Cover Image: The Women Who Ran Away

The Women Who Ran Away

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Member Reviews

Another great novel by Sheila O’Flanagan. She never lets me down.

The characters in this book were well developed. The story made me laugh and smile. There is both romance and mystery elements. A great escape

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Like all other Sheila O'Flanagan books, I was hooked from the very beginning. The characters are really easy to like and you find yourself transported info their world. This was a book I didn't want to put down and devoured it all in one night shift. I will always reccomend her books to everyone.

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The Women Who Ran Away by Sheila O'Flanagan

Two woman who are making a journey for different reasons. Grace is a widow her husband has laid out a treasure hunt. Whereas Deira a very predictable and by the book woman. As she is let down by her cheating ex she decides to go to France on the holiday they talked about on a whim and let what happens happen. This book follows the women who meet quite by chance both are making a journey for different reasons though both want closure from their respective pasts.

I found this book hard to get into unlike some of the previous books I have read by Sheila Flanagan. Fabulous journey and scenery make you think your there.

I still unsure about Deira’s character but loved Grace and both needed the friendship of each other to get to the end.

The conclusion I made was every journey end in hope.

3.5/5

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Deira feels stuck in a rut after her ex cheated on her. They were going to go on holiday together, but now he has a different life.

She has to keep herself happy and still needs to find some way to move on. Will she be able to?

Gracie has just lost her husband. He left a treasure hunt for her.

When both women meet by chance on the ferry from Ireland, they share an adventure that neither of them will forget.....

The Women Who Ran Away is my first novel by Sheila O' Flanagan.

I was hooked from the start, absorbed in Deira's life decisions. I cheered her on as she took the decision to use her ex's car as her means of getting to the ferry port and her decision to move on and have a break (literally) made me feel she was going to be a book heroine. The way her thought process played out was incredibly natural.

On the drive to the port, I could not wait to find out what would happen next.

I was glad when she met Gracie and that she would not be alone on this journey although she had set out to go it alone (and I wondered how the book would have differed had she done so). It was exciting getting to know the two women.

The journey to the port and the whole adventure the book entailed made me think back to many a family holiday involving a ferry crossing. The stages of the crossing and the details of the interior of the boat were richly done and I felt as if I were accompanying Deira and Grace.

The book's scenic details become richer still as the pair journey through France and Spain. The sights, sounds and tastes of each country are very vivid. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and it shows that there's strength in friendship and that friendship can be found when you least expect it.

The pace was quick and laid-back yet detailed and the travel experience was immersive.

As the book progressed, it became clear that both Deira and Grace were heroines in their own right, and they had both been through a lot. I felt for them and felt they were brave and determined.

Thanks to Sheila O' Flanagan, Rachel's Random Resouces and Boldwood Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

Perfect escapism!

5 stars

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Fantastic book really enjoyed it. Great story and characters. Now I want to read more by this author.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

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Duplicate download will place review on other book title!

Sorry for any issues that this has caused

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I really enjoyed this book, I enjoy Sheila’s writing style . Not my favourite but an enjoyable read all the same. Characters were engaging and the story was different. Well researched as expected from Sheila, the different locations as the ladies travel together through France and Spain are beautiful described. and the reader feels like they are with the ladies. I would recommend this book
Thank you to Netgalley, Headline Books and Sheila for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review

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Grace’s husband has died but he booked her a holiday and he left her clues to find along the way like a treasure hunt.
Deira taken her ex’s sports car and goes off on the holiday they were supposed to take together, before he cheated on her.
The two women meet on the ferry from Ireland to France and get on so well that they decide to travel around France together and this begins a beautiful tale of friendship, romance and even a bit of mystery making this a wonderfully feel good uplifting adorable read !!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sheila O’Flanagan for the ARC of The Women Who Ran Away my review is honest and unbiased.

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The Women Who Ran Away by Sheila O’Flanagan was a fab book set in Spain and France. I was hooked from the first few pages, I loved it. It was a great, enjoyable read especially during the winter months imagining being in the warmth of the sun.

