Kevin Wilson has done it AGAIN (I mean, are we surprised?) Wilson is truly one of my favorite authors and I always know I'll be entertained, warmed, and charmed by his books. I went into this one blind (which I love doing with favorite authors) and was delighted by the story - a band of misfits, siblings who have found each other without knowing they existed days earlier, set off on a road trip to find their long lost father. It's a story about found family, bad parents, the concept of home, and road tripping.

I would love to know where Wilson found the inspiration for this story because it is so unexpected and delightful despite the sad undertones. This is a must read if you are a NCAA women's basketball fan, love the concept of organic chicken farming, or mining emotional depths of family trauma (fun!) It's simply classic Wilson - heartwarming, fun, warm, and unexpected. He is so good at mining for humor in the most surprising places. I hope we just keep getting more and more from him in the future.

Run for the Hills is an intriguing story about four siblings on a road trip to confront the deadbeat father who successively abandoned each of them over the course of some 30+ years. My favorite parts were the descriptions of the father's time with each of his children when he was raising them and doing the hobbies/professions that left lasting impressions on them, even into their adulthoods. It was very mysterious to wonder why a man would make the decisions that he did, and that definitely kept me engaged throughout the book. I think the ending might be unsatisfying to some readers. I definitely wanted a little something different from it. But this is a short, fast-paced book that I think most Kevin Wilson fans will appreciate. I am really looking forward to hearing what readers have to say about it once it is published!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for the eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Madeline Hill and her mother have run the farm on their own for decades — ever since Mad’s beloved father left suddenly one day and was never heard from again. Then suddenly, a complete stranger shows up on her doorstep to say that they were half-siblings and that his beloved (shared) father abandoned his family in the same way before creating a new family with Mad’s mother. And! There are two more half siblings spawned in similar situations. Thus begins a road trip to gather the others and confront this missing patriarch once and for all.

An interesting premise with some of the madcappery Wilson is know for, but it kind of fell flat for me. Some decent messages about family and relationships, but I didn’t really “feel” any of it and thought it went on too long for the amount of content and / or insight contained within. I also did not particularly like the ending which didn’t provide the kind of closure I wanted. Maybe that was the point. Certainly easy to read and other experiences may vary from my own.

This book is all about found family, four siblings unknown to each other take a road trip across
the country to find their absent father. Each sibling is different but all marked by the father who
who left them. Strangers become family and wounds do heal.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for an ARC of Run for the Hills.

Ugh, I am so torn on this book! I requested this solely because of how much I enjoyed Nothing to See Here and I loved that this had the same witty writing style and clever humor. Ultimately though, the plot was just such a downer that it kept me from truly enjoying it and there just wasn't enough closure or redemption for me at the end of the story. I will definitely give Kevin Wilson another try in the future but I hope to see something more lighthearted from him next time.

3 stars

"Pepper, we are your half brother and sister from the father you haven't seen in ten years and there are more of us and we're going to confront him and would love for you to join us in the PT Cruiser."

If I had to sum up a Kevin Wilson novel in three words, they would be heartfelt, tender, kooky. Wilson is one of my favorite Southern authors. I was unbelievably excited to preview Run for the Hills.

We open to Mad (Madeline) on a busy day running her organic farm with her mother. And, towards the end of Saturday morning, her half brother, Reuben, appears. Mad's dad had left her and her mom over twenty years ago. She had no clue this man existed.

Charles, Chuck, Chip--her dad had gone by different names. But, he followed the same pattern; create a new identity, fall in love, have one child, disappear--never to be seen or heard from again. As Reuben and Mad barrel west adding half siblings along the way in their PT Cruiser, the family begins to connect and the siblings find a family and camaraderie they didn't know they were missing.

Run for the Hills was a perfect weekend read. I laughed and cried. It's about deep stuff but is so utterly silly that you can't help be endeared to this crazy family.

As always, Kevin Wilson’s characters are top notch. It takes finesse to create quirky people who don't feel like a parody or a caricature, but he pulls it off every time. I would follow his characters anywhere. In this case, on a road trip. I didn’t want the road trip to end.

Kevin Wilson has a gift for taking ordinary people, putting them in extraordinary situations, and delivering a tale that delights and often confounds or amazes readers. True, sometimes those "ordinary people" have their own unexpected traits ("Nothing to See Here"), but always we come to love these characters. "Run for the Hills" was hard to put down! The plot was surprising, times 4, as four lives are woven into one unbelievable story. I refuse to leave spoilers here because the magic comes from each new discovery the reader makes on this metaphorical and literal journey. I would have enjoyed an epilogue (or perhaps a followup short story from Kevin Wilson), although the novel wraps up quite beautifully. There are laugh-out-loud moments and there are tears. I think readers will love "Run for the Hills" as much as I did.

This wasn’t my favorite Kevin Wilson book. I found it to be a little slow and honestly not weird enough for Kevin Wilson. I like to finish his books and go wow what in the world did I just read??? Now is not the time to panic may be my most favorite. This one was just ok

The most surprising, heartwarming road trip of a novel with unique character snapshot. This has the energy of a quest reminiscent of Percy Jackson or Pixar’s “Onward.”

