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12 days and 16:36:25
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Running Backward
Not yet published
Expected 5 Mar 26Win a free kindle copy of this book!
12 days and 16:36:25
100 copies available
U.S. only
From award-winning author Jacqueline Simon Gunn comes an insightful novel based on true events about trauma, loss, resilience, and ultimately re-building your life after the life you’ve settled into is blown apart.
When Lisa’s husband, Ben, leaves her out-of-the-blue, nothing makes not his reasons, not his actions, not the abrupt change in his demeanor, or his uncharacteristically cruel treatment toward her. Lisa is left with only questions and the excuse he told her—it’s all her fault. In shock for months to follow, Lisa searches for answers and closure from Ben while scrambling to pull herself together and figure out a life she’d never one without her partner of fifteen years. With Ben pushing for a fast divorce, Lisa has to make choices about where and how she wants to live. Just as she’s beginning to rebuild herself and sees a glimmer of hope, more tragedy and heartbreak strike, turning her life upside down again and leaving her even more devastated and lost.
Lisa must figure out how to let go of her past and quickly adjust to her new circumstances as she navigates her way through the complex and messy labyrinth of rediscovery and healing.
When Lisa’s husband, Ben, leaves her out-of-the-blue, nothing makes not his reasons, not his actions, not the abrupt change in his demeanor, or his uncharacteristically cruel treatment toward her. Lisa is left with only questions and the excuse he told her—it’s all her fault. In shock for months to follow, Lisa searches for answers and closure from Ben while scrambling to pull herself together and figure out a life she’d never one without her partner of fifteen years. With Ben pushing for a fast divorce, Lisa has to make choices about where and how she wants to live. Just as she’s beginning to rebuild herself and sees a glimmer of hope, more tragedy and heartbreak strike, turning her life upside down again and leaving her even more devastated and lost.
Lisa must figure out how to let go of her past and quickly adjust to her new circumstances as she navigates her way through the complex and messy labyrinth of rediscovery and healing.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 5, 2026
581 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Simon Gunn
20 books264 followersJacqueline Simon Gunn is an award-winning writer and Manhattan-based clinical psychologist. She is the author of both fiction and non-fiction books as well as many articles, both scholarly and mainstream. With her academic and clinical experience in psychology, Gunn’s novels tend to be psychological and thought-provoking. Always in search of truth, fiction writing, like psychology, is a way for her to explore human nature – motivation, emotions, relationships.
In addition to her clinical work and writing, Gunn is an avid runner, swimmer, yogi and reader, a serious cat lover and coffee connoisseur.
In addition to her clinical work and writing, Gunn is an avid runner, swimmer, yogi and reader, a serious cat lover and coffee connoisseur.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Running Backwards feels like a companion for anyone whose life has been abruptly reoriented. It captures the strange, disorienting experience of moving forward when everything familiar has fallen away. This isn’t a story about nostalgia or undoing the past. It’s about learning how to exist when the rules you lived by no longer apply.
What stands out most was the emotional honesty. The writing gives space to grief, confusion, and resilience without overexplaining or softening them. There’s a quiet strength in how the book treats upheaval, not as a failure, but as a turning point. Anyone who has had their world turned upside down will find something achingly familiar here.
This is a reflective, grounding read. It doesn’t rush toward resolution, but instead sits with uncertainty and makes it feel survivable. The book really resonates.
What stands out most was the emotional honesty. The writing gives space to grief, confusion, and resilience without overexplaining or softening them. There’s a quiet strength in how the book treats upheaval, not as a failure, but as a turning point. Anyone who has had their world turned upside down will find something achingly familiar here.
This is a reflective, grounding read. It doesn’t rush toward resolution, but instead sits with uncertainty and makes it feel survivable. The book really resonates.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Received an ARC from the author. This is my honest review.
Lisa’s life is upended by a sudden divorce she never saw coming. This book is as devastating as it is hopeful and inspiring. The author’s emotional descriptions are beautiful and poignant. You feel her pull backward as she tries to move forward. The author is a psychologist and seamlessly weaves life lessons about adapting to change and the art of resilience that will resonate with most readers.
Can’t recommend enough. Especially for fans of stories that have emotional depth and insight.
Lisa’s life is upended by a sudden divorce she never saw coming. This book is as devastating as it is hopeful and inspiring. The author’s emotional descriptions are beautiful and poignant. You feel her pull backward as she tries to move forward. The author is a psychologist and seamlessly weaves life lessons about adapting to change and the art of resilience that will resonate with most readers.
Can’t recommend enough. Especially for fans of stories that have emotional depth and insight.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews