Scan barcode
jess4426's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
rose_wldng's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
thechemicaldetective's review
5.0
Trevor Wood has a playwright’s gift of dialogue and in 'You Can Run'we get to meet a maverick cast of quippy, quirky characters.
Wood's big (transplanted Geordie) heart shines through even when he’s battering the baddies.
What sets this apart from any number of other character driven books is the pace.
Set some time aside - you won’t want to put this one down!
Wood's big (transplanted Geordie) heart shines through even when he’s battering the baddies.
What sets this apart from any number of other character driven books is the pace.
Set some time aside - you won’t want to put this one down!
nicjohnston's review against another edition
4.0
3.5* You Can Run is the 4th book from Trevor Wood, but his first standalone after the brilliant Jimmy Mullen Trilogy.
Ruby lives with her reclusive dad in a small Northumberland village. When a stranger knocks at the door, Ruby is surprised that her dad invites the man in. An altercation between the two men in the kitchen changes Ruby's life forever and brings together the many characters of the village to fight back against an unknown enemy.
You Can Run was a fantastic page turner. Some of the characters were a little clunky and there was a fair smattering of "dad jokes" but the book has that magical quality which meant that I couldn't put it down. The pace continues right until the end with a good helping of twists along the way.
Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for an ARC.
Ruby lives with her reclusive dad in a small Northumberland village. When a stranger knocks at the door, Ruby is surprised that her dad invites the man in. An altercation between the two men in the kitchen changes Ruby's life forever and brings together the many characters of the village to fight back against an unknown enemy.
You Can Run was a fantastic page turner. Some of the characters were a little clunky and there was a fair smattering of "dad jokes" but the book has that magical quality which meant that I couldn't put it down. The pace continues right until the end with a good helping of twists along the way.
Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for an ARC.
lindseypeapod's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
erinnejc's review against another edition
4.0
Fabulous!! This was a great story which I could not put down. Would recommend this to everyone who loves this genre.
fasmina's review against another edition
4.0
I haven’t read by book by this author but the premise was too promising not to ignore. This was such a fast-paced thriller that it left me panting.
Ruby lives with her father in Northumberland and they maintain minimal social interaction with others. One day a mystery man turns up at their door where he ends up dying. Ruby is asked to run by her father. Later on she comes to realise that there is a paramilitary army looking for her and they have taken control of her small town. With the few locals left, she tries to solve the mystery behind the whole situation.
I loved this book so much. It had a blend of little of everything and a lot of surprises and the ending was truly mind blowing!
Ruby lives with her father in Northumberland and they maintain minimal social interaction with others. One day a mystery man turns up at their door where he ends up dying. Ruby is asked to run by her father. Later on she comes to realise that there is a paramilitary army looking for her and they have taken control of her small town. With the few locals left, she tries to solve the mystery behind the whole situation.
I loved this book so much. It had a blend of little of everything and a lot of surprises and the ending was truly mind blowing!
noveldeelights's review
4.0
Ruby Winter, a sixteen year old girl, has been living the quiet life with her dad, Alex, in the sleepy village of Coldburn in Northumberland. Alex is somewhat of a recluse, and the Winter family very much keeps to themselves. But one knock on the door will change all of that, and Ruby will be forced to rely on the help of villagers she’s never even met to stay safe.
Ruby is very much supposed to be the main character of the story, although some of the village residents get to have their own point-of-view as well. It turns out Ruby is massively important to someone, and anything goes in getting her back. So much so that a para-military group of some sort has no qualms in closing the village off and telling the residents to stay in their houses. Needless to say, this doesn’t go down well. These villagers do not take kindly to outsiders, or intruders. This is a village that is slowly losing its way of life due to an abundance of second home buyers turning half the village into a AirBnb hotspot, and these people will not take any crap lying down.
And just like that, main character Ruby drops off into the secondary category. The villagers banding together to help her are infinitely more fun and interesting to hang out with, and they blow the character of Ruby right off the pages. There’s her schoolmate, Lucas, who turns out to be far more reliable than she expected. Although not in matters of cooking. There’s Danny, ex-millitary, who may be getting old but still knows what’s what. But the one who steals every scene she’s in is Margaret. Founder of the Neighbourhood Watch, she’s known as being extremely nosy, but she’s also smart as a whip and takes no crap from anyone. And boy, did she make me laugh!
