How to Walk Away
From the author of Happiness for Beginners comes an unforgettable love story about finding joy even in the darkest of circumstances.
Margaret Jacobsen is just about to step into the bright future she’s worked for so hard and so long: a new dream job, a fiancé she adores, and the promise of a picture-perfect life just around the corner. Then, suddenly, on what should ha
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Sometimes a book comes along that makes my heart skip a beat. This is one of those times. I may not have come across this novel but a friend had just finished reading it and loved it. She thought I might enjoy it too.
She was right. I loved it!
Margaret Jacobsen has worked hard all of her life and things are starting to pay off. She’s dating an awesome guy, she’s going to be starting a great new job, and on a night ou ...more

Quotes alluding to a charming, witty and heartbreaking read from some of the heavy-hitters in the women’s fiction genre made picking up How to Walk Away a no-brainer for this reader. Finding the strength and tenacity to overcome a tragedy, along with a budding romance . . . how could this bleeding heart not love this book? Believe me, I tried. I really did.
The approach Katherine Center takes in telling Margaret’s story of perseverance is what I feel differentiates this book from so m ...more

When you can accurately predict nearly the entire plot of a book, yet you still can't tear yourself away from it—that's when you know you've found a good one.
Margaret Jacobsen has always been an overachiever. She worked tirelessly to get good grades and succeed in school. She has been dating her handsome, steadfast boyfriend, Chip, for several years now, and she just landed her dream job, even though she wasn't quite qualified. Everything is leading her up to the moment sh ...more

"Sometimes the last thing you want is the one thing you need."
At the beginning of the book, Margret Jacobsen was right where she wanted to be in her life. She had earned her MBA, she was about to start a dream job, and was in a relationship with the "perfect man". What could be better? Then on day, Chip, the perfect man, decided to take her flying. He knew that she was scared to fly, he knew that she had reservations, but he talked her into it. Never mind that although he is taking pri ...more

I felt ren ...more

The focus of this heartwarming novel is how Margaret copes with the hand she's been dealt. And she has a colorful cast of characters that help her do just that. Some you will loathe, some will frustrate you, and others you will fall in love with. All are interesting, b ...more

Margaret is in her late 20’s and has it all! She goes out to celebrate her new dream job, gets engaged to her longtime boyfriend Chip and then something suddenly happens righ ...more


There are novelists and then there are novelists… those that just know how to tug at our heartstrings. How to envelop us in characters’ lives, and make our tear ducts burst wide open. Katherine Center is that kind of author.
Margaret’s life is incredibly full. She has everything to live for. The promise of her dream job and Chip, her boyfriend who is on the cusp of proposing. Then wouldn’t you know it, it all comes crashing down, literally.
Chip is mere min ...more

THIS! BOOK! I completely fell in love and was glued to every page, every word. Yes, it was unputdownable!
The roller coaster ride it takes you on is fascinating and totally captivating!
It’s a story of courage. A story of determination and grit! A story of acceptance.
It is also a romance, but don’t expect an alpha take charge, sexy, hot between the sheets kind of read. No, this is a heartfelt, hard fought for, humorous kind of love story that warmed my heart and pulled on it’s strings!
The main ch ...more

BEST BOOK of 2018 so far.... WOW! This book had all the feels.... I was absolutely captivated from first page to last... my emotions went on an amazing rollercoaster.... sorrow, anger, hope, elation, frustration, happiness, sadness, love, Hate, and so much more....
Margaret was a remarkable and inspiring character... she had a bright future and then tragedy struck and it was all taken away from her.... this book was about Margaret’s struggle and journey to the ...more

I was gobsmacked by Katherine Center’s previous book, Happiness for Beginners. She almost writes in her own genre. Not too light, not too heavy, elicits just the right amount of emotion, loving characters, and completely uplifting at the end. I found out there is a genre that is exactly this- UpLit. How to Walk Away is another rendition of UpLit.
Margaret is in the prime of her life, when it all may have been taken from her in an instant a ...more

but most of my enjoyment came from the originality of the characters anyway - particularly the bond and interactions between margaret and her sister. i found them both to be funny and loved how they brought out the best in each other. ian is also a really great addition and i love how margaret brought out the ...more

My heart was racing after the very first chapter....
Margaret knows tonight is her big night. This is the evening her boyfriend Chip is going to propose! She can feel it in her bones. Her best guess? Probably planning to pop the question at the restaurant tonight over a candle-lit dinner.
Well...she got her proposal all right, only it wasn’t nearly how she imagined!
Chip is just one final flight away from getting his pilot's license. That doesn’t stop him from hoping to take Ma ...more

Margaret's life is almost perfect. She has a wonderful boyfriend, recently finished her studies and has just (unofficially) landed her dream job. Her life falls apart when she suffers an accident that causes her to end up in the hospital with a life-changing injury and facing difficulties she never imagined.
I was captivated from the beginning. The characters are likable, interesting, and made me smile throughout. This is a novel a ...more



Perfect days lack perfection when life leaves its oppressing thumbprint. We can spin out of control in a nano second and all that we have come to know is left in shambles in the whirlwind.
Margaret Jacobsen knows only too well of the ridges and swirls of that thumbprint. With a freshly earned MBA and a handsome fiance in tow, Margaret reaches new heights. But those starlit heights have taken her on a flight with tragic consequences.
Chip wanted the perfect sett ...more

