When Anne Marie's ex-husband Cal shows up on her doorstep, Anne Marie should know better — they've been estranged for years... but he's clearly in trouble, and she can't say no. And when she gets tangled up in that trouble? She finds herself on the run with Cal, wondering just how the hell she got there, and what it all means.

I love an on-the-road novel and this short novel did not disappoint. A story of love and loss and a woman growing up and realizing things. I love a badass female character and Anne Marie was just that. This was a short but smart novel about personal growth. Not a bad debut.

Simple, quick, and informal read about growing up, confronting your past, and moving on with life. Full of emotion. Well written.

I was judging the L.A. Times 2020 and 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’d been doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got me to read on even though it was among 296 other books I’m charged to read.

Funny.

She would b e sitting at home now waiting for her husband to get back from work, and the kids were probably still running around, out of bed, even at this hour, screaming, breaking furniture, biting things. They loved to bite things. Tricia said that one of them had bitten a neighbor’s dog recently. The dog was now agoraphobic and would not go outside.

An interesting take on a classic trope! I love a good roadtrip novel, but this had less... road... then I expected haha. Overall the writing was a bit flat for me, but a solid read none the less. Quite dark!

This cover art on this one is a little misleading. Thelma and Louise this is not... However, I did enjoy this quiet little novel about an estranged couple suddenly on the run after a bit of unexpected violence. While I enjoyed this book well enough, it's not one that will stick will me.

As this tale unfolds you might as well be sitting next to Anne Marie, reading her mind,. No other character matters, no plot points send the reader in new directions, not much happens, and even when it does it lands with a dull thud. This is a sad, spare tale about an anywoman in an anyplace, at an anytime, coming to grips with a failed love and an uncertain future. But even with all of that said, Anne Marie will get under your skin because of her authenticity, her intelligence, and her grace. A book to savor and enjoy.

Definitely not my typical read, so thanks to the publisher for making me read outside of comfort zone. I did end up really enjoying this book.

while I am sure this appeals to some readers, I was not one of them. Although the writing is good, the story was a bit..maudlin?

Beautifully written story in an unplaceable time and place. It was full of flashbacks that fit perfectly in with the adventure story. It was lovely

Highway Blue should've been titles Highway Bland. It's supposed to be a road trip novel, but nothing happens.

The MC, who was so forgettable I forgot her name, and her ex husband, Cal, who left her one day, years ago, hit the road after one of them accidentally kills the muscle sent after him by the people Cal money to. And then the book drones on.

Zero sympathy for any of the characters.
Zero plot. Zero resolution.
Writing is a series of run on sentences.
I'm surprised this was picked up for publishing.

Very moody! I almost felt like I was reading a pitch for a movie rather than a novel. It also felt like a reimagining of Bonnie and Clyde where Bonnie and Clyde had been married before. Anne Marie was a treat and I enjoyed reading their story. It was sort of creepy and threatening without being scary.

A narrative of self discovery that occurs through a heartbreak, a crime and life on the run. The plot flows even though the writing was awkward at times. Not a favorite unfortunately.

"We married when I was 19, in a little wooden shack church down in Tana Beach." Cal was a little drunk. He left Anne Marie exactly one year later, vanishing without a trace. Anne Marie now worked in a bar by day and was a dog walker by night. She rented a space in an apartment with four girls who all worked together in a hair/nail salon. "The [apartment] was an old peeling heap, an ugly dump with a leak in the ceiling and spiders in the corners." "Everything about [Anne Marie] seemed for a strange moment to have shrunk in on itself." She was lonely, sometimes seeking comfort in the arms of a stranger. Thoughts of Cal were often "in her head".

"Cal was always shifting...shifting ideas, shifting plans, always going somewhere, always something on his mind, the next thing...until the next one." Suddenly after two years had passed, he arrived on Anne Marie's doorstep. He convinced her to go for a drink. Cal had an agenda. Needing money fast, Anne Marie was his last hope. She had no money to spare. The past silence and stunted conversation between them had not changed.

