I was really looking forward to reading this title having loved Kate's writing since The Stranding and it did not disappoint. Telling the story of a family through the arc of family holidays was a really unusual approach but it worked so well and I found myself gripped by the various plot lines of each family member. The changing times and social mores in each decade was also brilliantly described - the human condition writ large and a wonderful insight into social history. Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and advance copy.

Getting Away is a cleverly conceived and beautifully written family saga, the story of the Smith family spanning from the 1930s to the present day.

What makes this book somewhat different is that we only dip into the family’s life in each decade when they are on holiday, where a chance to relax also offers a chance to reflect, on both good and bad.

What I love about Sawyer’s writing is the way in which she gets to the heart of complicated family dynamics, treats challenging subjects with remarkable sensitivity and ensures the reader becomes fully invested in her characters. It is a story full of emotion, there is much that will move you as you take the utterly believable characters to your heart. And with an ending that takes the story full circle, I for one felt sad to be leaving the complicated but enthralling world of the Smiths behind.

I have loved Sawyer’s previous books but I loved this even more - she has definitely been added to my auto-buy list!

I really enjoyed this book. It is a family saga, starting in the 1940s, following the story of the Smith family. What is different is that the story unfolds on family holidays as the years go by. This gave it an interesting edge. I liked the characters and there were lots of twists and turns in the story.
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

The first time she went to the seaside Margaret was entranced, the second time ended badly. Throughout her life and the lives of her extended family, holidays have been central and then bring to the surface all the changes and events in their lives.
This is a rather hypnotically lovely book to read. The idea is great, a family story told through a series of holiday vignettes and this allows Sawyer to explore lots of different themes. I loved the fact that even the most horrific events were not described in detail - rape, murder, cancer - instead they are alluded to in the middle of telling the personal stories of the protagonists. There are lots of little storylines that weave around each other over the course of book and each is short and beautifully formed. A reflection of the times as well as the people, this is a book that satisfies.

Familiar with the author, I was delighted she had a new novel.  Her characters were rich and relatable, very well written.  There was a dual narrative running throughout the story. The book centred on Leo and Emma, a married couple.  Leo worked as an obituary writer and Emma as a prominent marine biologist who starred in a BBC documentary series.  The book contained frequent references to the sea and marine life, I found this a great feature of the book. 

The book explored many themes and was much more than a romantic read, it read like a thriller at times with the slow build up and tension of a big secret being revealed.  The power of guilt and the impact that hiding big life events has is evident, the past always catches up.  Overall, I found this to be a very engaging read- I really enjoyed the pace of it starting slow and then building from there.  It ebbs and flows beautifully and is full of emotion.

A stunning read about holidays and underpinnings and secrets which can occur even during the happiest times. The stigma of the ‘perfect holiday’ was thoughtfully and effectively eliminated through the stunning writing and demonstrations of secrets and the developments/changes which each generations of family holidays go through within the story. The flips going backwards and forwards in time between each generation of family holidays did increase processing time needed to fully understand the story. However, this was the style of writing needed to be able to capture the imperfections and secrets which can occur in a family holidays did and to handle the more delicate issues so well in the book. If you want a summer holiday read with the basis of a seemingly perfect family holiday but that comes with added twists of various secrets and mystery, I would highly recommend this read.

Synopsis-Margaret Smith is at the beach.
It is a summer day unlike any other Margaret has ever known.
The Smith family have left the town where they live and work and go to school and come to a place where the sky is blue, the sand is white, and the sound of the sea surrounds them. An ordinary family discovering the joy of getting away for the first time.
Over the course of the coming decades, they will be transformed through their holiday experiences, each new destination a backdrop as the family grows and changes, love stories begin and end -- and secrets are revealed.

#mythoughts
I love a good family saga, and this one is definitely a treat. Spanning from the 1930s to the 2020s, the novel follows the lives of the Smith family through generations, capturing the changing times, traditions, and emotional landscapes of family life.

The story opens with Elizabeth, her husband Jim, and their young daughter Margaret on a coach trip—a classic British works outing to the seaside. The setting evokes a strong sense of nostalgia, from bucket-and-spade holidays to later trips to the Costas, reflecting the evolving nature of British family traditions.

We’re also introduced to Bill Lacey, the factory owner who has a history with Elizabeth (or Betty, as she was once known). This connection hints at deeper storylines to come, adding emotional depth from the start.

This is a character-driven novel that gently threads and weaves through the decades. It allows you to grow with the characters, feel their triumphs and heartbreaks, and witness the ripple effects of the choices they make. It’s both heartwarming and poignant, perfect for those who enjoy stories rich with emotional insight and family history.
I did start this on audio but I could not connect with the narrator so picked up the book instead another triumph from Kate Sawyer

This is a very wide-reaching novel, looking at the lives in a single family spanning several decades. There's so much going on but at the same time it's just a story of the ups and downs, and events, of one family. The plot is their lives unfolding.

The story is told from different decades and from different family members' perspectives. As such it takes in all aspects of life. Maggie is one of the main characters, who we meet first when she's a child going to the seaside with her parents Jim and Betty. She's excited to be going but her mum seems uptight. It's one of many instances where the children of the family sense something is going on with the adults but are kept from knowing exactly what.

It turns out that Betty is nervous because Bill Lacey, the owner of the place where Jim works, is going to be there. But Betty has also had more to do with Bill than many people know.

Sawyer is great at telling us about very serious and distressing events, and then moving to the next period of time. So we get hints that something unpleasant happens to Maggie at one of the seaside trips, but it's only over the course of the book that we find out more.

There's a lot in here about what people will do to look after those they love. I don't want to give too much away, but finding out that Jim has known one of Betty's deepest secrets throughout their marriage, and has accepted it, is very touching.

The book has everything you'd expect from a novel about a family - infidelities, illnesses, domestic violence, alcoholism. Yet the strength and basic decency of many of the characters, especially I thought Maggie and Robert, was really uplifting to read.

I don't feel like I can talk too much about specifics without giving things away, but suffice to say this is a heart warming and 'real' book about fascinating characters and it is so easy to read. Thanks to Netgalley for the access.

Kate Sawyer’s latest novel is utterly charming, and beautifully readable, full of stories of love, connection and family. As soon as I started reading it I was mesmerised by both the storyline and the wonderful writing that swept me up.

It’s the story of one ordinary family connected through the generations. The threads that link back and forward are beautifully woven in, with Easter egg clues sprinkled throughout, giving you those moments where you stop and revisit what you have already read, looking at it with fresh eyes.

It starts with a present day family trip to the beach and then swiftly rewinds almost a century earlier to Margaret visiting the same beach with her mother and father. We know that Margaret is one of the family members in the present day family set up, but now we wind back to her childhood and memories of her own parents.

Each character is treated with such care and tenderness they felt very real and very special. I’m sorry to say I haven’t read Kate Sawyer’s earlier books yet but I am rushing back just to sort that out right now. She is a very gifted and talented author with a special gift for taking an everyday situation and drawing out the treasures buried within it

Getting Away is a beautifully written, easy-to-dive-into novel that captures the complexities of relationships, identity, and starting over. Kate Sawyer has a gift for creating characters that feel real and relatable, and the story flows with a quiet intensity that keeps you turning the pages.

The writing is thoughtful but never heavy. There’s a gentle emotional pull throughout the book that lingers after you’ve finished. It’s heartfelt without being overly dramatic, and the themes of change, healing, and self-discovery are handled with a refreshing lightness.

If you’re looking for a book that’s engaging, insightful, and ultimately uplifting, Getting Away is a wonderful choice.

Kate Sawyer is one of my favourite contemporary fiction writers. The Stranding is an all-time favourite book of mine, and This Family is a gorgeous, immersive family saga reminiscent of writers past. And so, Getting Away was a hugely anticipated read for me, one I preordered in hardback.

Before exploring what didn’t work for me, let’s look at what is done well. The plot device or hook is very clever - this is the story of generations of the one family, and the holidays they take over the course of almost a century. It charts their lives, loves and losses, their secrets, lots and heartbreaks.

The author captures the zeitgeist of each decade really well, with little cultural references sprinkled in to ground you in the times you’re reading about. She charts the changes in society, among them women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, equality, class, wealth, and so on.

What didn’t work so well for me was the characters themselves. Because we’re dipping in and out of their lives in vignettes, we’re only really getting glimpses of who they are and so I never really became attached to any of them, bar perhaps Maggie/Margaret. There was one plot point that I felt was never resolved (involving Penny and Susan) and I kept wondering if I had missed something.

Lovely writing, a clever premise, an atmospheric summer read, but perhaps just a bit laboured by the end, constrained by the plot device. Still going to preorder whatever Kate Sawyer writes next. 3.5/5 ⭐️

'Getting Away', the new novel by Kate Sawyer, is the perfect holiday read. In it's setting of a family's holiday through the decades from the 1930s to the 2020s the story of the generations is told with it's ups and downs and many secrets. It is such a clever and unusual way of narrating a family drama. The author describes the different characters very well and we get to know them and their thoughts as the books is told from different points of view. It also gives a good insight into the social history of the UK over the last century.
This is a great and well written novel which keeps you engaged throughout!
Many thanks for NetGalley and Bonnier Books for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this author‘s first novel all The Stranding and so when this one arrived on NetGalley UK I requested it and it went straight to the top of my to be read list
This novel takes the interesting approach in looking at a large family and it satellite members over a long period of time by focusing primarily on the time they spend on their holidays. We meet members of the family on their holidays over our whopping hundred year period between the 1920s and present time.
There are lots of characters in this novel as it’s a multigenerational and I have to admit to getting a bit lost at some point a family tree might have been helpful
The scene where the two old friends meet whilst walking in the Camino Way I found unbearably poignant . How often have you thought of someone and they ring or you see them in the tube or bus this section had exactly that feeling
I think one of the things that’s the author does very well is describing pure emotions so that you as the reader feel them too
The author covers some difficult subjects within the novel, including attitudes towards legitimacy and legitimacy and how this is varied over time she does this subtly and memorably
There’s no doubt this book is likely to sell well it’s perfect summer holiday read I read it in my garden and yearned to be by the seaside
I loved the standing so much that I doubted any subsequent novel would quite stand up to it. This book is good but not to my view as good as the stranding.
I read a copy of the novel on that UK the book is published in the UK on the 3rd of July 2025 by Bonnier books UK
This review will appear on NetGalley UK , StoryGraph, Goodreads and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com
It will also appear on Amazon, UK and Waterstones

