Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Runaway by Hollie Overton. Overton has brought a family drama novel to life and has done a good job in conveying the desperation and unrelenting love a mother feels for a child.
Becca's foster child, Ash, is difficult to say the least, but Becca is dedicated to making her a better life. Ash has been on the streets and knows that life well. Becca is determined to make a better life for Ash, but her old life keeps haunting and calling her back.
Becca must do her best to save this young girl and will die trying if she has to do so...
Good Book - I liked The Walls better - but this is a solid family drama.
3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of The Runaway.

When Becca Ortiz's foster daughter, Ash, runs away from home, her mother will do everything she can to find her and protect her from whatever she's running.

The premise was interesting; a troubled young woman with a past and determined to do something with her life finds herself in danger when she becomes involved with her boyfriend's transient lifestyle and the dangerous people he associates with.

I really liked Becca, especially her loyalty and love for Ash. Despite all the trouble Ash has been, Becca never gives up on her. She always gives Ash the benefit of the doubt and will do anything for her. It just shows you don't have to share blood to be a parent or to love someone very much.

Ash wasn't a bad character; she was relatable, traumatized from her past and self aware that she needed help and struggled when it came to her addictions. But she did want to do better and that's what counts.

I had a hard time believing in a character like Mo.

I know there are sociopaths like her, but her past as a member of the privileged elite and her current position as a female Fagin was hard to swallow.

The secondary characters, including Mo's crew, was superfluous, people I didn't care about and the addition of Becca's ex-husband and the reasons that caused the end of their marriage added unnecessary soap opera drama to a story that didn't need any more filler.

Overall, not a bad story, with decent female lead characters, but the story could use another edit.

Hollie Overton has produced a well-written narrative leaning more on the side of suspense than thriller. If the reader keeps this in mind when approaching the book, it will aide in expectations and enjoyment. The story is emotional, full of suspense and teeming with gritty truths. There are a few moments of excessive dialogue by the author but the characterization is well-developed and sustains the main thesis well. The tight plot that Overton has created also works wonderfully with the different dynamics submerged within the story. Enjoyable read. 4 stars.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of #TheRunaway from #NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

A bit stock, the characters a bit flat. Nothing really new or amazing, and at times it was a bit of a chore to get through, but I definitely kept going because I wanted to see how it ended, so for that it gets a three

So, I really didn’t love this.

I really liked her other book, so it kind of bums me to say this. But this one is just kind of…meh.

I will say that I liked the very dangerous world the author took us to. The problem was that I never really bought into any of the characters. And Holy Backstory, Batman! Every time something interesting would happen, we’d suddenly get about 2 ½ pages of interior monologue about a character’s history. It started driving me nuts. I didn’t care about character A’s first date with her husband. (Yes, he’s a character. No, he’s not really an important one.) I didn’t care about character B’s party with the pedophile (because it had nothing to do with anything).

I think the main problem is that I know from experience that she can write. I know that she can write engaging prose that really makes me care about her characters.

Look, it isn’t terrible. I finished it. I just hoped for so much more.

*ARC provided via Net Galley

The Runaway is a entertaining thriller that is well written and has good characters. I enjoyed the plot.

Forensic scientist Becca Ortiz’s doesn’t take the decision to foster runaway teenager Ash, lightly. She has every intention of treating the girl like her own flesh and blood. But as much as Ash wants to succeed in her new life, there’s someone she still cares for from her old life. Someone who won’t hesitate to pull her back down into the dark and seamy side of a life that will destroy her