I did wonder where this story was going to begin with but then it hit the road and it was off and it didn't disappoint, in fact it was a great read, funny but very enjoyable, I had a job to put it down. I stayed in bed and read the first 46% of this instead of getting up, I could have easily read far more. Jenny is good with her writing and jer words flow so well. This is a 5 star novel, well done Jenny

This was a good book, a great beach read/summer read. It was witty, it was sweet, it was rivalry, it was France it was a feel - good book that kept me eager to carry on reading.

The Summer We Ran Away by Jenny Oliver is the most delightfully refreshing contemporary novel about friendship, life and love.
Friendships may be complicated affairs – new friendships are often about trying to fit in. Real friendships are like a pair of comfy slippers. Jenny Oliver examines false and real friendships. She shows how clicky, cruel and hurtful some can be. A real friendship is one where someone loves you enough to tell you the truth in love.
Keeping up with the Joneses is exhausting. Far better to live in the freedom to be ‘you.’
The novel explores various marriages and relationships. We see just how important it is to cherish your spouse and to be thankful for the life we have built together.
In learning how to be the ‘you’ you were created to be, we see that honesty and loving the face in the mirror is vital.
The reader is in for a real treat as we ‘escape’ to France while still sitting in the safety of our sofa. Jenny Oliver has perfectly painted the scene and captured the atmosphere.
I absolutely adored The Summer We Ran Away. It was a perfectly charming read showing the importance of kindness and true friendship. Treat yourself to a ray of sunshine this summer.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

I’ve always enjoyed Jenny Oliver’s novels and The Summer We Ran Away is a fabulous light-hearted entertaining book. It’s well written with some great characters and you find you become totally immersed within the first chapter. Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author for the chance to review.

Found this not to be of the authors usual style. Struggled to adhere to the main character, did however, stick with it. But found it lacking in some way.

Thank you to HQ and Netgalley for providing this ARC to review it is great to stumble across new authors that quickly becomes a favourite.

Who wants a roadtrip to France? I don't think it's what Julia wanted but it's what she got.

After her personal messages going out to all of Cedar Road group chat about her neighbour the only thing she can do is run, and runs into Amber who is on her way to France for the weekend on a buying trip for antiques.

I really loved the friendship between these two ladies and the bond they made on this adventure.
Amber is scatty and a one off, I really liked her and enjoyed her side of the story more then Julia's.
Whenever Lovejoy is mentioned I had a vision in my head of Ian Mcshane!
Jenny is this where the name come from?

A lot can happen in a weekend away.

This is a fun read which I really enjoyed and perfect for times like these.

I loved this book. It was the perfect escapism for those of us stuck at home this year. The main characters were likeable and worked well together. I imagine many of us know a Lexi and I so wanted to see Julia break free of her unhealthy obsession. I think at some point we’ve all felt like running away from life. This was a great way to do just that.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

This is the perfect book for spending the afternoon sitting in the sunshine reading. I loved reading this and will really miss the eager to please Julia and the fiesty Amber as they were such great characters.

When I picked this up I expected to enjoy it as I love reading Jenny Oliver's books but once I had started it just captured my imagination and I didn't want to put it down.

Majority of the book is set in France and I do love a nice trip to France and this booked just oozed French bakeries and fragrant expresso. This story takes you in many directions, managing to encompass many every day family scenarios all within the one story.

A brilliant book that I can't wait to recommend as it kept me hooked right until the very last page.

A massive thank you to HQ for this digital ARC of Jenny Oliver's new book, The Summer We Ran Away. This is a perfect summer read, filled with lovely characters, tales of romance, friendship and escapism.

Julia finds herself the laughing stock of her neighbourhood. After being shamed on the whatsapp group for a rather private conversation about her neighbours husband, she finds herself alone and wondering how she can fix the mess her life has quickly descended into. Then Amber steps in. Amber and Julia are polar opposites but quickly find themselves on an exciting, enlightening and emotional adventure.
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It's a story that had me wanting to be a part of it, the characters were ones you could root for, well most of them, and the reminder that what you see online isnt always the perfect life it's made out to be. The two female main characters are strong women in very different ways and I loved that.
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As I read the early stages of this book, I didnt foresee a happy ending, a book that would warm me the way this did, but I really enjoyed seeing the plot unfold, the relationships explored and found this a hard book to put down.
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It's a book that makes me feel like I've been on an adventure with the characters, and whilst on lockdown, that is a very welcome feeling!
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I enjoyed this book after a slow start. Once Julia’s what’s app messages about a married neighbour are sent to the whole group of so called friends, she is forced to runaway with her friend, Amber, to France on an antiques buying trip. They are friends but are so different so a road trip is bound to be interesting.

Both women are forced to think about their closest relationships and have to evaluate how they see themselves and what they want from their futures.

A lovely read with engaging characters and a positive ending. What more could you want?

When a WhatsApp conversation gets into the wrong hands, Julia's first thought is to escape the life she has become bored with. Fortunately one of her neighbours, Amber, provides the opportunity. The women set off on a road trip, that although is only a weekend long, helps them both face the issues they have been avoiding at home.

There were some great supporting characters in this book and I found myself rooting for them all to get their happy ending!

I would have loved to read this book on holiday, but absolutely recommend this book, a bit of holiday escapism when we can't go anywhere ourselves.

I absolutely devoured this book on a sunny lock down day and loved every page of it. From the fantastically pretentious Lexi and the phone faux pas through the road trip to France and the adventures there, I felt totally a part of the gang. An excellent read.

This is a really fun, easygoing, book which is full of food, love, humour, and relationships! It is a sure-fire success of a summer read!

This is one of those stories where the heroine makes a mistake, takes off and has an adventure. While away, she examines her life and eventually sorts herself out.
This one is about Julia and Amber who are on an antique trip to France. Julia is escaping being mortified when a text she sent goes round her street's WhatsApp group and gets invited on Amber's buying trip.
These tales are always escapist and slightly improbable but in this case, frothy, funny just right for whiling away time in the garden (or on a beach once lock down ends)

A great summer read. I felt like I did the journey to France with them.
An uplifting story of friendship and love.
Thank you netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this book.

Firstly, massive thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for sending an ARC of the novel ahead of its June 11th publication date.

Feeling a little lockdown loco I happily sank into this summer escapist read by Jenny Oliver @jenoliverbooks. "The Summer We Ran Away" is an absolute summer read and very apt for the social media driven world we are living in. The main character Julia is a slave to what's in, what her image conscious neighbours like and more importantly, what is going to get her much sought after 'likes' on Instagram. When Julia and her husband Charlie are invited to a party at Lexi's house, she feels truly #blessed! Lexi is the queen bee of Cedar Road and Lexi is desperate to impress her and her sisterhood of fellow Whistle shopping blondes. When a WhatsApp message falls into the wrong hands, Julia runs. She runs from her marriage, her money worries, her interfering parents and her life which has gone down the wrong track. She escapes to France and in this searing heat, I could have been there alongside Julia as she trawls antique fairs and eats buttery pain au chocolat. Oliver's descriptions of rural France are beautiful and very sensory: the sun setting, the bougainvillea climbing up crumbling walls and old men drinking pastis in cobbled courtyards. It takes the encouragement and wisdom of carefree neighbour Amber, to make Julia aware of what matters in life. Things are not always how they seem. Julia embraces life without her phone at her side with the need to document every single moment. Jenny Oliver writes with humour and has a great cast of characters we root for. I look forward to reading more from @jenoliverbooks.

Fun and easy read which I have enjoyed. I would recommend this to others as I have really liked the authors writing style.

This book could be the lovechild of Thelma and Louise and Mamma Mia!

Funny, touching fiction about secrets, community and keeping up with the Joneses with a dose of antiques, travel and unlikely friendships. Loved how one mis-sent WhatsApp message spiralled!

Really enjoyed this one.

I would like to thank HQ for sending me this book to read and to be apart of the blog tour.
The Summer We Ran Away is a perfect way to escape this summer. I have read books by Jenny before and totally fell in love with the main characters and the settings are always out of this world. I have to say I really love the cover for this book to using the swimming costume as a part of the deign is such a cool idea.
When Julia finds out that her WhatsApp messages have been seen by the wrong people she is utterly embarrassed and the only thing to do would be to run away. Julia comes across as I character that has a need to always please others and worriers about what they think and what her social media account is saying about her. It is a very relevant topic to cover in a story and really adds a difference to a typical romance story. I loved to see the change in Julia as the story progresses.
I enjoyed reading this book as it tackles complex issues as well as romances. A great read and perfect of you are looking for a different romantic womens fiction read.

Julia is a victim of WhatsApp- the one thing we all dread, a private conversation goes public and your whole world turns upside down. Life will never be the same again, you will never be able to look your friends and neighbours in the eye again, your life if officially over. Or is it.?
This is a lovely novel which should make you take a look at social media. Julia certainly needed to re-evaluate her life, A bit predictable in places but also some brilliant twist to keep you going. Well worth the read.