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Run
Bo Dickinson is a girl with a wild reputation, a deadbeat dad, and an alcoholic mom. Everyone in town knows the Dickinsons are a bad lot, but Bo doesn't care what anyone thinks.
Agnes Atwood has never stayed out past ten p.m., never gone on a date, and never broken any of her parents' overbearing rules. Rules that are meant to protect their legally-blind daughter, but Agnes isn't quite sure what they are protecting her from.
Despite everything, Bo and Agnes become best friends. And it's the sort of friendship that runs truer more deeply than anything else. But when Bo shows up in the middle of the night, police sirens wailing in the distance, Agnes is faced with the biggest choice she's ever had to make. Run, or stay?
Agnes Atwood has never stayed out past ten p.m., never gone on a date, and never broken any of her parents' overbearing rules. Rules that are meant to protect their legally-blind daughter, but Agnes isn't quite sure what they are protecting her from.
Despite everything, Bo and Agnes become best friends. And it's the sort of friendship that runs truer more deeply than anything else. But when Bo shows up in the middle of the night, police sirens wailing in the distance, Agnes is faced with the biggest choice she's ever had to make. Run, or stay?
326 pages, Paperback
First published June 28, 2016
79 people are currently reading
7622 people want to read
About the author
Kody Keplinger
18 books6,756 followersKody Keplinger is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of books like The DUFF, That's Not What Happened, and Where Lost Girls Go, as well as many others. Her debut novel, The DUFF, was published when she was nineteen years old and was later adapted into a feature film starring Mae Whitman. Kody is legally blind and queer and many of her books feature characters from those backgrounds as well. When not writing, she loves to play Dungeons and Dragons and hang out with her dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 420 reviews
January 7, 2024
To say that Agnes and Bo are polar opposites would be grossly overstating their similarities….at least at first glance. It is difficult to imagine what the serene, docile blind girl would discuss with the most promiscuous wild-child in the small southern town. It is initially inconceivable that the two would form a bond built on trust and whole-hearted acceptance. Run isn’t a SnapChat view of two teenagers’ lives. Ms. Keplinger uses a wide lens to clearly capture the vast and complicated contributing factors that affect not only how other people see the girls; but also their own perceptions of themselves.
That is not to say, however; that this is a dark and heavy tome. Contrarily, I found this to be immediately irresistible and I ended up reading the book in one day. It is so easy to become immersed, then invested in a story that is told from two points of view. Ms. Keplinger spins the tale in that fashion, with a fantastic little tense twist. True to her very core, Bo’s side of the story is happening right now, present tense, in your face---exactly the way she lives her life. Agnes takes us back---remembering, yes….but also, considering and contemplating.
While I hesitate to use comparisons in reviews, I genuinely feel that I would be remiss if I did not say: this story, to me, feels important in an Eleanor and Park kind of way. Although it is undeniably Bo and Agnes’ story; their parents do play a key role. Just like the teens; adults can be guilty of making and sticking to snap judgments. Also alongside adolescents; adults have plenty of room to grow. I’ve no doubt Run will have mass appeal in the YA world and I’m pretty confident that there are plenty of Not-So-Young Adults that will dig it, too.
This review was written for Buried Under Books by jv poore.
That is not to say, however; that this is a dark and heavy tome. Contrarily, I found this to be immediately irresistible and I ended up reading the book in one day. It is so easy to become immersed, then invested in a story that is told from two points of view. Ms. Keplinger spins the tale in that fashion, with a fantastic little tense twist. True to her very core, Bo’s side of the story is happening right now, present tense, in your face---exactly the way she lives her life. Agnes takes us back---remembering, yes….but also, considering and contemplating.
While I hesitate to use comparisons in reviews, I genuinely feel that I would be remiss if I did not say: this story, to me, feels important in an Eleanor and Park kind of way. Although it is undeniably Bo and Agnes’ story; their parents do play a key role. Just like the teens; adults can be guilty of making and sticking to snap judgments. Also alongside adolescents; adults have plenty of room to grow. I’ve no doubt Run will have mass appeal in the YA world and I’m pretty confident that there are plenty of Not-So-Young Adults that will dig it, too.
This review was written for Buried Under Books by jv poore.
August 27, 2017
This is such a strong story of friendship and trust, I loved it! Bo and Agnes and as different as night and day but they fit together so well as they're the only people in town that truly understand each other. The idea to run away and start a life at 17 was a little delusional and both they and I knew that from the beginning, but that didn't take away from how invested I was in their futures.
Bo and Agnes both get a point of view, with Bo telling you about running away and Agnes telling you about how their friendship began up until the night they steal her sister's car. Their voices and personalities were so individual and I enjoyed both parts equally. You could just tell this was a story that was so well planned out and a passion project for Kody Keplinger.
Agnes' discussion of her disability was really great too, and even more powerful knowing that it was from an Own Voices perspective! We definitely need more characters like her in YA!
It even got a few tears out of me because of the sheer amount of love between these two. If you're looking for more friendship oriented stories, definitely check this one out.
Bo and Agnes both get a point of view, with Bo telling you about running away and Agnes telling you about how their friendship began up until the night they steal her sister's car. Their voices and personalities were so individual and I enjoyed both parts equally. You could just tell this was a story that was so well planned out and a passion project for Kody Keplinger.
Agnes' discussion of her disability was really great too, and even more powerful knowing that it was from an Own Voices perspective! We definitely need more characters like her in YA!
It even got a few tears out of me because of the sheer amount of love between these two. If you're looking for more friendship oriented stories, definitely check this one out.
setting-aside-for-now
June 14, 2016I like the original cover SO much better.
I'm setting this aside for now and will try it again later. Just not keeping my attention.
I'm setting this aside for now and will try it again later. Just not keeping my attention.
February 16, 2016
“It had been creeping up on me for a while, this feeling of being caged. But you don’t always know something is choking you until it’s already too tight and you can’t breathe real well.”
What do you think of when you say the word run? Cowardice? Courage? For me, the word hints at speed, freedom, and danger. Just three letters form one powerful word and action. Escape, leave, get out! RUN! Ms. Keplinger’s story is not only about running away, but also about finding someplace or someone to run to and to call home.
Run introduces us to Bo Dickinson and Agnes Atwood, two girls trapped and boxed in for totally different reasons and ways. The Dickinson family is the town of Mursey’s source of gossip and condescending pity. No matter what Bo or any other Dickinson does—the town comes up with bigger, badder versions. Agnes, on the other hand, is treated like the town angel. That’s how the town seems to see her. The poor blind girl that has to have someone guide and help her every step of the way. But Bo and Agnes might just shatter those perceptions in one fell swoop! The night they decide to run changes everything.
Kody Keplinger hit my book radar and must-read list in one shot with Duff a few years ago. Her style and voice is fun and direct and more often than not will stir up a new topic or way of looking at an old one. She always seems to look at a subject in a new, up to date way. And she doesn’t beat around the bush either. She’ll throw it out there for readers to discuss and feel. From sex to friendship! In Run, I felt her words put a voice to powerful views and emotions on blindness. Feelings and ideas that needed to be said—such as feeling like a burden or being treated like a burden and being pitied or trapped with no future because of blindness. The way her parents sheltered and suffocated Agnes was not helping her find her way in this world. But Agnes needed to stand up for what she wanted, needed and deserved in life too. Sometimes it takes a push from someone new to make someone realize the truth though—someone like Bo Dickinson. Just because someone is blind doesn’t mean he or she can’t go to college, go out at night, or hell—walk down the street alone. It was a joy to see Agnes start to break out of her prison bit by bit and dream and hope. Farsighted, nearsighted or blind, these topics will resonate with any and all readers. We all want a future to work towards and dream of. We all want a place to call home. A family and friend to trust and love. Will Bo and Agnes find that in each other?
