In her heartwarming and humorous novel, "The Woman Who Ran Away From Everything," Fiona Gibson offers a refreshing story of self-discovery and empowerment through the journey of Kate, a woman who breaks free from societal expectations to reclaim her identity. Kate, almost 50, finds herself trapped in a monotonous life in a small town, stifled by her husband Vince's neglect and the constant pressure to conform to the community's standards. Dissatisfied with her current existence, she longs for the vibrant life she once had in London. The unexpected party at her home becomes the final straw, prompting her to make a spontaneous decision to leave everything behind. Kate's journey of self-discovery begins as she embarks on a solo adventure to Scotland. Along the way, she meets a charming bookseller named Euan, who helps her embrace the freedom she has been yearning for. As she settles into her new life, Kate uncovers hidden talents and passions, rediscovering the fun-loving and adventurous spirit she had lost. Gibson skillfully portrays Kate's emotional transformation as she navigates the challenges of creating a new life for herself. She delves into the complexities of marriage, societal expectations, and the courage it takes to break free from the confines of convention. Through Kate's experiences, Gibson highlights the importance of self-acceptance and authenticity, reminding readers that it's never too late to make positive changes in one's life. "The Woman Who Ran Away From Everything" is a thought-provoking and uplifting novel that resonates with readers of all ages, particularly those seeking inspiration to embrace their true selves and live life on their own terms. Gibson's relatable characters, witty dialogue, and vivid descriptions create a compelling narrative that keeps readers engaged until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Avon UK for this advance readers copy in exchange for my honest review. Being middle age myself I can to relate to wanting to climb out my bathroom window and escape from my life mostly the bathroom window and at work. Although not married or in a relationship like the main character. The demands of life still sometimes can be that overwhelming for us single people. The book had a lot of humour and I found myself laughing and not feeling so alone. This was my first book by this author and will definitely be checking out her other work.

Set mostly in Shugbury and Perthshire. Kate and her husband live in a small town of Shugbury in Buckinghamshire after leaving London nine months earlier.
Kate is unhappy in her job and feels unappreciated by her husband Vince. Kate has tried to make friends but feels a failure while her comedian husband Vince is glad to be away from London and living in the house that once belonged to his parents.
At first the pace is slow, written from Kate and Vince’s points of view.
When life gets too much for Kate she climbs out the bathroom window and ends up on a train to Scotland.
I loved the scene at the railway station when Alice mistakes Kate for someone else and Kate does not correct Alice.
This was a fun easy read with some humorous incidents. Vince struggles to cope without Kate while Kate has time to find herself and relive some childhood memories of family holidays in Perthshire.
This was about families, memories and friendships. I loved the twists and turns. I loved the way the characters interacted.
Thank you NetGalley and Avon for a chance to read and review this e-Book.

This is my first Fiona Gibson's book, and i must say: what a nice discovery!
Kate is tired of being treated like an invisible being, especially by her husband Vince.
The last straw was the party organized by Vince, a husband of little note who is a comedian for a living, and with that I said it all.
Vince demands that Kate be the perfect host at this party. Kate on the other hand, can't take it anymore,
and with the excuse of having to use the bathroom, runs away from home. Without a specific destination,
he arrives at the station and without thinking too much he takes a ticket to Glasgow. I won't tell you anything else,
because this story deserves to be discovered from page to page, it's a pleasant and very entertaining read.
Enjoy the reading!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Woman Who Ran Away from Everything by Fiona Gibson is a humorous and heartwarming tale of a wife who reaches her breaking point and makes her way into a new life by revisiting her childhood one via a serendipitous case of mistaken identity.
The character of Kate has allowed herself to be taken advantage of in the extreme by her husband Vince. While almost every wife will see some parts of their own relationship in Kate's marriage, she is unlucky enough to have all of those shortcomings others will recognize combined to make up her unfortunate situation. With all of those problems, the entire situation results in some comical situations.
Told from both Kate's and Vince's points of view, each of them grows throughout the book as they deal with their separation. It is a heart-warming tale of marriage, separation, romance, friendship, and family that keeps the reader chuckling right up to the end. The added point of view of her husband gives the story an extra layer, adding to the relatability of the tale.
The cover art is cute and funny, and will no doubt draw eyes to the book on the shelf.
I was pleased to receive an ARC of #TheWomanWhoRanAwayfromEverything from #NetGalley.

Kate is dependable and gets things done. Unfortunately her husband, Vince, takes that for granted and seems to treat her as a personal assistant rather than his partner and lover.

One day during an impromptu party he’s sprung on Kate, she just can’t take it anymore and sneaks out of the house through the bathroom window and runs away.

First she visits a friend in London but when on her way to head home, she’s mistaken for an actual personal assistant and goes along with it.

In the end she finds herself again and has to make a choice for what she wants her future to be.

This story was decent with some funny moments. Kate the FMC pov was 1st person, but her husband Vince's pov was 3rd person. It really threw me off, and made the story less cohesive. The story kept me engaged unil the end, though I think the last part of the book was quite weak. I don't know if it was supposed to be some kind of love triangle tension, but it made ALL the relationships seem quite weak and made Kate's supposed growth less believable. Overall, an engaging novel. *I received an ARC of this book and this is my voluntary and honest review.

Every new Fiona Gibson novel is always on my must read list.

Always a light and easy read with a heartwarming ending and this one was no exception.

Slightly predictable and unbelievable in a few places but the characters were strong and the plot kept me reading until the end.

Very fun and empowering read!!! Highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a little courage in their life! It hit hime, flowed well, and made me laugh and cry at points. There was a good development of characters and they were relateable and likeable. A very solid read!

I've always found Fiona Gibson's books light enjoyable reads and this one was no exception.

Main character Kate reaches the end of her tether when her husband Vince throws an imprompto party for the neighbours and expects her to cater for his guests as soon as she gets home from work, after a long shift at a hotel. Its the last straw for Kate and in a moment of madness she climbs out the bathroom window of their bungalow to escape the party and ends up walking to the station and jumps on a train heading for Glasgow.

I really liked the characters in this book. I felt a little sorry for husband  Vince as he meant well, but was set in his ways and a bit thoughtless. Kate was brave not to settle for this, though, to put herself first and go in search of her own dreams.

I have mixed thoughts on the story. I liked how brave Kate was and how she took a stand about how unhappy she was in her current situation; though I didn't like how she went about it and it turned me off a bit. I suppose I had thoughts of how the book was going to go and more disappointed that it didn't go that way. But I did like following along with Kate's journey of opening up to her true self.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3 stars

I was really enjoying this book and it was headed for 4 stars, until I got to the end. All of the chemistry and build up bottomed out and the book took a turn. It felt like a rush to the end when a few more chapters were needed to resolve everything in a meaningful way.

Great story about self-discovery, after being consumed by all the needs of others. Inspirational book for all women that seem to have lost themselves.

I must admit it was a bit difficult to read through the beginning of the chapters. I wanted to be able to go through the pages and slap a certain character, and that is not in my normal action in life, I assure you. He just really needed to be given a good slap to wake him up.

I really did not know where the plot was leading me. I was so hoping for the ending I wanted, and I won’t say whether or not I received it, since I do not want to give any spoilers at all. I was on the edge of my seat reading, waiting to find out what would happen.

I definitely recommend this witty, unique, motivational story!

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the pleasure of reading the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

3.5 ⭐️ (Rounded up to 4)

A sweet, if not slightly predictable, tale of a fed up, middle-aged wife. Kate, who has finally had enough of her husband's next level cluelessness and total lack of support, leaves him by climbing out the bathroom window in the middle of a dinner party.

This book is a very particular kind of escapism - put upon wife runs off and begins a magical new life. And there's nothing wrong with that, but there's also nothing particularly compelling about this take.

What I liked:
- I always love a book with older protagonists
- Kate's struggles are very relatable
- Fergus (and the backstory there)
- Kate's friendship with Alice

What didn't work for me:
- I've never been a fan of shifting between first and third person narratives
- Vince is just next level clueless, to the point of unbelievability at some places in the book
- Kate's clearly been a doormat for years, something I feel would warrant more time to work through. Instead, she seems to almost immediately be a different person once she leaves her husband.

Thanks to NetGalley for this advanced reader copy.

The idea of walking out of your life and just disappearing for some time does sound appealing but having a place to go is the hard bit! I loved this book and wanted to be in the Scottish town with her clearing the house and mooching in the book shop. All sounded like bliss but with the backdrop of what to do about her life and how she could achieve it.

We all get swept along with others ideas and the book shows how important it is to not lose sight of youself.

This one was a slow start for me, but once I was a few chapters in, I was really invested in the main character, Kate. Her story had me laughing out loud in several parts of the book. Although her husband Vince seemed despicable at first, he redeemed himself by the end of the story, and the other secondary characters, Alice and Fergus, were delightful. This is a light read that nevertheless explores some serious issues, like the necessity for give and take in relationships and the heartache that results when things are out of balance there. I would recommend this novel for anyone looking for an enjoyable story that entertains rather than challenges the reader.

This one started strongly, but the second half seemed to be from a different book altogether with too many romantic coincidences - it was a sort of mash-up of domestic real life in the first part and pastoral fantasy in the second. I enjoyed the details of Kate and Vince's life together, particularly the details about Vince's stand-up comedy career, but after a great dinner-party scene in the first few pages, the book seemed to steer clear of opportunities for fun set-pieces (when Vince is finally asked by the neighbours if Kate has left him, he just tells them the truth and makes another guest feel bad - I'm not seeing the fun in that). I wasn't invested in the second half's romantic relationships so I found myself skipping to the end two-thirds of the way through. I usually root for the original couple in these sorts of romances and this wasn't an exception, so I was glad I'd saved myself the last third. Having seen the titles of the author's other books, and having enjoyed at least another one of them (The Woman Who Did Something)?! it might be time for her to take a new tack. Good writing though, so I'm rounding up to a 4.

I loved Fiona Gibson's latest novel, 'The woman who ran away from everything'.

Life just gets too much for Kate who is treated as a doormat by her comedian husband. When one of his parties gets out of hand, she climbs out of the bathroom window and runs away from it all.

This book is perfect if you are someone who is juggling too many balls at the moment, be it cooking, cleaning, holding down a job, caring for others or even walking the dog. At times it made me laugh out loud, at others it made me want to do the same!

I really enjoyed this book and raced through it, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A Fiona Gibson book never disappoints, a simple but lovely story with a very happy ending. This is a perfect book to curl up with any time of the year, you become fully immersed in the story as soon as you start it with likeable characters, interesting locations and stories you can relate to. There are funny moments and other snippets that make you want to cry, just perfect!

Thank you to Netgalley the author and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Your semi famous husband up roots you to his old childhood home. Leaving behind a job you love and good friends. Feeling as if you are unseen, taken for granted and ridiculed by your husband you run away.
What was a night away turns into weeks by way of a fortunate mistake.
Finding peace, friends and contentment. Why should she return?
A book about finding yourself and being true to yourself