This was the first book by Katherine Center that I read and I really enjoyed it! Right from the start there's a shocking plot turn and I wasn't sure how the rest of the book was going to lay out or how much resolution the book would take us through, but I found myself happily satisfied at the ending of it. I enjoyed that this book took me on a journey through life experiences that I'm not familiar with and I felt like Katherine did a good job on her research.

At first I wasn't sure I'd like Kitty (based on Maggie's past with her) but she was definitely one of my favorite characters and I looked forward to her nightly visits with exotic take out and ideas for entertainment! I also really loved the wedding reception boat ride scene - wow! If I had any criticisms I think the only thing that bugged me was Margaret's apparent naivety to all-things related to Ian. The inner dialogue didn't seem authentic and I found myself not believing she really didn't know how to sort her feelings out. To be fair, she was a young 20-something, so maybe she really was that clueless! It wasn't a deal breaker and I still very much enjoyed the book, but I just wasn't sold on that one aspect.

Nonetheless, this was a fast and enjoyable read and I will recommend it to my friends - in fact, I already have!

I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Margaret Jacobsen had everything going for her, with a handsome almost-fiancé, a freshly earned MBA, a beautiful condo, and the prospect of her dream job hovering right around the corner. Her almost-fiancé, Chip, had been taking flying lessons, and at his insistence, Margaret agreed to fly with him. As Chip attempted the landing, the plane crashed, but while Chip was unhurt, Margaret was pinned inside, and finally airlifted to the hospital.

After weeks in the hospital, Margaret is has broken up with Chip, her estranged sister Kitty is back in her life, and she’s fallen madly in love with Ian, her physical therapist. Oh, and she’s still unable to walk. When Ian is fired from the hospital and returns to Scotland, Margaret slowly begins her journey of acceptance and carves out a new purpose for her life.

Wow! What a wonderful story! I loved Margaret’s strength, and found Kitty and her determination to keep Margaret engaged in the world around her both funny and sweet. Katherine Center has created an inspirational and courageous story with a realistic cast of characters that easily captured my attention.

Katherine Center celebrates the love, loss, hope, and rebirth in her latest release of a woman who is forced to re-evaluate her life after a tragic accident. Emotionally honest and poignant with a delightful thread of humor running through it, Center introduces us to Margaret Jacobsen, a 20 something who wakes from an injury with her life shattered. Readers share a front row seat with Margaret she returns to her childhood home to recuperate and piece together the fragments of her life while symontaniously dealing with her family’s dysfunctional ways and her fiancee’s guilt over her injuries. Narrated in a bright and bold voice with no filters, Margaret is forced to forcing to view her life and the choices she made through new eyes. When a romance develops in the most unlikely of places, Margaret sees a chance at a new future if she can come to terms with her past and present. How to Walk Away is a story of one woman’s journey through pain and betrayal to emerge triumphant as she and her family learn to embrace the challenges life has in store for her.

Margaret Jacobsen had it all; an exciting career, a gorgeous fiance, and a promising future. Until it was all taken from her in a single blinding flash. Waking up to discover her fiance drunk with guilt, her career all but destroyed, and her long lost sister suddenly back in the picture, Margaret must learn to accept to her new reality. Amidst all the guilt, self-pity, grief, anger, and smothering parents, a grumpy physical therapist offers Margaret a new chance at life and a chance at romance. As Margaret works hard to move forward with her life and her relationships with her family and friends, she discovers her life isn’t over but only taking her in a new direction if she is willing to take a chance and walk away from the old into the arms of the new.

Grade: B+

Margaret Jacobsen, recent MBA graduate who has just landed her dream job, unwillingly takes an airplane ride with her boyfriend on Valentine's Day.  He accidentally crashes the small plane and Margaret sustains serious injuries.  This is the story of her recovery.

I loved the characters. I loved that her fiance was a jerk and his mom was a bitch, because I hate when things all just go well for someone.  I would rather a story where someone has huge obstacles and difficult people and faces them with grace as Margaret Jacobsen did.  Margaret Jacobsen can teach us a lot about grace.  She can teach us about making lemonade and finding peace in chaos and all those other things people say when the tough get going.  She has obstacle after obstacle and it's a struggle for her but she finds a way to get through.  Sometimes it takes her a while, but she always manages to find a way to get back to being imperfect, flawed self who does find a way to be happy despite all the miserable crap that happens to her.