Agnes and Bo’s intense friendship is played out in alternating point of view chapters and timelines. We see their friendship from the beginning just a few months before and then on the run now. We are in the dark for most of the book as to why the girls are on the run or what they may be keeping from each other. But as the chapters tick on by, the time gap gets tighter and tighter until we run smack dab into the current situation. It was a dazzling way to share their story. Suspense packed into quick chapters filled with singing, poetry, stolen cars, courage, and sadness. One particular transition between chapters had me saying—wow! out loud. I love transitions that flow and work that beautifully. These words and pages fostered mystery, suspense, and hope all the way through to the end. To an ending I adored.
On a personal note, my niece is legally blind, so I am always looking out for young adult novels depicting blind characters. And when I saw Kody Keplinger had one coming out, I leaped for it! Thank you once again, Ms. Keplinger for addressing a subject with courage and compassion and intelligence. You always seem to put the heart of the matter on the page.
Through the sharing, fighting, “maybe"s and more, Bo and Agnes show readers how strong and capable they can be. But also how much they needed someone to believe in them and see them as they are or want to be in this world. Running may not be the solution, but it might be the inspiration Agnes and Bo need to really see what they want in this world.
Highly recommended.
**Quote taken from ARC**
February 19, 2017
El primer libro de Kody que leo y me lleve una sorpresa agradable.
A pesar de no ser el mejor libro del mundo, lo disfrute bastante. Las protagonistas fueron lo más interesante de todo el libro. Bo es bisexual y Agnes tiene una deficiencia visual que la hace "legalmente ciega" (un dato interesante que me encontré con este libro es que Kody, la autora, también lo es). Me gusto mucho la química de las protagonistas, su "sismance" (entienden por "bromance" lol)
Reseña completa en Gracias a los Libros.
A pesar de no ser el mejor libro del mundo, lo disfrute bastante. Las protagonistas fueron lo más interesante de todo el libro. Bo es bisexual y Agnes tiene una deficiencia visual que la hace "legalmente ciega" (un dato interesante que me encontré con este libro es que Kody, la autora, también lo es). Me gusto mucho la química de las protagonistas, su "sismance" (entienden por "bromance" lol)
Reseña completa en Gracias a los Libros.
January 5, 2017
Run is the first book by Kody Keplinger that isn´t about Hamilton High. Even though I didn´t love this book the way I love everything else she has written, it still appealed to me. I like that for the first time its not a YA love story, but a book about friendship. What Bo and Agnes is a much more realistic friendship than anything I´ve read so far.
It is such a great read, and it really reminded me how captivating Kody Keplinger writing is, could you please write more books so I never have to read anything else?
It is such a great read, and it really reminded me how captivating Kody Keplinger writing is, could you please write more books so I never have to read anything else?
July 31, 2016
I had no intention of picking Run, I really don’t. I was trying to minimize reading books about two white best friends, I had enough of that for the last five years. At this point, there’s nothing new to salvage anymore, everything is a tired trope. However, one of my friend picked it up and said there’s an LGBT character on it, which gave me an incentive to check it out. I don’t know why we assumed it’s going to be an f/f love story of some sort. It is not.
Tragically, it’s your typical YA book where the main character is straight while the other one is gay. However, for this book the other character is bisexual.
It’s not tragic after all, because Agnes Atwood is legally blind. She’s the sheltered daughter of this overly protective southern parents. These are my favorite parts of the novel. I think the disability representation is done well, as it’s written by an #ownvoices author. The family dynamics are so great; her parents do try. I love a good family exploration.
Bo Dickinson is the girl who always gets accused of being bad when she isn’t. She’s bisexual, but if you’re looking for a cute, light read about exploration of sexuality, this is not it. It was barely touched on, but it was mentioned a couple of times.
Two things that stop me from rating it higher:
The southern voice. I had a hard time connecting with characters that uses the word, “aint.” It’s not my favorite sound at all.
The last one is more of a personal reason, I don’t like it when a religious person says liking same sex is or maybe a sin. Regardless if the intention is good, I wouldn’t interpret it that way. One of the characters said that and it didn’t bode well for me.
Conclusion: I really Run it, it just didn’t amaze me.
Tragically, it’s your typical YA book where the main character is straight while the other one is gay. However, for this book the other character is bisexual.
It’s not tragic after all, because Agnes Atwood is legally blind. She’s the sheltered daughter of this overly protective southern parents. These are my favorite parts of the novel. I think the disability representation is done well, as it’s written by an #ownvoices author. The family dynamics are so great; her parents do try. I love a good family exploration.
Bo Dickinson is the girl who always gets accused of being bad when she isn’t. She’s bisexual, but if you’re looking for a cute, light read about exploration of sexuality, this is not it. It was barely touched on, but it was mentioned a couple of times.
Two things that stop me from rating it higher:
The southern voice. I had a hard time connecting with characters that uses the word, “aint.” It’s not my favorite sound at all.
The last one is more of a personal reason, I don’t like it when a religious person says liking same sex is or maybe a sin. Regardless if the intention is good, I wouldn’t interpret it that way. One of the characters said that and it didn’t bode well for me.
Conclusion: I really Run it, it just didn’t amaze me.
September 30, 2016
I had to bump this one up in my TBR pile because of the madness that happened with the VOYA review. Not only is it completely offensive and ridiculous to post a WARNING that any book contains a bisexual character, but there is absolutely no mature sexual content tied to this particular bisexual character. Language, yes. Cis/straight sexual situations, yes. And due to THAT content and to the themes of the story - high school girls starting to think about their future and what's next after high school and what, if anything, they can do to change their fates - I would suggest this for high schoolers.
Anyhoo. This is a strong friendship story. One of the protagonists is a legally blind girl and the author is also legally blind and I am into #ownvoices. Keplinger gets Kentucky right. There's a ton to be said for the reputation of the bad family in town and how that myth affects everything.
Anyhoo. This is a strong friendship story. One of the protagonists is a legally blind girl and the author is also legally blind and I am into #ownvoices. Keplinger gets Kentucky right. There's a ton to be said for the reputation of the bad family in town and how that myth affects everything.
Read
March 22, 2017I think this is my new Kody fave - love the dual narrative with alternating timelines, love the friendship between the girls, and love the girls themselves. This is totally a YA Thelma and Louise and even when it hurts it's so much fun.
July 14, 2017
actual rating: 3.5
What risks would you take.. to save your friends?
This book was very different to the other books that Kody has written and i've only read two other of her books and i can say this one was very different. This book moved away from the Hamilton high world and focused on a new small town.
Plot: this book deals with two girls Bo Dickinson and Agnes Atwood who are from two totally different worlds but there worlds soon collide when Bo asks Agnes to run away with her. There is a journey that follows between the girls, there friendship is put to the ultimate test and they find out things about each other that they would never usually tell anybody. I liked the two different journeys we see both characters go on, Bo is trying to find her father and have a better life away from her alcoholic and neglectful mother where as Agnes is trying to become more independent and free as she is blind and everyone treats her like her life is a huge bubble.
I loved the character development that both characters had in the book and the journey they both went on together as they discovered things about themselves. The writing style did put me off a little bit because it had a heavy southern accent to it and i did find it difficult to sometimes read dialogue between characters. This book also had a different feel to it than her other books did for me, this one just had something missing and i could tell all throughout the entire book while reading it.
