I have a love-hate relationship with Target, as most people do. The one thing I love/hate as much as Target? The Target Cartwheel app, especially when it gives me twenty percent off books. That means a new book, like this week’s read, to add to my ever-growing bookshelf. How can anyone pass that up?
Book Read: How to Walk Away
Author: Katherine Carter
Number of Books Read, 2019 Edition: 31
Margaret Jacobsen, aka Maggie, is spending her Valentine’s Day flying through the air with her soon-to-be pilot boyfriend, who has big plans for the evening. Then, in an instant, everything changes, and life will never be the same.
After a drunken reveal, Maggie learns what has happened and begins to process her new life, step by step. Enter Ian, a non-smiling, get the job done, physical therapist. He has a history that makes him hard but a drive that makes him perfect for Maggie’s injury. As Ian pushes Maggie to the limits, but she might just push him right back, to a level of openness he has been ignoring.
Add in a sister who suddenly reappears after a three year vanishing act, a mother who is harboring a secret of her own, a few broken dishes, with a dream to do good, and you’ve got How to Walk Away.
I love a good story about a tough woman. This is one of those stories. Maggie, while independent, has always followed what her mother says. Now her mother won’t accept what happened, while Maggie has to. Maggie avoids talking to her sister because her mother and sister had a huge fight. Then, her sister shows up and explains why. But throughout her injury, Maggie finds her voice and strength, even through the ups and downs. She even takes on a wedding she is not invited to, in a city that is not always suited for her needs. She becomes a tough, independent woman who follows her heart and dreams with a sense of humor, despite her life-changing injury.
While I am no medical expert, and definitely nothing about the world of physical therapy or occupational therapy, I could tell Katherine Clark did her research about Maggie’s injury and her recovery. I was certain while I was reading, and then I met my best friend, an occupational therapist, for brunch. She mentioned she is involved in a counsel at work that is discussing when and how to bring in PT/OT while people are still in the ICU… which is exactly what happens in this book! Proof that Katherine Clark did her research.
How to Walk Away is a fast-paced read that will keep the pages turning. It reads like a conversation or like watching a movie, as Margaret narrates the entire thing. Once I picked it up, I didn’t want to put it down. Yes, it is a bit of a romcom that some might see as a future Hallmark movie. But aren’t those ones usually the best?
This book will remind you of JoJo Moyes, Nina George, or Jill Santopolo. If you’re looking for a quick, entertaining, heartfelt read, and have 20% off on books on your Cartwheel app, grab this one. You’ll be glad you did.
Speaking of walking… here’s me walking across Abbey Road.
Next Read: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
