I had read "Pay It Forward" by the same author, a book I absolutely loved, so was keen to read this.  Its not as memorable as PIF however, don't let that put you off.  This is a lovely, easy read telling the story of Brooke and Molly who are thrown together by the most bizarre of circumstances. Both are lost and trying to find their way in the world, but for very different reasons.  

I have to praise how Hyde navigates between the teenage and adult voices of her characters. All too often, we are given a two dimensional character who is nothing more than a collection of tropes with a name. She gives a depth to Molly that is rarely seen in teenage girls in novels like this. 

Overall it is a lovely book with a nice flow, not too taxing, inspiring and believable.

Absolutely LOVED this book. 
Highly recommend...One of my favorite authors. 
Never disappoints.  Read in one sitting.

What a stunning, poignant read!

Brooke lost her daughter, Etta, in a carjacking. A homeless teen, Molly, found Etta. Molly then struggled to care for the toddler as she also sought to reunite her with her parents. Sounds simple enough but its not like that all. Living in the streets, with no food or shelter and surrounded with all kinds of dangers, Molly is faced with the huge challenge of keeping Etta safe.

This story gave me all the feels. The two narrators, Molly and Brooke, are relatable, likable and easy to root for. I struggled not to cry as I read their stories. Brooke’s situation with a failed marriage, losing her daughter and moving back home with her mom broke my heart.

Molly’s story was heartbreaking but also quite enlightening. I don’t think that I have ever read any other story narrated by a homeless person. It made me think about why people end up on the streets. It also opened my eyes to the dangers that they face. Imagine not having the security of a home, sleeping in crates or under bridges and battling the weather elements and the dangers posed by fellow human beings.  Needless to say, Molly’s story is one that I will be think about for a long time.

I loved everything about this story. The character development was masterfully done with the MCs being very realistically portrayed. The writing was beautiful with an easy flow that sucked me into the story and held my attention to the last page. I can’t recall the last time that I read a whole book in less than a day but I flew through this one. I was either reading it or thinking about it until I turned the last page.

This is a story of homelessness, love, loss, mother-daughter relationships, friendships and hope. It will make you smile, maybe shed a tear or two, laugh and think about what it really means to have a home and a good family. What an emotional, heartwarming read!

As a mum to a toddler girl, this storyline sent shivers through me, it took me longer to read than it would normally take because I was picking it up and putting it down frequently. Very few books have had that affect on me. The storyline was frighteningly realistic and very well written.  Once I’ve managed to breath again I’ll recommend to all my friends.

I received this book "Brave Girl, Quiet Girl" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I enjoy reading stories by this author. Overall good read.

3.5 stars.  I was very excited to read this novel after having read "Have You Seen Luis Velez?"  Catherine Ryan Hyde has a way with storytelling and easily makes her characters very relatable.  For me however, while I enjoyed the story line of this novel, it didn't capture me as her previous one did.   I was interested in seeing how it played out, but the characters were really lacking to me.  I feel that there was a whole part of the story that was missing, past experiences that could give them more depth.  When their pasts were brought up I felt it was skimmed over and not explained with much detail.  This story was good but not great.  I do look forward to trying another Catherine Ryan Hyde book in the future.  

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing an advanced reader copy.

As a fan of Hyde's books, I was stunned by this beautifully gripping, emotional, and fast paced novel. 
It's a story with strong characters that will stay with you. A story of being lost, then found in many ways. I was invested  early on and stayed up until 3 a.m. to finish and I did not miss the sleep because this book reminds me of why I love reading. It fulfilled my heart and soul and that to me is gold!  5 stars.

As a parent this plot of this book is my absolute worst nightmare but I found the story to be gripping and couldn't put it down. I did have some reservations about the character of the mom in this story but overall found it a good read.

Beautiful writing where the very different lives but full of a void of love and compassion of the protagonists unites for the same cause, to save a girl. The story revolves around the shortages and emotional conflicts of two women but the affection, love and survival capacity of each one in their lives. Beautifully written and original.

4.5 stars, rounded up! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Once again, Catherine Ryan Hyde has knocked it out of the park! I have only read a handful of her books, but I’m obsessed with them. She never disappoints. 