Characters:
Bo Dickinson: Bo is dealing with her alcoholic and neglectful mother and her father has just recently left them, she is also dealing with the 'Dickinson' reputation that everyone in town seems to know about. I liked how Bo was above that reputation the town had put on her entire family and she really did try to prove herself to others when she really didn't need to. Bo is a Bisexual character which is a thing you don't often see in YA books, there needs to be more representation of Bi characters in YA novels because everyone seems to make fun of Bisexual people.
The character growth was done really well in this book and i really enjoyed seeing Bo really grow into her own and finally get a better life and ending to her story.
Agnes Atwood: Agnes has a totally different life then her best friend Bo, she comes from a Middle Class christian family who seems to be doing well for themselves. However Agnes feels suffocated in her life as she is a blind teenager so everyone treats her like she lives in this small bubble and there afraid to hurt or say the wrong thing towards her. She trys to rebel in the book and trys to do things her parents wouldn't approve which i can totally agree with because she is suffocated to the point where she feels the need to do these things.
Her character development was huge all throughout the novel, she was finally able to stand up to her parents and able to stand up for herself. She went from been a timid and shy girl to a girl who could stand up for herself and say what she really thinks and most of it is thanks to her friend Bo for helping her get out of her shell and understand she can do so much more and be more then just being known as the 'blind' girl.
I liked getting the back and fourth from the present to the past because it gave me an insight to what the characters were like in the past and it really showed how it effected there actions in the present.
I did enjoy this book however it was very different to her other stories but i thought the book was ok and came into its own
What risks would you take.. to save your friends?
This book was very different to the other books that Kody has written and i've only read two other of her books and i can say this one was very different. This book moved away from the Hamilton high world and focused on a new small town.
Plot: this book deals with two girls Bo Dickinson and Agnes Atwood who are from two totally different worlds but there worlds soon collide when Bo asks Agnes to run away with her. There is a journey that follows between the girls, there friendship is put to the ultimate test and they find out things about each other that they would never usually tell anybody. I liked the two different journeys we see both characters go on, Bo is trying to find her father and have a better life away from her alcoholic and neglectful mother where as Agnes is trying to become more independent and free as she is blind and everyone treats her like her life is a huge bubble.
I loved the character development that both characters had in the book and the journey they both went on together as they discovered things about themselves. The writing style did put me off a little bit because it had a heavy southern accent to it and i did find it difficult to sometimes read dialogue between characters. This book also had a different feel to it than her other books did for me, this one just had something missing and i could tell all throughout the entire book while reading it.
Characters:
Bo Dickinson: Bo is dealing with her alcoholic and neglectful mother and her father has just recently left them, she is also dealing with the 'Dickinson' reputation that everyone in town seems to know about. I liked how Bo was above that reputation the town had put on her entire family and she really did try to prove herself to others when she really didn't need to. Bo is a Bisexual character which is a thing you don't often see in YA books, there needs to be more representation of Bi characters in YA novels because everyone seems to make fun of Bisexual people.
The character growth was done really well in this book and i really enjoyed seeing Bo really grow into her own and finally get a better life and ending to her story.
Agnes Atwood: Agnes has a totally different life then her best friend Bo, she comes from a Middle Class christian family who seems to be doing well for themselves. However Agnes feels suffocated in her life as she is a blind teenager so everyone treats her like she lives in this small bubble and there afraid to hurt or say the wrong thing towards her. She trys to rebel in the book and trys to do things her parents wouldn't approve which i can totally agree with because she is suffocated to the point where she feels the need to do these things.
Her character development was huge all throughout the novel, she was finally able to stand up to her parents and able to stand up for herself. She went from been a timid and shy girl to a girl who could stand up for herself and say what she really thinks and most of it is thanks to her friend Bo for helping her get out of her shell and understand she can do so much more and be more then just being known as the 'blind' girl.
I liked getting the back and fourth from the present to the past because it gave me an insight to what the characters were like in the past and it really showed how it effected there actions in the present.
I did enjoy this book however it was very different to her other stories but i thought the book was ok and came into its own
July 2, 2017
But I ain't never been real good with words. Ain't never been able to turn my own pain into nothing but tears and trouble.
And when I look back at him, with the door already closing on me, the only words I can manage sure as hell ain't poetry.
“Fuck you.”
3.5 stars. I enjoyed this book a lot, it just didn't change my life.
Characters: 4.5 stars. The two main characters were three-dimensional, and I've never read such a complex, well-developed friendship in a novel before. Bo and Agnes' friendship is interesting, and Keplinger's really examines the dynamics that make them friends. So many books I've read focus on romance, but this book truly does focus on friendship.
Writing: 4 stars. There's nothing particularly special about Keplinger's writing style, but it flows really nicely down the page, and that's what it needs to do.
Plot: 2 stars. This is the major weakness of this book. There is no plotting. This book honestly doesn't feel outlined. In the end, the book didn't feel quite as impactful as it could have due to the boring plot.
Also, one last shoutout for the representation. One of the girls is disabled and one is bisexual, and both qualities are treated with respect, yet neither takes over the character. It's a perfect balance.
Recommended to fans of raw contemporary stories dealing with real issues.
And when I look back at him, with the door already closing on me, the only words I can manage sure as hell ain't poetry.
“Fuck you.”
3.5 stars. I enjoyed this book a lot, it just didn't change my life.
Characters: 4.5 stars. The two main characters were three-dimensional, and I've never read such a complex, well-developed friendship in a novel before. Bo and Agnes' friendship is interesting, and Keplinger's really examines the dynamics that make them friends. So many books I've read focus on romance, but this book truly does focus on friendship.
Writing: 4 stars. There's nothing particularly special about Keplinger's writing style, but it flows really nicely down the page, and that's what it needs to do.
Plot: 2 stars. This is the major weakness of this book. There is no plotting. This book honestly doesn't feel outlined. In the end, the book didn't feel quite as impactful as it could have due to the boring plot.
Also, one last shoutout for the representation. One of the girls is disabled and one is bisexual, and both qualities are treated with respect, yet neither takes over the character. It's a perfect balance.
Recommended to fans of raw contemporary stories dealing with real issues.
February 11, 2021
See more of my reviews on The YA Kitten! My copy came from YA Books Central for review.
A blind girl and a bisexual girl get into a car, steal it in the middle of the night, and drive straight into my heart. That’s this book in the form of a bar joke, but if I can be real a second(for just a millisecond), it’s better than a stale bar joke. If you have any assumptions about a book with a “two friends go on a road trip” premise, Run will defy them and leave you tearing up as you turn the last pages.
Kelpinger tells Agnes and Bo’s story through both their points of view, but Agnes’s sections are about the past and Bo’s the present. The alternating narratives of the beginning of their friendship and where their friendship ultimately takes them offers a clear “before” and “after” for their character arcs and certainly tempted me to read all of Agnes’s chapters for the sake of chronological order. But no, I read it “right.” It also creates the sweet feeling of things ending where they began–and I don’t spoil a thing by saying that. The choice to do so just makes how much the girls have changed that much clearer.
Road trip novels often work best through their emphasis on friendship and dynamic characters, but Run hits it out of the park and then some on both counts. Bo and Agnes don’t have an ideal friendship in the past or present, but it works for them. When Agnes’s lie-back-and-take-it attitude clashes with Bo’s don’t-take-any-bull life philosophy, it results in some… fun situations. Y’know, like assaulting someone at a street fair when they’ve already been reported as missing.
Thanks to the alternating timelines, we get to see the girls–particularly Agnes, who is definitely the stronger of the two protagonists–go through multiple character arcs. Her experience trying to find independence as a legally blind girl isn’t something I as a sighted (albeit nearsighted) person will ever understand, but her general desire to escape from under her strict parents’ thumbs will surely resonate with many readers.
