What was this book (YA /teen)

[drumlit]

I read a book years ago, and I have just recently remembered it. I don't think I got to finish it and it was quite a good storyline.
Basically a teenage girls mum leaves her at home to go and visit her boyfriend in Bournemouth and she doesn't tell anyone and eventually they have a school trip to Bournemouth and she runs off on the school trip to go and find her mum
Thanks

Break in the Sun by Bernard Ashley? Also a tv series.

@Richardchamberlainrocks I think Break in the Sun was where the protagonist ran away from the mothers boyfriend because he hit her.

@drumlit it sounds like maybe The Secret by Ruth Thomas ? Did the mum go to visit her boyfriend but was in an accident and lost her memory? And her daughter and son were left at home alone? I remember them going on a school trip to the seaside to find their mother and having to pretend they had proper sandwiches , (they had ran out of food aside from bread)

It's not Break in the Sun - Patsy lives in Deptford and runs away to Margate to find the landlady of her old flat, Mrs Broadley, who was like a gran to her. She is very much running away from her mum and abusive stepfather.

Ask chatgpt, it’s pretty good at guessing a book. Sounds like a Jaqueline Wilson book to me

I loved that book (The Secret)! Thanks for reminding me of it. There was a really kind headteacher in that story if I remember rightly.

Yes definitely the Secret, great book. I also loved the Runaways by the same author. (Ruth Thomas)

I've just read this and it is indeee The Secret by Ruth Almond as mentioned above. It was in a pile of books donated to my DD. I was sucked in by the dated cover, but after just a few pages I realised I had to vet it before letting my DD read it! A mum leaves her two children Nicky (10 I think) and Roy who is younger, home alone while she goes to spend the weekend in a caravan at the seaside with her boyfriend. She changes her mind and goes for the last train home, but gets mugged and then hit by a car, and ends up in hospital with concussion with no memory of who she is and no identification as her bag was stolen. So Nicky has to look after Roy for a couple of weeks with hardly any money, and they don't tell anyone as they are scared of being taken into care or their mum getting in trouble. It's really quite a harrowing story ending in them both nearly dying, and mum not getting in trouble at all. I was really shocked by it and my family kept teasing me for being gripped by it and asking for updates 'are the children still alive?' etc I must read The Runaways now. If I can remember where I put it I'm happy to send it to you, I don't think it's one for my DD!