This is the first book I've read by Katherine Center and it won't be the last. Devoured this in less than 24 hours.; I can't imagine anyone putting this book down after the gripping first chapter. A devasting blend of pathos, romance, and humor. Perfect for book clubs and fans of JoJo Moyes and Liane Moriarty. Highly recommended.

When a book receives as much buzz as this one, my first reaction is to think it's being over-hyped. But, I've learned over the past several years, that is not always the case. Not at all. And it's certainly not the case this time. It's excellent - give it a try.

Hooked after reading the first chapter in Buzz Books, I requested the book, and read it in one sitting. Margaret has always known who she is and what she wants and has everything she’s ever desired, a fiancée who loves her as well as a new dream job. When her life changes in an instant she has to discover anew what is important. Funny, poignant, loving. I highly recommend.

How to Walk Away is the story of Margaret, who was injured in a plane crash. It's the story of how she deals with changes stemming from her injuries and her relationships change as a result. Her accident also sets into motion the return of her sister and the revelation of a big family secret.

There was a lot I liked about this book. Margaret is someone to whom I could relate. She struggles before she can get to a place where she is optimistic and determined. Also, I think it's important that the book shows how people often say and do the wrong thing when faced with someone with serious health issues, even if they are well-meaning. In addition to Margaret, I liked the secondary characters a lot, especially Kitty.

This was the first book I've read by Katherine Center, and I'm definitely going to read more!

I’ve long been a fan of Katherine Center, I especially liked her book Everyone Is Beautiful which I read back in 2009!

I was excited to see she has written a new book, How To Walk Away. I just started this one but already I’m curious what is going to happen. She builds tension beautifully in the first couple of chapters, you know something is going to happen but what? and when? To be able to engage a read quickly is the sign of a fantastic writer. I cannot wait to see what else happens.

Margaret Jacobsen has a bright future ahead of her: a fiancé she adores, her dream job, and the promise of a picture-perfect life just 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 one tumultuous moment.

In the hospital and forced to face the possibility that nothing will ever be the same again, Margaret must figure out how to move forward on her own terms while facing long-held family secrets, devastating heartbreak, and the idea that love might find her in the last place she would ever expect.

I really enjoyed this one. Uplifting, romantic, entertaining...definitely a feel-good read about overcoming adversity.

*Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review!

Loved this! Thank you so much for the ARC! Great characters and and unique storyline! Nicely paced and the ending was not exactly what you'd expect!

To say that I loved this book is an understatement.. It's everything you could want in a book. It's intense and emotional. You will be cheering for Margaret from the beginning up until the very end. If you haven't discovered Katherine Center's books yet my advice is that you run to preorder this book and then do what I did which is to download her previous books. You will not be disappointed. This is a book that will stay with you long after you have finished it. I call that a well deserved book hangover. Make sure that you leave plenty of time to devote to this book because I read it in less than a day. Happy reading!

When lightening strikes your world can change in an instant. This story was very well written and uplifting. . This is a new author for me and I need to read more of her work.

I read a free copy from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Katherine Center's How to Walk Away was phenomenal! I was surprised at how quickly I empathized with the heroine, Margaret. Her constant cheerleader, I could not wait to see what obstacles she might face next. This is a fabulous book to drop everything and just read from cover to cover! Katherine's pen worked some real magic with emotions. WOW! I laughed out loud. I cried. (Several times.) I went to sleep at night thinking about Margaret and the object of her affections. I loved the unexpectedness of it all--resolution included. I loved the resilient and inspirational nature of this novel. Thank you, Katherine for an enjoyable experience!!!

This was one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a while. It was of those books that you want to read so quickly because you are enjoying it so much but force yourself to slow down because you know you will miss the characters when the book ends. Margaret is a very likeable character with great wit, mostly tongue-in-cheek which I though only enjoy. I felt like her emotions following her tradgedy were realistic and found myself rooting for hope to prevail. She certainly had some mean-spirited people surrounding her (her mother and her future mother-in-law), whom I found to be so insensitive that it made this element of the book unbelievable to me. Miles was also vindictive but his was a little more believable than the women.
I thoroughly enjoyed being a witness to how Ian and Margaret’s relationship unfolded. I thought his character was well depicted and, once he revealed his past, certainly see how his brashness and cold demeanor could have developed. I could also see how a personality like Margaret’s could hep “thaw” out someone like him.
I would highly recommend this book and look forward to reading this author’s previous and future novels.

This book really hits close to home as I also have a spinal cord injury and although I can walk, alot of my muscles no longer work either, making walking and just doing day to day activities very hard and I had to learn a new way of doing most things just like the girl in the book.
She learns that just because she will never be the same as she used to be, she can learn to love the new person she becomes.
This book did make me cry in a few places.
The whole book was so heartfelt and emotionally written until you get to the epilogue. Although the end is happy, I felt like the writer just hurried thru the epilogue, like she was ready to be done with it.
After such an emotional book the ending seems so flippant and unemotional. It's almost like the epilogue was written by a different person.
Over all it was an enjoyable and well written book except for that last part, but still a good book.
I give it 4 stars and may be the author will read this and edit that last bit to fit the rest of the book.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The novel ’ How to walk away’ is about surviving and finding meaning after a terrible accident . Margaret , 26 years old , has to reconstruct a new life after a terrible accident caused by her reckless boyfriend. This is not easygoing as she goes through all stages of grieving her ‘before ‘ life . The book describes in a realistic and heartwarming way how she pierces her life together. It is never all tragedy and there are some funny , even hilarious moments . Very interesting is that all relationships have to be re examined and reconstructed. The author describes well how people are very often at a loss how to react or how to deal with Margaret after her accident. The story is fast paced, well written and very poignant. I would highly recommend this novel as it leaves the reader with a lot to think about.