What really makes Run a winner is how familiar yet extraordinary it is. I’ve read plenty of road trip YA novels and Run resembles all of them in the same way any one will resemble another, but this one pulls at my heart in a way other road trip YA novels didn’t. A road trip novel certainly hasn’t made me cry the way this one did! It nails the setting too; small touches like the way the characters refer to their parents as “Mama” and “Daddy” remind me this is the Deep South and contribute to Bo’s decision to remain in the closet to most people. Little ways setting influences characters and all!
The only criticism I have is that Bo and Agnes’s voices blend together at times, making it a bit difficult to remember who is narrating at times. This can be a killer for a dual POV novel, but Keplinger does so many other things well that it seems inconsequential for once. You just remind yourself whose chapter it is and keep reading.
This book is not the dream road trip with your best friend. This is the reality of that road trip, which includes the way you and your best friend nearly murdered one another–and yet you two still look back on the trip fondly like the near-murdering never happened.
From the #ownvoices representation of Agnes’s legal blindness to the impossible-to-detail struggles Bo deals with, this is the character-driven YA novel you want on your shelf sooner than yesterday. I can’t recommend Run enough!
*Bo is bisexual
*in #ownvoices representation from Keplinger, Agnes is legally blind
*Bo’s family is very poor and her mother is a meth addict
A blind girl and a bisexual girl get into a car, steal it in the middle of the night, and drive straight into my heart. That’s this book in the form of a bar joke, but if I can be real a second
Kelpinger tells Agnes and Bo’s story through both their points of view, but Agnes’s sections are about the past and Bo’s the present. The alternating narratives of the beginning of their friendship and where their friendship ultimately takes them offers a clear “before” and “after” for their character arcs and certainly tempted me to read all of Agnes’s chapters for the sake of chronological order. But no, I read it “right.” It also creates the sweet feeling of things ending where they began–and I don’t spoil a thing by saying that. The choice to do so just makes how much the girls have changed that much clearer.
Road trip novels often work best through their emphasis on friendship and dynamic characters, but Run hits it out of the park and then some on both counts. Bo and Agnes don’t have an ideal friendship in the past or present, but it works for them. When Agnes’s lie-back-and-take-it attitude clashes with Bo’s don’t-take-any-bull life philosophy, it results in some… fun situations. Y’know, like assaulting someone at a street fair when they’ve already been reported as missing.
Thanks to the alternating timelines, we get to see the girls–particularly Agnes, who is definitely the stronger of the two protagonists–go through multiple character arcs. Her experience trying to find independence as a legally blind girl isn’t something I as a sighted (albeit nearsighted) person will ever understand, but her general desire to escape from under her strict parents’ thumbs will surely resonate with many readers.
What really makes Run a winner is how familiar yet extraordinary it is. I’ve read plenty of road trip YA novels and Run resembles all of them in the same way any one will resemble another, but this one pulls at my heart in a way other road trip YA novels didn’t. A road trip novel certainly hasn’t made me cry the way this one did! It nails the setting too; small touches like the way the characters refer to their parents as “Mama” and “Daddy” remind me this is the Deep South and contribute to Bo’s decision to remain in the closet to most people. Little ways setting influences characters and all!
The only criticism I have is that Bo and Agnes’s voices blend together at times, making it a bit difficult to remember who is narrating at times. This can be a killer for a dual POV novel, but Keplinger does so many other things well that it seems inconsequential for once. You just remind yourself whose chapter it is and keep reading.
This book is not the dream road trip with your best friend. This is the reality of that road trip, which includes the way you and your best friend nearly murdered one another–and yet you two still look back on the trip fondly like the near-murdering never happened.
From the #ownvoices representation of Agnes’s legal blindness to the impossible-to-detail struggles Bo deals with, this is the character-driven YA novel you want on your shelf sooner than yesterday. I can’t recommend Run enough!
August 24, 2016
PRE-RELEASE THOUGHTS
So this sounds like it could possibly be quite gay. Fingers crossed.
REVIEW
3/5 stars
At its core, Run is a book about two best friends who love each other, who've changed and shaped each other into the people they've always wanted to be, and their journey. Whether that's through Agnes' POV as she shows us how they became friends, or Bo's POV as she shows us what happens when they run away, it's really just a platonic love story, and I really, really like that.
The way Agnes and Bo change is one of the most interesting parts of this book. Agnes, legally blind and a good, church-going girl, slowly learns how to be brave and bold and to break out of her comfort zone, mostly by following Bo. But how Agnes sees Bo, and how Bo actually feels, is the complete opposite of this daring thrill seeker Agnes has befriended. Bo is actually terrified and running on half truths and lies the entirety of the book, and it's only through her chapters as they are on the run that we actually get to see how badly everything is affecting her.
Although I enjoyed the focus on the characters and their relationship, there were a few things I didn't really like. For one, I found the ending unrealistic- I also didn't really care about Agnes' romantic subplot. It wasn't really developed at all, and it seemed like any development wasn't shown. I would have just liked it if they just focused on Bo and Agnes' journey, but I feel like a lot of authors now think they have to have some kind of relationship, even if it's unnecessary.
This was a very quick read, and I loved the interaction between Bo and Agnes. The end had a very bittersweet feeling to it that reminded me a bit of Eleanor and Park and the short story The Body by Stephen King, but I really like that.
I would recommend this to fans of Kody's other books, and just FYI- I totally called a character being bisexual in my very early pre-release predictions. Honestly, I would have enjoyed this even more if there had been a romance between Bo and Agnes, but you can't get everything you want. (There also isn't a very big focus on sexuality, and the relationship between Bo and Agnes is platonic, not romantic, like I was hoping for. If you want a romantic relationship between two teenage girls, this is not the book to read.)
So this sounds like it could possibly be quite gay. Fingers crossed.
REVIEW
3/5 stars
At its core, Run is a book about two best friends who love each other, who've changed and shaped each other into the people they've always wanted to be, and their journey. Whether that's through Agnes' POV as she shows us how they became friends, or Bo's POV as she shows us what happens when they run away, it's really just a platonic love story, and I really, really like that.
The way Agnes and Bo change is one of the most interesting parts of this book. Agnes, legally blind and a good, church-going girl, slowly learns how to be brave and bold and to break out of her comfort zone, mostly by following Bo. But how Agnes sees Bo, and how Bo actually feels, is the complete opposite of this daring thrill seeker Agnes has befriended. Bo is actually terrified and running on half truths and lies the entirety of the book, and it's only through her chapters as they are on the run that we actually get to see how badly everything is affecting her.
Although I enjoyed the focus on the characters and their relationship, there were a few things I didn't really like. For one, I found the ending unrealistic- I also didn't really care about Agnes' romantic subplot. It wasn't really developed at all, and it seemed like any development wasn't shown. I would have just liked it if they just focused on Bo and Agnes' journey, but I feel like a lot of authors now think they have to have some kind of relationship, even if it's unnecessary.
This was a very quick read, and I loved the interaction between Bo and Agnes. The end had a very bittersweet feeling to it that reminded me a bit of Eleanor and Park and the short story The Body by Stephen King, but I really like that.
I would recommend this to fans of Kody's other books, and just FYI- I totally called a character being bisexual in my very early pre-release predictions. Honestly, I would have enjoyed this even more if there had been a romance between Bo and Agnes, but you can't get everything you want. (There also isn't a very big focus on sexuality, and the relationship between Bo and Agnes is platonic, not romantic, like I was hoping for. If you want a romantic relationship between two teenage girls, this is not the book to read.)
December 7, 2016
Quick review for a quick read. Ye Gods, I actually adored this book. I think one of the things that stayed with me through the read and moving out of it was the relationship between Agnes and Bo - that sold me through the narrative. It's hard not to find yourself drawn to their individual stories and circumstances knowing how different they are and how they end up clicking even with those differences in tow. I think Keplinger did a fine job of showcasing their situations and the hardships and emotions they deal with through the novel.
Long story short: "Run" is a coming of age/journey novel though not necessarily in the way one would think of it. Bo is a young woman who's frequently misunderstood because she comes from the "wrong" family and is heaped with all kinds of sexual stereotypes and backlash. It doesn't help that she lives with a mother who doesn't care for her and tears her down every time there's an opportunity to do so. Bo longs to live with her father, with whom she wants to reconnect to have a chance at a better life. So she makes the choice to run.
Agnes is a young woman who lives with a disability and longs for the freedom to be able to do what she wants outside of her sister's shadow and the expectations that are heaped upon her by the circles she's surrounded in (whether it's her parents, her church, etc.) When she meets Bo, her world changes and opens up - in good ways and more mischevious, ultimately culminating in a choice for her to run with Bo as well.
The novel trades between the past and present in a smooth way, transitioning and marking points of tension that really revealed much about the characters to me while also propelling me to read what happened next in the ongoing conflicts. I thought that the narrative really brought to life the Kentucky small town they resided in and why it felt so confining, as well as the stereotypes and prejudices the girls found themselves battling against. The dialect didn't bother me, to be quite honest, I found it smoothly drawn and easy to understand (and maybe it might be that I'm used to that kind of dialogue in narratives I've read before as well as my locale.) It felt realistically drawn and I loved the fact that it showed realistic representation of both a character with a disability (blindness) as well as a character who identified as bisexual, though the struggles with that were shown in brief spells.
The fact that it had brief interludes of the characters traveling on the road and progressively battling against their own doubts and issues really struck home with me, alongside the strong voices of the characters. I could definitely see myself re-reading this again. I enjoyed it, and definitely would recommend the read for those who not only like coming of age stories, but also good friendship stories centered around well developed characters.
Overall score: 4/5 stars.
Long story short: "Run" is a coming of age/journey novel though not necessarily in the way one would think of it. Bo is a young woman who's frequently misunderstood because she comes from the "wrong" family and is heaped with all kinds of sexual stereotypes and backlash. It doesn't help that she lives with a mother who doesn't care for her and tears her down every time there's an opportunity to do so. Bo longs to live with her father, with whom she wants to reconnect to have a chance at a better life. So she makes the choice to run.
Agnes is a young woman who lives with a disability and longs for the freedom to be able to do what she wants outside of her sister's shadow and the expectations that are heaped upon her by the circles she's surrounded in (whether it's her parents, her church, etc.) When she meets Bo, her world changes and opens up - in good ways and more mischevious, ultimately culminating in a choice for her to run with Bo as well.
The novel trades between the past and present in a smooth way, transitioning and marking points of tension that really revealed much about the characters to me while also propelling me to read what happened next in the ongoing conflicts. I thought that the narrative really brought to life the Kentucky small town they resided in and why it felt so confining, as well as the stereotypes and prejudices the girls found themselves battling against. The dialect didn't bother me, to be quite honest, I found it smoothly drawn and easy to understand (and maybe it might be that I'm used to that kind of dialogue in narratives I've read before as well as my locale.) It felt realistically drawn and I loved the fact that it showed realistic representation of both a character with a disability (blindness) as well as a character who identified as bisexual, though the struggles with that were shown in brief spells.
The fact that it had brief interludes of the characters traveling on the road and progressively battling against their own doubts and issues really struck home with me, alongside the strong voices of the characters. I could definitely see myself re-reading this again. I enjoyed it, and definitely would recommend the read for those who not only like coming of age stories, but also good friendship stories centered around well developed characters.
Overall score: 4/5 stars.
July 3, 2016
Hey would you look at that! 5 stars for a contemporary! Must be the end of the world or something. Just kidding. Honestly, I just loved Run. Not only is it a powerful story about friendship, but it also tackles issues such as sexuality, disability, and family.
There are two main characters in the novel, each having their own POV. Agnes is a goody two shoes with overprotective parents, afraid that she'll hurt herself with her disability. On the other hand, Bo has a bad reputation. Her mother is constantly drinking, and at times Bo finds herself in foster care because of it. In Run, Agnes narrates the "before" while Bo narrates the "after". The event separating them is when Bo discovers she is being put in foster care again, leading to the both of them running off to find Bo's dad.
I'm not exactly sure HOW I can fully convince you to read this book. For one, I haven't read The Duff or Lying Out Loud, so I can't really compare any of them to Run. But nevertheless, Run had a wonderfully unique plot. I adored both Bo and Agnes, who both had such unique voices. With Agnes, I could see that she was really suffocating under the watch of her parents, who barely let her do anything. Yet at the same time, I admired how her parents stepped up and backed up her friendship with Bo, even with Bo's reputation. Bo herself didn't give a shit as to what anyone thought, and that was extremely refreshing. But she also thought about Agnes, and how she didn't want to drag her down to her level.
I guess what I'm afraid of with most contemporaries is running into petty drama, especially involving relationships. There were none in this book. Run featured a strong friendship between Bo and Agnes, even when it hit some rough patches along the way. The perspective each of them brought was vivid and refreshing, with Bo being bisexual and Agnes having a disability.
Basically, my point is is that you should all pick up this book. I would say more, but I think the best thing for you to do is to discover what happens on your own.
Also, thanks to Amber for patiently waiting for me to finish so we could chat about it!
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Quotes taken from ARC may or may not be in the published edition.
There are two main characters in the novel, each having their own POV. Agnes is a goody two shoes with overprotective parents, afraid that she'll hurt herself with her disability. On the other hand, Bo has a bad reputation. Her mother is constantly drinking, and at times Bo finds herself in foster care because of it. In Run, Agnes narrates the "before" while Bo narrates the "after". The event separating them is when Bo discovers she is being put in foster care again, leading to the both of them running off to find Bo's dad.
I'm not exactly sure HOW I can fully convince you to read this book. For one, I haven't read The Duff or Lying Out Loud, so I can't really compare any of them to Run. But nevertheless, Run had a wonderfully unique plot. I adored both Bo and Agnes, who both had such unique voices. With Agnes, I could see that she was really suffocating under the watch of her parents, who barely let her do anything. Yet at the same time, I admired how her parents stepped up and backed up her friendship with Bo, even with Bo's reputation. Bo herself didn't give a shit as to what anyone thought, and that was extremely refreshing. But she also thought about Agnes, and how she didn't want to drag her down to her level.
I guess what I'm afraid of with most contemporaries is running into petty drama, especially involving relationships. There were none in this book. Run featured a strong friendship between Bo and Agnes, even when it hit some rough patches along the way. The perspective each of them brought was vivid and refreshing, with Bo being bisexual and Agnes having a disability.
Basically, my point is is that you should all pick up this book. I would say more, but I think the best thing for you to do is to discover what happens on your own.
Also, thanks to Amber for patiently waiting for me to finish so we could chat about it!
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Quotes taken from ARC may or may not be in the published edition.
August 31, 2019
catch me crying in the club over this book and these characters
Read
September 8, 2020**Read for Jordan Ford's Summer Reading Challenge 2020. Prompt 4: A road trip book**
Rep: Bi main character and ownvoices blind main character. I remember reading the author is biromantic ace, so it kinda feels like it can also be ownvoices there? Idk, don't throw stones
‘I don’t think that’ll be too hard,’ Colt said. ‘Whatever you don’t do, the town will say you did anyhow.’
