Melissa is a lovely girl but has a habit of running away and meeting up with the wrong crowd .
When she gets picked up by the police she is locked up .
I had a ARC from Pan Macmillan

This story is about Melissa the 12 year old who has a tendencies to run away, would Angela and Jonathan cope with a runaway?? Angela and Jonathan have had specialist training to look after difficult children or children that have issues. So they bring Melissa into their home and hope she settles, Melissa is a friendly, polite outgoing child who seems to be staying with them, but then Melissa runs away on more than one occasion, Angela and Jonathan deal with it valiantly but never really know what Melissa is up to and who she is running off with.

Another great book by Angela Hart, The Girl in the Dark gives you a great insight into Fostering children, when they Foster a 12 year old girl called Melissa, who keeps constantly running away, walking out of school after one lesson, sneaking out in the middle of the night, returning home days later, I really envied Angela and Jonathan in the professional way they dealt with Melissa, they both do an amazing job, I enjoyed this book very much.

Great, quick reading. Intriguing, unpredictable.

I loved this new book from Angela Hart. I've read quite a few fostering memoirs from other authors but only recently found this author. I really like her books. This is the third one I've read now, I read it in just two days, and she's my new favourite author in this genre.

Angela and husband Jonathan combine fostering with having their own business-running a flower shop. She admits they've never dealt with this scenario before-a regular runaway. It's never preachy or 'I know everything'. The placement will be for five weeks-but will it, or will it turn out differently? Melissa is just 12 years old.

This is just a little touch but I like this-how she uses a quote from within the chapter for the chapter title.

One of the best of these type of memoirs I've read. Some of them get quite repetitive; routine stuff mentioned in every book-this had action and suspense. It got to be a real roller coaster read-which I wasn't expecting: with these sort of books, it's usually, foster a difficult child-they improve their ways, they move on to their forever home, and all turns out for the best. This book is so much more.
Such a good book, a gripping read which really keeps you guessing.

Great read and real eye opener to the drastic reality of fostering young teenagers who are vulnerable and experienced lot of trauma in their young age. The story shows to what extent the foster parents care and do everything they can to make children's lives better. They live for these children. Sad sad opening the eyes to the injustice of the world towards these little souls.
Great book. Would definitely recommend.

Another brilliant read by Angela, you feel as your living through the emotions with her. I pre order all of Angela's books now as I have never read one of hers that hasn't been good.

This story makes me so happy and sad as you realise how tough life is out there for foster kids and not everyone can be saved...

And she's done it again! Angela Hart inspires me so much that I'm genuinely thinking of looking into fostering myself once my son's are a little older. 12 year old Melissa who runs away constantly is taken in by Angela and her husband. I have all of Angela harts books after her lovely publishers sent me the full collection which many of my family and friends have borrowed. I find these stories heartbreaking and sometimes they're hard to read but these kinds of books are a must for raising awareness of what hard work foster carers actually do. If only there were more people like Angela opening her heart and her home to these kids that desperately need help and to be loved without consequence

Foster carers Angela and Jonathan were asked to take in 12 year old Melissa, who kept running away. Although they didn't hesitate Angela did talk to her previous carer for some advice and was warned they would find it stressful. Melissa was known as a runner. Disappearing for days on end.
She was a lovely young girl but something or someone was making her run away time after time

You have to take your hat off to the work carers do as its not easy and often a thankless task. They do their best to look after each child and not only show them love, but help them cope with the trauma they have gone through in their young lives. I love the fact that many of the children keep in touch with Angela and Jonathan after they leave and make lives for themselves.
I have no hesitation in recommending this book and it gets a full five stars from me.

This is the second of Angela’s books I’ve read. The story of 12 year old Melissa who keeps running away from her foster carers. These books give great insight into the world of fostering.

This is my second Angela Hart book and I really enjoyed it. Hart's writing is really easy to read and it compels you to read on as you want to find out what exactly is happening with Melissa. The epilogue is vital for this book and for possibly understanding why Melissa acted the way she did.

I enjoy reading these stories about fostering but they can also be very interesting. This story about a young girl called Melissa and the things she gets up to is hard to read but I also wanted to know how it ended up. I really feel for the carers as they are helpless to do anything but just sit and wait for news. An insight into real life fostering as I think people imagine it's an easy job to do but it's far for it. I look forward to reading more by Angela.

A heart breaking true story of foster carers and the troubled children they take in, their dealings with social services, police, education authorities and families and the problems they incur. This series of books deals with some of the reasons why children end up in the care and the aftermath that foster carers have to manage

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Oh what a heart wrenching read about Melissa a 12 year old who keeps running away. This was such a well written story.

This is another story by Angela Hart on one of the children they have fostered over the years.

This story is about Melissa the 12 year old who has a tendencies to run away, would Angela and Jonathan cope with a runaway?? Angela and Jonathan have had specialist training to look after difficult children or children that have issues. So they bring Melissa into their home and hope she settles, Melissa is a friendly, polite outgoing child who seems to be staying with them, but then Melissa runs away on more than one occasion, Angela and Jonathan deal with it valiantly but never really know what Melissa is up to and who she is running off with.

I couldn't imagine being in Angela and Jonathan situation and not being able to do anything, I would want to sit by the phone just to wait.

This is a well written story and you feel for the carers, as no one seems to want to help.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. This book is absolutely brilliant, very well written. The storyline is incredible. It’s hits hard to know that this is real life. It’s such a sad and cruel world in which we live in. It’s one of those stories that stay with you for a long time after you have finished reading. I really enjoyed this book.