swimmer120x's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring fast-paced
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book wouldn’t have been one that I would have naturally gravitated towards, had I realized I the overall theme of the book (TW:
fire injury; medical trauma
). This book came as a recommendation, so I didn’t thoroughly read the description, which was my fault.  

With that being said, I do not regret reading this book. I liked how the plot unfolded. It’s a sad book but is also inspiring, especially in the epilogue. 

I believe that this is a fast paced book, but due to the length, it feels kind of medium paced. I listened to the audiobook in a few days. 

There are some serious content warnings that readers need to be aware of. I’ll put them in as spoilers. 

almost the entire plot of the book is about a medical trauma and a fire/injury. There are also some mentions of suicidal thoughts and body dissatisfaction, understandably so given what happened. There are points of gaslighting.

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liciaaaaa's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I was disappointed. I adored The Bodyguard, and I was so excited to read another book by this author. 
The storytelling felt flat to me. A situation would be described, but it felt… like it wasn’t a big deal, I guess.  
I didn’t like the patient/physical therapist relationship aspect. Maybe it’s because I work in healthcare, but I couldn’t get behind it. It felt icky. 
The ending felt a little rushed, almost. A lot of things happened in a short amount of time. 
Now I’m split. I really liked one book, and didn’t like another. Let’s see what happens. 

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alanna23's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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sierra_liv's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

How to Walk Away | Katherine Center

3.5⭐️ 
I have read several Katherine Center books and to me, they are just feel-good, warm hug type books. They’re really easy reads w/ great side plots that keep you entertained, but they’re always just missing a little something that I can never quite put my finger on. They are however THE perfect palate cleanser books! 

This one was inspiring and truly had you rooting for the MC, Maggie, from the get-go. This book touched on some tough topics and was definitely emotional, but uplifting! The characters were lovable and witty.  There’s even a couple little “twists” in there that I didn’t see coming 🤷🏼‍♀️

I loved the way Maggie made the very best out of a terrible situation and her sister, Kit, was hilarious 🤣The author even threw in some tiny crossovers from her other books and that was fun too. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a feel-good, emotional story that will remind you to enjoy every minute of life🥹

💛Overcoming Adversity 
💛Character-driven 
💛Family secrets 

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lawoodworth's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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kaydeedickins's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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readwithria's review against another edition

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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.

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thelibbyshow's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0


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isabell's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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