Wow and here I thought the last book I read was emotional! How to Walk Away by Katherine Center made me cry even harder than The Ones We Choose did. However, in this book there is more romance and much more of an "inspirational story" vibe.
Margaret Jacobsen is 27 years old when she gets on a Cessna prop plane with her boyfriend who is working on getting his pilot's license. She is terrified of flying, but she gets on anyway because she wants to face her fears (plus she thinks her ...more

This book is a great example about what I love about the Book of the Month club (and no, this not a plug for them, I'm just saying). Left to my own devices, I probably never would have picked this up. Even if I saw friends raving about it on goodreads. I am just not usually drawn to what I (erroneously) assume are sad, chick-lit books; however, when I got those five monthly book selections and their blurbs and spiels, etc., for whatever month this was, I felt drawn to this story.
Now, u ...more

I was so invested in this story. I’m glad I became a part of Books and Jams reading group. This was the monthly pick by book tuber Krista. I loved it.
It brought out every emotion you could ever think of feeling.
It’s good that this didn’t have quite the ending you would be rooting for. Not in a nasty way, but realistic human life events way. Not everything is tied up in ribbons and bows......yet......the ending was just as f ...more

Loved the writing, the characters and the humour!
This novel follows Maggie Jacobsen as she endures a shocking and devastating personal tragedy. Maggie has always strived for perfection in life – in school, her career, her relationships, her personal goals. Her mother’s high expectations have always been in the back of her mind, pushing her to reach higher and be the best. After landing her dream job and feeling the excitement of the possibility of a lifelong commitment with her boyfrien ...more

HOW TO WALK AWAY by KATHERINE CENTER was an extremely uplifting, kind, and heartwarming novel that captured my heart and drew me in almost immediately. There is so much goodness within the pages of this book! This is a story filled with romance, forgiveness, hope, courage, love, and resilience.
KATHERINE CENTER delivers a well-written and engaging read here with interesting, honest and believable characters. I absolutely loved the voice of our main character, Margaret “Maggie” she was ...more

“The earth dropped away from us ‘again’”...
“Hold on”.
Hold on to ‘what’, I was thinking.
“They were the very definition of helpless”, Margaret says.
Those were the last words before the plane crash.
At the start —the audio- narrator was fine. I was engaged & curious to see where this story was going.
Soon after the crash - my interest decrease. I felt the dialogue was lacking authenticity big time!!!!
Both the writing and the reader were WAY T ...more


This book isn't hitting the stores until May 15th and so I strongly recommend my fellow reviewers head on over to NetGalley and check it out.
How to Walk Away is about a contemporary Texan family that is brought together after a devastating plane crash leaves one of their daughters(Margaret)in critical condition and prompts the return of their prodigal daughter, Kit. Margaret soon realizes that she's facing a life of pa ...more

When I finished reading this about a month ago I wasn’t sure how to review it because really it was a great book and objectively maybe even a 5 star read for some.
The writing was great, in a very matter of fact way, and I thought the author did a splendid job at characterising through dialog.
The social dynamics of a family were very well presented. I easily oscillated between empathising and criticising the people in Margaret’s life. By the end of the book, you have a pretty clear ...more

HOW TO WALK AWAY is a multi-layered story....with a wham-bang of a start....about the turbulent life of Margaret "Maggie" Jacobsen, her darkest fears, disappointments and courage to overcome adversity.
Author Katherine Center creates interesting characters....especially a resourceful big sister Kitty and gives our protagonist a strong will and witty voice to keep the reader engaged while the story moves right along.
More here than your usual chick-lit fare. Read in a day and REALLY enjoye
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How to Walk Away was my first read by Katherine Center and I can definitely see why so many readers love her books!
How to Walk Away is a very uplifting and powerful story about learning to move on from things that cannot be changed. I remember going through a very tough time in my mid 20's and I bought a journal that had the following quote on each page "God, gran ...more

And also-- call me a killjoy, but I struggled to get on board with a relationship between a (sexy, Scottish) physical therapist and his paralyzed patient. Margaret is recovering from a traumatic accident, and it struck me as highly inappropriate that Ian took advantage of the skewed power dynamics.
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Play Book Tag: (WPF) How To Walk Away / Katherine Center - 3.5*** | 2 | 12 | Apr 16, 2022 12:10AM | |
Play Book Tag: How to Walk Away - Katherine Center - 4 Stars | 1 | 13 | Jan 25, 2022 07:06PM | |
Play Book Tag: How to Walk Away by Katherine Center - 3 stars | 3 | 11 | Aug 24, 2021 05:06PM | |
How is this Book? | 10 | 85 | Jan 02, 2021 08:32PM | |
Books and Jams Re...: End (ch 22-end) | 18 | 56 | Feb 26, 2020 08:25AM | |
Bookish First Rea...: How to Walk Away by Katherine Center | 1 | 7 | Oct 22, 2019 10:32AM | |
Challenge Corner: How to Walk Away by Katherine Center -> Starting September 2nd, 2019 | 10 | 5 | Sep 23, 2019 11:49AM |