This is a beautiful heartwarming book
This book is written so well. It deals with heartbreak and grief but also hope
An amazing debut

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

I was so surprised by this one. What a stark and stunningly beautiful exploration of post natal depression, birth trauma and loss of yourself. I was captivated by this and really felt GiGi’s heartbreak and feelings of being lost.

I’m sure this would be very relatable for many and deeply moving.

4.5 stars

Absolutely loved this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.

Whole narrative just felt callous and insensitive... I get that it can be to showcase depression and a life going through a downward spiral, but this isn't really what I signed up for when I read the blurb and got the book. It just felt overly judgy and biased and just so much of a downer, sadly

This is a very well-written, smart, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreakingly sad novel with a very likeable and relatable main character.

My children are adults now but I remember clearly that being at home alone with babies could often be lonely and boring and was absolutely exhausting. It’s still taboo to say so, even more so now, I feel, with these ‘influencer’ mums who are always immaculate (and so are their homes). So honesty like this is always refreshing. I would have loved to have read this when my children were little.

The characterisation is fabulous, and very well-observed. There are some wonderful observations of middle-class life here, and how it feels to not really fit in. There’s an understanding too of how past events continue to have ramifications on our emotions, our choices, our lives, however long ago they happened.

Recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this ARC

This was unfortunately not a book that could finish. I am sure that this is a book that someone will love and appreciate just wasn't for me

Unfortunately I struggled to connect with this book. Not sure if it was the characters or the subject matter but found myself trying much harder than I should have to in order to finish the book. However this is just my opinion.

I was offered this book from @Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Gigi has a big heart and has carried everyone around her for as long as she can remember, that is, until she can't. The story flits between different times and shows Gigi's at various stages of her life and in her relationship with Harry.

I was expecting a light comedy but this book delivered tragedy, mental breakdown and PTSD. Throughout all of this Gigi is extremely funny.

I was initially drawn in as an American woman from a dysfunctional family, moving to the UK. Loved the author's insights and brilliant humour.

My honest opinion is that I don’t think I was the target audience for this book. I was attracted to it by the link to 9/11 and I felt that this would be more important in the story than it was. This was actually more about the impact of traumatic birth experience (don’t read this if you’re planning a c-section) and a clear case of post natal depression. I felt there was quite a lot of man-bashing as well, as even the nicest male characters are portrayed as unsympathetic and selfish. On the positive side, it was well written in terms of structure and language and I definitely think there’s an audience for this - just not me.

I skipped parts of this book as it seemed to drag on though I could really relate to the main character in the other parts about motherhood.

I chose to read this book as I was curious to read something set around the time of 9-11 and although it was sad it was also interesting hearing how Gigi coped with looking after her nephew and then her little son. It deals sensitively with post natal depression as well.

I nearly stopped reading because of the amount of description about reality tv. The Real housewives.... which I never got into myself.

I liked Gigi's husband and the way the book went across to the UK where I live and hearing about how Gigi coped with the different culture. It was definitely humourous in parts.

I'd actually recommend this in particular to other mothers and perhaps those who are interested in trans atlantic culture.

Not an easy or heartwarming read. It's raw, disturbing and you cannot help feeling emotionally involved.
I struggled a bit as I felt it a bit overbearing at times.
Excellent story and good style of writing.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Lots of praise for this book - it wont be for everyone as it tackles some issues about motherhood that not everyone will want to read -but well worth a read.

This was a hard hitting book, it isn't the book to read for a feel good story, it was so upsetting and heart breaking. I didn't want to put it down as I just wanted to find out more information and I just cried.

When the Twin Towers collapsed, Gigi Stanislawski fled her office building and escaped lower Manhattan on the Staten Island Ferry.

As the dust settles and the grief sets in Gigi knows life will never be the same for her and those around her. A profoundly moving novel about love, loss, motherhood and survival. In this beautifully written story, we follow Gigi and her life in flashbacks from the aftermath of the horrors of the 9/11 terror attacks to present day where the traumatic birth of her son, which has left her struggling with postnatal depression.

We follow Gigi’s story as she navigates a new Live in England, struggling with being homesick and the challenges that come with motherhood, as well as recovering mentally and physically from a difficult labour and still grieving for the loss of her brother. This was a raw and authentic book, and was hard to read in places because you really felt for Gigi and everything she was going through, especially modern pressures on mothers in society. It wasn’t an easy read, but it was a real read.

Thank-you to #Johnmurraypress and #NetGalleyUK

Raw and disturbing.
Well written and engaging, but not a light enjoyable read.
Story swops between New York and London over a number of years starting on 9/11 and ending in 2016.
The horror and tragedy of 9/11 with its horrific images and peoples reactions, bring back the tragic event. It us also when Gigi first. meets Robert, she tries to help him after the explosion and takes him back to her dysfunctional parental home. She learns that her brother Frankie has been killed. Gina was the one who bought Frankie up as their parents were inadequate and later turned to drink.
Gina takes on Frankie and his girlfriend's baby Johnny, although she has little help, support or money she devotes herself to him, sacrificing her career path.
When she meets Robert years later they are still attracted to one another, he cares for Johnny and this part of the novel is amusing and hopeful.
Gigli and Robert marry and move to London, where Gigi experiences a culture shock and is homesick. She gets pregnant, has a difficult pregnancy followed by a difficult birth. The description of her postnatal depression is graphic and uncomfortable, she has little help although Robert tries in his way he does not really understand, can anyone? Unless you have suffered in this way.
How Gigi copes with her 9/11 trauma, the loss of her brother and postnatal depression is exhausting and at times frustrating..

This book broke my heart into a million pieces. It was stunning, gut wrenching and so well put together. 

Gigi flees Manhattan when the twin towers collapse on 9/11 but her younger brother Frankie doesn’t make it. On the boat over to Staten Island, she’s comforted to meet Harry, a regular at her local coffee shop. 

Ten years later and now a single mother Gigi meets Harry again, just by chance, and they fall in love. But when they move to London, it isn’t the fresh start she’d hoped for, and with a new baby to look after, Gigi is left feeling more isolated and anguished with motherhood and in the grief of losing her brother. 

The writing was beautiful - I can’t even explain how much it tugged me into the story and refused to let go. It was written with such brutality, authenticity and passion. It conveyed everything Gigi was feeling at different stages of her life - illustrating the pain and despair flowing through her. She was a relatable character. Even though crushed by her grief and motherhood, she still made me laugh. You could feel her personality oozing from the pages.

The story is beautifully told, showing life with mental illness after having a baby, along with struggling to adjust to life with two children. The story flicks back and forth between the present and certain important times in Gigi’s life. It didn’t feel jolting like it sometimes can with multiple timelines. It helped me understand Gigi’s breakdown, her feelings, and what led up to it. 

This is an incredibly special book and I look forward to reading what comes next for the author. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher, for a copy of this book for an honest review.

When I Ran Away by Ilona Bannister is an interesting story about a woman that runs away for the day while deciding whether she wants to go back to her family.
What a beautiful, tear jerking, heart pounding debut it is! My emotions are truly everywhere!
On the day the twin towers collapse Gigi is at work, she bumps into Harry, a man she has seen in their local coffee shop. He has nowhere to go so she takes him back to her parents’ house, where she waits to hear if her brother Frankie is safe. Unfortunately, Frankie wasn’t so lucky and Harry Is there to comfort and help the family come to terms with the shocking news.

We fast forward eleven years when Gigi and Harry are surprisingly reunited, they fall in love and move to London.

Reading this book brought back the feeling of disbelieve and terror I felt when watching the news on 9/11. I thought it was written beautifully and although it portrays death and depression there is also hope!!
This is amazing debut and I’d like to read future works of the author.
Thank you to Netgalley and John Murray Press for an e ARC of When I Ran Away in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, at times incredibly funny but also very sad. A really good storyline with strong characters. Extremely thought provoking with true insights into motherhood.

This was a fantastic read. A lot of emotive subjects but also some really great humour. I loved Gigi's observations of living in the UK from the USA. After spending some time living in N. America myself I could really relate. A heart-wrenching and heartwarming story. I loved it.