From the author of Happiness for Beginners comes an unforgettable love story about finding joy even in the darkest of circumstances.

Katherine center writes a beautiful novel How To Walk Away. Emotional, lovely and even comical even in the reality of tragedy that could change her entire life with a family that has it's own secrets and emotional charged ties. You will know the characters from page one. You will love Margaret and relate to her and her situations. Katherine Center writes as if she is telling you a story that is truly happening while gulping down some strong coffee with close friends or sisters. I highly recommend this beautiful book. I savored it and look forward to reading more from this talented author. 5 STARS!!

Book Description:
Margaret Jacobsen has a bright future ahead of her: a fiancé she adores, her dream job, and the promise of a picture-perfect life just 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 one tumultuous moment .

In the hospital and forced to face the possibility that nothing will ever be the same again, Margaret must figure out how to move forward on her own terms while facing long-held family secrets, devastating heartbreak, and the idea that love might find her in the last place she would ever expect.

An unexpected delight, "How To Walk Away" is a punchier-than-average tale of romance. Margaret Jacobsen loses everything in a plane crash - her career, her fiance, her looks and the use of her legs. As she works through these life-changing events in her hospital bed, she struggles to find the will to go on as her emotions rollercoaster from "I will conquer this and walk again" to eventual acceptance of her new situation. At her side are her loving parents, her estranged sister and her Physical Therapy coach, a handsome but surly Scot, all of whom are dealing with their own personal traumas but trying to set them aside to support Margaret in her hours of need.
Center does an awesome job of blending just the right amount of inspiration, humour, highs & lows and subplots to create an engaging whole. The characters are all vividly created and equally lovable and frustrating as the plot unfurls. Margaret is an excellent heroine, strong but with moments of weaknesses, positive with moments of despair, loving with moments of anger.... And while some of the aspects of the denouement aren't really a surprise, it's an extremely satisfying read from start to finish. Highly recommended.

Touching and poignant. A very well thought out as well as an emotional read. I enjoyed it immensely. I voluntarily read this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for my review. I have never read any of Katherine Center's books, but after finishing, How to Walk Away, I immediately downloaded her other novels. What can I say about this story? Margaret Jacobson knows that her fiancé is going to propose. He doesn't know that she knows, just like he doesn't know just how clearly she has mapped out their very bright future. The only thing she doesn't know is that life she has planned is about to get ripped apart in a blink. Margaret now has to try to make sense out of the senseless pieces of what is left of her life. What she doesn't know is that by repairing her life, she is helping to fix the lives of those who think they are helping her.

This story is tender and bittersweet most of all hopeful. I devoured it in one sitting and I can't wait to tell all of my friends to read it!

I really enjoyed this novel. I was sucked in right from the beginning. I loved the family dynamics and how they dealt with everything with a bit of humor as our family is the same way. As an RN I found it rather unlikely that the nurse would spend over an hour transferring a patient from the ICU to acute care, but I was able to overlook that. I would absolutely recommend this book.

Fantastic book! I would give it more stars if I could. One of the most inspiring books I have read. I loved Ian and Maggie and the love story that developed between them. I will definitely read more by this author.

How to Walk Away is Katherine Center’s best book yet. She has crafted a beautiful, heartbreaking, and thoroughly romantic novel that is sure to be a hit with everyone who reads it. Soon after the book opens, Margaret Jacobsen’s world changes in an instant, and she must learn to forge ahead while trying to move on from the past. Margaret is tougher than she thinks and with the help of her sister and her physical therapist Ian, she slowly begins to create a new path for herself while learning to adjust to newly discovered family secrets and heartbreak. The story is clever, unpredictable, devastating, and ultimately unforgettable. Center has crafted fabulous, genuine characters that I loved and rooted for (Margaret, Kit, and Ian) and others that I wanted to throttle (Chip and his mother). And most importantly, the ending is outstanding.

How to Walk Away is thought-provoking and handles a tough subject effectively and realistically, refusing to sugarcoat Margaret’s predicament which I appreciated. I find it frustrating when an author includes a tough topic only to downplay or gloss over the difficulty of the situation. Moreover, Center has clearly done her research on Margaret’s condition which adds depth and authenticity to the story – I learned so much that I didn’t know. I think my favorite part of the book is Center’s message that people do not always control what happens to them, but they do control how they handle the issues that arise, whether the issues are significant or simply a blip on the screen of life. That message certainly resonates with me and is a good reminder that while certain things cannot be changed, I can alter how I approach responding to those things.

How to Walk Away is a fantastic book that I will continue thinking about for a long time. I highly recommend it, and when you sit down to read it have tissues ready. Clear your schedule before you start it, because you will not be able to put it down. I received a copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.