Maddie struggles with the challenges of dating a rock star whose career has come roaring back to life while Nikki faces the daunting realities of mothering twins at forty-seven. Avery buries herself in a tiny home build in an attempt to dodge commitment issues, and Kyra battles to protect her son from the Hollywood world she once dreamed of joining. And Bitsy is about to find out whether the rewards of seeking revenge will outweigh the risks.
Luckily, when the going gets tough, the ladies of Ten Beach Road know that their friendship—tried and tested—can chase away the darkest clouds and let the sun shine in…
Why you should read this: Don’t you just eagerly await the next installment in the Ten Beach Road Series? From the very first book, this cast of characters captured our attention. In this newest release, Kyra faces her biggest challenge, allowing her son to act in a movie, directed by his married father and his wife. The joy of the book is that we catch up with all the characters and the new challenges that they face. Wax has the talented ability to give her characters their happy ending, but still show the realistic challenges facing them as they move forward. And don’t you just love the wonderful sense of karma running throughout the book?
How to Walk Away by Katherine Center
What it’s about:
Margaret Jacobsen is just about to step into the bright future she’s worked for so hard and so long: a new dream job, a fiancé she adores, and the promise of a picture-perfect life just around the corner. Then, suddenly, on what should have been one of the happiest days of her life, everything she worked for is taken away in a brief, tumultuous moment.
In the hospital and forced to face the possibility that nothing will ever be the same again, Maggie must confront the unthinkable. First there is her fiancé, Chip, who wallows in self-pity while simultaneously expecting to be forgiven. Then, there’s her sister Kit, who shows up after pulling a three-year vanishing act. Finally, there’s Ian, her physical therapist, the one the nurses said was too tough for her. Ian, who won’t let her give in to her pity, and who sees her like no one has seen her before. Sometimes the last thing you want is the one thing you need. Sometimes we all need someone to catch us when we fall. And sometimes love can find us in the least likely place we would ever expect.
Why you should read this: Katherine Center writes amazing heartwarming stories. If you haven’t read her, you’ll be excited to discover that she has a backlist. While she definitely puts her characters through the wringer — this story is filled with a tragic scenario — in Center’s expert hands, it becomes more about family and less about loss. A marvelous example of acceptance and healing and a celebration of family — warts and all. (See an interview on HEA with Katherine.)
The Optimist’s Guide to Letting Go by Amy E. Reichert
What it’s about:
Gina Zoberski wants to make it through one day without her fastidious mother, Lorraine, cataloguing all her faults, and her sullen teenage daughter, May, snubbing her. Too bad there’s no chance of that. Her relentlessly sunny disposition annoys them both, no matter how hard she tries. Instead, Gina finds order and comfort in obsessive list-making and her work at Grilled G’s, the gourmet grilled cheese food truck built by her late husband.
But when Lorraine suffers a sudden stroke, Gina stumbles upon a family secret Lorraine’s kept hidden for forty years. In the face of her mother’s failing health and her daughter’s rebellion, this optimist might find that piecing together the truth is the push she needs to let go…
Why you should read this: The parent-child/mother-daughter bond is one of the most complex relationships there is. And when a parent has rigid expectations, the child either gives in or rebels. Amy E. Reichert wonderfully explores multigeneration mother-daughter relationships in her latest book. Lorraine, the distant, disapproving mother, is difficult to like, but Reichert brilliantly peels back the layers to show that she, too, had to deal with parental interference. Not only will you be entertained, but also in the end have a better sense of the limited options that women had in the past and a new appreciation for challenges that they faced. (See an excerpt on HEA from The Optimist’s Guide to Letting Go.)
Happy reading!
Leigh Davis is a former contributor to Heroes and Heartbreakers. When she is not reading, she’s usually outside throwing balls to her insatiable dogs. She loves hearing and talking about great books. You can connect with her on Twitter and Goodreads.
MORE ON HEA: See more posts by Leigh

My Takeaway

“If you think of human emotions as music, then mine were like an orchestra with no conductor.”
Katherine Center, How to Walk Away

