When four half-siblings learn of each other's existence and bond throughout a road trip across America to learn about their shared, mysterious paternal figure, a tender-hearted chosen-family story emerges.

In classic Wilson fashion, there is a balance between the heartfelt and hilarious, and this will be a perfect summer read. Dare I even cringe and suggest that it's perfect for a road trip.

While the premise was interesting and the desire to learn about each new sibling and the eventual story of their father drove (hehe) me to finish, I can’t say there was much else that kept me involved. The characters were clearly defined in their own archetypes, but overall felt flat and one-dimensional. I now know insta-family is not a sub-genre or trope I enjoy (or insta-anything for that matter).

While this isn’t anything that will change your world, it is fun, perfect for the summer, and something I think people will enjoy. I loved NOTHING TO SEE HERE, so this was a little bit of a disappointment, but they’re two different novels and hard to compare.

Thank you Ecco and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

Four siblings that just found out each other existed go on a road trip to find their estranged father.

Dysfunctional family and road trip is a great combo! I enjoyed the characters and how they grew to love each other so quickly. This wasn’t my favorite Wilson book but it may be someone else’s. It was a fast read, short but packed a lot of emotion.

“You weren’t supposed to suddenly get a new family at eleven o clock on a Saturday after you’d sold out of eggs.”

Run For the Hills comes out 5/13.

"An unexpected road trip across America brings a family together, in this raucous and moving new novel from the bestselling author of Nothing to See Here."

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Very charming and quirky with a lot of humor and love. It's a sibling story as well as a found family story. Nothing is heavy handed, and the emotions of the story are handled well.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the digital arc. The novel will be released on Tuesday, May 13, 2025.

SYNOPSIS
-When Reuben Hill finds out his long-lost father has kids scattered across the country, he sets out on a chaotic cross-country road trip to track them down.
-He convinces Madeline (Mad), who lives on a quiet Tennessee farm, to come along. Turns out she’s his half-sister—and not the only one.
-Together with two other siblings they’ve never met, they piece together the life of a man who lived under different names and identities.
-It’s a weird, emotional journey full of awkward sibling bonding, stories of their father, and questions about what it means to make a family out of strangers.
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MY THOUGHTS
-This one was really slow. I kept waiting for it to pick up, but it never quite got there.
-The characters felt flat and didn’t leave much of an impression—especially disappointing for a story that relies so heavily on relationship dynamics.
-The premise had potential (and honestly would’ve made a great short story), but stretching it into a novel just made it feel dragged out.
-The ending didn’t do much for me—it felt too neat, too predictable, and lacked any real emotional punch.
-That said, there were moments that almost hit—tiny flashes of humor or weirdness that showed the talent of the author.
-The idea of building a chosen family is cool, and the awkward tension between siblings from totally different worlds should have been fun to explore… it just didn’t go deep enough.
-I wouldn’t talk anyone out of reading it—Kevin Wilson is clearly a talented writer—but this one just didn’t land for me.
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TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️A slow and forgettable road trip novel that never quite delivers on its quirky premise. Would’ve made a better short story.
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THANKS: Thanks to Ecco and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on May 13, 2025.

This was such a fun story with so much humor and several liveable characters. What a unique premise-m - made dor a great read!

When life feels heavy, reach for a Kevin Wilson book. Run For the Hills is filled with so much heart and humor, written in that strangely tender way that is a signature of Wilson’s books. He has such a talent for painting challenging emotions in a way that feels safe, relatable, and thoughtful - I trust him to take me through each part of the journey.

This is a found family story in the truest sense of the phrase. The characters are all quirky, yet believable and very easy to root for. I loved following Mad’s journey as she met her previously unknown siblings on this wild goose chase quest to reunite with her long lost father. Each of her three siblings is such a unique character who adds their own brand of humor and dysfunction to the storyline.

My favorite part of this book is how Wilson juxtaposes slightly absurd or surreal moments with reflective narration that is so purely, beautifully, messily human. Wilson’s books are always fun and heartfelt, and this one is no exception. I highly recommend!

Yet another fun road trip novel! This is shaping up to be the year for them. Wilson's newest book is about half-siblings newly discovering each other's existence. The characters are quirky and engaging, the plot is a bit zany as they set off westward across the United States to track down their deadbeat disappearing father, and there are some great laugh-out-loud moments. If it weren't for the ending, which fell a bit flat, this probably would have been a 5-star read for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for a digital review copy.

Fun and charming road trip tale of four half siblings (previously unknown to each other) who set off to find their father. Kevin Wilson is a delightful storyteller—this novel feels like Little Miss Sunshine + The Wizard of Oz. Perfect summer read, can recommend this widely.