Madeline “Mad” Hill is in her early 30’s and enjoys a quiet life on her Tennessee farm with her mother, since her dad abandoned them when Mad was just 10. One day a PT Cruiser pulls up and she meets Rube, a Boston man in his 40’s who introduces himself as her half brother. It seems her father had already abandoned one wife and child when Mad was born… and it seems he went on to do that twice more. Rube and Mad set off for Oklahoma to meet their half-sister Pep, a college basketball star, and then plan on going to Salt Lake City to meet their 10 year old half brother Tom.

Rube has gathered information about his father and half-siblings through a private investigator, and what a story it is. They learn from each other than the “dad” they grew up with was so much different than the “dad” the others knew. With whip smart dialogue, brilliant characterization, and more than one symbolic theme, you will be forced to contemplate how the parent you know is different than the person they are throughout their life. Run For The Hills is an instant classic in the “found family” trope.

One of my top ten books for 2025.

Thanks to @netgalley and @eccobooks for the ARC. Book to be published 5/13/25.

#booksbooksbooks #booktok #bookstagram #arcreader #bookreview #bookrecommendations #runforthehills

A family road trip story brimming with comedy, tenderness, and the relatable dysfunction we've come to expect from Kevin Wilson. This author can do no wrong in my eyes.

{Thank you to Ecco and Netgalley for the eARC}

Started out well - I enjoy Kevin Wilson's writing style. A short book, and sadly I did not relate to all the characters. Found some of the decision making just too hard to believe. My favorite character was Mad - the farmer from Tennessee. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy. I think I might have enjoyed this more on audio if the reader that did "Nothing to See Here" was the narrator.

This book was just okay for me. I've enjoyed his previous titles more.--especially Nothing to See Here.

I absolutely loved this family saga. Four siblings go on a journey to find the father that spent around 10 years with each of them before splitting for good. Fans of Kevin Wilson will find his signature writing style and laugh out loud humor.

Full of humor and heart, this book is a delight from the very beginning. I loved all of the siblings and the time I spent with them and would have gladly read more. People are going to love this book! And the cover is perfect. Thank you NetGalley and Ecco for the ARC.

I’m a big fan of Kevin Wilson, so I was so excited to be approved for this ARC! Run for the Hills is the story of Mad, whose father left her and her mother when she was ten, as she embarks on a cross-country trip with the half-brother she never knew she had, to track down their other half-siblings and maybe their dad. It’s funny and poignant; no surprise there, as Kevin Wilson always does this so well! And what a charming cast of characters, each with their own quirks and idiosyncrasies and strengths and flaws. I genuinely enjoyed my time with each of them, and was sad when the book was over. This book is laugh-out-loud funny at times, and thought-provoking at others (and sometimes both at the same time). I found the ending satisfying, and when I finished the book, I felt the warm feeling of having spent time with new friends.

Run for the Hills is my third book by Kevin Wilson and I've really come to enjoy his brand of humor and heart. Thank you to Ecco and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for feedback.

Run for the Hills involves half siblings, who previously didn't know each other existed, on a road trip across the country to face their estranged father who has a habit of leaving families in his wake. It's a pretty heavy subject but Kevin Wilson has a knack for injecting humor into absurd situations. It's part road trip comedy, part found family drama. The siblings (and a PT Cruiser) are all great characters and you find yourself caring for them, much like they end up caring for each other. "That was all family had to be, at the most basic level, someone seeing you, even if you didn't know what they saw."

Expected publication date is May 2025.

Mad is working at her family’s organic farm when a man in a PT Cruiser pulls up and changes her life forever. Ruben informs her that he is her half brother, from a relationship and marriage her father had before she was born. One that she and her mother knew nothing about. Compounding the strangeness of the situation, Mad’s father had left her family as well, it had been twenty years since she had seen or heard from him. And his disappearing act is shown to be his pattern, having families and different versions of his life and then leaving them behind. Reuben convinces Mad to join him in a cross county roadtrip to meet their other siblings and ultimately find their father.

A beautifully written, ultimately sweet story, that delves into the mystery of relationships and what makes a family. Told in alternating narration by the children, we get glimpses into how their lives were shaped, who they have become and what they are thinking and feeling as they rack up the miles and settle into the idea of this new found family.

This was a quick read that was enjoyable from start to finish filled with interesting and well layered characters in Kevin Wilson’s trademark quirky style. Absolutely recommend picking up a copy of Run For The Hills, a five star read that will leave a smile on face as you finish that last chapter.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

RUN FOR THE HILLS ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5. Mad loves the quiet life of a farmer with her mother in Tennessee. One day, Rueben, comes up to her farm stand claiming he is her half brother and wants to take her on a quest to unravel their missing father’s life, since he left them both behind. A road trip of hijinks ensues. This was a quick read, that really discusses found family. I really liked the characters, but I wanted more finality of an ending. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson was quite a ride. I really enjoy Wilson's writing style and the characters he creates and this one was no different. The story felt very sweet yet compelling. Overall, a very enjoyable read. I couldn't believe how much Wilson was able to fit in such a short story and I'm an awe of how it all worked so well!