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Runaway Road: The emotional YA coming-of-age family story set in Northern Ireland
Runaway Road is a moving story of family and belonging set in contemporary Northern Ireland. By Sue Divin, author of Truth Be Told.
Perfect for fans of Margaret McDonald's Glasgow Boys.
'An absolutely gripping read, the sort of book it's impossible to put down.' - Jan Carson
'Moving, funny, cinematic, compelling' - Bernie McGill
'This powerful, immersive story explores difference and belonging with real compassion and thoroughly engaging wit' - Byddi Lee, author of Barren
Ezra is 16. He’s no stranger to crossing the line, but this time it's really bad - and there's no going back.
His only hope of escape is to cross another line, the Northern Irish border, but that will mean leaving behind the only thing that really matters, his little sister, Evie.
Evie is 9 and sees it differently. Ezra took her into care, into safety, the last time they ran away. Why shouldn’t she go on the run with him now?
Perfect for fans of Margaret McDonald's Glasgow Boys.
'An absolutely gripping read, the sort of book it's impossible to put down.' - Jan Carson
'Moving, funny, cinematic, compelling' - Bernie McGill
'This powerful, immersive story explores difference and belonging with real compassion and thoroughly engaging wit' - Byddi Lee, author of Barren
Ezra is 16. He’s no stranger to crossing the line, but this time it's really bad - and there's no going back.
His only hope of escape is to cross another line, the Northern Irish border, but that will mean leaving behind the only thing that really matters, his little sister, Evie.
Evie is 9 and sees it differently. Ezra took her into care, into safety, the last time they ran away. Why shouldn’t she go on the run with him now?
- GenresYoung Adult
299 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 16, 2026
Really enjoyed this story, felt for ezra and his sister was very much like my daughter. Some parts got me bit frustrated, but having to remember its Ya and I think he would think different to someone older.
June 1, 2026
It was absolutely amazing. It was very gripping and was hard to put down. It explains all the hard times of northern ireland well during brexit, Covid, etc. It was very eye-opening to what is going on behind closed doors, and it was easy to relate to all the areas. Very well written
June 3, 2026
4.5 stars
Arc sent in exchange for an honest review. My favourite read in May. This book broke my heart at every step. Consistently melancholy, well worth the read. A beautiful book about family, belonging, identity, second chances, and how important it is for us to let kids be kids. They deserve safety, security and love. A lot emotionally, but worth it.
Arc sent in exchange for an honest review. My favourite read in May. This book broke my heart at every step. Consistently melancholy, well worth the read. A beautiful book about family, belonging, identity, second chances, and how important it is for us to let kids be kids. They deserve safety, security and love. A lot emotionally, but worth it.
January 20, 2026
Runaway Road hit me square in the heart, with characters that you want to reach into the book and take care of. Divin puts front and centre the young people that have fallen through the cracks in our system, left to struggle with inherited traumas that are too big to carry. A story of love, second chances and the journey needed to let go of what you can’t run away from.
May 15, 2026
I couldn’t wait to read this book, being from NI I was looking forward to immersing myself in some fiction from home. First thoughts were that the narration was outstanding, unlike some other books where the Irish accents are just a bit off.
Next, I fell for these characters. I almost wasn’t ready for the emotional attachment. As a safeguarding lead and looked-after child lead in my work life I just opened my heart to Ezra and Evie. This story perfectly outlines all of the barriers these children have to overcome and the impact of generational trauma.
I was rooting for them, each in their different ways and felt like I was walking through the streets with them and trying to learn to sw for the first time. I can’t explain how perfectly the characters develop and one lost boy transitions from being a father figure to a brother who has rediscovered his childhood.
I’m also tempted to start every message and email with my battery life now! 97% - I can’t recommend this book enough!
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC, I was so lucky to have had the chance to read this.
Next, I fell for these characters. I almost wasn’t ready for the emotional attachment. As a safeguarding lead and looked-after child lead in my work life I just opened my heart to Ezra and Evie. This story perfectly outlines all of the barriers these children have to overcome and the impact of generational trauma.
I was rooting for them, each in their different ways and felt like I was walking through the streets with them and trying to learn to sw for the first time. I can’t explain how perfectly the characters develop and one lost boy transitions from being a father figure to a brother who has rediscovered his childhood.
I’m also tempted to start every message and email with my battery life now! 97% - I can’t recommend this book enough!
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC, I was so lucky to have had the chance to read this.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and feelings below are my own. (1.5 stars, rounded down.)
God. This book was a mess for me, personally. The writing was the biggest distraction - an egregious overuse of hyphenated words made this hard to read and I kept being pulled out of the story whenever I realised how many hyphenated words/phrases we were getting each paragraph. It was actually too much. Maybe it'd work for someone else, but it didn't work for me. When we started getting an overload of full. Stops. Between. Every. Word. I was already over the hyphens, so that only made me more angry.
