Review Detail

“Running Back to You” by Sarah Henning follows main character Millie as she struggles to find her way out of a lie and get her first kiss. When a guy in her class, Logan, asks if she’s ever kissed anyone, she doesn’t want to tell the truth, so she goes with the answer that is least embarrassing, despite the fact that it’s a flat-out lie. When a video goes viral and becomes part of the high school gossip mill, it takes all that Millie has to keep it together. Lying is not something she wants to do—in fact, she prides herself on being painfully honest.

Her best friend, Hannah, thinks that finding a way out of Millie’s lie involves making it turn into the truth, so she works with Millie to plan the ultimate redemption—a first kiss that will make everyone forget there was ever a lie to begin with. When they decide that Caleb is the guy she should have this kiss with, it isn’t as easy as it might have been, especially because Caleb happens to be Millie’s twin brother’s best friend and she’s known him forever. This, coupled with the fact that Logan keeps showing up everywhere she goes, makes it quite difficult to get that first kiss. However, as she gets to know Caleb in a different light and Logan keeps appearing randomly, she realizes that her expectations—and even her desires—are possibly taking a turn, and she doesn’t quite know what to make of that.

This middle grade contemporary romance has its share of twists and turns that are not always expected, but they keep readers on their toes, interested till the last page.