Terri Blackstock

"Casey Cox has blood on the bottom of her shoes, in her car, on her clothes. But there's no point in trying to defend herself. She just has to run. Casey didn't kill her friend Brent. She discovered his body, but she'd never try to hurt him. He's the only person she's ever trusted enough to tell the truth about what happened to her father and there's no doubt in her mind that Brent was killed trying to help her prove it. She has to run before they get to her too. Dylan Roberts was hired to find Casey and bring her back so that justice can be served. As a former Criminal Investigator for the Army, he can't imagine that tracking down one girl will be that difficult. But the more elusive Casey turns out to be, the more Dylan digs into her past to try to determine what she might be thinking. What he finds there doesn't fit the profile of a killer at all. She's unlike any other fugitive he's ever seen. The police refuse to discuss any other possibilities. There's something more going on here. Something more to this fugitive who has captured his attention. Now he just has to figure out what it is and Casey just has to stay one step ahead of everyone who's after her"--

If I Run

Mary Horton

OH, LOOK - I'M ALREADY FINISHED.

This was such a wild ride, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.


  Lovely Things:


- The characters.The main characters were LIKABLE and realistic and flawed . . . but also just super awesome people whom I would love to know. Casey and Dylan were both super smart. (Seriously WAY smarter than most characters in these types of books. Ahem. :P) I'm not ashamed to admit that Casey's chances of survival are much higher than mine would be if our roles were reversed. xD Both characters use their heads and really think through situations. Casey also clearly loves people and has such empathy for others. And DYLAN. He has PTSD and just deserves to be safe and cared for. Someone please help the poor chap. Honestly, both characters were pretty great. ;)

- The plot. SO MUCH ACTION. It never stops with this book. It took me till about the halfway point to really really get into this book (aka I WAS NOT ABLE TO DO ANYTHING BUT THINK ABOUT THIS ALL-CONSUMING STORY #HELP), but I never lacked interest, even in the beginning. The plot is HEAVY, though. No light fluff here. Murder, suicide, abuse, PTSD, and depression are just some of the issues addressed in this book. It was all handled so well, though, and I appreciated the depth it added to the story. It's definitely not your typical, bland "crime book," my friends.

- The themes.  AGAIN: I am all the impressed. Terri Blackstock handled all these heavy themes so. well. Lots of really poignant themes and discussions and just ALL THE YES. 

- The writing style. I'm surprisingly not bothered by first-person present tense as much as I used to be. Still not my favorite, but I think it worked well in this case. This is more of a thing I neither loved nor hated, I s'ppose. :P


  Not-So-Lovely-Things:


- It's just . . . not usually my typical read? Crime/thriller books aren't normally my favorite things in the world, though I do read them on occasion. Because of that, I would have to say this isn't my FAVORITE book ever. It's a matter of personal preference, honestly. I also didn't love the writing style - again, personal preference - but it didn't bother me really either.

CONTENT: Like I said, lots of heavy themes in this book. For that alone, I would recommend it to those 16+ (or very mature younger teens). It's also a murder so of course there is some violence. If you're really sensitive towards that, I wouldn't recommend this book. Things aren't heavily described, but violence isn't shied away from either. There's no language. There's a scene where a man is mentioned to be viewing pornography. This is portrayed as a negative thing, but it still could be uncomfortable for some people (like me). 

So did I like it? YES INDEED, OLD CHAP. This is a keeper. I read it in only a little over a day (oops, sorry, Life) and am DYING to read the next book. Now, if only book three was already out . . . 

4 stars!

Hope Brockway

This book is interesting. Most of the book feels like a vlog. Kinda slice of life with Casey getting a fake ID and chopping her hair off (so not really normal stuff). Super interesting stuff. And then the other part--the last third or so--is fast-paced action. And it feels like there's no in-between. 

The chapters are fairly short and the POVs shift a lot, so the book feels fast. But, looking back on it, not a whole lot actually happened plot-wise. Casey does a lot of running (or riding around in buses and taxis) and not a whole lot of investigating her case. I mean, I low-key get it. You're running for your life. But I'd still like the whole investigating sequence. Like a montage. Ya know? 

Thankfully, Dylan fulfilled the investigation requirement. He did a lot and I'm proud of that man. He also provided more backstory for Casey, which was cool. 

I also loved the exploration of PTSD and depression and its effects on both Dylan and Casey. I mean, it's not the best portrayal (it kinda falls into the cliche manifestations but that's forgivable) but I'm still so happy it's covered. I think mental health is something we as the Church need to discuss. So, my nursing student self is so proud this is covered. 

I'm just gonna say it. This book can come off as a bit preachy. Ms. Lucy talking to Casey about Jesus seems a bit forced. I mean, Casey low-key acts like an angel. 

I'm not saying that unsaved people don't do some of the things Casey does (they do) but honestly, why? She's running for her life and she does this stuff. Idk, bro. Sounds like Jesus to me. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the characters don't really have flaws. And that's kind of a problem, in my opinion.

Also, can we just talk about the subplot? (view spoiler)[ In this book, and in the next two, there are these subplots related to sex. I mean, kidnapping and rape, child molestation, selling your kid for drugs. Ya know. Some topics that pretty much no one wants to talk about. I mean, I know we need to talk about it. We can't just pretend it's not happening cause it is, but the consistency of the sexual subplots was a bit disturbing to me.  (hide spoiler)] In summary, not my thing.

So yeah. Maybe this series wasn't for me. I know a lot of people who love this and that's great. I'm just not that person lol.

If I Run

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