From the author of Happiness for Beginners comes the instant New York Times bestseller (May 2018), an unforgettable love story about finding joy even in the darkest of circumstances. 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, … 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.
How to Walk Away is Katherine Center at her very best—a masterpiece of a novel that is both hopeful and hilarious; truthful and wise; tender and brave.
Praise for How to Walk Away:
“A heartbreak of a novel that celebrates resilience and strength.” —Jill Santopolo, bestselling author of The Light We Lost
“If you just read one book this year, read How to Walk Away.” —Nina George, New York Times bestselling author of The Little Paris Bookshop
“Warm, witty, and wonderfully observed.” —Emily Giffin, New York Times bestselling author of First Comes Love
“Sympathetic and refreshing!” —Elinor Lipman, bestselling author of The Family Man
“I can’t think of a blurb good enough for this novel…poignant, funny, heartbreaking.” —Jenny Lawson, bestselling author of Furiously Happy
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This book gripped me from page one and didn’t let me go. I laughed and cried and got swept up in the story. Wonderful work from Katherine Center. I highly recommend!
This is the most feel-good book that I have read this year, and maybe ever. It’s the story of a girl with a bright future, about to get engaged to her dream love, Chip. Then, the unthinkable happens, a plane crashes and she survives, but just barely. In the hospital and a paraplegic, Maggie feels like giving up. But she has a cast of supporting characters, including her mom, her dad and her estranged sister Kit who comes back home just to rally her out of her blue funk. She also has a taciturn physical therapist who doesn’t seem to like her, his job or anything else. But Maggie keeps struggling on, determined to make the best of the life that she has left. The book has some parts that left me tearing up and other parts that had me laughing aloud. The characters are so realistic that it is like watching a movie of a life that really happened. The sympathy that I felt for Maggie was real: the anger I felt at those who hurt her was just as real. I can’t say enough good things about this book except that you just have to read it to believe it! It is insanely well-written!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”
I loved this book! I received an advance copy and I whipped through it in 2 days. I found it heartwarming and entertaining. A great read!
Oh, I loved this…all the stars!!! I won’t give too much away, but there’s tragedy, all the gamut of emotions toward recovery and at the end love, life and hope. Tears…check, humor…check, growth…check. The heart of this story is about life not being perfect and being OK with that and making the best out of what you’re given. It’s also about family, its messiness, its struggles and ultimately its unwavering support. Highly recommend.
I was given the book to read by the publisher. It was hyped to be the next big beach read. The main character was starting out on her life’s journey. Getting her dream job. On valentine’s day her boyfriend took her out on a plane ride to show off his skills, which she is deathly afraid of flying. He asks for her hand in marriage and all goes downhill from there on. The plane has an accident and she is the only one that is hurt. Burns all over her body and legs paralyzed. He has a hard time facing her. Everything after that is very predictable. They break up, she falls for her therapist, she goes home and restarts her life. The rest of the book is about her family life and how they cope. I do not want to give everything away. It was a very enjoyable read.
Katherine Center does a good job bringing her main characters to life, making them more than just observers, and giving them quirks and unique personalities. I like that her stories don’t get bogged down in tragedies but focus on fresh starts, second chances, making the most of what you’ve been dealt in life, and is always able to weave in an authentic romance. Charming story!
How to Walk Away was my first Katherine Center book. I loved it so much that I’ve already started another one of her books. I listened to most of this book (I like to switch between audio, ebooks, and physical books) and the audio was really good. It’s hard to review HTWA without giving spoilers, but here’s my attempt. I really enjoyed following Margaret’s journey through hope, pain, grief, joy, forgiveness and love. The side characters (aka her family) are interesting. And despite the sad situation, there is quite a bit of humor in the book.
This was a great book to buddy read because we could discuss how we felt about Margaret’s experiences, our opinions on a couple guys, and also our thoughts on her sister and parents.
Oh, and bonus, the story takes place in Austin, Texas. It’s very rare that I read books set in my home state, so this made me happy.
Katherine Center has become an auto-buy for me, so I began this book without even reading the blurb. I had no idea what it was about, and boy, was I surprised. Even though the main character is dealing with the aftereffects of a traumatic injury for the majority of the book, it never felt too heavy to me. I really love how it focused on hope. It could have ended a different way, and I’m sort of glad it didn’t (trying not to give too much away here), because it felt so authentic and real. Of course I loved the romance part, but I also really enjoyed the relationship between the sisters. Loved this one all around, really.
My second Katherine Center book did not disappoint. This book really has just about everything: heartache, pain, resentment, depression, forgiveness, hope, love, tension, joy — you truly can laugh and cry, but in the best ways.
Center’s characters are complex, which I love. They aren’t stereotypical and they aren’t completely predictable. No one’s perfect, and no one’s the devil. They’re just the kinds of people you can imagine in your life.
Center’s quickly becoming one of my favorite authors with her focus on women’s lives and issues while weaving in such sweet, swoony love stories.
R-rated for language and suggested situations.
I read Things You Save in a Fire to kick off the new year. I posted about it on Twitter, and the author shared the link to a bridge chapter between that story and this one. I read the bridge last night, and ended up wanting to start How to Walk Away immediately afterward, so I did.
Margaret Jacobsen is on the verge of getting everything she has ever wanted… a great job, the ideal fiancé, and all the other hallmarks of a perfect life. Then, after being talked into doing something she most certainly does not want to do, everything changes.
Katherine Center writes her characters to perfection, because it is evident Maggie’s fiancé Chip is a jerk from the very start. Who forces someone to do something they are terrified of doing, just to show off? Ugh. He was just so smarmy and self-centered. (Side note – why wasn’t he charged with some sort of crime for “borrowing” and flying a plane without a license?!)
Maggie has to rework her whole life, while those around her rise to the occasion or stumble along. Her relationship with her mother is initially infuriating, the one with her sister clearly complicated, and her dad is so likable from the start. Some things stay the same, but many change for the better as Maggie, and the rest of her family, progress and falter towards their new normal. I enjoyed the dynamic between Maggie and Kit immensely, and would love to learn more of Kit’s story (hint, hint Ms. Center). Her mom was truly something else, but it was a relief to see her character evolve.
I appreciated the ebb and flow of the dynamic between Maggie and Ian (her physical therapist), and found myself rooting for the (perhaps forgone) conclusion of their complicated relationship. Is the ending sappy? Of course. It is a romance novel after all. I did like the uncertainty of how it all would end, and appreciated the epilogue because I was already composing a tweet in my head to ask the author if she was considering a follow up to let us know what happened next. Isn’t wanting to know more often the hallmark of a good story and well-written characters?
This book straight up blew me away. I was hooked from the beginning and could not get enough. I listened to the audiobook, and because there is a fair amount of language, I tried not to listen when my kids were around. But the story was so good, I couldn’t stop listening! I kept finding ways to get my listening in when my kids couldn’t hear. If the language had been milder, I’d have given it five stars. It’s that good.
I couldn’t help but love Margaret from the beginning. Maybe it’s because you feel some sympathy for her basically from the beginning. Maybe it’s because I could see she was dating a jerk and I was rooting for her to find better. Maybe it’s because you just knew she was a good person you can’t help but love. But I really liked her. When her boyfriend essentially forces her to go for a ride in his plane (before he gets his pilot license), I instantly didn’t like him. What kind of jerk forces a person with a desperate fear of flying into an airplane to prove a point?
I appreciated how Katherine wrote Margaret’s experience dealing with the plane crash and it’s aftermath. I loved how she wrote a strong character, but also one who learned and grew a lot and had some ugly moments. I can only imagine the kind of grief and despair and depression someone in that circumstance would go through but I felt that Kathrine wrote all the ugly, terrible, amazing, and good moments so well.
At first, I really hated Margaret’s family, particularly her mother. She was so crass and I thought she was terrible to Margaret. And then Kit was so different but I loved how quickly she worked her way into Margaret’s heart and how hard she worked to help Margaret recover. I did like Margaret’s dad, though. How he put up with mom, I’ll never know. But he’s a saint.
And can we talk about how great Ian is? I had no real reason for this, but I liked him from the first moment he came into Margaret’s room and told her she had to go physical therapy. Maybe it was the reader’s Scottish accent (because let’s be honest here: who can resist that Scottish brogue?). Whatever it was, I liked him immediately. I liked how good he ended up being for Margaret. I liked that he refused to call her anything but Maggie. I liked that he had Margaret’s boyfriend/fiancé pegged for the jerk he was before anyone else noticed. I liked that he listened to her and pushed her harder than she knew she could be pushed. He was just so perfect. And the boat scene? SWOON!
This story is really amazing. I’m glad I own it so I can go back and read it again because I’m certain this will be a reread book for me.
Note: there is a lot of language in this book, including plenty of instances of the F-word. Also some details about burn injuries; plane crash; depression; cheating; plenty of talk about sex, (no details; everything closed door); tattoos, piercings; some family dysfunction; and paraplegia.
Quotes I Loved:
If you can’t do anything for yourself, do something for someone else.
The greater our capacity for sorrow becomes, the greater the capacity for joy.
Center is listed as a chick lit author and this doesn’t have the happily-ever-after ending you might be looking for but it’s realistic and actually kind of perfect. Margaret’s tough battle after her life-changing accident highlights the kind of strengths and weaknesses we all go through when facing a crisis. Great read.
Absolutely Katherine Center’s best book. This book brings you through all the emotions: sad, happy, tragic, inspirational. The ending isn’t what you expect, which is something that I love! Truly an incredible book.
The Happily Ever After in this book was a bit more realistic than in other books with similar plots, but it was very enjoyable. It was about family, setting and re-setting expections, finding different ways to be ‘succesful’ and yes it was about finding the right person for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I have read two books by the author and both were very good.
I have so much love for this book. I reread it and finally made the connection to Things You Save in a Fire with the short novella afterward.
Margaret is scared of flying but when her boyfriend convinces her to go up with him as a pilot, she ignores her fear because she knows he’s going to propose. The plane crashes and he was away with barely a scratch. Margaret, on the other hand, requires surgery and therapy. She has 3rd degree burns and is now a paraplegic.
I’m positive that I would not react to a debilitating injury like Maggie does. Her struggle and rebounding is inspirational and I especially liked her mantra of if you can’t help yourself help somebody else. And Ian! I love him so much! I have a hard time not loving a Scottish man, but one who is grumpy and gives me Mr. Darcy feels, oy! Even better.
I’m a big fan of Katherine Center. Shocking, I know. Her ability to invest me into the story and character arcs is flawless.
I really like this author’s work. However, I do wonder at the lack of legal consequences for Chip’s actions/accident.
Good things come out of bad situations and this story is no exception. The characters are quirky and lovable. The story sad but sweet .
The narration perfect as always!
Katherine Center’s story at the end….
Icing on the cake!
5 courage filled stars!
There’s a lovely little essay called “Welcome to Holland” which is standard reading for every new parent of a child with Down syndrome. If you haven’t read it, take a minute and go look it up. It’s not hard to find.
That essay boils down to: “I thought I was going HERE, but instead I ended up someplace else. But it’s not a bad place. It’s just a different one.”
“How To Walk Away” is a gorgeous, hope-filled, uplifting story that traces one woman’s journey learning the same lesson. The back cover blurb says that Margaret has it all at the start of this book, but it was instantly clear to me that her “adored” fiance needed to be dumped, and fast. Unfortunately, she doesn’t see it until the unthinkable happens, and she’s facing a totally different life than the one she envisioned.
I often found myself wondering if Katherine Center has a background in PT and/or nursing that allowed her to dive so deeply into the experience of rehab. At any rate, it read very realistically. But what really shines in this book is Margaret herself–a realistic, sassy, stubborn, and vibrantly *alive* protagonist who fights, stumbles, and fights again on her way to a happy ending.
Another thing to love about this book: the cast of vivid characters–a mom you want to hate but end up rooting for, too; a sister you *really* root for; the true hero who makes you want to don a cheerleading costume to root for; and of course, the self-absorbed family surrounding The Fiance.
Last but not least, there’s the life-affirming message I referenced at the beginning–the one that says “the thing that crushes you doesn’t have to end your life. Sometimes it just changes the destination.”
A beautiful book that hits every mark.
A wonderful page-turning story delving into relationships, will power, and the true meaning of commitment.