What do you think?
Rate this book
Run Away
Julie’s been haunted by the memories of her failed marriage for far too long. Devastated when Lisa, her teenage daughter, sets off on a Gap Year trip, Julie realises she really is on her own. She buries herself in her work as a beauty journalist and tries not to worry about the lack of news from her daughter. Then, out of the blue she receives an invitation to go on a press trip to a perfumery school in Paris. There, she meets and falls in love with the suave, sexy Olivier and they begin a tentative cross-Channel relationship. But can she be sure he feels the same way about her? She has no time to find out- an urgent call from ex-husband Martin telling her that their daughter has disappeared whilst staying with him compels Julie to fly out to Australia in search of her. What or who made Lisa run away? Julie is confronted with her past, but is she ready to face the future?
253 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
About the author
Alex Johnson
2 books108 followersI love writing and find time every day to get words down, even though I hold down a day job as a beauty journalist and researcher.
The idea for Run Away came after spending many anxious weeks sitting at the computer waiting for emails from my 18-year old son who was on his Gap Year travelling round South East Asia. This was all before the days of Facebook and twitter, but I'm not sure accessing his Facebook page would have been any less alarming! I was more relaxed, but only marginally so, when my second son set off on his Gap Year adventures. Those years certainly provided a fantastic backdrop to my first novel, Run Away, available on amazon.
In April 2015, I published my second novel called The Perfume Muse, a sequel to Run Away. Set in Grasse, France, the world capital of perfume. The story is about the difficulties of falling in love: how Julie is torn between two men, both perfumers, who tangle with her affections through the creation of perfume inspired by and exclusively for her.
My third novel is on a completely different theme that takes me deep into my mother's past and survival during the Dutch Hunger Winter in World War 2.
The idea for Run Away came after spending many anxious weeks sitting at the computer waiting for emails from my 18-year old son who was on his Gap Year travelling round South East Asia. This was all before the days of Facebook and twitter, but I'm not sure accessing his Facebook page would have been any less alarming! I was more relaxed, but only marginally so, when my second son set off on his Gap Year adventures. Those years certainly provided a fantastic backdrop to my first novel, Run Away, available on amazon.
In April 2015, I published my second novel called The Perfume Muse, a sequel to Run Away. Set in Grasse, France, the world capital of perfume. The story is about the difficulties of falling in love: how Julie is torn between two men, both perfumers, who tangle with her affections through the creation of perfume inspired by and exclusively for her.
My third novel is on a completely different theme that takes me deep into my mother's past and survival during the Dutch Hunger Winter in World War 2.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 25, 2013
Run Away lifts the lid, for me, on the way certain women think and behave. Heroine Julie has a lot of stress in her life: a daughter with whom she has a fraught relationship, who has who has ‘gone travelling’ to destinations unknown and who won’t keep in touch, loneliness after the break-up of her marriage, and the vagaries of her life as a freelance journalist.
We see the story from the two viewpoints of mother Julie, and that of her daughter Lisa.
Life isn’t easy for Lisa by any means. Her relationship with her best friend Emma is under strain, especially when a boy they both fancy seems to be playing them off against one another, all set against the backdrop of wild hedonistic partying in Thailand.
Meanwhile, back in the UK, Julie is exposed to the bitchiness of the ghastly Stella Whiting, a rival journalist who is married to the brother of Julie’s errant husband Martin, who left her to begin a new life in Australia with young redhead Amy.
However, life takes a turn for the better when Julie goes to Paris on a job and meets handsome perfumier Olivier, with whom she falls in love.
The story moves from Lisa’s experiences in Australia, meeting her father Martin and her trials and tribulations with putative boyfriend Dan, and Julie’s fast progressing love affair with Olivier, that has its many ups and downs.
There are characters to heartily dislike, such as the awful Stella, who does her best to destroy Julie’s happiness, and plenty of people to like and to root for, not least Julie, easy going Martin, whose new life in Australia isn’t as idyllic as it seems, and Lisa, who has problems of her own, but who manages to get things together finally. I also liked interesting and enigmatic Olivier, who seems to be a good guy through and through – in fact when I was in Paris last month in a restaurant when I saw a sophisticated man talking to a woman at the next table, I thought ‘he is exactly as I imagined Olivier’.
It’s an interesting story, and, to me, an insight into how truly vicious and vindictive unpleasant women can behave towards one another. It touches on the difficulties of modern family life, especially the jealousies and rivalries engendered by divorce and new family dynamics. And there are red herring and twists to the plot, whereby misunderstandings become huge problems, until all is finally resolved.
It’s a very rewarding, engrossing story that engages you from the first page. A really good read.
We see the story from the two viewpoints of mother Julie, and that of her daughter Lisa.