HOW TO WALK AWAY by Katherine Center is the perfect holiday/vacation read for fans of JoJo Moyes and other women's fiction and romance authors. This is an inspirational, feel good book despite a tragic accident which totally changes the life course for a twenty-eight year old woman, Margaret Jacobsen. The story focuses realistically on the extremely difficult and emotional year she then experiences. Author Katherine Center had clearly researched spinal injuries and therapy options. Readers will learn about the help and support that Margaret/Maggie receives from family, including her once estranged sister, Kit, and from healthcare workers like nurse Nina and physical therapist Ian. Their advice, (e.g., "When you don't know what to do for yourself, do something for somebody else.") is at times difficult to accept, but propels her forward.

There are very sad moments and many truly happy ones such that in the end Maggie wisely says, "I would never tell you that the life you wanted couldn't have been exactly as great as you planned. But you have to live the life you have. You have to find inspiration in the struggle, and pull joy out of the hardship." Randy Pausch famously expressed that sentiment in his Last Lecture: "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." HOW TO WALK AWAY will touch your heart and remind you to savor the joy in small moments; this title received a starred review from Booklist and appeared on the May 2018 Indie Next List of recommendations from independent booksellers. 4.5 stars

Links in live post:
http://treviansbookit.blogspot.com/2017/10/ten-years-since-randys-pauschs-last.html
https://www.indiebound.org/indie-next-list/201805

Title: How to Walk Away
Author: Katherine Center
Genre: Fiction, romance
Rating: 4 out of 5

Margaret Jacobsen was on the cusp of everything she’d dreamed of: her dream job, a fiancé who’s absolutely perfect, and her wonderful life about to start. Until a plane crash leaves her burned and paralyzed, and that wonderful life disappears from view.

In the hospital, Margaret has six weeks of healing time; after that, she must go home, and the optimal healing time has passed, meaning if she can’t walk by then, she never will. So Margaret throws herself into her efforts to heal, with the help of a surly physical therapist who pushes her to do her best—and whose bad attitude is a challenge.

Along the way, Margaret must deal with heartbreak, family secrets, and the realization that life sometimes doesn’t turn out like we plan—and that’s okay.

I enjoyed this so much that I read it straight through in just a couple of hours! Margaret is an inspiring person I’d love to hang out with. What she goes through after the plane crash is captured in blistering detail, and I can relate to the mental reevaluation that’s necessary when you wake up in the hospital with your whole world changed. If you like smart fiction with a bit of romance, a heroine whose determination will inspire you, and a quirky family, this book is for you!

(Galley provided by St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

"Carry the sorrow when we have to, and absolutely savor the joy when we can."

Margaret's life is looking pretty darn good. She just got her MBA. She's getting ready to start her dream job. And things are looking pretty serious between her and her boyfriend, Chip.

Then it all falls to pieces and she has to figure out how to live a life she never expected.

I loved Margaret "Maggie" in this story and her struggles to reinvent herself so she could be happy again. She had to go through a lot of different stages to reach that happiness.

I felt like this book portrayed Margaret's plight well and the mood swings that went with it.

Great story with some teary moments, well defined characters, a studly love interest and I appreciated the epilogue.

I received this book from St. Martin's Press through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

This was a quick read, and I got drawn in with the characters rather easily. It follows the story of "Maggie" dealing with the ramifications of her life after an airplane crash. The main focus is immediately after the accident and her facing the dissonance between her old life and the possibilities of the new. It wasn't really dark or depressing (I'm not really sure if that's a positive or a negative) since it read more like a romantically inclined novel (this is not a hot and heavy romance novel). I enjoyed Maggie's humor and responses to the difficulties she had to face. The book had a feeling of hope and it ends on a light note.

