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.

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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!

Thanks to Netgalley and Ecco for the ebook. Twenty years ago Madeline’s dad left her and her mom, never to be heard from again. She and her mom run a small, successful farm together and Madeline doesn’t think about her father. Or not so very much. One day Reuben, a half brother she never knew existed, shows up and says she also has a half sister and another half brother and that their father left all these other kids as well. Madeline decides to join them and drive cross country to finally confront her long lost father. And this begins such a funny and bitter sweet road trip of slightly broken siblings. It’s so much fun and surprising moving.

I like Wilson's style of storytelling, looping into character's lives at a leisurely pace, to really get to the meat of them. And this story was sweet and compelling, I really wanted to know how things turned out in this pretty realistic life situation. But I was irritated by the passive language, so many uses of the word "had," so much disengaging from the story because of tense. I know I'm alone in that, but it was off-putting.

WOW, WOW, WOW.

For a shorter book, Kevin Wilson sure knows how to pack a punch.
Mad, a farmer in rural Tennessee, is greeted by Rube who has driven from Boston, and turns out to be her half brother. His father, also had left him years earlier and has discovered they have other siblings from her father, who had also mysteriously left her one day. The leaving of a beloved parent for no reason can be damaging to entire households; we are keenly aware of the effects, but the book still manages to remain light hearted and funny.
Together they embark on a road trip in a PT Cruiser, to find their other half siblings, and eventually their father.

Each one of them were raised in dramatically different ways - farmer, writer, basketball player. They are all disconnected, but so similar in ways that only family can truly understand.

Wilson has expertly crafted a novel about what truly makes a family. There are laugh out loud moments on every page, tear jerkers, and anger. It reads like a thriller - will they ever find him, and what will happen when they do? What is the reason why he left them, and why was he a completely different person for each child? So many questions that need to be answered. They all have different food tastes, careers, expectations, but all have the same questions about why their father left them.

I loved that there was so much basketball in it, as I am a die hard NBA fan. Shout out to Golden State Warriors briefly mentioned. Also loved that it takes place in 2007, because actual paper maps are used to guide them across the country.

"You live on a farm your entire life, spending your life with chickens who have an interior life that is a mystery to you, and then you set off on a quest to find your missing dad and you feel the static electricity of touching someone who shares your DNA, and you maybe ruin their life, and you maybe ruin your own life. Isn’t that a lot?"

By. the end, you will root for each one of them and the choices they make. Each story ends with obvious reasons, and I closed this book feeling both melancholic and happy with the decisions made.

"Every single game, he told them, every moment of your life, is just putting in the effort so that you can hold on to what you love for as long as you possibly can."

This is my first Kevin Wilson, and not my last. Emphasis on this being a shorter book - because so much happens, and so much is resolved. Masterclass in storytelling.
What a joy this book is, and I can't wait for anyone who has questioned who their family is, to read this book too.

My words will never fully capture how much I enjoyed this dysfunctional, humorous family road trip featuring a delightful cast of quirky characters!

Imagine this: on your busiest day running a farm, a man in his early forties suddenly appears, claiming to be your half-brother. He informs you that you share the same father—a man who abandoned you both—and that you also have other half-siblings scattered across the country. Shocking, right? That’s exactly what Madeline Hill (nicknamed “Mad” by the very father who left her when she was ten) experiences. But that’s just the beginning.

Her newfound half-brother, Ruben (aka “Rube”), reveals that he hired a private detective to locate their other siblings and discovered that their father is alive and living in California. Determined to confront him—or perhaps do more than just confront him—Rube invites Madeline to join his cross-country trip in his trusty PT Cruiser.

Madeline, now 34, leads a quiet, solitary life as a farmer in Coalfield, Tennessee, running the family business with her mother and preferring the company of her chickens over people. Learning that her father wasn’t just a farmer, as he had claimed, but also a married insurance agent and mystery author, is a hard pill to swallow. Even more so, knowing that he had abandoned Rube’s family just as he did hers, reinventing himself time and again while leaving a trail of broken families behind. The father she thought she knew turns out to be nothing more than an elaborate lie.

Initially, Madeline refuses Rube’s invitation. But when she learns that Rube recently lost his mother, ended a relationship, and is clearly grappling with his emotions, she reconsiders. If she doesn’t go, she knows she’ll always wonder why her father chose to live a lifetime of deception. Eventually, she agrees, and the two half-siblings set off on a cross-country adventure, meeting their 21-year-old basketball-star sister, Pepper, in Oklahoma, and their quirky, independent 10-year-old filmmaker brother, Theron, in Salt Lake City.

Once all the siblings are united, they head to California to confront their enigmatic father. But what kind of man will they find? Has he started yet another life under a new identity? Will he provide answers, or will he flee yet again? The only way to know is to reach their destination.

Overall: This book offers an incredibly compelling plotline, perfect for adaptation into an Oscar-worthy film with the right ensemble cast (I can already picture an A24 production!). It’s a heartfelt, emotional, and entertaining story of redemption and found family, blending humor and sentiment in a way that resonates across generations. Kevin Wilson has crafted another brilliantly quirky, funny, and deeply moving tale. I can’t recommend it enough!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for providing this incredible ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I absolutely loved this book. I loved the writing, but more than that, I loved the exploration of the obsessive need for those who have been deserted by family members and never understood why. What happened to a father or mother or sibling who simply LEAVES? Are they alive? Did they create other families? Did they traumatize others?

Wilson explores this by using the children of a serial “abandoner” who are brought together by the first abandoned child, Reuben who has searched for information about his father. He has learned about his father’s newer progeny, and on a cross country road trip has gathered them together to confront their errant father.

So, we readers are treated to the journey of the HILL children from Boston to California as they create a family out of the leavings of their dad, CHARLES, CHUCK, CHIP, who has abandoned RUBE, MAD, PEP and TOM. I found their journey entertaining and compelling, since it was one of continuous search and discovery, not just for the elder Hill, but for each other and the meaning of family.

This is a wonderful read, but also such a thought provoking storyline. As I described this novel to several friends and family members, they all expressed fascination with the desire to find out what happened to cause the desertion. Some wanted to be invisible, but most loved the idea of confrontation with the person who caused such trauma and pain.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. Not only did I enjoy it, but it has created an incredible vehicle for discussion. I’ve been there, as has my daughter, so this novel is incredibly meaningful for us!