Book Review: Run Away by Laura Salters

Run Away

Run Away by Laura Salters
Release Date: 19th May 2015
Publisher: Witness Impulse
Buy: Kindle
Rating:

“Ignorance is bliss…until there’s blood involved.”

Drenched in blood and sitting in the sweltering interview room of a Thai police station, Kayla Finch knows that Sam, the love of her life, is dead. It doesn’t matter that there’s no body. All that blood can mean only one thing.

It isn’t the first time Kayla’s had blood on her hands. After finding her brother dead by his own hand, she tried to outrun her grief by escaping to Thailand. Heartbroken, the last thing she expected was to find love on the smoggy streets of Bangkok. But everyone Kayla loves seems to wind up dead.

Returning home to England, Kayla is left with a barely-functioning family, a string of gruesome nightmares, and the niggling feeling that nothing is as it seems. And as she confronts her brother’s suicide, she starts to suspect that something is very wrong.

Three months. Two tragedies. One connection: there’s more to both cases than anyone is willing to admit. And Kayla’s determined to uncover the truth…no matter what the cost.

Part dark thriller, part YA, part mystery, part suspense, part romance, Run Away really is a novel that covers all bases and it does so with the biggest of bangs.
The story centers around a young woman called Kayla Finch. Kayla has gone travelling in Thailand in an attempt to recover from the suicide of her brother, Gabe. However she didn’t count on falling in love with one her her fellow travellers, Sam. The pair gradually get to know one another but after a series of strange events Kayla is left heartbroken once again when she discovers Sam’s room drenched in his blood. There’s no sign of his body but it doesn’t take a genius to work out that things don’t look good for Sam. But what happened to him? Where is his body? And why does everyone Kayla gets close to end up dead…? Surely these two tragic incidents can’t be connected. Right?

You could say I was rather excited about reading Run Away, but that would be a total understatement. I was expecting really good things from this novel and it certainly did not disappoint…
Genre wise, if I had to put this novel in a box I’d probably label it YA/NA/Thriller which is not a genre I read that much of. This is something which drastically needs to change as I couldn’t get enough of this tense, unexpectedly dark, exciting story.
I was sucked into this story right from the off. It begins on a pretty dramatic note when Kayla discovers Sam’s blood and is even under suspicion herself. She then travels back to England and more of the story is revealed, including why she went travelling in the first place. Kayla is determined not to let Sam’s dissapearance drop, despite the lack of interest from the British Police and the story grows more intriguing by the page as Kayla sets about discovering the truth for herself. You will then find it increasingly harder to tear yourself away from this story as there are a lot of curveballs coming your way, dearest reader. And I meant A LOT.
I don’t think I would have ever guessed what Laura Salter’s had up her sleeve-plotwise. It came as a complete shock to me, just when I thought I knew where things were at and suddenly BOOM, it turns out you know nothing. I love it when that happens…Y’know when you’re reading a book and you suddenly get what’s happening and want to start discussing it with everyone? That is exactly how Run Away will make you feel.
There’s no doubt that Laura Salters is an extremely talented writer. It’s difficult to believe that this is only her debut as it’s so polished and well written. She really brought Thailand to life for me and I loved her descriptions of the places that Kayla and her fellow back-packers visited. I loved reading about their adventures and truly felt like I was in Thailand with Kayla. I could imagine the beaches, I could imagine the oppressive heat, the parties, everything. The group of travelers made for a fantastic bunch of characters. Even the darker characters were intriguing and it’s impossible not to try and guess what everyone’s up to. It’s clear that someone is not all that they seem. But WHO? The answer will shock you…
The other aspect of Laura’s writing that I must praise is her portrayal of grief. The emotions she will evoke in you are all encompassing as you experience the pain that Kayla is going through alongside her. You can feel her numbness and her desperation to find out what happens and much the same as Kayla you won’t be able to rest until everything is uncovered…
Whilst you’ve got the scary/tense/thrilling/mysterious part of the story, there’s also the romance. I’m not just talking about Kayla and Stephen, but I really liked reading about Russia and Dave, too. Their relationships are complex and at times, heart wrenching.
If you’re into Young Adult/New Adult then it goes without saying that this is a must-read for you, but even if you’re not then I urge you to give this a try. If you are looking for a rollercoaster of a read that will completely take over your life for a day or two then one-click Run Away.

Laura is definitely an author to look out for…I’m expecting big things!

A huge thank you to publishers Harper Witness and Laura Salters for sending me a copy of Run Away to review. ♥

Laura Salters is a YA/NA suspense author (represented by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary & Media Inc) from the northernmost town in England. Her debut novel, RUN AWAY, will be published by HarperCollins (Witness Impulse) on 05/05/15.