Really enjoyed this novel, about a woman who is in a horrible accident just after getting engaged. In the aftermath, she deals not just with her recovery but a voyage of self-discovery, love, and changing relationships with her parents and sister. There’s some sad stuff but also uplifting stuff; I cried through the epilogue as much of happiness as sadness. If you liked “Me Before You,” you would enjoy this one too, though it’s less depressing. I have never read a book by Katherine Center before but will definitely be checking out her back catalog! 4.5 stars.

I enjoy anything Katherine Center writes. She reminds me of Brene Brown in fiction form. I'll be rereading this at some point-it's a great summer read.

Well written, yet predictable, women’s fiction that has some good lessons on strength and courage when all seems lost.

Katherine Center is a lucky find for me, as I've not read any of her books before. That will soon change!! She is excellent at defining her characters so clearly, so realistically, with a richness in their emotions, that I feel as if I know them all. I absolutely love the truth that Katherine Center brings to her characters, they aren't one-sided, they are complex. Ms. Center is also quite good at drawing the reader into the story immediately - I became so invested in the book that I felt as if I was there.

Margaret Jacobsen is looking forward to a bright future. She just completed her MBA, she has a boyfriend, Chip, whom she adores and is convinced he'll "pop the question" any time now, and an offer for a job that is everything she hoped for and more. Things are really falling into place; until they fall apart in an instant and her life is changed forever.

Chip, is a grand gesture kind of guy. Though he knows Margaret is deathly afraid of flying, he decides that he will take her up in a private plane and propose in mid-flight. He doesn't have his pilot's license yet, but he says that's just a technicality, he only has one more thing to do to get his license. Margaret, so nervous she feels sick to her stomach, decides it's more important to please Chip than to give in to her fears, and agrees to the flight. A sudden storm pushes Chip beyond his capabilities, and the plane crashes. Chip walks away without a scratch, Margaret is seriously, and permanently injured.

During the year that follows we watch as the members of the Jacobsen family each deals with Margaret's injuries in their own way. We discover family secrets, reasons for estrangements, hurts that lead to separations, and reconciliations. We see a family in all its messy glory. We see watch Margaret grow in ways she would not have imagined, finding her strength and moving towards a new life, different than the one she had planned, but a life of value, joy and fulfillment.

This is a story about finding yourself when you think everything has been taken away from you. It's about letting yourself mourn what was, and gathering the strength to move on and make a new life. It's about family, and love that doesn't quit. It's about grabbing joy wherever, whenever you find it. It's a reminder that no matter what life throws at you, there are several ways to have happy endings.

This is a book that you just sink into and enjoy!!!

MANY thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this wonderful book in exchange for an unbiased opinion.

Katherine Center tackles subject matter that could lead a less-skilled writer into a decidely maudlin, cliched, predictable mess of a story. But with Center's adept control of her characters and theme, the story of Margaret Jacobsen is a deeply moving, relatable, and empathetic journey, full of believable emotions and humor. First, Center adroitly describes the events that change Margaret's life forever in a manner that immediately connects them with her main character, as she struggles to understand and aceept what has happened. The story-telling device is a brilliant one because the reader is instantaneously invested in Margaret's struggle to comprehend and accept what has occurred. As the story opens, she has just completed a Master's degree & landed a job that surpasses her goals. She is engaged to a young man she has loved for years and has never had any reason to doubt her love for him, much less his love and commitment to her. However, shortly after their engagement becomes official, tragedy strikes. Margaret gradually begins to grasp what has happened and the myriad ways in which she will have to cope with the reality that the life she planned will never materialize. She does so surrounded by her thoroughly dysfunctional, but loving family, as well as indomitable strength, determination, and intention that she never knew she possessed. She never loses her snarky, sarcastic sense of humor which is characterized by banter with her sister that resonates as true and eerily accurate with any reader who has/had sibling(s). Yes, there is romance, but it is neither cloyingly sweet nor anticipated, making the magical moments Center includes feel organic and satisfyingly believable. The result is a story that makes readers cheer enthusiastically for not just Margaret, the lead character, but those characters who truly love and support her, and want, like Center's readers, only the best for her because Center shows readers that Margaret deserves it. How to Walk Away is a perfect beach or vacation read and will resonate with a broad age-range of readers (beginning with young adult).