This story is about two women - strangers - who meet under scary circumstances with one thing in common: their love for a little girl named Etta. What transpires is an unlikely bond between these three people that you will not soon forget.

What I love about Hyde’s books are that they always relatable, always have heartbreaking moments and always have a positive, happy ending. You just can’t help but fall in love with all of her characters and are sad to see them go once the book ends. Whenever I see a new book with her name on it, it’s an automatic request because I know I’m in for a seriously wonderful story. 

Keep up the great work, Ms. Hyde because you have a fan for life! 

Thank you to NetGalley, Catherine Ryan Hyde and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced copy to read and review.

Every time I start a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde, I think, it seriously can’t be as good as the last one. I mean, how can an author consistently write brilliant, emotional, moving stories? Is it even possible? But you know what, I read them, and they turn out to be good one straight after the other. Brave Girl, Quiet Girl was no exception. I cried. Multiple times.

This book was just so touching. And it dealt with such big topics. Mostly prejudice, but also just plain human decency, empathy and the fear of opening up and being let down.

There is so much love in Brave Girl, Quiet Girl. But it’s a fearful love – it’s the love of people who have been burnt and are afraid to trust again. People who would rather suffer physically than open themselves up for the possibility of being abandoned and hurt again. It is heart-breaking to witness it, but it also shakes your world to see them learn to trust again.

These are all reasons I am recommending you this book. But I will try to go into more detail!

It's About...

Something terrible happens to a mother and her toddler is lost. This child is found – by another child, well, a teen – only marginally less helpless than the first one. And while the police look for the missing toddler, we get to see a lot of things happen.

The personal drama of a parent whose child is their whole world. The development of a frayed, broken relationship that happens when people are exposed to sudden emotional, world-shattering trauma. The strenght a person can have, when it comes to protecting someone weaker than themselves. And also the callousness, judgemental attitudes of the world – yet weirdly, alongside kindness and hope. But that is not all… Because the end of one story prompts the unraveling of another one…

Brave Girl, Quiet Girl is written in typical Catherine Ryan Hyde fashion and it exposes the worst, as well as the best of humanity and human relationships. And that is why it’s an absolute must-read.

Real Problems Marginalized Young People Face That Need To Be Talked About More

Other than what I’ve already said in the blurb above, its really, really hard to tell you any more about this book without really spoiling it for you. And I mean, even one of the biggest topics, as it kind of comes as a twist later on in the book. Catherine Ryan Hyde’s books tend to be like that a lot. It’s a great thing when youre reading it, but its pretty hard to write a convincing review!

Just let me tell you that its about a lot of very big problems a very young, very vulnerable group of marginalized people face daily. Teens who are made homeless because of prejudice – teens who nobody will believe, because if you don’t have a home, you clearly had to do something to “deserve” it. The story deals with a lot of different prejudice, and the way people deal with it when they experience this prejudice. As always, Catherine Ryan Hyde tackles big, painful and very relevant problems.

What’s also interesting about Brave Girl, Quiet Girl is that you don’t really know what the book is about.

When you start reading, you think you know – it’s about a missing girl and the story of how she is found and saved. But… Then you find out that it’s not. Or rather, that that’s not all there is to it.

It’s kind of a little bit like two books? The first half is about a big event and its aftermath, but the second part turns the tables around – and the helper needs to be helped. We start looking at completely different problems than in the first half, and at least I totally didn’t see it coming. As always, Catherine Ryan Hyde keeps me on my toes when reading her books.

I believe I must’ve said this in another review of her book before, but this will have to be all I say on the large and important topics front. Because I seriously just don’t want to give you spoilers!

But anyway, you won’t have to wait long until you find out. Brave Girl, Quiet Girl is a very fast and riveting read!

It was an evening and a half read for me, and it was so tense, I just couldn’t pull myself away. I am not kidding, I even made salad while reading. With a knife. (I do not recommend this. Fingers suffered. Thankfully, not very badly.) If you’re like me at all, you won’t be able to unglue yourself from the book either.

