Katelyn is a 17 year old girl with a single mom who is rather paranoid. Katelyn thinks this is normal over protective behavior until one night when things go very wrong. On the run with no idea why, Katelyn is hidden by her mom. She is found and then begins to search for answers.

Girl on the Run is a well-written YA novel that touches on feelings of anxiety and paranoia. It also talks about what it is like to run from your past.
Trigger warning: There are a lot of injuries documented throughout the book, and it also has a lot of bloodshed.

Sadly this was not for me. So, I couldn’t bring myself to finish it.
I just didn’t connect with the characters or the writing style at all. Which is a shame, because it sounded pretty promising.

Abigail Johnson is one of my favorite YA contemporary authors and her first foray into YA thrillers, Girl on the Run, is fantastic! This would pair perfectly with books by Karen McManus and I'm definitely going to suggest this to readers who love her, as well as for readers of Holly Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

I started out really enjoying this one, it was fast paced and gripping. I was really intrigued to find out what the mum had done and why all the cloak and dagger secrets. I felt like it lost a little direction half way through and the ending was all a bit 'tied in a bow', which let it down slightly. A very solid 3 star read though and definitely worth checking out if you enjoy a YA thriller.

Katelyn hasn’t stayed in more than one place long enough to put down roots and make friends. So when she finally thinks her mom is ready to stay put, she sets her up with a dating profile. Little does she know that will send her and her mom running far longer and far harden then ever before. As the true story of her family unfolds, Katelyn most determine who to trust and what to believe, and just how important it is to run. A thrilling YA mystery that keeps the reader engaged and wanting to discover the secrets that continue to pile up, this book is a must read for thrill seekers!

This was an excellent thriller that I just had to read in one sitting. It was too exciting to put down!

Katelyn is almost used to the idea that her mom is paranoid and absolutely convinced that something bad will happen to her daughter. She is also very strict about knowing where Katelyn is all the time and also keeping her off social media. Her mom has moved her frequently throughout her life. Anytime something particularly worries her, they pack up and move.

Katelyn is hoping that this time they'll be able to stay in one place long enough for her to graduate from high school. But, when Katelyn sets up an online dating profile for her mother, her mother panics and forces them to leave in a hurry.

Good thing they do because someone is after them. They steal cars and wind up in an isolated motel. Her mom tells Katelyn to stay there while she goes on some mysterious errand but, while she's gone, someone breaks into the motel room and Katelyn barely escapes through the bathroom window.

Circling back around, she discovers a young man in the trunk of the car the room invader arrived in and the two of them go on the run together. Malcolm Pike is a college junior and computer hacker who was hired to find Katelyn's mother which he did almost as soon as the picture with the online profile was posted.

Katelyn is surprised to learn that her mother has been on the run after being accused of killing a rich young man. The man's mother has hired detectives and bounty hunters to track her down. Katelyn can't believe that her mother would ever do something like that and convinces Malcolm that they need to investigate more.

The investigation leads to all sorts of secrets about her life and all sorts of danger as the bounty hunter gets close to catching them many times.

This is action-packed and would be sure to grab the attention of any YA reader.

3. + Stars
This YA thriller had my attention from the first page. Katelyn is a teenager with a very strict mom. Her mom lives in paranoia and changes jobs whenever the least little thing upsets her privacy. She and her daughter pick up and move almost on a moment notice. However, they have been living in the same place for nearly a year now so Katelyn thinks things are okay and that her mother needs to date. She signs up her mom on a dating app and includes a picture of the two of them in front of their home. On No! Her mom is so upset they and they pack up immediately and move. Needless to say, Katelyn’s mom does not want to be found. The story now center on the run. Katelyn proves is she smart.
I found myself yelling at the mom to come clean and tell her daughter the truth.

The review are great mostly 5 stars, reviewers love this author. This is my first [author: Abigail Johnson] so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I definitely will read another novel by Ms. Johnson.
This story wasn’t a 5 star read for me but have no doubt in other reader’s mind they will see the characters and setting different than I did ~ we are all unique and lucky to have so many great reading choices.

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Children’s for this early release granted to me in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 6, 2020

The beginning never drew me in. I didn't care about Katelyn making out with her secret boyfriend Aiden while eavesdropping to make sure her mom didn't arrive home early. Once the mom arrives home early (because of course), Katelyn almost has a heart attack and has to shove Aiden out her window. He thinks her actions are hilarious and lingers. Katelyn then acts like an angel when her mom comes into the room by pretending to study and ignoring her mother (who was talking to her) by fake reading a paragraph and holding up a finger to order her mom to wait. That didn't sit right with me because if I had done that as a teenager I would have been slapped. Next was Katelyn's obsession with finding her mom a boyfriend via an online dating app. I stopped reading after the mom freaked out because I just didn't care anymore. Thank you for giving me the chance to read this.

Girl on the Run
by Abigail Johnson
Pub Date: 06 Oct 2020
Read courtesy of netgalley.com

LOVED IT! Is there such a thing as a 6 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐review?

Fast paced and tight, I read this book in an afternoon. I was engaged by the characters and the plot. I enjoyed being able to anticipate where things were going or where they had come from. I sometimes get frustrated trying to follow a thriller's flow of information, and I sometimes think the authors do it on purpose for some kind of gotcha. Abigail Johnson didn't confuse me, purposefully or not. She allowed the readers to explore both with the characters and to make suppositions on their own without making the readers feel duped or slow-witted.

Recommend this book to readers who like Amazon's Hanna.

As an aside, it did help that I grew up and worked near the story's setting; although, the geography itself could have been anywhere with regards to the story. It was just fun for me to read of places I know: Bridgeton, Cheltenham, Perkasie, Elkins Park, etc.

I can't wait to put this in to my high school readers' hands.

Girl on the Run by Abigail Johnson—I devoured this fast-paced thriller in one sitting and it did not disappoint. Written for young adults, it has enough action in it to satisfy adults as well.
Sixteen year old Katelyn’s mom has always been strict, SUPER strict and paranoid. Katelyn has just now been allowed to attend public school and get a cell phone, as long as she can follow the rules her mom sets. One little mess up sends her mom packing up their lives and sends them on the run. From what, Katelyn doesn’t know, but from the way her mom is acting, their lives depend on it.
Abigail Johnson is quickly becoming a favorite author in our library and my students will be clamoring for her newest book. #netgalley #abigailjohnson #girlontherun