And Then We Ran

This was a great story about finding yourself and what you want out of life. I loved this story. I loved the dual perspectives. Katy took what I know I fear and what others probably do to, is what do you want to do and how to be noticed and not just be a replacement for someone. You could feel their emotions, raw and real. This is probably one of the most life altering books I've read.

The book is written from the point of view of both Megan and Elliott. This definitely added to the story as we saw both of them falling for each other without realising they both were, which was cute as hell. I love books like this, you're expecting a happy ending but don't know when, where or how it's going to happen. I was quite sad it wasn't until the end because I really wanted to see them together more. 

The characters are extremely well written. I can't personally relate to Megan's story but can imagine how awful it must be having your parents pressure you into your future, my family allows me to make all my own choices. The way she grows throughout the book, even though her plans are a little crazy, is great to see. I love that her parents finally come around in the end, it's a shame it takes her so much to make them see what she wants but it happens (I'm not suggesting you should run off to elope to get something from your parents) 

The texts between Sean and Becca also added something in the book, Becca is Megan's best friend, Sean is Elliott's brother. These two also end up in a fling/romance/friends-with-benefits (they don't really know) thing. And this is another relationship most of us can relate too, that, is it happening yes or no kind of thing. It was a nice second storyline in the book. I also loved the pictures, however, because I got an uncut edit some of the pictures on my iPad didn't show properly which was a shame. 

I think I loved this book even more because it was set in British Secondary School and I could relate to the grades and system for the first time in a book as I did a-levels myself. Also the fact that it's set in Wales, which is where I'm currently living, made it all the better. The name Swansea popped up (I think that is genuinely the first time I've seen it in a book) and I was like yes, I live there. I recognised the stories about the beaches and the town and also about Megan going into the pub and becoming friends with two older men and the bartender, because people here really are friendly and will have a conversation with you and become your temporary friend. 

I really hope there is a second part to this book that tells us more about Megan and hopefully Elliott's adventures in London as well as Sean and Becca's potential romance.

If you’re in need of a cute, heart-warming, sweet and fascinating book, just go straight to this one. From the get-go, you know this is going to be a good story: great characters, great voices, interesting plot… the whole package works!

The story is told from both Megan and Elliott’s point of view. I loved both their voices and how relatable and realistic they sounded. What I liked the most about them, though, was how raw they felt. They both long for freedom, they want to find their place and be themselves, they’re young and wild and so full of hope it made my heart puff up in my chest with excitement for their story together.

Elliott and Megan are not the only characters, though, and I really enjoyed the fact that both Becca and Sean (respectively Megan’s best friend and Elliott’s brother) got their own plot and arc as well, and in their way they were main characters too, as well as great friends.

The chapters were short and efficient, and it was very easy to read. I liked the inclusion of photos, text messages and conversations. That was a nice touch.

Still, the best thing remains the message: what matters is being yourself and doing what you love. The whole story was carefully crafted, clever and a little crazy but always very cute. And I loved every page of it.

I don’t know where to start with this book. Okay, okay, maybe I do. I want to start by saying a massive thank you to the publisher for letting me read And Then We Ran in advance in return for an honest review. Secondly, I want to say that I loved this book. I loved it a lot. I can see how it might not be for everyone, but if you can suspend your disbelief even just a little, this book is truly adorable and I loved it. I loved Megan, I loved Elliott, I loved Becca and I loved Sean (even when he was being incredibly frustrating). 

And Then We Ran is set in a small seaside town named St Evaline. A very small town, the kind where everybody talks and everybody knows everybody else’s business. Which isn’t great for either Megan or Elliott. Since Megan’s brilliant sister Lizzie died, it seems like her parents have been trying to replace her with Megan - even if that means totally disregarding what Megan wants. Things aren’t much better for Elliott, whose father ruined his entire family’s reputation within the town and any chance Elliott had at getting out of St Evaline. So Megan comes up with a plan. An insane, impulsive plan that involves her estranged best friend Elliott. But as crazy as it might seem, it also might just work and solve both of their problems.

