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goldensisyphus's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Gore, Abandonment, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Absolutely amazing book, I loved it.swimmer120x's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Minor: Vomit and Pregnancy
alanna23's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Infidelity, Alcoholism, and Gun violence
bookrecsbyjess's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcohol and Death of parent
lawoodworth's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Ableism, and Toxic relationship
ourhandsfull's review against another edition
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
greatestheights's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
samw0327's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcoholism
dorhastings's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
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
3.5
There are all kinds of happy endings.
I read The Bodyguard before reading this book. I didn't love it, necessarily, but I did greatly enjoy the writing and interactions between characters. I think those are certainly her strengths when it comes to writing, even though the topic of this book was quite a bit more sobering.
It's funny because initially I really didn't like some of her characterizations. Center made Margaret's mother and fiance, Chip. They felt really extreme and unrealistic, and that's not something that particularly bothered me in The Bodyguard. But I really like, with Margaret's mom anyway, that there is a major twist that humanizes mom in some really interesting and moving ways. She also does have some great lines.
"I don't know what they're thinking with this God-awful mauve on the walls. It's like the 1980s threw up in here." I just survived a plane crash, so of course this is what we talked about. Nothing pissed Linda Jacobsen off like bad décor.
Margaret herself I did like as a main character, especially with her interactions with her family, and mostly with Kit, her older sister with whom she hasn't spoken for three years. You eventually learn that their mother treated Margaret very differently and encouraged her to achieve perfection and her life plan for her daughter, and you start to see some of that unravel as Margaret decides how to make her own way forward. Margaret's journey is the reason to read this book. It doesn't sugarcoat the journey of rehabilitation after the trauma and real injuries post-plane crash. I really like that Margaret doesn't just "get better". She feels better, she works harder, and then she slacks a bit and gets depressed, and she goes through the whole cycle over and over again. It just feels realistic. I also love that Margaret's family really shows up for her, all in their own ways. Her parents are there for lunch every day, and her sister is there every night. Her mom might be a little annoying, but her dedication to her daughter is true.
You can't ask someone to love you or be there for you or do the right thing--and you certainly can't guilt them into it. Either they will or they won't.
I did not love the romance. I did not love the characterization of Chip at all, and it wasn't just because Center made him a jerk. He himself was dealing with his own trauma, and so I can see why he didn't want to go to the hospital to see Margaret. The reasoning might not have been great, but I also think he was treated as not a person who knew he was responsible for what Margaret was going through. I also didn't love that last event between Margaret with Chip. Just felt a little too over-the-top and unnecessary.
I also didn't care much about Ian and their relationship, but fortunately it wasn't such a big focus in the book, and that made it more manageable. I like that Margaret didn't really need him at the end, but also that she made space for him in her life. The overall ending itself was quite lovely. If you like Center's work but are a little thrown off by the seriousness of the topic, I would suggest trying it anyway. There is a lot to like about this book, and I ended up liking it more than I thought I would.
That's what I've taken from all this. The crash all those years ago shattered the life I had, but the pieces wound up making a pretty good mosaic. That's what art is, I suppose: transforming things from what they were into what they could be. My life now, without question, is transformed. Maybe that makes it a work of art.
I read The Bodyguard before reading this book. I didn't love it, necessarily, but I did greatly enjoy the writing and interactions between characters. I think those are certainly her strengths when it comes to writing, even though the topic of this book was quite a bit more sobering.
It's funny because initially I really didn't like some of her characterizations. Center made Margaret's mother and fiance, Chip. They felt really extreme and unrealistic, and that's not something that particularly bothered me in The Bodyguard. But I really like, with Margaret's mom anyway, that there is a major twist that humanizes mom in some really interesting and moving ways. She also does have some great lines.
"I don't know what they're thinking with this God-awful mauve on the walls. It's like the 1980s threw up in here." I just survived a plane crash, so of course this is what we talked about. Nothing pissed Linda Jacobsen off like bad décor.
Margaret herself I did like as a main character, especially with her interactions with her family, and mostly with Kit, her older sister with whom she hasn't spoken for three years. You eventually learn that their mother treated Margaret very differently and encouraged her to achieve perfection and her life plan for her daughter, and you start to see some of that unravel as Margaret decides how to make her own way forward. Margaret's journey is the reason to read this book. It doesn't sugarcoat the journey of rehabilitation after the trauma and real injuries post-plane crash. I really like that Margaret doesn't just "get better". She feels better, she works harder, and then she slacks a bit and gets depressed, and she goes through the whole cycle over and over again. It just feels realistic. I also love that Margaret's family really shows up for her, all in their own ways. Her parents are there for lunch every day, and her sister is there every night. Her mom might be a little annoying, but her dedication to her daughter is true.
You can't ask someone to love you or be there for you or do the right thing--and you certainly can't guilt them into it. Either they will or they won't.
I did not love the romance. I did not love the characterization of Chip at all, and it wasn't just because Center made him a jerk. He himself was dealing with his own trauma, and so I can see why he didn't want to go to the hospital to see Margaret. The reasoning might not have been great, but I also think he was treated as not a person who knew he was responsible for what Margaret was going through. I also didn't love that last event between Margaret with Chip. Just felt a little too over-the-top and unnecessary.
I also didn't care much about Ian and their relationship, but fortunately it wasn't such a big focus in the book, and that made it more manageable. I like that Margaret didn't really need him at the end, but also that she made space for him in her life. The overall ending itself was quite lovely. If you like Center's work but are a little thrown off by the seriousness of the topic, I would suggest trying it anyway. There is a lot to like about this book, and I ended up liking it more than I thought I would.
That's what I've taken from all this. The crash all those years ago shattered the life I had, but the pieces wound up making a pretty good mosaic. That's what art is, I suppose: transforming things from what they were into what they could be. My life now, without question, is transformed. Maybe that makes it a work of art.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma
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