Danger lurks around every corner, and yet I never felt the tension reached boiling point. ‘You Can Run‘ is definitely action-packed, although it lacked the thrill in thriller. There is never a dull moment though, and the pace is spot-on. However, I do admit that I was often left to think maybe the target audience was a tad (okay, a lot) younger than I am. While at times a little gritty, because it’s obviously an “us against them” kind of situation, some things just seemed that little bit too convenient, and a little too predictable. Maybe a bit too much neatly wrapped up in a bow.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed ‘You Can Run‘ and raced right through it. It’s definitely an entertaining page-turner and an easy, quick read. I understand this is far different from Trevor Wood’s Jimmy Cullen series, but I’m dying to dive into that as well, and I look forward to whatever comes next from this author.
Ruby is very much supposed to be the main character of the story, although some of the village residents get to have their own point-of-view as well. It turns out Ruby is massively important to someone, and anything goes in getting her back. So much so that a para-military group of some sort has no qualms in closing the village off and telling the residents to stay in their houses. Needless to say, this doesn’t go down well. These villagers do not take kindly to outsiders, or intruders. This is a village that is slowly losing its way of life due to an abundance of second home buyers turning half the village into a AirBnb hotspot, and these people will not take any crap lying down.
And just like that, main character Ruby drops off into the secondary category. The villagers banding together to help her are infinitely more fun and interesting to hang out with, and they blow the character of Ruby right off the pages. There’s her schoolmate, Lucas, who turns out to be far more reliable than she expected. Although not in matters of cooking. There’s Danny, ex-millitary, who may be getting old but still knows what’s what. But the one who steals every scene she’s in is Margaret. Founder of the Neighbourhood Watch, she’s known as being extremely nosy, but she’s also smart as a whip and takes no crap from anyone. And boy, did she make me laugh!
Danger lurks around every corner, and yet I never felt the tension reached boiling point. ‘You Can Run‘ is definitely action-packed, although it lacked the thrill in thriller. There is never a dull moment though, and the pace is spot-on. However, I do admit that I was often left to think maybe the target audience was a tad (okay, a lot) younger than I am. While at times a little gritty, because it’s obviously an “us against them” kind of situation, some things just seemed that little bit too convenient, and a little too predictable. Maybe a bit too much neatly wrapped up in a bow.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed ‘You Can Run‘ and raced right through it. It’s definitely an entertaining page-turner and an easy, quick read. I understand this is far different from Trevor Wood’s Jimmy Cullen series, but I’m dying to dive into that as well, and I look forward to whatever comes next from this author.
cassiecat's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
I’m a big fan of the homeless hero Jimmy Mullen books, so I was intrigued how a change of direction would work with this book,an unusual action thriller. I must say from the outset that action thrillers are not my go to genre.
I liked having the village map so you could keep track of where they were going I took a screenshot of it so that I didn’t have to keep going back to the start to look at it, as it was a bit small on the kindle and I couldn’t enlarge it.
Ruby is surprised when her reclusive dad lets a stranger into the house, a fight ensues, the stranger is hurt. Her dad insists that they need to run, but then her dad is injured and taken away by a military ambulance leaving Ruby alone.
The prologue has vibes of What July Knew by Emily Koch with both the list of random known facts and the tone. It’s light easy chatty feel. The main narrator is 16 yr old Ruby, however I felt the tone seemed too immature in the prologue for that age, but then settled to be age appropriate. There are multiple narratives giving different perspectives.
Margaret is the nosy plucky elderly neighbour who refuses to go along with the instructions the residents are given.
Danny is the village odd ball come poacher, who is ex army and savvy, one of my favourites.
The villagers are nearly all likeable in their own way. My favourite has to be underestimated Lucas, who is resilient and loyal even though initially Ruby wasn’t very appreciative of his help.
I can well envisage an entrenched small village being belligerent and very anti authoritarian establishment, don’t underestimate country bumpkins 😂.
As well as an unusual action thriller it’s a bit of a coming of age story.
It started well grabbing my attention, but for me it slowed in the mid section before building up to an action packed ending.
Action thrillers are popular, I think this audience will enjoy it .