As the title suggestions, Bernice decides to run away from home-but Bernice is not a child, but a delightful and quirky 80 something year old with a family, a home and friends that love her. Why would a senior citizen decide to leave everything and everyone she knows to go on an adventure?
Bernice is a widow and lives alone with her cat in the house she and her husband first moved into when they were married. She has the support of her church friends and her good friend Marlene. Her daughter wants her to move to Atlanta and live in a carriage house she is building on her property so she won’t be alone. But, of course, Sarah, her daughter, never thought to ask Bernice if moving in with her was something she wanted to do. And it isn’t.
Bernice is tired of her old life. She reminisces about her summers as a teenager spent at Lake Norfork and her first love, John Marvel, who broke her heart. She decides she will move to the Lake and try to change her life.
She uses the techniques set out in Marie Kondo’s organizational books (which I personally don’t care for) but in a humorous way so it was not preachy like Marie can be, to decide what is important for her to keep and take with her to the Lake. She uses these techniques throughout the book.
Once at the Lake she makes new friends and discovers more about herself and what has been bothering her deep down over the years. She gets a new haircut, gets some answers about her teenage love, and sorts her family issues out. The author does a great job by making the story realistic, not magically giving Bernice all the answers she wanted but having her grow as a person and basically, tidy up her past and present life.
I truly enjoyed this book and read it in a day. It is not a thriller or a mystery book. It is purely a sweet family story starring a plucky 81 year old who reminds me of my own mother. I highly recommend this book. I give it 5/5 stars.
Thank you to One Mississippi Press and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this ARC.
The Book Was Better ! 
Thank you for reading and reviewing my book. It’s so humbling (and a little nerve-wracking) to read someone else’s take on my words. Every review is important to me, but these earliest ones are extra special!