I loved the relationship between Megan and Elliott. Childhood best friends who drifted apart as they got older, not even speaking to each other at the start of the book. Then Megan starts plotting and realises Elliott is the perfect guy to - quite literally - propose her plan to. Soon enough, they notice that maybe things between them haven’t changed as much as they’d thought. They quickly get reacquainted and start putting things in place. Along the way, things start to get a little more difficult of course. They both know what they’re planning on doing is crazy, but they both believe it’s the only way. Somehow, I found myself agreeing with them (which came as a pretty big shock, let me tell you). Cannon had really swept me up into the story. I could imagine how they got themselves into this situation, how they could feel that this was their only option to get what they wanted and could easily relate to both Megan and Elliott. 

As I’ve already said, you kind of have to suspend your disbelief going into And Then We Ran. It all seems a little extreme. And even a bit predictable. Yet, somehow, I (a highly cynical and fussy reader) thought it worked. I loved how the story was broken up with photographs from Megan and texts, instant messages and phone calls between (mostly)  Becca and Sean. 

I read this book in less than a day. I didn’t get a lot else done, to be honest. I needed to know what was going to happen next. I really found myself cheering on Megan and Elliott, even though if you’d told me what was going to happen I’d mostly likely have said it was stupid. Strangely, I was really hoping they were going to go through with it and actually get married. As crazy as it was, I found myself equally wrapped up as Megan and Elliott were. 

I was very happy with the ending of the story. I thought it was perfect for And Then We Ran. Both the believable ending you were expecting and the happy one you were hoping for. I definitely finished feeling like I wanted a second book to see what happens next.

Just to reiterate: I loved this book. If you like Huntley Fitzpatrick or Sarah Dessen or Rainbow Rowell, you’ll probably love this book too. Maybe you’ll even love it so much you “accidentally” sit up until almost four in the morning because you just need to finish it in one go. I’ve never read anything by Katy Cannon before, but now I’ll definitely be checking out her other books and keeping an eye out for any future releases.

Great novel for Teens. Love the relationships between the characters and their interactions! It is told from the point of view of both Megan and Elliott, and they have great voices.

If you are looking for a heart-warming novel about teens finding themselves this is for you!

Thank you to NetGallery for offering me a copy for review!

I adored this story so much, I loved everything about it – the characters, the setting, everything. It left me warm and fuzzy (and crying) upon the end of the book. It was my first Katy Cannon book but I doubt it will be my last, her writing is so wonderful. 

The story follows Megan, who's older sister recently died in a tragic accident. Her parents also want Megan to be her sister, they want her to become very academic like her sister. Although Megan has other plans and dreams, like photography. There's also Elliott who has given up on his dreams as he was left to help out his mother soon after their father put a black cloud over their family.

I really liked Megan, she was so smart and strong willed. She has a goal and she's so determined to achieve it and I loved that about her. Elliott is having a hard time as people from their town are still not over what his father did, and so he lives in that shadow. He's having such a hard time deciding what he wants to do with his future. 

The story is told from both perspectives and when I first started reading I thought I wouldn't enjoy it. I was so so so wrong. Elliott was such a wonderful character and I loved reading his thoughts. It also adds to the story as you see both of them falling for each other without realising they both were. I was so absorbed into the story that I finished the novel in a day. I can't tell you how good it was. Megan and Elliott are so darn cute and it was wonderful to read their journey. 

The straight forward road trip turns into a mess across the country as they are short on time. This part of the story had me laughing a lot, I loved the fact that they made friends during their journey, it just added to the story. I did find the fact that their journey became chaotic slightly predictable, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. 

This is such a cute summery read, its definitely going into my top 3. I would also love to see this book made into a movie, I think there's potential for that, or maybe the writing was so descriptive I imagined it as a movie. It was so good, I urge you to read it when it comes out!