The plot was a repetitive, sloppy pile of nothing. It felt like Ezra never even tried to be there for Evie and Alannah. He'd always think he was, but then he never actually was. He was just always thinking about running. It was so jarring, and so annoying, to the point where I started to skim read from chapter 25 onwards. Therefore, I did not care about the characters. The way they were written didn't help either. The author clearly wanted to flex her knowledge of the English language, but then it just ended up making these characters - who are a nine year old and an uneducated sixteen year old, by the way - sound way smarter than they realistically should've. It only added to the struggles I had with the writing (as outlined above).
By the time we got to the end, I was just glad the story was over. I didn't care about Ezra or Evie, I didn't care about Ezra with Alannah. I didn't care. This was a drag and a half, and no 300 page long book should feel like this. After really enjoying Guard Your Heart by this author, I'm very disappointed that I didn't like this one too.
God. This book was a mess for me, personally. The writing was the biggest distraction - an egregious overuse of hyphenated words made this hard to read and I kept being pulled out of the story whenever I realised how many hyphenated words/phrases we were getting each paragraph. It was actually too much. Maybe it'd work for someone else, but it didn't work for me. When we started getting an overload of full. Stops. Between. Every. Word. I was already over the hyphens, so that only made me more angry.
The plot was a repetitive, sloppy pile of nothing. It felt like Ezra never even tried to be there for Evie and Alannah. He'd always think he was, but then he never actually was. He was just always thinking about running. It was so jarring, and so annoying, to the point where I started to skim read from chapter 25 onwards. Therefore, I did not care about the characters. The way they were written didn't help either. The author clearly wanted to flex her knowledge of the English language, but then it just ended up making these characters - who are a nine year old and an uneducated sixteen year old, by the way - sound way smarter than they realistically should've. It only added to the struggles I had with the writing (as outlined above).
By the time we got to the end, I was just glad the story was over. I didn't care about Ezra or Evie, I didn't care about Ezra with Alannah. I didn't care. This was a drag and a half, and no 300 page long book should feel like this. After really enjoying Guard Your Heart by this author, I'm very disappointed that I didn't like this one too.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
In Runaway Road, Sue Divin creates a moving and powerful story about young people who fall between the cracks in society.
After desperation drives 16-year-old Ezra to become entangled in a terrible crime, fearing for his life, he flees over the Irish border, taking his kid sister Evie with him. Can Ezra get his life back on track or will he keep running forever?
As always, Divin draws the rich and complex lives of young adults in vivid detail, creating engaging characters who readers will love as they watch them try, fail, and strive to do better even when it seems the whole world is against them. In particular, Divin draws attention to the strength, creativity and resourcefulness of neurodiverse children and teens and asks you to think about what you would do when faced with an impossible choice?
A standout moment for me is when Evie finds herself without the support of her big brother and wonders, despite her young age, if she is now the one in charge of the struggling teenagers and adults around her, showing in stark detail the loss of innocence and enforced maturity of kids in crisis.
I hope this book finds its way to the young adults who need to hear its message of hope, second chances and bravery.
After desperation drives 16-year-old Ezra to become entangled in a terrible crime, fearing for his life, he flees over the Irish border, taking his kid sister Evie with him. Can Ezra get his life back on track or will he keep running forever?
As always, Divin draws the rich and complex lives of young adults in vivid detail, creating engaging characters who readers will love as they watch them try, fail, and strive to do better even when it seems the whole world is against them. In particular, Divin draws attention to the strength, creativity and resourcefulness of neurodiverse children and teens and asks you to think about what you would do when faced with an impossible choice?
A standout moment for me is when Evie finds herself without the support of her big brother and wonders, despite her young age, if she is now the one in charge of the struggling teenagers and adults around her, showing in stark detail the loss of innocence and enforced maturity of kids in crisis.
I hope this book finds its way to the young adults who need to hear its message of hope, second chances and bravery.
May 9, 2026
This is an incredible book, deeply moving and inspiring. The two voices, Ezra and his autistic younger sister, are both unique and distinct, written in a captivating and empathetic style. The darkness of their lives and the situation they find themselves in is lifted by Evie's charm and by moments of radiant natural beauty. The plot and the characters are layered and realistic, capturing a sense of Ireland's troubled past and offering a hopeful future.
In the afterword, the author says, 'Does devaluing listening risk devaluing people?' She encourages us not to simplify stories or categorise people in black-and-white terms, and, in telling Ezra's story, she offers a powerful antidote to the binary thinking that causes so many social ills. She's certainly made me listen. Reminiscent of Siobhan Dowd, Sue Divin is a voice to be reckoned with.
In the afterword, the author says, 'Does devaluing listening risk devaluing people?' She encourages us not to simplify stories or categorise people in black-and-white terms, and, in telling Ezra's story, she offers a powerful antidote to the binary thinking that causes so many social ills. She's certainly made me listen. Reminiscent of Siobhan Dowd, Sue Divin is a voice to be reckoned with.
