readwithria's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
How to Walk Away broke my heart in two and slowly stitched it back together. Having now read four of Katherine Center’s books, I knew to expect a tragedy of some kind to strike within the first chapter. What I wasn’t expecting was a story so full of resilience and post-traumatic growth.
I loved this book. It’s excellently written, it was thoroughly researched, and Maggie had such a strong arc. However, as much as I loved the story and the characters, there were a couple things that bugged me so that this wasn’t a five star book.
1. No one with a wound of any kind would be allowed in a therapy pool. I can see the leap in logic that would make it seem like it would t be a problem, however I asked my partner (who works in a facility with a therapy pool) and he said that would absolutely never happen. Will this bother anyone else? Probably not. But as soon as I saw that I knew 🤣
2. The count down calendar after she went home. It felt a little out of touch and every time it was mentioned it made me physically cringe. I’m quite glad that she tossed it, but its existence in the first place bothered me.
But now that those two things are out of the way, let me get to more of what I loved.
- I alternated between the physical copy and the audiobook, and the narrator was excellent! It was the same narrator as What You Wish For, which I didn’t vibe with on audio, but she worked really well for this book! All the different voices were great, and hearing Ian’s Scottish accent was excellent
- Kit and Margaret’s relationship. Their growth was so amazing, and I loved seeing their sister dynamic
- Margaret and her mom’s relationship developed so well! I wasn’t expecting her mom to be such a main character, but it was really lovely
All in all, this book has solidified Katherine Center as my go-to when I need to feel crushed and remade. She writes about grief of all kinds so well, and I’m excited to read more from her! 4 stars.
I loved this book. It’s excellently written, it was thoroughly researched, and Maggie had such a strong arc. However, as much as I loved the story and the characters, there were a couple things that bugged me so that this wasn’t a five star book.
1. No one with a wound of any kind would be allowed in a therapy pool. I can see the leap in logic that would make it seem like it would t be a problem, however I asked my partner (who works in a facility with a therapy pool) and he said that would absolutely never happen. Will this bother anyone else? Probably not. But as soon as I saw that I knew 🤣
2. The count down calendar after she went home. It felt a little out of touch and every time it was mentioned it made me physically cringe. I’m quite glad that she tossed it, but its existence in the first place bothered me.
But now that those two things are out of the way, let me get to more of what I loved.
- I alternated between the physical copy and the audiobook, and the narrator was excellent! It was the same narrator as What You Wish For, which I didn’t vibe with on audio, but she worked really well for this book! All the different voices were great, and hearing Ian’s Scottish accent was excellent
- Kit and Margaret’s relationship. Their growth was so amazing, and I loved seeing their sister dynamic
- Margaret and her mom’s relationship developed so well! I wasn’t expecting her mom to be such a main character, but it was really lovely
All in all, this book has solidified Katherine Center as my go-to when I need to feel crushed and remade. She writes about grief of all kinds so well, and I’m excited to read more from her! 4 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Medical content
Moderate: Ableism, Vomit, and Body shaming
Minor: Infidelity, Gun violence, Excrement, Sexual content, Cursing, Deportation, and Suicidal thoughts
More...