I really enjoyed this story of a young woman whose bright future suddenly changes in "one tumultous moment." The main character, Margaret, is relatable and well-written, as are her parents and all the other characters. I enjoyed how, despite being a deeper, emotional story, author Katherine Center somehow makes it feel light and funny too. She also does a great job of allowing us to visualize the scenes - to the point that I could definitely see this becoming a movie in real-life and not just in my mind LOL. I highly recommend this novel!

This is the first book I have read by Katherine Center.  I found this book uplifting and a wonderful read! I cannot wait to read more by Center.  Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy.

HOW TO WALK AWAY - Katherine Center

INSPIRING! - 5 stars

Plot - 5 stars - Margaret just about has the life she wants including her dream job and a loving boyfriend. But just as she puts his engagement ring on her finger, tragedy strikes and her life is changed forever.

Writing - 5 stars - Center's writing invariably draws me in right from the first page. She has a way of capturing my attention, no matter what the subject. I think it's that the characters are engaging, and I'm already rooting for them even when I don't really know them yet.

Characters - 5 stars - The main character is Margaret in this case. As a people-pleaser, she has spent her whole life following the rules and becoming successful, driven by her need to please her parents, her teachers, her boss, etc. Just as she is about to achieve her dreams, a tragedy happens that changes her life. Now we are able to see what she's made of and how she handles adversity. I loved the fact that she was normal. And by that I mean that she had up days and down days, she was hopeful sometimes and in despair at other times, she loved her family and hated her family. She always kept a thread of hope, and she was always searching for answers, but sometimes she just had to accept and move on. Her sister Kitty is another fascinating character--full of contradictions, but always there when she's needed. Despite their on-again, off-again relationship, Kitty came through and I liked her despite myself. Ian is another awesome character. His PT skills and knowledge were what Margaret needed, and he tried to fight his romantic feelings for her, so much so that we didn't even know about them until later in the book. But he fits with Margaret, and I was hoping things would turn out right for them to be together.

Title - 5 stars - The title is perfect. When I first picked up the book, I thought it referred to walking away from a relationship. But it really was much more meaningful than that. In my mind, it referred to walking away from tragedy and taking the next steps to a new and changed life. Walking towards something rather than looking back.

Cover - 5 stars - As always, Center chooses bright colors and simple shapes which draw the eye and definitely make you want to open up the book to see if the story is as appealing as the cover.

Overall - 5 stars - I can't get enough of Katherine Center's books. I'm not sure if she intends for them to be inspirational, per se, but that's how I react to them. The story is interesting, the characters are attractive, and the adversity and/or complications they face show us how it can be done in a positive manner. Her characters live with grace and dignity, and I admire them and enjoy the hopeful attitude they possess. The blurb on this particular book was well done, so I really had no idea what the tragedy was going to be before I started the book. I had it in my head that the boyfriend was going to die, and she'd have to deal with that, but of course it was totally different from that. I can't wait to read more books from this author.

This book was so readable!  I had a hard time putting it down and when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it!  I really enjoyed the different relationships within the book, sisters, parents/children, romantic relationships, etc.  This was my first Katherine Center novel, but I can't wait to read her others!

I have been a huge fan of Katherine Center’s books since I read her first book, The Bright Side of Disaster in 2007. I have read every book she’s written since then and she never disappoints. I loved How to Walk Away from the first page and felt so many emotions reading the book. I thought Margaret was a great character and I loved her personality. A truly inspiring story about finding hope and courage. Bravo Katherine.

I really enjoyed this book....a great testament about making best out of life's challenges.  How do people really feel about you once your life looks different?  We always hear about how when life throws you a curveball, you find out how your loved one's feel about you.

It was a little too light for such a heavy subject in my opinion. Not my favorite NetGalley novel that I have read this year.

I swear I've either read this book before or I've seen a made for tv movie that has the exact same plot! It's uncanny how easily I could see the plot lines coming. Very engaging story. Nicely written characters. I just have the strangest feeling it's all been done before?

Can we just start with what a beautiful cover that is on Katherine Center's How to Walk Away? I'm not saying you should judge the book based on it, but it's a pretty darn good cover. And do you know what else is pretty darn good? The book inside it! This is a darling little book about Margaret, a young woman on the brink of beginning her perfect life- amazing new job, great condo, the perfect boyfriend who may have an important question to ask. Then, in the blink of an eye it is all up in the air. How in the world will Margaret make it work and will she let the people around her help?