Amazing, Realistic, Not-Sugar-Coated Human Relationships

And as usual, Catherine Ryan Hyde astonishes me with her ability to write amazing human relationships. Because in a book with people who need saving from their tough situation (not giving you any more for fear of spoilers), you would think it would be just a big heroic story of “hug and be happy”. Right? But it’s not.

We expect big problems to be solved in sweeping heroic gestures – an orphan child being taken into a new home, a missing child being found – things like that – we expect people in these stories to be heroic, because they always are. I expected it too, but I should have known better.

Because Catherine Ryan Hyde writes realistic, human characters – not archetypal heroes. Her characters hurt and fear, they fumble and they make mistakes.

They don’t “get saved and thank their savior profusely” – instead, they ask the real questions. They’re like real people would be – they’re not from a sweet Disney story. This is something I really loved about Brave Girl, Quiet Girl.

Brave Girl, Quiet Girl Is All Women

And finally, I really loved all the ways women’s relationships were explored in Brave Girl, Quiet Girl. The book is mostly only about women – mothers, daughters, big sisters who are not actually your sisters, but more like role models or the hand that pulls you up when you’re down. The men are just a fleeting addition to the play – and we need books like that.

There are a few core relationships among the women in this book and their dynamics are so different – they open up different aspects of the way women give each other strength and define each other’s worlds. A frayed mother and daugher’s relationship and how it holds up in the wake of a tragedy, an older role-model, as a mentor or protector in a tough situation (this one is explored from a few angles in the book, actually.) A sister or companion who is caring for you not just because you need it, but because she needs to be caring for you at the moment for the sake of her own self just as much.

I could go on, but it’s pointless to try to put it into words, when Catherine Ryan Hyde already does it so much better. Like I said before, she is a master at writing realistic human relationships, and Brave Girl, Quiet Girl is a perfect example of this.

Overall...

What can I say, apart from that Catherine Ryan Hyde won my heart with Brave Girl, Quiet Girl again? I’m glad she’s written so many books. I know I still have a cache of guaranteed good reads like this one!

Triggers

Triggers are spoiler tagged, so please look up the review on my blog.

I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

#NetGalley #LakeUnionPublishing #CatherineRyanHyde

I don't want to give away anything so I will just tell you this: Brooke is a single divorced mom, mother of a two year girl named Etta, and living with her mother.  Brooke is struggling to get by, while trying to save to get her own place.  Molly is a homeless teen, just trying to get through each day on the street.  On the way home from a movie with her daughter Brooke is brutally hijacked and the next thing you know she is looking at the taillights of her mom's car, with her daughter still strapped into the carseat in the back seat.  Sometime later, Molly finds Etta on a street corner still strapped into the carseat.  Both Brooks and Molly's lives will forever be changed.

This book was so good! I loved it! There was so much emotion, suspense, and tense moments included in its pages. The book was heartwarming and also scary. I could not put it down!

Brooke is a divorced single mom, financially strapped, living with her mother, and holding tight to the one thing that matters most: her two-year-old daughter, Etta. Then, in a matter of seconds, Brooke’s life is shattered when she’s carjacked.

This is a really good novel about the complex relationships between mothers and daughters, and learning to look beyond appearances to see the good in people. 

I give it four stars instead of five because it was a little slow in places. 

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy for an honest review.

One of my favorite authors. Hyde nows how to write about the heart of things. A divorced mother and her young daughter are car jacked, and the daughter is left in the car. The mother and police do a all out search that involves a homeless teen who finds the child in her car seat left on a street corner.

This is the first time I have read this author and I will definitely be trying a few of her other novels. Brooke is a divorced, single mum to Etta and lives with her mother. They are struggling financially and if she wasn’t so cash strapped they wouldn’t be living with her mother, who is judgemental and critical. Her life, already at a low point, shatters when she is car-jacked. Even worse, the thief dives away not realising that two year old Etta is still strapped into her car seat. 

Luckily, for the time of night and the area, Etta is found by teenager Molly, a runaway from Utah. Molly defends Etta and keeps her safe from other unsavoury characters. She is pretty streetwise since living in the streets, Her main aim is to stop Etta feeling afraid and because she has younger brother and sisters she knows how to entertain young children. To keep her calm she whispers to her ‘brave girl, quiet girl’ a phrase she remembers from her own childhood. These two lost girls really do form a loving bond over just 24 hours. 

