Review – A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: September 18, 2018
ISBN-13: 978-1481415200
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: ARC through Amazon Vine
Rating: 5/5 stars

“When everything has been taken from you, what else is there to do but run?

So that’s what Annabelle does—she runs from Seattle to Washington, DC, through mountain passes and suburban landscapes, from long lonely roads to college towns. She’s not ready to think about the whyyet, just the how—muscles burning, heart pumping, feet pounding the earth. But no matter how hard she tries, she can’t outrun the tragedy from the past year, or the person—The Taker—that haunts her.

Followed by Grandpa Ed in his RV and backed by her brother and two friends (her self-appointed publicity team), Annabelle becomes a reluctant activist as people connect her journey to the trauma from her past. Her cross-country run gains media attention and she is cheered on as she crosses state borders, and is even thrown a block party and given gifts. The support would be nice, if Annabelle could escape the guilt and the shame from what happened back home. They say it isn’t her fault, but she can’t feel the truth of that.

Through welcome and unwelcome distractions, she just keeps running, to the destination that awaits her. There, she’ll finally face what lies behind her—the miles and love and loss…and what is to come.”

I got this through the Amazon Vine program to review. This was a very well done book about a high school senor that survives a horrible tragedy but is still having trouble coping. She ends up just running in an effort to deal with it and decides to run from Seattle to Washington DC. Initially she is convinced that she caused the tragedy and has a ton of survivor’s guilt.

This was an interesting read. It’s well written and engaging. I loved learning about what someone has to go through physically and mentally to run that long and that hard. I also enjoyed how the population of the US rallied behind the heroine and her goal.

This is an emotionally tough read, it will make you laugh and cry. I am glad I read it but couldn’t read something this intense all the time! The book is mainly set in the present while Annabelle runs, but while running she has flashbacks to her past that reveal what happened to her.

Overall this was a fantastic read that really makes you think about our society’s attitudes and the increasing levels of violence. I would recommend to those who enjoy contemporary YA fiction about inspiring heroines struggling against great odds.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– New Release Reading Challenge
– Goodreads Reading Challenge