This is my first book by this author. I loved it, and will definitely be reading more of this author in the future. You get to learn about Maggie, the main character, whose life takes a huge change when she least expects it. From her fiance, to her sister, and also her therapist, you get to know the characters on a personal level. This book will not disappoint. Highly recommend!

Thanks to my line of work (hospital chaplain), I am often drawn to stories of tragedy, especially with a hospital or medical setting, and issues like end of life discussions or life-altering traumas; this probably sounds horrible, but I guess we gravitate to what we know? It will come as no surprise, then, that Me Before You by Jojo Moyes was a huge hit for me. A little dramatic to be sure, but I felt very connected to both sides of that dilemma and have often searched for other novels with similar themes.

Enter How to Walk Away which, in addition to the trauma sustained by its sparkling protagonist (no spoilers: Margaret is involved in an accident and discovers she may never walk again), has so much going for it: set in Austin, Texas, one of my favorite places; enough laughs to make you forget that this is supposed to be an unpleasant turn of events; a heartfelt romance; some predictability, but in the best possible way. It has some of the elements of Me Before You that I loved, without the emotional hangover.

There are some family dynamics, since Margaret has somewhat strained relationships with her mother and sister, that must be faced; Margaret will need their help during her recovery and these characters are so authentic and relatable. In addition, secrets are revealed, there's a little heartbreak and, again, so much wit and perfectly balanced humor; I could not have asked for more in this novel!

How to Walk Away is a treat to be savored, but I'd bet that you'll have trouble putting it down. If you're looking for a poolside, backyard (or front porch!), vacation, or whichever relaxing place you choose kind of read, you have to give this one a try.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this fabulous book. To begin with, as a nurse working in an acute hospital setting, I loved the setting of the book. The interactions between the different medical professional involved in Margaret’s care felt real and the research done regarding her injuries and recovery process is apparent. While the plot itself was not surprising, I enjoyed getting to know the characters and sharing in their joy, frustrations, tears, and humor. Sometimes a person’s life may seem near perfect and it’s hard to imagine that one would want it any other way, until something horrible befalls us and forces us to re-examine what we want out of life, what’s important, and who are the people in our lives that truly matter. I believe Ms. Center has done an excellent job conveying all that in her novel. Margaret’s wide range of feelings while coming to terms with her new life, the ups and downs, denial, devastation, and ultimately acceptance always ring true and I have seen many a patient go through all of these emotions. There are good days and there are days when everything seems hopeless. I found myself rooting for Margaret and found the novel to be uplifting and full of hope.

I finally was able to sit down and read this amazing book after getting over an awful illness. It was so worth the wait. When I first started it, I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to handle a book involving a bad plane crash. I ended up giving it a chance and I'm incredibly glad I did. I literally could not put it down. Every little chance I got I picked it up, even if I only had time to read one page. I loved the overall message I took from this book, which was to never stop trying no matter how difficult your troubles may seem. Things really do get better with time. It really made me look back on the awful times in my life and realize how important it is to never give up. I truly believe in order to completely understand absolute bliss one must also endure some type of pain/sadness in their life. Also, when you are trying to find a way to keep on going try to focus on doing things to help someone else. There was a part in the book where Maggie was telling herself to look at the green in the trees and really see them. That part in the book immediately brought me back to an extremely difficult time in my life. It was autumn and I kept forcing myself to stop and see the changing colors in the trees. Thank you, Katherine Center, for this beautiful story and thank you also to NetGalley for allowing me to read it. This is one of those books that will stay with me forever.

I don’t read a lot of what is typically classified as women’s fiction because sometimes the plots can be too formulaic and predictable. But there are authors in that genre who don’t fit into what I realize are probably my unwarranted and stereotypical beliefs about women’s fiction (and based on what I’ve read recently it’s time to change those beliefs!) I’ve read great women’s fiction by Jojo Moyes, Jodi Picoult, Abbi Waxman, and Liane Moriarty. And now I’m adding Katherine Center to that list. “How to Walk Away” was a wonderful story, filled with humor, wisdom, inspiration, great characters, and the reminder that, as one of characters says, “There are all kinds of happy endings.”

