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4.3 AVERAGE
4.3 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. That’s all I can think right now.
This book is a masterpiece in love, grief, and moving forward, and it has cemented itself on my list of all-time favorite books. Right from the start, this writing reminded me of Fredrik Backman’s. You’re in the middle of a paragraph about something mundane, and out of nowhere, a single line cuts through your heart.
Watching Annabelle’s story unfold through the pages was such a deeply painful and raw experience. Our world is shaped by violence and hatred, and reading this in 2025, it’s sad to see that the world has only descended further. I don’t know how anyone can watch, read, or listen to stories like these and not want change.
Again, all I can say is that this is beautiful and necessary.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For educators: there are a few curse words & some kissing. The main content warnings are for the subject matter: PTSD, grief, gun violence, death. Depending on the child, I’d recommend 13+.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was kind of hard to gauge what exactly this book was going to be about when I picked it up. But I knew it was about running and running for a particular cause, and I figured it would be motivational. And it definitely is! It's a book that makes you want to be proactive, push yourself harder, and fight for something you believe in. I think the book definitely excelled in that area, and it's truly relevant to politics and current issues in the United States right now.
Despite that, I didn't LOVE this book. It's hard to relay my issues without getting into spoiler territory, but I'll try.
You don't find out the exact purpose of Annabelle's PTSD or motivation for running until the very end of the book. This might not be problematic for some readers. For me, I felt I was missing major pieces of Annabelle that allowed me to understand why she was doing what she was doing, and I felt like I was distracted from the better aspects of the book because of it.
There are hints that do imply what happened to her, so it's not too difficult to deduce. I guess my issue is. But that was just my interpretation as a reader, others may not have gotten that vibe at all.
Despite that, I didn't LOVE this book. It's hard to relay my issues without getting into spoiler territory, but I'll try.
You don't find out the exact purpose of Annabelle's PTSD or motivation for running until the very end of the book. This might not be problematic for some readers. For me, I felt I was missing major pieces of Annabelle that allowed me to understand why she was doing what she was doing, and I felt like I was distracted from the better aspects of the book because of it.
There are hints that do imply what happened to her, so it's not too difficult to deduce. I guess my issue is
Spoiler
the beginning of the book it said it wasn't a rape, but I was frustrated reading it with how much the writing made it seem as though it were a sexual act or potential rape, by mentioning the support from young women "like her", her reluctance to get close to guys, etc.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wanted this to be about running, it was about more. Themes were strong even if characters were a bit simplistic.
Disclaimer: I have run endurance events before and so a lot of the running in this book spoke to my soul. Obviously that is not something that everyone can relate to.
But this books was an excellent journey through shame and healing and guilt and grief and I adored her support network that understood her more than she understood herself at times.
But this books was an excellent journey through shame and healing and guilt and grief and I adored her support network that understood her more than she understood herself at times.
I loved so many things about this book. Young adult fiction - the writing reminded me of John green. Audio was fantastic!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes