Run Away With Me

Ages 14 to 18

Run Away With Me is a bold, sapphic Thelma & Louise for a new generation that follows two girls on the run desperate to leave their lives behind, but when they're pulled into a sinister plot, how long can they evade the cops or even more dangerous adversaries? And as their friendship blossoms into something more, can they find a future worth running to?

Jessie “Mouse” Swift needs to get the hell out of Seattle. A few days ago she admitted to wanting her abusive stepfather dead, only to come home and find his murdered body. Convinced the police are after her, she panics and runs. But when a girl from school pulls up in a vintage red Mustang and offers her a ride, Jessie’s whole plan changes as the two of them embark on a road trip across America.

Brooke Summer is everything Jessie isn’t: popular, confident, wealthy and heart-stoppingly beautiful, and Jessie has been in love with her from afar for years. But Brooke has her own secrets, her glove box full of old cassette tapes and a gun with a single bullet. As they speed out of the city, the girls agree not to discuss why they’re running... or what they’re running from.

But when they get tangled up with dangerous traffickers and discover a tracker in the Mustang’s engine, they realise they can’t trust anyone except each other...

About the Author

J. L. Simmonds grew up by the seaside but now lives in Bristol. She studied English Literature and worked in marketing and communications for ten years before returning to Bath Spa for her MA in Writing for Young People. She writes joyful LGBTQ+ YA, bad poetry and text messages with too many emojis. Run Away with Me is her debut novel.