I loved this book. It was sweet and heartfelt. Margaret is at turns cheerful or angry. She is in denial or facing the future with utter dismay. This book doesn't sugar coat Margaret's accident, though Center does infuse plenty of humor to the situation, and she gives the reader a very real taste of the complexities of recovery. The cast of characters is wonderful as well. Margaret's sister is fun and the nurses and physical therapists in the hospital are lovely. I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more of Katherine Center's work.

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center is captivating, inspirational, and unputdownable, every page will keep you on your toes. There are 3 scenes in the book that have made an impact on me and left me wanting more of the book. The scene at the rooftop, at the pool, and the saucer smashing. I definitely would love to read this again.

This was my first book by this author, and I can positively say that I really enjoyed reading this one. Its captivating. For sure I will be checking other books written by this author.

Margaret Jacobson can’t believe she’s let herself be talked into taking a plane ride but Chip wants to celebrate and besides he has a very important question to ask her and she said yes. She’s just agreed to marry him and then things go very, tragically wrong.

The plane crashes and at first Maggie thinks if she can just get her leg pulled out from where it seems stuck then all will be fine. They should even be able to make it back to town in no time and head out for dinner but once the ambulance is there and the rescue starts to happen it’s clear that Maggie and Chip won’t be going out to dinner that night.

Chip escaped the accident without barely a scratch but Maggie has suffered burns and can’t walk. She is going to face a long road ahead of her but as the days turn to weeks it looks like she’ll be facing them alone as Chip can’t quite cope with her injuries and the fact that he feels responsible.

About the only good thing in Maggie’s life is that her sister, Kitty, whom she hasn’t seen in years and is back. While Maggie knows there are things her family needs to work through, she’s learning to accept her limitations, realize that the grand plans she had for her life are changed and deal with a handsome but surly physical therapist.

While this a quick read I found it quite predictable. That’s not necessarily a bad thing at times if at least I’m really enjoying the characters and their interactions but not so with this book. I especially did not like the main love interest and found it hard to believe he could get away being that awful to a patient. Well, I believe it but why would anyone fall for him?

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Margaret Jacobsen has unofficially landed her dream job and just gotten engaged to her fiance; her life is everything she could dream of.  Then, a plane crash lands her in the hospital.  Her fiance can barely stand to look at her for the guilt, and the job is offered to somebody else.  Faced with a future that looks nothing like what she expected, Margaret will have to acknowledge her new reality with the help of her (until recently) estranged sister and her no-nonsense physical therapist.

The tone of the book was light considering the heaviness of the subject, but for me, it worked and helped me feel closer to the main character.  Many plot points I could see coming, yet the book still kept me hooked as I couldn't wait to watch exactly how it would unfold.  I can't wait to read more books by this author!

Center's story of Margaret's accident, surgery, physical therapy, and partial recovery is told very well. Center goes into excellent detail about the physical aspects after the accident, while still telling a riveting account of the personal lives of Margaret and those close to her.

Recommended for public libraries.

Absolutely wonderful book! Heartbreaking, funny, inspirational and charming. Perfect for those who enjoyed "Me Before You." Very well written and made me an instant fan of Katherine Center.

One star for not finishing... this book was definitely not for me.........................................................................

Loved this book. Margaret is a well-drawn, and empathetic character. Will be looking forward to this author's future work!

I absolutely LOVED this book!!!  It was a great story and totally kept my attention!  It was a total roller coaster - and there are so many times where I wanted to intervene on behalf of Margaret and punch her ex-fiance (and his mother...) I cheered the ending <3 Her journey was a tough one - and there are many ups and downs and it gets all tied up in a pretty little bow by the end (which is exactly how I like my stories - real life is hard enough )  PS - I adored Kitty!!!

I always enjoy Katherine Center's books and this was no exception. Very heartwarming story about a woman recovering and learning to move on from a near fatal accident.

This was a really intriguing storyline that really entertained me from start to finish. This had so many amazing characters within the story that I could not get enough of throughout the story, There was a lot of emotion written in this story that I absolutely loved.