Family saga and perfect summer read - a little slow for me but maybe have read too many of this genre of late. Loely prose

I read this in two sittings and enjoyed this family drama which unfolds over decades as we join them on their time away.

I loved the idea that we only really saw them on holiday and there was such a strong sense of character and the importance of family.

The development of the family over decades is really Interesting and they draw you into their stories and allow you to see their inner thoughts and feelings across multiple characters which I found engaging. I really appreciated the writing around the characters, you felt that you knew them. There are some darker themes which were dealt with very well.

The sense of time is very well done from the 1930s forward and I was immersed in this family and their lives and it gave such a sense of nostalgia as the family members took on their new adventures, yet still held some traditions.

It is a wonderful book driven by a family of characters whose lives change and developed over time which hooks you into the stor yine very quickly.
A really enjoyable read.

The Smith family are at the seaside. For young Margaret, this is her first getaway and so exciting, but it brings mixed emotions for her parents - especially her mother Elizabeth. Over the years, the Smith family grows. Each generation is altered by their own getaways as love, loss, pain, pleasure, and secrets take their toll...

Having read Sawyer's incredible last book, This Family, which takes place over a single day, I knew how beautifully she can capture the shifting dynamics within a family, particularly when it comes to the fall out when secrets are revealed.

In this gorgeous follow-up story, Sawyer ups her game by spreading out the saga of her literary family over a whopping time span from the 1920s to the 2020s, with a whole new twist on the domestic drama angle by only dropping in on them during significant family holidays and getaways in each decade. This is a really interesting way to tell their story, as you find yourself catching up on the events of intervening years solely through their interactions when they are away from home - ostensibly having a good time on the surface, but each musing on their own secrets and heartache.

As the points of view switch back and forth between the characters, starting with the small set-up of Margaret and her parents, and widening to incorporate sons, daughters, and their romantic partners down through the generations, these moments are curiously enough to tell a detailed account of their history, love stories, triumphs and tragedies. You find your heartstrings getting a good work out as they reach relationship milestones, and work through the ripples of their revelations in time. There are big waves and small, but Sawyer manages to give each of them equal power, which is very impressive.

This is one of those books that meanders and comes full circle, working its way under your skin in the process. There is a lot of sadness in these pages, especially when it comes to generational trauma, but there are also hopeful and tender moments that deeply touch your heart. Once again, Sawyer proves that she can get to the crux of knotty family dynamics, and explore the complexities of love, loss coming of age, break-ups and reconciliations with a deft touch. I loved it.

Another gorgeous book by Kate Sawyer. This follows a family over generations on their holidays, giving us snippets of their lives. The author really drew me in and the characters are human and flawed but loveable.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review

Not a lot to say about this really. It didn’t wow or amaze me but neither did it make me unhappy to be reading it. Probably one I might class as a holiday read and as I’m on a permanent retirement holiday I suppose it was fine.

Getting Away
By Kate Sawyer

I love a book with an interesting structure and the idea to follow one family over several generations through their summer holidays is very interesting, especially as a summer read.

Sawyer maps the evolution of holidaymaking from the perspective of a British working class family, from day trips to the likes of Bognor or Skegness in the 1930s, the Butlins holiday camp of the 1960s, the costa package tours of the 70s and beyond into the more individualised holidays we seek today.

There's plenty to get nostalgic about as she also places each chapter firmly in it's own time as food and fashion change so do social norms and expectations. So much so, that at times the narrative becomes bogged down in lists that are bent into sentences, rather like those Ladybird early readers.

The family members are clearly presented and distinct, however I would have loved a family tree to refer to, because I kept mixing up Rob and Joe and forgetting who Caroline was to them, and then when their children were born, I kept mixing up Betty and Maggie. I think their stories were too narrow, too staccato to stick. An important detail might emerge midway into the new time period and I feel the author made me work to keep all the stories straight, rather like only tuning in on random days to a long running soap.

Very interesting premise, but the structure acts less as a framework and more like a cage. Entertaining as a study of the habits of the British tourist, but probably not memorable as a family saga.

Publication Date:3rd July 2025
Thanks to #Netgalley for the ARC

This book was beautifully written and reflective, but slow pacing and flat characters hold it back sadly.