This is the story of 2 girl friends, Bo and Agnes and their friendship. They lead different lives and are looked at very differently in their small simple minded hypocritical Christian community.
Agnes is the quiet sheltered blind Christian girl, and I say it like this because people seem to associate her with innocence, helplessness... she's the "angel" due to her disability, instead of, you know, just a teen girl who happens to be blind and that has nothing to do with her wants. People shape her image for her and her parents are overprotective, instead of reinforcing her independence so she can take on the world as another cool chick who happens to be blind, like Molly Burke for example.
You see this in the completely opposite expectations, liberties and fussing involved when it comes to their 2 daughters. All the things they don't permit Agnes do, her sister does. They can't even imagine Agnes wanting or enjoying certain things, because of something she was born with and has no control over, and people tell her so. Yes, her blindness shapes her life in many ways, yet it's not a personality trait, people!
Bo, on the other hand... She's never had a chance of being seen as anything other than all the awful rumours people want to project on her since the day she was born a Dickinson. Young or old, the community is obsessed with predestination when it comes to that family: you can't be good, and they won't let you be. I want to say those gross fake Christian rednecks are probably living vicariously through all they've been imagining about this poor girl since she was a babe. Gross!
And I'll take my time making it known once again that church going isn't all it takes to be a good person or put anyone in God's favour. Gossiping, lying, making up rumours, spreading them, badmouthing, not giving people a chance, thinking ill thoughts about others and keeping in the way of their happiness, never letting them change or grown... basically, being an impediment to them moving forward with or, heck, even starting their life?? That isn't Christian, moral, good or appreciated. It's actually the opposite with a bitter sprinkle of hypocrisy, so stop ruining people's lives.
Back to Bo, my baby hasn't had it easy. It is true her family is trouble, (but it's what people tell them they are since infancy, which, like I said, is really damaging) so she has to deal with the whole town's scorn and poison for being "white trash", as well as her negligent family. Her father is gone, her mother is an addict, they're poor... some bad things have happened in the past. Her life is nothing but instability.
So we have a case of 2 different, according to society, girls whose image and even self worth has been manipulated by public opinion, in 2 very different, yet damaging all the same, ways for girls who are developing and coming into themselves, discovering themselves. And I find it interesting that Keplinger decided to show us this contrast. The "meek sweet girl" and the "loudmouth harlot". One is viewed as too helpless and a burden, someone to be taken cared of. Nevermind her stolen freedom or how she's being suffocated. The other is the depository for everything bad, sordic and shameless, not one soul caring that she's just a girl being robbed of soil and light to grow. That they're all complicit in ruining her future before it started, and they bare their venomous teeth in glee like it's their birthright.
In the end, both approaches are obviously wrong, some of them quite damaging and toxic. Be it the caretakers' "parenting" shaping a developing individual's adult-to-be, or how society deems to label and treat us, both have lifelong impact and, in the end, the individual takes the blame (and yes, not everyone has money for therapy - or access where they live -, and there's things in society, like prejudice that aren't for the individual to bear, but for us to grow out of. And as long as we remain ignorant, we're just going to keep making other people's lives awful). So be careful before you judge or utter unreflected words.
When it comes to Agnes' blindness representation, I mean, it's rude for us sighties to even think we can comment on how realistic or good or whatever it is, because for starters it's freaking own voices and there are different legally blind conditions, not to mention other health problems that affect vision, and their experiences are different. Follow some voices in the community, watch blind folks on youtube to get an idea. Which is what I do, and I can say it is within what I expected. Example: Agnes' expectations of how much light Bo actually needs to read at night, with no artificial light in the forest.
I've seen blind youtubers talk about what they can see, how they recognize things you wouldn't imagine, how amazed they are at what people with sight can or can't actually see, and thoughts that cross their mind but probably wouldn't cross ours. And this is why ownvoices is so great. Otherwise, Agnes would spend 50% of the book touching people's faces... *rolling my eyes*
Narrative choices: the story switches between Bo's pov which is set in the present -and written in the present tense -, and Agnes's which is set in the past - and, you guessed it, written in the the past tense.
Where we lived, we grew up being taught never to ask for things like that. Never to put people on the spot. You waited until it was offered, and even then, you were supposed to say no at least once. wtfrog that's how I work!!
Rep: Bi main character and ownvoices blind main character. I remember reading the author is biromantic ace, so it kinda feels like it can also be ownvoices there? Idk, don't throw stones
‘I don’t think that’ll be too hard,’ Colt said. ‘Whatever you don’t do, the town will say you did anyhow.’
This is the story of 2 girl friends, Bo and Agnes and their friendship. They lead different lives and are looked at very differently in their small simple minded hypocritical Christian community.
Agnes is the quiet sheltered blind Christian girl, and I say it like this because people seem to associate her with innocence, helplessness... she's the "angel" due to her disability, instead of, you know, just a teen girl who happens to be blind and that has nothing to do with her wants. People shape her image for her and her parents are overprotective, instead of reinforcing her independence so she can take on the world as another cool chick who happens to be blind, like Molly Burke for example.
You see this in the completely opposite expectations, liberties and fussing involved when it comes to their 2 daughters. All the things they don't permit Agnes do, her sister does. They can't even imagine Agnes wanting or enjoying certain things, because of something she was born with and has no control over, and people tell her so. Yes, her blindness shapes her life in many ways, yet it's not a personality trait, people!
Bo, on the other hand... She's never had a chance of being seen as anything other than all the awful rumours people want to project on her since the day she was born a Dickinson. Young or old, the community is obsessed with predestination when it comes to that family: you can't be good, and they won't let you be. I want to say those gross fake Christian rednecks are probably living vicariously through all they've been imagining about this poor girl since she was a babe. Gross!
And I'll take my time making it known once again that church going isn't all it takes to be a good person or put anyone in God's favour. Gossiping, lying, making up rumours, spreading them, badmouthing, not giving people a chance, thinking ill thoughts about others and keeping in the way of their happiness, never letting them change or grown... basically, being an impediment to them moving forward with or, heck, even starting their life?? That isn't Christian, moral, good or appreciated. It's actually the opposite with a bitter sprinkle of hypocrisy, so stop ruining people's lives.
Back to Bo, my baby hasn't had it easy. It is true her family is trouble, (but it's what people tell them they are since infancy, which, like I said, is really damaging) so she has to deal with the whole town's scorn and poison for being "white trash", as well as her negligent family. Her father is gone, her mother is an addict, they're poor... some bad things have happened in the past. Her life is nothing but instability.
So we have a case of 2 different, according to society, girls whose image and even self worth has been manipulated by public opinion, in 2 very different, yet damaging all the same, ways for girls who are developing and coming into themselves, discovering themselves. And I find it interesting that Keplinger decided to show us this contrast. The "meek sweet girl" and the "loudmouth harlot". One is viewed as too helpless and a burden, someone to be taken cared of. Nevermind her stolen freedom or how she's being suffocated. The other is the depository for everything bad, sordic and shameless, not one soul caring that she's just a girl being robbed of soil and light to grow. That they're all complicit in ruining her future before it started, and they bare their venomous teeth in glee like it's their birthright.
In the end, both approaches are obviously wrong, some of them quite damaging and toxic. Be it the caretakers' "parenting" shaping a developing individual's adult-to-be, or how society deems to label and treat us, both have lifelong impact and, in the end, the individual takes the blame (and yes, not everyone has money for therapy - or access where they live -, and there's things in society, like prejudice that aren't for the individual to bear, but for us to grow out of. And as long as we remain ignorant, we're just going to keep making other people's lives awful). So be careful before you judge or utter unreflected words.
When it comes to Agnes' blindness representation, I mean, it's rude for us sighties to even think we can comment on how realistic or good or whatever it is, because for starters it's freaking own voices and there are different legally blind conditions, not to mention other health problems that affect vision, and their experiences are different. Follow some voices in the community, watch blind folks on youtube to get an idea. Which is what I do, and I can say it is within what I expected. Example: Agnes' expectations of how much light Bo actually needs to read at night, with no artificial light in the forest.
I've seen blind youtubers talk about what they can see, how they recognize things you wouldn't imagine, how amazed they are at what people with sight can or can't actually see, and thoughts that cross their mind but probably wouldn't cross ours. And this is why ownvoices is so great. Otherwise, Agnes would spend 50% of the book touching people's faces... *rolling my eyes*
Narrative choices: the story switches between Bo's pov which is set in the present -and written in the present tense -, and Agnes's which is set in the past - and, you guessed it, written in the the past tense.
Where we lived, we grew up being taught never to ask for things like that. Never to put people on the spot. You waited until it was offered, and even then, you were supposed to say no at least once. wtfrog that's how I work!!
June 30, 2016
This was my first Kody Keplinger book, and I absolutely loved it! RUN is such a realistic, gripping account of female friendship and the distance, both literally and figuratively, friends will go to help each other. I really liked the dual POV between Bo and Agnes-- each voice felt very distinct, and effectively showed how different the two girls are along with the common threads tying them together. RUN deals with lots of important themes: finding yourself, breaking out of your comfort zone, judging people before you get to know them, and learning to trust people. But overall, it's about loyalty, and the kind of devotion between friends that feel more like family.
May 28, 2017
One of my favorite stories of female friendship ever. Heartbreaking and real, this book has excellent bi and disability rep and is a must for all Keplinger fans. I think this is my favorite book of hers to date.
May 10, 2017
This book wasn't what I was expecting. I don't know what I was really expecting but it wasn't that. It's so different to her other books. I enjoyed the fact that is was about friendship. Most books I read are romance, so it was nice to read of a good friendship. They came from two different worlds but it turned into a beautiful friendship. It's so sad to think that people actually treat families like the dickinsons and how it is often generational, the kids just don't know any better so they become the same. I love how Bo wanted to be different and change that. There's not many books that feature a blind girl and I just loved how Bo didn't treat Agnus any different. Angus had never had that in a friend and found a new freedom and experience things for the first time due to Bo treating her like everyone else. It is worth a read for sure. I liked there was a little bit of romance but not a lot.
June 2, 2020
❖ [booktube wish fulfillment] ❖ [twitter exsixtwosix] ❖
More of a 4.5?
- #ownvoices rep (as per another reviewer) for legal blindness
- I loved the way the author explored what it's like to be a disabled teen and how parents (and friends and community) don't treat your disability as a part of you but as a burden or a tragedy
- bisexual rep was A++++++
- Keplinger writes phenomenal female friendships; I strongly recommend to those of you who love reading about them
- all of my theories about The DUFF being about sex addiction were right; this book confirms that the author knows about substance use and substance use disorder
- I can understand why people rated this low, because it's a pleasant read but doesn't really stir anything emotionally, BUT it's a solid contemporary without any harmful (to the reader) parts
- sex is handled well, AGAIN (I'm onto your patterns, Keplinger!)
- I loved reading about a town in the US with social norms I don't have where I reside
- I read the audiobook and was impressed by how the author wrote Bo's accented voice compared to Agnes' also accented voice
More of a 4.5?
- #ownvoices rep (as per another reviewer) for legal blindness
- I loved the way the author explored what it's like to be a disabled teen and how parents (and friends and community) don't treat your disability as a part of you but as a burden or a tragedy
- bisexual rep was A++++++
- Keplinger writes phenomenal female friendships; I strongly recommend to those of you who love reading about them
- all of my theories about The DUFF being about sex addiction were right; this book confirms that the author knows about substance use and substance use disorder
- I can understand why people rated this low, because it's a pleasant read but doesn't really stir anything emotionally, BUT it's a solid contemporary without any harmful (to the reader) parts
- sex is handled well, AGAIN (I'm onto your patterns, Keplinger!)
- I loved reading about a town in the US with social norms I don't have where I reside
- I read the audiobook and was impressed by how the author wrote Bo's accented voice compared to Agnes' also accented voice
February 24, 2023
Told in alternating perspectives of Bo, who comes from a troubled family, and Agnes, who was born blind, this is a pageturner about friends and learning to find your voice and be who you are. Bo's chapters are told in present tense as things are happenings, and Agnes's chapters are told in past tense before they ran away from their problems. The story catches up to itself at the ending in a way that is reminiscent of The Outsiders by S E Hinton. Bo feels trapped in their small town by her troubled family, and Agnes feels trapped by her parents limiting her freedom due to her blindness. These caged feelings of not being in control of their own lives and futures result in the desperate desire to run away, but intense circumstances prove that no matter how far you run, your problems will always find you back home. I highly recommend this book and hardly put it down while reading. Short chapters with the constant need to know what happened next then and happens next now.
August 5, 2016
Despite their differences, wild Bo and legally-blind good girl Agnes become best friends. It’s the sort of friendship that runs more deeply than anything else, but when Bo shows up in the middle of the night, police sirens wailing in the distance, Agnes is faced with the biggest choice she’s ever had to make. Run, or stay?
In a genre saturated with romance and finding ‘true love’ at 17, Run is a refreshingly realistic exploration of the most important relationships in most real teenagers’ lives: their friendships and families. Reading Run reminded me of how it feels to navigate your changing relationship with your parents as you leave childhood behind. It reminded me of how it feels to meet someone and just know that you’re going to be best friends. Keplinger understands the thoughts, feelings and priorities of teenage girls, and both Agnes and Bo are wonderfully complex characters.
Run is told in alternating chapters; Agnes narrates the past while Bo narrates the present. Bo’s chapters - which chronicle the days following their decision to run away - are gripping and tense. Agnes’ chapters are quieter, but ended up being my favourite parts of the book. Agnes’ chapters of Run tell the slow story of two girls forming an unlikely, life-changing connection, and how their friendship helped both break free of the good girl/bad girl boxes they felt trapped in.
There’s so much to love about Run, but I especially want to mention Keplinger’s representation of Bo’s bisexuality and Agnes’ disability. Bo and Agnes’ characterisation challenged the typical narratives for bisexual and disabled women, and both girls spoke out against the harmful and ignorant stereotypes they face. I can’t wait to read more from Keplinger, and I highly recommend Run to anyone who likes contemporary YA and stories about female friendship.
Many thanks to Hodder Children’s Books for providing a copy of Run. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books
Rating: 5 stars | ★★★★★
Review cross-posted to Paperback'd
In a genre saturated with romance and finding ‘true love’ at 17, Run is a refreshingly realistic exploration of the most important relationships in most real teenagers’ lives: their friendships and families. Reading Run reminded me of how it feels to navigate your changing relationship with your parents as you leave childhood behind. It reminded me of how it feels to meet someone and just know that you’re going to be best friends. Keplinger understands the thoughts, feelings and priorities of teenage girls, and both Agnes and Bo are wonderfully complex characters.
Run is told in alternating chapters; Agnes narrates the past while Bo narrates the present. Bo’s chapters - which chronicle the days following their decision to run away - are gripping and tense. Agnes’ chapters are quieter, but ended up being my favourite parts of the book. Agnes’ chapters of Run tell the slow story of two girls forming an unlikely, life-changing connection, and how their friendship helped both break free of the good girl/bad girl boxes they felt trapped in.
There’s so much to love about Run, but I especially want to mention Keplinger’s representation of Bo’s bisexuality and Agnes’ disability. Bo and Agnes’ characterisation challenged the typical narratives for bisexual and disabled women, and both girls spoke out against the harmful and ignorant stereotypes they face. I can’t wait to read more from Keplinger, and I highly recommend Run to anyone who likes contemporary YA and stories about female friendship.
Many thanks to Hodder Children’s Books for providing a copy of Run. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Publisher: Hodder Children’s Books
Rating: 5 stars | ★★★★★
Review cross-posted to Paperback'd
May 29, 2016
I love friendship stories! Full review soon.
December 1, 2017
Just... no.
August 23, 2016
This one just wasn't for me. I thought the concept was interesting, two best friends are on the run from the cops and trying to make it out of their small southern town. Everything just fell a little flat to me.
I did like how we got to see from both Agnes and Bo's P.O.V. and they took place at different times. Bo's tells the story of their escape and life after and Agnes tells the story of how they met up until they're about to leave. I love when this books are written this way and I thought it was a great way of telling the story.
I didn't really like the main characters in this. I did appreciate the fact that Agnes was legally blind and it was interesting and enlightening reading from a character with this disability. But I did think that she and Bo were just so immature and whiny. To me, they felt like angry children wanting to run away from home with their Barbie suitcases full of candy.
I can understand that Agnes wanted freedom from her overprotective parents but she was just so rude and disrespectful to them I found it hard to take her side. She was trying to make them see that she was old enough to take care of herself and do things on her own but she acted like an immature child, stomping through her house and slamming doors when she was told no.
Bo wasn't as childish but she did drag Agnes into a lot of trouble, knowing it was going to hurt her and knowing it would ruin a lot of things for her but she did it anyway because...? She called herself selfish multiple times and I can't help but agree. When she called Agnes at the end I was furious with Bo because she said she doesn't feel like seeing Agnes again because it would be too painful??? What the heck kind of explanation is that? You almost get the girl arrested at least three times and then you don't want to see her anymore all of a sudden? I don't know, I just found it frustrating.
I loved Colt so much. I think it's safe to say he was my favourite part of this book and I wish we got to see more of him.
Overall, I didn't enjoy this book too much. I've read two of Kody Keplinger's other books and really enjoyed them so this was a bit of disappointment. I will say that it was an extremely quick read and her writing is very easy to get into so I probably will read more of her books in the future. I think fans of darker contemporaries would enjoy this.
I did like how we got to see from both Agnes and Bo's P.O.V. and they took place at different times. Bo's tells the story of their escape and life after and Agnes tells the story of how they met up until they're about to leave. I love when this books are written this way and I thought it was a great way of telling the story.
I didn't really like the main characters in this. I did appreciate the fact that Agnes was legally blind and it was interesting and enlightening reading from a character with this disability. But I did think that she and Bo were just so immature and whiny. To me, they felt like angry children wanting to run away from home with their Barbie suitcases full of candy.
I can understand that Agnes wanted freedom from her overprotective parents but she was just so rude and disrespectful to them I found it hard to take her side. She was trying to make them see that she was old enough to take care of herself and do things on her own but she acted like an immature child, stomping through her house and slamming doors when she was told no.
Bo wasn't as childish but she did drag Agnes into a lot of trouble, knowing it was going to hurt her and knowing it would ruin a lot of things for her but she did it anyway because...? She called herself selfish multiple times and I can't help but agree. When she called Agnes at the end I was furious with Bo because she said she doesn't feel like seeing Agnes again because it would be too painful??? What the heck kind of explanation is that? You almost get the girl arrested at least three times and then you don't want to see her anymore all of a sudden? I don't know, I just found it frustrating.
I loved Colt so much. I think it's safe to say he was my favourite part of this book and I wish we got to see more of him.
Overall, I didn't enjoy this book too much. I've read two of Kody Keplinger's other books and really enjoyed them so this was a bit of disappointment. I will say that it was an extremely quick read and her writing is very easy to get into so I probably will read more of her books in the future. I think fans of darker contemporaries would enjoy this.
November 4, 2017
A fast, enjoyable read with a fantastic friendship dynamic between two girls from opposite worlds. Agnes is feeling the pressure from her overbearing parents & yearning to escape her small town after high school. It certainly doesn't help that her only "friend", Christy, makes her feel like a burden because she is blind. Agnes wants everyone to know that she is just as capable of anything a seeing person can do, but no one treats with her the respect she deserves. That is, until Bo comes along.
Living with her mother (& her addiction), Bo's got survival skills but no one to call her friend other than her cousin Colt, but he's getting ready to move away. Determined not to go back into foster care, Bo keeps a close eye on her mother's arrest record; always ready to run, just in case.
I loved that each character made the other better in some way; for Agnes, it was to stand up for herself & articulate her needs more. For Bo, it was to learn to trust & put faith in someone other than herself, because people need other people. Told in a mix of flashback & present chapters, Keplinger did an amazing job of meshing together two MCs that might not necessarily hit it off had the character depth been not as well-written. Between the road-trip plot line & the ending, this wasn't my favorite tale, but I am still glad that I read it. There is also positive disability & bi rep in here, a welcome added bonus.
Recommended for those who love strong friendship novels or just looking for a nice read on a rainy day.
Living with her mother (& her addiction), Bo's got survival skills but no one to call her friend other than her cousin Colt, but he's getting ready to move away. Determined not to go back into foster care, Bo keeps a close eye on her mother's arrest record; always ready to run, just in case.
I loved that each character made the other better in some way; for Agnes, it was to stand up for herself & articulate her needs more. For Bo, it was to learn to trust & put faith in someone other than herself, because people need other people. Told in a mix of flashback & present chapters, Keplinger did an amazing job of meshing together two MCs that might not necessarily hit it off had the character depth been not as well-written. Between the road-trip plot line & the ending, this wasn't my favorite tale, but I am still glad that I read it. There is also positive disability & bi rep in here, a welcome added bonus.
Recommended for those who love strong friendship novels or just looking for a nice read on a rainy day.
June 12, 2020
I'm also a book blogger: Vee_Bookish
This was such a good book, with disability rep - one of the two main characters is blind. I loved the friendship between these two girls, one sheltered by middle class, overbearing parents, one having the freedom to do what she wants due a mother with a drug addiction that does not care for her. There was never any bitchiness, or backstabbing, or boyfriend drama. It was just the two girls and one road trip to escape the stigma the town they grew up in had attached to them. That being said, the ending was not as strong as I wanted it to be.
This was such a good book, with disability rep - one of the two main characters is blind. I loved the friendship between these two girls, one sheltered by middle class, overbearing parents, one having the freedom to do what she wants due a mother with a drug addiction that does not care for her. There was never any bitchiness, or backstabbing, or boyfriend drama. It was just the two girls and one road trip to escape the stigma the town they grew up in had attached to them. That being said, the ending was not as strong as I wanted it to be.
September 1, 2016
OMG OMG OMG OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG A KODY KEPLINGER BOOOOOK!!!!
LOOK AT THAT GORGEOUS COVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!
AND IT'LL BE OUT IN THREE WEEKS!!!!
KODY. KODY. KODY. KODY. KODY. KODY
LOOK AT THAT GORGEOUS COVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!
AND IT'LL BE OUT IN THREE WEEKS!!!!
KODY. KODY. KODY. KODY. KODY. KODY
February 7, 2017
It's about time we have some accurate representation of a vision impairment in YA. I absolutely adored Bo and Agnes and it was great this focused on friendship, rather than romance for a change. Having a vision-impaired best friend myself I could really empathise and this just warmed my heart - so many feels!
#diversitybingo2017 - Visually impaired main character
#diversitybingo2017 - Visually impaired main character
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