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This was a lovely book mainly set in Spain and France great descriptions of the countryside. The two main characters were very believable all in all a great summer read

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I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

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Deira has come out of a relationship and heartbroken she decides to still take the vacation, bringing the car to France. Grace has lost her husband and he has put together a treasure hunt for her which involves following a path through France and into Spain. The two women meet on the ferry briefly but end up together later again and take the journey together.
As usual Sheila Flanagan introduces us to some lovely characters and draws us into their story. She paints a fabulous picture of travelling through the Continent and peaks your interest in the history of each stop.
I really enjoyed this story and cannot to read more from Sheila.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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In these difficult times this is a perfect escapist read where you can travel from the comfort of your own home. Deira is running away from her life to take a holiday she’d planned with her now ex husband. Grace is Travelling on a trip which should have been with her husband but now she is travelling on her own trying to fulfil her husbands Ken’s wishes. Luckily they bump into each other and find a friend in each other and decide to ravel together sometimes it’s easier to talk to people you don’t know. This is so much more than a holiday and they discover themselves along the way.

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A fantastic book
The characters were fantastic and it had a brilliant storyline
I highly recommend this book to others
Therefore I give this a 4 star

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I am a big fan of Sheila O’Flanagan books but I struggled with this one. It’s a tale of two women, Deira and Grace, one a newly single thirty-something and the other a well to do older lady with three children and one or more grandchildren. The two leave Ireland for a road trip and meet by chance on the ferry to France. After an unfortunate incident with Deira’s car they end up travelling companions passing through France and Spain. The older of the two, newly widowed has been tasked by her controlling husband to solve a series of clues that will therefore reveal a last goodbye message and gift. I am not sure how she would have coped had she not had the help of the younger companion who seems to easily solve the clues for her.
For what seems a long while the book goes along travelling through various towns and villages of France and Spain. I am sure readers familiar with any of these places would appreciate the reminder of them but I quite like the Irish settings of the authors other books. I didn’t connect with these characters at all while other main characters in the book were unpleasant including Deira’s ex, her sister, and Grace’s dead husband. I was happy when the journey and story concluded.
I was underwhelmed with this book but I now look forward to catching up with one of Sheila’s older as yet unread books.

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I really enjoyed this fascinating drama about the plight of two women trying to escape their adversaries. The story is engaging and dramatic.

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This is the story s of Grace and Deira, two women who have taken their own trips to France for very different, but equally interesting, reasons. Through fate, the two ladies trips become entwined and they join up to travel together on a road trip through France and Spain leading to them learning about themselves and each other while healing from their own personal experiences.
I liked both Grace and Deira and was hoping for a happy outcome for them as the trip unfolded and we learnt more about why each woman had gone away on their own.
The descriptions of each town the ladies visited was great and i felt the little bits of local information for each made trip seem authentic. I enjoyed the clues along the way too..
I enjoy Sheila O’Flanagan’s writing and enjoyed this book too. It was a gentle, engaging tale. Recommended

Thanks to Headline, NetGalley & the author for an ARC of this book.

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This was a great read from start to finish. I really enjoyed how the story of Grace's and Deira's trips evolved alongside each other but both for completely different reasons and how the women became more and more empowered through their friendship and experiences.
The descriptions of the places they visited throughout France and Spain made me feel like I wanted to throw a bag in the car and do the same!
The added mystery of the clues for the treasure hunt kept the story fresh and moving forward and the ending was well written and satisfying!

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What is it about a Sheila O’Flanagan novel that, only 2 pages in, you want to make the world disappear and just immerse yourself in the sheer pleasure of getting to know the characters and travel away with them? This book is a delight.
Deira and Grace both have reasons to run away from their lives, even if only for a short time. They meet by chance and spend some time travelling through France and Spain together. On their journey they learn from each other and are able to look at their own situations more clearly.
I loved that some of my other favourite writers are referenced in the book, especially Mary Stewart (though I would go for Airs Above the Ground as my preferred choice) and Rosamund Pilcher, who wrote my most loved book - Coming Home. A book I re-read each year.
Sheila’s descriptions of the French and Spanish towns the two women travel through are so well-written. Happily I’ve been to some of them and can agree with her. The rest are now on my list! This book made me want to pack my case and head off on my own adventures, hopefully we soon can do that again and make our own discoveries.
As ever with her writing the characters and their relationships are well-drawn and believable. There’s a bit towards the end that moved me to tears and many parts that made me laugh.
An absolute joy from start to finish. Read it!

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The Unexpected With A Dollop of Sunshine......
Two women, the unexpected, secrets, lies and a big dollop of sunshine. Enjoyable reading with credible characters (although often stereotypical), an engaging storyline and a colourful supporting cast. A dose of ideal escapism in the sun or otherwise.

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