Chloe took it as a good sign when she and Mark made some compromises while planning their wedding. Mark's mother added significantly to the guest list, and Chloe incorporated some Jewish traditions into the ceremony. But when the stomped-upon wineglass doesn't break on cue, Chloe decides it's a very bad omen and flees the scene. She drives away in her truck, veil flying in the wind, during the final minutes of her wedding ceremony.

Even Chloe can't explain why she ran. She used to be the normal one in her family. She's had some bad role models in her alcoholic mother and ultra-strict stepfather, plus her playboy father and his perfect third wife "The Charm." Her siblings include an anorexic pregnant sister, and her brother Rafe, who's so handsome and charming that he's like "girl Velcro."

Suddenly, Chloe is homeless and jobless. She's already taken two months leave from her job as a lab researcher at a biogenetics company, so she moves into her Gran's vacant bungalow to supervise some construction and try to sort out her life. In the torn-down walls of the remodeling project, Chloe discovers a metal tin full of old letters and a family mystery that may explain some of the dysfunction they've all come to accept as normal.

Each chapter begins with "Chloe's Guide for the Runaway Bride" advice, which takes a sarcastic twist on typical wedding planning. With barely a backwards glance at happily- ever-after, Chloe celebrates the undoing of her wedding plans as she's eating tons of leftover salmon and mini- quiches, returning wedding presents, dodging the helpful advice of her family and friends and moving on.

Eileen Rendahl creates a moving story of a wedding that wasn't. This book was a quick read, and romantic sub- plots for Chloe's brother Rafe and her friend, Clarissa, were great additions. I was expecting more of a romantic comedy in a book about a runaway bride, but I was intrigued by a surprisingly deep family drama that delved into several generations of history and secrets. Funny moments come from runaway bride jokes, since Chloe is fodder for small town gossip and teasing. Even so, the more I learned about Mark, the less I thought that Chloe was crazy for going UN-BRIDALED.

Book Summary

With half her immediate family having been committed -- mentally speaking -- why can't Chloe Sachs commit? After all, she's always been considered the sane one in the family. But seconds before becoming Mrs. Mark Hutchinson, Chloe leaves her handsome, successful fiancé at the altar and tears down Interstate 505 in her red Nissan Frontier. Maybe it was the heat of a California June wedding. Maybe it was when a family tradition went awry before hundreds of shocked guests. Or maybe it was because she heard a voice telling her in no uncertain terms, Run!

Now Chloe has no Plan B, two kooky dogs, one angry ex, and a truckload of wedding gifts to return. Taking refuge at her grandmother's, Chloe helps renovate a bungalow that's been in the family for years -- and unearths some surprising secrets. She also discovers that leaving her heart open may invite some very intriguing guests -- like the beguiling veterinarian she can't get off her mind. And with her family and friends' help, Chloe realizes she's truly free... to follow her heart wherever it takes her.