My review was posted on Goodreads on 5/23/18.

Margaret Jacobsen is on top of the world with her dream job and new engagement to her fiancé who she loves. Until the most unexpected thing happens, and she must face the reality that her life may never be the same again.
This wasn’t so much a romance novel but a novel of overcoming challenges and the relationships that make it possible. It was a wonderful ride. Margaret is a likeable character who engenders compassion from the reader. I cheered for her every step of the way. And as she struggled and struggled with her family and friends and care givers, I was touched by some very poignant moments. While some of the scenarios were a bit unbelievable and the epilogue wrapped things up a bit too tidily, they didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story.
Ultimately, I found this novel engaging and entertaining. And, I found a new favorite quote and that is always memorable. “You just have to choose to make the best of things. You only get one life, and it goes forward. And there are all kinds of happy endings.” Highly recommend. 5 stars.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Margaret/Maggie had an uncanny fear of flying even though she had flown several times she still hated it. She related flying with crashing. Now she was seriously dating Charles/Chip who was days away from getting his pilot’s license. If she had thought about it she may have worked out how even though Chip was suppose to be a perfect fit for Margaret he was an suchan air travel enthusiast and willing to do anything scary and Margaret really wasn’t nor did Chip take into consideration Margaret’s fear it was all about him.It was Valentine's Day and Margaret hoped Chip wold propose to her. Margaret had known Chip a long time and they had been dating for three years.dChip had moved in next store to her parents with his parents \but they really didn’t get to know each other until they both wound up at business school together then they eventually fell in love. But for this Valentine's Day Chip took Margaret to a hanger to give her a ride in a small private plane even though he didn’t have his pilot’s license quiet yet and he had to talk Margaret into going up with him. Margaret's gut had told her to stay on the ground but she didn’t follow her gut. While in the air Chip did propose and Margaret accepted but then there was a storm and they crashed while landing. Margaret had spoken or seen her sister ZKitty in three years. When Kitty first went away she said a breather from the family and she would be in touch but she wasn’t in touch at all. The sum of Kitty and Margaret’s relationship was Margaret always trying to get things exactly right and Kitty hell bent on getting things spectacularly wrong. Margaret was crushed in the plane and was paralyzed as wella s her neck and face had been burnt and she would need plastic surgery. She had been in ICU for seven days she had skin grafts done and surgery on her spine. Chip had been there at first but then started drinking. Margaret was not feeling any emotions emless her mom was there. Margaret had no understanding that her life would never be quiet the same again.One day Chip came to see Margaret with greasy hair, his face covered in stubble , and his polo shirt had a brown stain on it. His pants were also ripped and one of Chip’s shoes were untied. Then Chip shoved his face on top of Margaret's and gave her a slobbery kiss that tastes like beer, dirt, and sleep deprivation. Chip then said the plane was totaled. She was totaled and he got away without a scratch. Chip then crumpled to the hospital floor and sobbed and said because of him she looked like a monster and would never walk again. Kitty came home when she heard of Margaret’s condition to be there for her and help her sister. She showed Margaret a lot of love and resourceful support when Margaret so desperately needed it. Margaret ended up with Ian as a physical therapist and even though struggled with physical therapy she also tried to get Ian to smile whenever she could. Kitty tries to help Margaret cope with being paralyzed. Margaret is determined to draw Ian out.
I had mixed feelings on this book. There was a lot of emotions shown in this book and a lot about the physical part of Margaret’s recovery yet what about the mental- the depression, wanting to give up, suicidal thoughts that should have also been covered more thoroughly in my opinion with such a horrific change in Maggie’s life. Then how Chip was pitying himself and saying awful things like how Margaret looked like a monster and would never walk again and came in drunk/hungover. Then His mother … what a piece of work she was even Margaret’s own mother was really no help but she at least did love Margaret but was no help. Thank God for Kitty and Ian. There were times however that I did chuckle while reading this but other times I did choke up. This did have a good plot yet it dragged for me at times. It was a pretty good read just not a great read. I also obvious;y got annoyed with some of the character sand Chip right from the beginning fan of his I was NOT. As I said I had mixed feelings on this one.