A very determined Cal started to walk Anne Marie home. "The houses in this part of town stood up on stilts-their old wooden faces sagged...up ahead-a little alley which led away from the oceanfront-a shortcut...". A dark shadow stepped out from the alley. "Where's the money, Cal?" A struggle. A gun discharged. Anne Marie and Cal, were on the run, leaving San Padua immediately. Hitching a ride from the main highway was their first step to the town of La Maya. Perhaps Cal's friend could supply a bed for the night and then a car to speed up their journey to safety.

Anne Marie mulled over her childhood memories while embarking upon a journey of self discovery. Did she ever really know Cal? Does she want to know him now? What are Cal's thoughts and feelings after two years spent without Anne Marie? Each one must confront the past and choose a path going forward.

"Highway Blue" by debut author Ailsa McFarlane is a literary novella seemingly spare of words, but in its simplicity, it packs a powerful punch.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group/ Hogarth Press and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After her husband Cal left one morning without a word, Anne Marie had been surviving by working odd jobs, sharing a dingy apartment with several other girls, and trying her best to forget what it was she had loved about Cal. When he reappears after two years, needing money to pay off a debt, Anne Marie finds she is still drawn to him, to whatever magic they once had together. Walking back to Anne Marie’s apartment that night, a man steps out from the shadows and demands Cal pay his debt. There is a struggle, a gun goes off, and the man is dead in the street. Suddenly Cal and Anne Marie are on the run, hurrying out of town to avoid being questioned for murder.

Highway Blue gives the reader a glimpse into Anne Marie’s world, one of abandonment and uncertainty, of hard work, little rest, and under all the hurt and confusion is the love she once had for Cal. I really liked Anne Marie and appreciated her survival instincts and her willingness to face her truth and become stronger for it. This debut novel is real and honest, spare but detailed, and I would be interested in seeing what other stories Ailsa McFarlane has to tell.

An absolute steamroller of a novel, Highway Blue will grab you from the very first word and won't let you go.
It is beautifully written in the style of an absolute master; the language is spare and simple but so very provocative - Ailsa McFarlane has a gift for communicating profound ideas in very few words.
Highway Blue reads like poetry in parts and there's a dreamy tone throughout that makes it a truly captivating read.
The characters feel real in all their imperfection and road-trip narrative feels a little like On The Road brought into the 2020s. The storyline itself is ultimately unfulfilling as so much is left unresolved and the journey doesn't reach a satisfying ending; but that seems like something of a triumph in itself - like any good roadtrip, the fun is in the journey, not the destination.

I received this galley preview for an honest opinion. Anne Marie is a high school girl that doesn’t seem to connect. She lives with her aunt but they don’t get along so she moves to a room with some other girls. At a party she meets Cal who she goes out with and ends up marrying. On the first anniversary Cal disappears to reappear two years later and in big debt. In asking for help, they get in a situation where they leave town and travel.
Highway Blue is interesting but very elementary. The writing is very simple and the plot is non-existent. The story is non linear and sometimes it’s hard to figure where you are in the story. Not really sure what the story is

Anne Marie was surprised when her husband Cal disappeared a year into their marriage and she's surprised now that he's turned up again two years later. She's been working in a bar, something bad happens, and the two of them go on the run. Slowly. While this starts off on the west coast, their travels take them down through the southwest (although place is less important than emotion). This is written (over written) in steam of consciousness so the reader gets Anne Marie's perspective and thoughts on many things. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fans of literary fiction will want to take a look at this short debut novel.

Highway Blue is a beautifully written book which is able to evoke in the reader, the same feelings of unsettled, searching dislocation felt by the protagonist. The descriptions of both characters and place are excellent, allowing the book to play out like a movie in the reader’s mind. More than that, one can sense, smell and even taste the atmosphere and surroundings. However, it is a true Blues song, living up to its title, which I suppose is the aim. There is no respite from the dark, uncertainty surrounding the protagonist’s present, her future and even her past, which seems to have been filled with sad upheaval following the loss of the one person who provided an anchor in her early years. While I found this book interesting and engaging, there was no spark of joy to balance the despair, which is what I need to truly love a book. Thank you to the author, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

I would give this story 2 1/2 stars but seeing that's impossible I'm upping it to 3 stars. Highway Blue, by Ailsa McFarlane isn't a bad story. To me, there just wasn't really a story at all. I want to thank NetGally and Hogarth for an early copy to review.