Life isn’t easy for Lisa by any means. Her relationship with her best friend Emma is under strain, especially when a boy they both fancy seems to be playing them off against one another, all set against the backdrop of wild hedonistic partying in Thailand.
Meanwhile, back in the UK, Julie is exposed to the bitchiness of the ghastly Stella Whiting, a rival journalist who is married to the brother of Julie’s errant husband Martin, who left her to begin a new life in Australia with young redhead Amy.
However, life takes a turn for the better when Julie goes to Paris on a job and meets handsome perfumier Olivier, with whom she falls in love.
The story moves from Lisa’s experiences in Australia, meeting her father Martin and her trials and tribulations with putative boyfriend Dan, and Julie’s fast progressing love affair with Olivier, that has its many ups and downs.
There are characters to heartily dislike, such as the awful Stella, who does her best to destroy Julie’s happiness, and plenty of people to like and to root for, not least Julie, easy going Martin, whose new life in Australia isn’t as idyllic as it seems, and Lisa, who has problems of her own, but who manages to get things together finally. I also liked interesting and enigmatic Olivier, who seems to be a good guy through and through – in fact when I was in Paris last month in a restaurant when I saw a sophisticated man talking to a woman at the next table, I thought ‘he is exactly as I imagined Olivier’.
It’s an interesting story, and, to me, an insight into how truly vicious and vindictive unpleasant women can behave towards one another. It touches on the difficulties of modern family life, especially the jealousies and rivalries engendered by divorce and new family dynamics. And there are red herring and twists to the plot, whereby misunderstandings become huge problems, until all is finally resolved.
It’s a very rewarding, engrossing story that engages you from the first page. A really good read.
July 8, 2015
Run Away is a contemporary family relationships book which deals with the aftermath of a marriage break-up and the fall out of those involved. Julie Whiting is a freelance journalist and struggles to get over the betrayal of her husband leaving her for a younger woman and moving to Australia. Her anger has consumed her life and her relationship with her daughter.
Lisa is 18 and desperate to get away from the fighting with her Mum. She heads off travelling with the sole intention of getting to Australia and facing the father whom abandoned her. Upon arriving in Melbourne, Lisa finds that her Dad has a new family and one her older estranged brother is also aware of as he now lives here too. But the welcome from her Dad's new wife isn't very warm.
Back at home in England, alone, Julie picks up an invite to attend a perfume launch in Paris and meets Frenchman Olivier Chabot whom she falls in love with.
This story reflects much of our everyday lives, where families are fuelled by anger, resentment, regret and errors which multiply into more hurt. I did find the characters hard to relate to because of all their anger issues.
Lisa is 18 and desperate to get away from the fighting with her Mum. She heads off travelling with the sole intention of getting to Australia and facing the father whom abandoned her. Upon arriving in Melbourne, Lisa finds that her Dad has a new family and one her older estranged brother is also aware of as he now lives here too. But the welcome from her Dad's new wife isn't very warm.
Back at home in England, alone, Julie picks up an invite to attend a perfume launch in Paris and meets Frenchman Olivier Chabot whom she falls in love with.
This story reflects much of our everyday lives, where families are fuelled by anger, resentment, regret and errors which multiply into more hurt. I did find the characters hard to relate to because of all their anger issues.
April 7, 2015
Another 4 stars. I have a disclaimer first! I have met the author a couple of times and she is in the creative writing group of a very good friend of mine. And, I must admit, that was how I was introduced to her and downloaded Run Away.
However, I didn't promise a review or a good one but this is a great book. I suppose it's classed as "chick lit" these days but the characters were honest and engaging. I could relate to them really easily and was drawn into the story in the first few pages - always a good sign.
I only hesitated on 5 stars as there is a section about 3/4 of the way through the book that was a bit unbelievable, although I could see why it was done. No spoilers here! Also, I don't think the title explains the story. A different title may attract more readers.
Alex has just released her latest book - Perfume Wars - on Kindle and I have downloaded it. Not read it yet but I am looking forward to it.
However, I didn't promise a review or a good one but this is a great book. I suppose it's classed as "chick lit" these days but the characters were honest and engaging. I could relate to them really easily and was drawn into the story in the first few pages - always a good sign.
I only hesitated on 5 stars as there is a section about 3/4 of the way through the book that was a bit unbelievable, although I could see why it was done. No spoilers here! Also, I don't think the title explains the story. A different title may attract more readers.
Alex has just released her latest book - Perfume Wars - on Kindle and I have downloaded it. Not read it yet but I am looking forward to it.
February 25, 2013
I really enjoyed the story line. But the ending just abruptly ended and left me feeling so disappointed in the book.
Want to Read
February 25, 2016kindle 253
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews