One of my favorite books of all time!

filled star filled star filled star filled star filled star
sandrareilly513 Avatar

By

Margaret has worked hard her whole life, following her mom's advice and doing everything by the rules, and is now exactly where she wants to be: unofficially hired for her dream job, owner of her dream condo, and with the ideal boyfriend who is about to propose to her. Then, she loses it all in an instant. Left with third degree burns and the possibility of never walking again, Margaret is told over and over again that her progress depends on her own will to get better. But how can she find inspiration when all of her plans, all of her dreams, her whole future, has been taken away from her? She will need the support of her family -- fraught with their own issues -- and her gruff, heart-of-stone (also totally tall, dark, Irish, and dreamy!) physical therapist to help her recover. What unfolds is a beautiful story of strength, courage, forgiveness, support, and love.

As a member of BookishFirst, I earned enough points for a free ARC. How to Walk Away was the only title available at the time and the description sounded interesting, so I used my points to secure a copy. Then I let the book sit on my shelf for weeks. I am still kicking myself for waiting to read it. How to Walk Away is by far my favorite book this year! Each character has their flaws, yet each is incredibly likable (except for the fiance, of course), even Margaret's overbearing mother who may mean well but just can't seem to express it without sounding condescending. And Ian, who wouldn't love Ian? The beyond-handsome Irish physical therapist is every girl's dream, if only you can get past his tough, angry, stoic outer shell -- which of course Margaret does. Margaret is a great character, too. She is just the right amounts of self-pity, determination, strength, and vulnerability, making her the perfect protagonist.

I enjoyed the interactions between the characters, laughed more times than I thought I would, found myself smiling more often than not, and was left inspired by each character's determination and love for one another. I can't wait to share this book with anyone who will listen. It is the perfect summer read!