Book Review: The Winter Runaway by Katie Flynn

Can you ever escape your past?

Tammy and her mother, Grace, are desperate to escape Tammy’s violent bully of a father.

When an unforeseen tragedy strikes, mother and daughter must flee Scotland in the dead of night, forced to leave behind everything they know and love – including one another.

Under new identities, Tammy and Grace must start afresh. Tammy joins the services, where she meets a dashing officer who begins to break her guard down.

But can the course of love ever run smooth with Tammy unable to reveal her true self?

The Winter Runaway is the first instalment in the brand-new Runaway’s trilogy from the beloved bestselling author.

*****

It’s 1940 in Clydebank. Grace and Tammy Blackwell have more to worry about than the war. Dennis Blackwell thinks nothing of harming his wife and daughter on a daily basis. With the encouragement of Rory, Tammy’s boyfriend, they decide it’s time to leave. However, before they can, something happens that changes their lives forever but the two women never lose hope of seeing each other again.

I was very excited to be invited onto the blog tour for A Winter Runaway, the latest novel from Katie Flynn and is due to be released on 24th October. Having not read anything from this author before, I was intrigued and couldn’t wait to get started.

Immediately, you see how strong Grace and Tammy are despite the fact that they begin the novel in such dire circumstances. This theme continues throughout the novel as both forge their own paths away from Clydebank, Dennis and each other. The overall message of ‘independent woman’ is something I am totally here for, especially when you take into account the time in which this novel is based. It was certainly an important era where women were a force to be reckoned with even if they didn’t get the recognition they deserved. I couldn’t think of better characters to carry this story than Grace and Tammy. I loved them from page one and held huge sympathy for their plight.

Gina is also a character that bought a lot to the story. The same for Cecil, Archie and Annie. With all the distrust at the beginning, it was a hope for me that Tammy and her mother would find people they could rely on. Whether they truly find that is something I hope you’ll find out for yourself.

Told from the point of view of multiple characters, the plot unwound with twists, turns and plenty of nail biting moments. It very much all builds up to Grace and Tammy reuniting in Liverpool and I wanted so much for this to happen. Of course, we know the realities of life and it’s evident that they were not going to have anything easy. I also felt for Rory but I don’t want to say too much about him as I don’t want to give too much away.

The themes covered are treated with care including that of domestic violence.

Overall, this is such a strong start to what promises to be a wonderful series. If you love your historical fiction, or if you’re simply looking for a compelling story with believable, relatable and well developed characters, look no further. this book is perfect.

This was the first book I’d read by Katie Flynn but it won’t be the last. It’s a tale of resilience, self discovery, finding faith in the right people and going for what you want in life, regardless of circumstance. It had me cheering one moment and heartbroken the next. It really shows us how one decision can change everything; sending people down different paths.

I very much look forward  to book two in the series because, if this book is anything to go by, Holly Flynn is a wonderful storyteller.

(Thank you to Penguin for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.)

About Katie Flynn: 

Katie Flynn is the pen name of the much-loved writer, Judy Turner, who published over ninety novels in her lifetime. Judy’s unique stories were inspired by hearing family recollections of life in Liverpool during the early twentieth century, and her books went on to sell more than eight million copies. Judy passed away in January 2019, aged 82.

The legacy of Katie Flynn lives on through her daughter, Holly Flynn, who continues to write under the Katie Flynn name. Holly worked as an assistant to her mother for many years and together they co-authored a number of Katie Flynn novels.

Holly lives in the north east of Wales with her husband Simon and their two children. When she’s not writing she enjoys walking her dog Tara in the surrounding countryside, and cooking forbidden foods such as pies, cakes and puddings! She looks forward to sharing many more Katie Flynn stories, which she and her mother devised together, with readers in the years to come.

The Winter Runaway is the first instalment in the brand new Runaway’s series and is due to be released by Penguin Paperbacks on 24th October 2024 (RRP £8.99.) It’s available to pre-order at Amazon, Waterstones and Penguin. 

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.