The alternate character chapters work well because we get to see what Brooke and Molly are feeling and thinking during the same period of time. I was drawn in by both of them, but especially felt for Molly - a plucky girl who has survived despite the odds and despite being tough, simply falls in love with Etta. It’s a tough shell with a very soft centre. This author seems very adept at creating characters that feel real and touch your emotions. She’s also psychologically astute, portraying a great complexity in mother - daughter relationships. Even though Brooke sees a dirty street girl at first, she can soon see the heart of gold underneath. They share a bond, as they both have critical and judgemental mothers. Perhaps Brooke could be that surrogate mother or older sister that Molly truly needs. The book really engaged my emotions and I loved the ending being so heartwarming after my emotions had been put through the wringer!

<b>**FULL REVIEW**</b>

I didn't think I'd enjoy this book as much as I did. Gripping in its introduction, the dual point of view, and seeing both sides of a story where two people have more in common than they realize...it was beautiful. Heartbreaking and redeeming, but beautiful in its execution.

Hyde did a wonderful job of explaining some hard issues many people face...it felt well-researched, emotionally charged, and while sad or scary (from a mom's point of view) in some ways, I couldn't tear my eyes away. 

This is a story that will stay with me. It reminds me that no matter someone's station in life, they have the ability to be good. Do good. Remain honest and kind. It also shows that stereotypes can be misleading...so give the benefit of the doubt when meeting and talking to someone.

In short, I'd read more of her work. One hundred percent; she's talented, bringing to light some raw issues and broken systems within our society...the realness of her words, especially in today's social climate makes one think. It may even prompt one to act. But if nothing else, it brings forth some knowledge...and recognition that change can be made. One kindness at a time.

<b>**4 Don't Judge a Book by its Cover, Stars**</b>

Thank. you for the advanced e-ARC win exchange for my honest review. I will post my review on Goodreads and Amazon.

It was difficult to start into this book as a young child disappears in a car and away from her mother. I was almost reading with my eyes shut!

However as it turns out she is found by Molly a young sixteen year old homeless girl. Molly is amazing with Etta and eventually all is well. Or almost well.

We get to know the mother - Brooke as well as Molly and of course little Etta who is quite a character on her own. Brooke is really on hard times and living at her own mother's house, while supporting her young daughter. When her daughter is taken off with the car her world falls apart and those around her wonder if it will ever get back together.

The story explores mother / daughter relationships, the best and worst. It explores homelessness and the foster system. It explores what real relationships are like  and promises and trust.

It's an emotional ride, it tugs at a reader's heartstrings. Brooke and Molly have so much to take on and grow through and they do and it made the story a really good read.

When Brooke’s life was turned upside down after losing her 2 year old daughter in a car jacking she had no idea what her future might hold.  When Molly, a homeless 16 year old finds a baby in the street, she too, had no idea where her life was headed.  This is their story. Hyde writes novels that are heart touching, novels that tug at your heartstrings about people you would like to meet.  This is a good read, but not as good as Hyde’s previous novels.  It felt quite stilted, and even though it had all the right elements to make it an emotional read, it just wasn’t as emotionally driven as it should have been.  It really left me wanting to know more about Brooke, about her mother’s life as well as more about Molly’s family.  I wanted more, way more!!

I’ve never read a book by this author before and now I can definitely say this one may be the first, but won’t be the last.

Brave Girl, Quiet Girl has such a unique story I couldn’t help but race through it.

Single mom Brooke is back home living with her mother and her young daughter Etta.  When out one day with Etta, she is carjacked and devastated when the car takes off with Etta still inside.  Molly, a homeless teen, finds Etta on the streets of LA and immediately sees to her care.  

This book is about so much more than the crime that was committed.  It was about the kindness of strangers and how people that aren’t your blood relations can become family.  It’s about mothers and daughters and unlikely relationships.  It’s about how people can come together and become stronger despite having their own struggles.