How to Walk Away was a heartfelt novel and exactly what I needed after a tough read. Though this story also had its unhappy parts; I enjoyed and appreciated Center’s witty sense of humor, her well-developed characters, and storyline. On quite a few occasions, my heart went out to the protagonist. Margaret’s life completely changed in the blink of an eye, and her life will never be the same. Margaret had to do serious soul searching and find physical, mental, and emotional strength after a devastating tragedy. As a reader, I was able to accompany Margaret on her complicated journey, and boy did I root for her the entire time! Even though some parts of How to Walk Away were sad, it also made me laugh out loud. If you enjoy novels about life, love, and perseverance (and nice endings), then I highly recommend this book. This is the first novel I have read by Center, but certainly not my last.

Margaret's life was about to get even more perfect- she got the news that she had gotten a great job, right out of business school and she was pretty sure her boyfriend was about to propose. Unfortunately, he wanted her to go flying with him first. In one night, Margaret's life is completely changed when the plane she and her fiance are in crash, paralyzing her from the knees down. With the support of her somewhat complicated family and the strong and also somewhat complicated physical therapist, Margaret comes to understand her new normal.

Reading about the struggles but resilience of Margaret's life was inspiring. The author does not sugar coat how difficult it was for Margaret to come to turns with being paralyzed. She goes through being strong and wanting to push to get better and being low and wanting to give up, which I feel anyone in a similar situation would understand.

Although I enjoyed the romance part of the book, I felt almost too easy but a handsome Scottish romantic hero never disappoints.

Amazing book - I absolutely loved it, I didn't want to put it down and read it in almost one sitting. I fell in love with Ian too.

Sometimes a book comes along that makes my heart skip a beat. This is one of those times. When you can accurately predict nearly the entire plot of a book, yet you still can't tear yourself away from it—that's when you know you've found a good one.

As with any good novel, Katherine's grabbed me from the first pages. I could feel Margaret's excitement and hopefulness of her future.

As we transition from the accident to Margaret's recuperation in the hospital, I could palpably feel the hurt and confusion as the seriousness of the accident unfolds.

Not only is Margaret dealing with immense healing, she has a fiance, her parents, and then the estranged sister comes into town. However, when the shocking truth about her family comes light, you find yourself flipping pages as quickly as possible to see how this will play out.

Several things about this book really spoke to me. While it could be categorized as a women's fiction, it lends itself to literary fiction as well. In How to Walk Away, love and/or romance is not front and center of the story. This novel deals with family issues, having the confidence to ask for what you want, and the courage to move on.

It is obvious a great deal of research went into the writing and creation of this novel. There were points and details I looked up, and because of that, I understand things I'd otherwise not thought about.

I laughed. I cried (once). I gasped out loud. I felt a sense of loss when it was over.

If you haven't' read any of Katherine Center's work, make this your first. I'll be reading more of her novels in the near future.

In How to Walk Away, everyone seems to be walking away, literally and figuratively, and many even walk back or return.
While recovering from a tragic, life-altering accident, Margaret finds surprises and even joy in unexpected places.
The family dynamics and strained relationships make this novel very relatable, readable, and memorable.
Ian's mother's words are definitely something that I'll take away from this book: "When you don't know what to do for yourself, do something for somebody else."
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the early copy of How to Walk Away.

Though Margaret is a bit leery of flying with her almost-licensed boyfriend, he convinces her to get into the plane anyway. It's romantic that he presents her an engagement ring during the flight and Margaret says yes. She's sure Chip will be the perfect husband--their mothers are best friends and their families have been next door neighbors for years..

Chip hasn't quite mastered the landing bit of flying yet. When the plane crashes, he walks away without a scratch but Maggie is seriously injured, looking forward to a life that will never be the same. When Chip isn't able to step up and accept his responsibility or cope with her injuries, she has to face the loss of all her expectations, hopes, and dreams, and confront a new reality.

With an optimistic ending, Maggie finds love where she least expects it.