Review: Runaway by Meg Cabot

Runaway by Meg Cabot is the final book in the Airhead trilogy. When we last left Nikki Howard, aka Em Watts, she had just been forced into a limo by Brandon Stark, forced to declare her love for him. Now, she is holed up in his home and not at all enjoying herself as his captive. It's not easy being Nikki, but it's even more difficult when the real Nikki Howard is living with you, demanding her body back. Em certainly does not want to see that happen.

To top it all off, just about everyone in her life is mad at her for something. Christopher is mad for a plethora of reasons, not all of which make sense to Em. Her parents want to see her life get back on track, and of course, Brandon and Nikki are just throwing yet another wrench into the works. But when Em finally does escape from Brandon's clutches, she discovers that it's not any easier being on the run from her friends, loved ones, and oh yeah, Stark!

I was really excited to finally see the clues unravel and get some answers into this series. And the answers are very creepy, let me just say. I don't want to ever imagine that old people are thinking what Robert Stark is apparently thinking. I will also say one minor thing and that is that in some parts, I thought the plot dragged a bit. I got a bit tired of the back and forth between Em and Christopher. And well, personally, I don't think Christopher was all that. I had a huge crush on Lulu's Steven however. What a brother.

The star of the book was by far Em herself. I liked how she took crazy risks even though she sometimes put herself in the TSTL category. But I didn't mind all that much. She was desperate and well, it's easier to forgive being that desperate and scared and just wanting answers. And finally, there are answers. Em turned her desperation into some kick-butt action and got what she needed. I just wish the action had been more spread out in the book, rather than some of the longer chunks where I found the plot dragging because Em and Christopher were contemplating their relationship again. Or even the beginning, when Em was stuck with Brandon for too long. It was a slow start for me but fortunately it picked up pace soon enough.

This trilogy isn't my absolute favorite by Meg Cabot but she is still such a fun and innovative writer that I can't complain. I will be coming back for more, as usual, especially considering that her next YA series explores the story of Persephone, one of my very favorite myths. (She revealed this great tidbit in the Twitter party hosted a week ago.)

Also, I totally need a Cosabella. I love that dog. All in all, Em went after answers and found them, finally. She started to take-charge of herself, as Nikki Howard, not just Em Watts. She finally realized it was time to consider just who she truly was and I think by book's end she found a nice balance.

This ARC was provided by Around the World Tours which I adore!