Kevin Wilson writes perfect novels! They are never too long, full of heart and wit and the storylines are just crazy enough to be believable.
Madeline Hill works the farm where she grew up and where her father had left 20 years ago. Until the day that Reuben Hill pulls up in a PT Cruiser and tells her he's her half-sibling, left by their father 30 years ago. Mad and Rube embark on a road trip to find their other siblings (yup, they weren't the only ones!) and eventually their father.
This novel is full of Wilson's deadpan humor and family hijinks! This may be his best yet.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for this digital e-arc.*

I avoided picking this book up as much once I realized how much I related to it. I related so much to certain aspects that it took me way longer to read it than it deserved. Or maybe I was just sitting with how it made me feel? It’s a weird feeling, but this book is good. It hurt pretty good.
Kevin Wilson is one of my favorite authors, I’ve decided. He’s my fellow tennessean literary Wes Anderson. He delivers quirky dynamics and plots while balancing them with an authenticity that leaves me feeling like a wrung out dish towel. But ….like an ultimately persevering wrung out dish towel. 4.25 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for the ARC. Another quirky novel by Kevin Wilson. A bunch of siblings unbeknownst to each other go out in search of their dysfunctional father and we are along for the ride. Great book!

Kevin Wilson's books are compulsively readable, and RUN FOR THE HILLS (the least weird of his recent oeuvre, for what that's worth) is no exception. Heartfelt and funny and just a bit zany, this book will stay on your mind long after you're done.

Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed it. A strong five stars.. Loved it. The youngest sibling is a great addition by the author.

While Nothing to See Here remains my favorite of Kevin Wilson’s books, I really enjoyed this one! A family drama road trip novel isn’t my usual read, but I enjoyed it very much. Its simplicity was its strong suit.

Family can be complicated- and this highlighted just how much familial relationships change and impact us even when they’re strained (or non-existent). Quirky characters, cross-country pit stops, and family secrets collide to create an entertaining and introspective read with plenty of heart.

This was just a lovely book! A story of people finding a family they never knew. I really hope that Kevin Wilson never stops writing!!

The previously unknown to each other half-siblings of a serially monogamous, phillandering (and now deceased) man united in a cross-country road trip in search of their father.

Mad is an organic farmer in Tennessee whose father left without a word when she was nine years old. When a man claiming to be her half-brother shows up in a PT Cruiser, they embark on an impulsive road trip in order to collect her other surprise half-siblings and confront her father in California.

Kevin Wilson is a master of quirky characters and humorous family drama, and while that is all on display here and I enjoyed the book it was not my very favorite of his novels. Many of the characters had similar voices which made it a little hard to follow the dialogue, and there was not quite enough action to fill the pages. However, the book was still fun and readable and heartwarming, and I enjoyed myself throughout. If you are a fan of Kevin Wilson I would recommend this, but if you are new to him I’d start with Nothing to See Here.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for the electronic advanced readers copy!

Read this if: you already like Kevin Wilson, you enjoy quirky voices, and/or you want a quick and easy read.

Skip this if: you don’t care for the writing style of Laurie Frankel, Annie Hartnett, and/or Catherine Newman.

Thank you to the publisher for a free Netgalley.

I really, really enjoyed this one. We start by meeting Mad, who working on her farm, is approached by her brother Rube. A brother she did not know that she had. After being convinced to go on the road trip to hunt down their other half siblings (and father), Mad is fully immersed in a family she did not know she had.

I found this story, and the relationship building between the siblings to be delightful. I loved each sibling in their own way!

The biggest reason I gave this four stars and and not five is because the ending felt very abrupt. I felt like I finally got there and it was over. Not that the book needed more in California, but an epilogue. I NEEDED an epilogue here.

Even without the epilogue, I def recommend.

A lovely road trip novel about family and hope. This was witty and fun while addressing some intense topics, which is a balance that is hard to pull off.

I was excited to hear that Kevin Wilson was releasing a new book this year since I really enjoyed Nothing to See Here and Now Is Not the Time to Panic. The plot was intriguing and I loved the characters that were introduced. Most of the book is told through Mad’s perspective in third person, but I appreciated how we still got a sense of the supporting characters’ experiences as well. I liked learning about Mad’s complicated relationship with her dad. The vignettes showing his life with her half-siblings added depth to the story. The storyline was heartfelt and Kevin did an incredible job portraying strained family dynamics with tenderness. A few twists caught me by surprise in the best way and made the story even more enjoyable. I had to sit with the ending for a bit because at first it felt disappointing, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Definitely recommend picking this up if you’re a Kevin Wilson fan!