May 7, 2026
⭐️4.5 stars rounded up⭐️
Ezra is 16 and in the care system with his little sister, Evie. She is 9 and believes her big brother, yellow "Monster Munch" and peach ice tea are the best things in life. Set in modern Northern Ireland and touching on the care and justice systems, paramilitary activity, "Black Lives Matter", slavery, neurodivergence without an iota of box ticking. The love between siblings and the family they find as they try and heal from past trauma and make their way in a world, which can be unkind, genuinely affected me. I failed to quell tears for the last 15% of the book and feel like I'll be thinking of Ezra and Evie for days.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Ezra is 16 and in the care system with his little sister, Evie. She is 9 and believes her big brother, yellow "Monster Munch" and peach ice tea are the best things in life. Set in modern Northern Ireland and touching on the care and justice systems, paramilitary activity, "Black Lives Matter", slavery, neurodivergence without an iota of box ticking. The love between siblings and the family they find as they try and heal from past trauma and make their way in a world, which can be unkind, genuinely affected me. I failed to quell tears for the last 15% of the book and feel like I'll be thinking of Ezra and Evie for days.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 9, 2026
Absolutely brilliant.
Just finished reading Sue Divin’s Runaway Road, my holiday read. So good. A rollercoaster of emotions. It’s a dual narrative where each character is beautifully drawn and the writing standard exceptional. The plot and the settings have clear development, working in tandem as each stage of jeopardy or salvation is accompanied by a physical change in location.
The characters are young but this story would appeal to anyone with an interest in social care of disadvantaged young people, the youth justice system, neurodiversity, and second chances.
There are many heroes in this story and the world needs more of them.
Highly recommended and honestly I’m really picky! If you like it read this author’s other work too. You won’t be disappointed.
Just finished reading Sue Divin’s Runaway Road, my holiday read. So good. A rollercoaster of emotions. It’s a dual narrative where each character is beautifully drawn and the writing standard exceptional. The plot and the settings have clear development, working in tandem as each stage of jeopardy or salvation is accompanied by a physical change in location.
The characters are young but this story would appeal to anyone with an interest in social care of disadvantaged young people, the youth justice system, neurodiversity, and second chances.
There are many heroes in this story and the world needs more of them.
Highly recommended and honestly I’m really picky! If you like it read this author’s other work too. You won’t be disappointed.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
i liked this book. lots to say about the state of the care system, follows a tearaway boy, Ezra, who goes on the run with his 9 year old sister after a botched burglary, with the aim of reuniting with the only foster family he liked. Throughout the book, it reads like a love letter to Derry, and Donegal when it isn't describing the various bad things happening to the pair. That said there are moments of light throughout and the character of Evie, his neurodivergent sister is particularly well drawn. worth a read if you are a fan of YA.
June 14, 2026
This is such an important book of our time. I have read it three times now and each time, I find something new. Character driven, full of pace, heart and emotional truth, we go on a journey with Ezra and Evie and learn who we need to be for each other. Characters full of complexity , humour and courage. Sue Divin is a dynamic, emotive truth teller. Insightful and full of integrity, this story is not just for young adults , it is for all of us. We were all young once . Bravo Sue. Loved every word .
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I was sent an uncorrected proof copy of Runaway Road by Sue Divin to read and review by NetGalley. This is an outstanding book. It is definitely my favourite read of the year so far. Beautifully written in quite a unique style, even though writing first person isn’t actually unique! Read it and I’m sure you will see what I mean. I felt almost every sort of emotion whilst reading this novel, and yes I did cry! It is poignant, insightful, tender, heartbreaking, hopeful, wise, and everything in between. I personally think that this book should be on the school curriculum, in fact everyone should read it. I will definitely be searching out the author’s other titles. The top 5 stars easily given to this one!
June 1, 2026
Just finished this beauty! Runaway Road dives deep into big issues like life in care, young offenders, and Northern Irish history, and does it with the unique, poetic, and heartfelt style that characterises all of Sue Divin’s wonderful books.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
what this book has to say about the care system is heartbreaking
July 24, 2026
Runaway Road is a page turner with a big heart. You care for the characters from page one; the alternating perspectives between teenage Ezra and his 9-year-old sister Evie give insight into both characters - how they perceive the world and each other. It’s a young adult novel that will appeal to adults, and showcases Sue’s talents as a writer. When the runaways-from-care are caught and you feel the story might flag, it takes off again as Ezie is brought face to face with his involvement in the inciting robbery and what might have been a murder. It’s heartbreaking and uplifting as Ezra swings between a bleak resignation to a life in prison and increasing glimmers of hope for himself and his wee sister; we’re rooting for him to believe the future can be better. And at the end, wanting to know how the siblings’ lives turn out is the sign of a good story well told. Wonderful painting of the locations which could grace any Donegal and Inishowen tourist brochure. A great read.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews