Thank you Lake Union and NetGalley for this ARC in return of my honest review.

I am new to Catherine Ryan Hyde’s books. This was a family drama with relatable themes for modern blended families. It also has very relevant themes relating social media and how things can be used and interpreted by the mass.

I liked the multilayered telling of this story, through the use of Eleanor, the reporter and Susannah the therapist.

I admit that this book was almost a DNF on a number of occasions as it was just not drawing me in for the first 60 percent. I think this was due to questioning so many of the characters choices and also the slow pace. I’m glad that I committed as I enjoyed the second half a lot more and overall I found it an enjoyable read. .

3.5 stars for me.
Thank you for this ARC.

I have read multiple books by this author and her heartwarming stories of hope never failed to move me until now. I was hopeful for the first part of the book and then was introduced to Gemma and Willa, Maggie's daughters. How a divorced, mother, and doctor who does charitable work could spawn those two was head scratching. In the aftermath of hurricane Mina they meet two teenage girls who have become orphans. Not much is revealed about the girls' life so who knows. It was hard to imagine that Gemma and Willa would ever be anything but awful, The girls, Jean and Rose, were sweet but maybe too perfect and there were things Maggie did that I found unbelievable. Alex was great and seemed to have the patience of a saint. With all the other 4 and 5 star ratings I have given her books I am hoping this is just a blip and I will continue to look forward to more of those.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union for providing me with a digital copy.

I absolutely love Catherine Ryan Hyde. My favorite book so far is "When I Found You". I find that she writes such depth to her characters, and weaves an emotional beautiful story using ordinary people. However, this one did not affect me like previous novels that she has written.

I found that I had a difficult time connecting to Maggie. While I appreciated and understood her need to take care of the two orphaned girls- Jean and Rose- I felt that the journey that this story was presented seemed a little forced and contrived. Maggie is nurturing, patient and kind to the fostered girls- but doesn't treat her own daughters, Willan and Gemma, this well. Thus, Jean and Rose come across in such a positive, humble light while Willa and Gemma are very unlikable. There are reasons for their attitude, but it seemed way too contrived that suddenly everything becomes roses and sunshine. It did not feel like an authentic story of growth. The depth in the characters that I usually see in her writing felt forced- like polar opposites. I think this was written this way so that we could see how far they came to becoming a family.

This is my personal feeling on the book. Please read other reviews as I am definitely an outlier on this. However, as stated before, I do love almost everything I have read by this author, and am looking forward to her next release.
Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I have read several books by this author, for me this one had my emotions all over the board, such a heart breaking story line for the two sisters losing both of their parents. Maggie Blount is a doctor, and one that volunteers her time and energy to emergences when they occur. She doctors they young sisters back to health, and eventually brings them home with her. All things are not sunshine and roses as her own daughters whom are spoiled brats, rebel majorly. I would certainly recommend this book to everyone.

I received and ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Getting it out there - this is not one of my favorite books by Catherine Ryan Hyde. She does an admirable job of tackling some thorny issues and while that may have dripped into my less than stellar view of this book it wasn’t my only problem.

The downside - Hyde’s main characters are too black or too white, the shadings of grey are not even subtle, they are missing. Maggie, the protagonist is a strong/weak character given the circumstances and the relationship. She is a caring Doctor hoping to help the harmed, one disaster patient to the next. She has a certain calm and cold demeanor on the exterior while inwardly questioning many of her personal choices, actions and decisions. She is a self-admitted parenting failure with her biological daughters. The biological daughters are akin to the wicked step-sisters in Cinderella - Hyde may have gone a tad overboard with the juxtaposition of the wonderfully grateful and sincere foster sisters. But you be the determinant of that.

The upside - Hyde doesn’t flinch from exposing difficult family situations and how the treatment by and between siblings, parents, significant others impacts nothing and everything at the same time. The undercurrent of a professional needing to be more than a Mother and their ultimate question of when is a line crossed between personal and professional responsibility? The nod to the importance of having professional outsiders available for the treatment of behavioral issues is meaningful. The outing of spoiled, enabled teenagers was almost perfection as was the power of the metaverse and its potential to destroy those seeking its power.

My thoughts- it seems as if this story was written around the mantra “If nothing changes, nothing changes.” It is repeated in several interesting contexts. So, if you take this family apart and put it back together adding more than a bit of this and a dash of that, being done with good intentions but lacking in strong, well-thought out convictions and support - is it change or something else entirely?

Catherine Ryan Hyde is a consummate writer and while this story was not one of my favorites I look forward to reading her next book. Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for a copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

As displayed on Goodreads shelves, I am a big fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde. She writes heartwarming stories that feature characters of different ages experiencing all types of conflicts that often at the root are all about family.

In Hyde's latest release, we are introduced to Dr. Maggie Blount, a California physician who travels with a group of doctors and nurses into disaster areas. But this often means that Maggie must leave behind her two daughters- Willa and Gemma, with her ex-husband, Dan. The girls hate when their mother makes these arrangements. Nor are they fond of Maggie's boyfriend, Alex, a stepparent that the girls are not too fond of and who follows Maggie on these missions.

In Maggie and Alex's latest mission, they help two girls- Jean and Rose, who tragically lost their parents in a hurricane. Maggie, having developed an attachment, makes a split decision for the girls to come home with her and Alex- to adopt them. Unfortunately, this creates even more tension between Maggie and her daughters and they decide to move in with their father. Will this family be able to tackle their problems?

Frankly, I wasn't a fan of this book. Maggie made a lot of decisions or failed to take action in so many situations that I found her extremely unlikeable. Her ex-husband, Dan and her new boyfriend, Alex are men who seem to exist only for Maggie to either fight with or listen to her talk about her relationship with her daughters but never appear to be able to fully confront Maggie about what is irking them. Jean and Rose are perfect robotic adopted children and Willa and Gemma are painted as selfish in every way. The family is interviewed about Maggie and Alex's work and its effect on the family and in the aftermath the storyline is trying to discuss the impact of social media. The message was well-intentioned but as a reader, I feel it missed the mark in making it something the four girls had to teach us when I was concerned with Maggie learning a few things.

I am an outlier with this title. I felt it was rushed and had an ending that was unbelievable even for fiction standards.

On the other hand, I always eagerly anticipate another CRH title whether it is from her existing catalogue or whatever comes next.

#RollingTowardClearSkies #NetGalley.
Publication Date: 12/11/24
Goodreads Review 30/11/24

Maggie Blount, a divorced mother of two daughters and a California physician, puts everything on hold when disaster strikes.
Being a member of Doctors On Wheels the team heads to Louisiana's hardest hit area of a category 5 hurricane. Maggie immediately bonds with two very sick orphaned sisters and their puppy. With no one to care for them Maggie begins the process to adopt them.
The girls are polar opposites of Maggie's own self-centered teenage daughters who resist acceptance of the new girls into their family.
Tons of angst, sorrow, heart-felt moments and lessons learned in this touching novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Maggie Blount, divorced mother of two and California physician, puts her private practice on hold when disaster strikes. Doctors on Wheels takes her and Alex—Maggie’s professional and romantic partner—wherever they’re needed. After rolling into rural Louisiana in the wake of a Category 5 hurricane, Maggie immediately bonds with two young sisters and a puppy, all orphaned by the storm.

I thought this premise sounded interesting but by 25% of the way into the story I found I wasn't really enjoying it and actually took a dislike to Maggie and her two daughters. There's a reason the daughters are so unlikeable and that's all down to Maggie. As good as her intentions were, I couldn't help but feel that maybe if she had treated her daughters with the attention and respect she gives the foster girls they would've turned out better. Although I found parts of the story interesting - like how much social media influences people these days - overall I thought the story was a little too cut and dried and I didn't find the characters believable. The epilogue was too long and too saccharine sweet for my taste. Although I have one outstanding book of the author's to read, I don't think I'll be as quick to grab her next one.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley for providing a copy of this novel to read. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: November 12, 2024

Another 5-star read from Catherine Ryan Hyde! A tale of family, blended from disaster, that at first makes you question, "What are you thinking?" Maggie and Alex are two of the medical professionals working with Doctors on Wheels, a response team that helps emergency responders in the wake of major disasters. But how will Maggie's family recover from the aftermath of what she and Alex bring back with them from their latest Cat 5 hurricane? As usual, Hyde weaves together a tale that makes you question your own character and sense of doing good in a world that makes everyone wonder whether good deeds still exists. Highly recommended!

Read. This. Book. Everybody would benefit from reading this, not just for the story but because there is plenty of food for thought. Those of us who are older will be agreeing all the way with Maggie – the mother – we have all encountered this attitude of entitlement in the younger generation. As a teacher, I have been close to families brought up in both ways & I certainly know which produces the finer adults.
The writer has succeeded totally in communicating each & every character’s perspective. In fact she does this so well, they don’t even seem like ‘characters’ but rather like very real people.
There are plenty of quotes worth taking a note of :-
“I wanted to give them everything, but now they have everything and they just act like kids who have everything. They don’t appreciate anything because nothing they have is anything they’ve ever had to live without. They just keep wanting more, and getting more never seems to make them happy.”
“You don’t help someone learn to make adjustments by seeing to it that there are no adjustments to be made.”
“Beauty fades. Knowing how to treat people lasts forever.”
Definitely a book worth recommending...to everyone you know!

This story unfolds with a group of volunteers, Doctors on Wheels, that offer medical support travelling to disaster areas to offer assistance.

Maggie and her partner Alex along with their team find themselves helping 2 girls, Jean and Rose after their parents were killed in rural Louisiana during a hurricane. They are sick themselves and when their elderly grandparents are located and unable to take the girls, Maggie decides to foster them.

Her our spoilt and rude daughters, Willa and Gemma move to their fathers when Maggie arrives home with Jean and Rose and refuse to even speak to them.

A blended family, where different personalities, interests and beliefs surface but with time, patience and love will this family survive!

A beautifully written story of hope and love!

This is another fantastic book by Catherine Ryan Hyde that again made me think and reflect on my life. Maggie is a GP who along with her partner Alex runs a free medical service for disaster struck areas. This sees Maggie once again leaving her teenage daughters with their father (and her ex-husband) to go and assist with the aftermath of a tornado.
While running their 'field clinic' with friends Dr's Lacey and John Bishop, Maggie comes across two girls who are a similar age to her own daughters but so very different. The girls are traumatised by the tornado and both suffering from pneumonia. Rather than palm them off to a shelter or foster care while their parents are located, Maggie makes the decision to take in the girls and look after them herself.
This decision sets many lives off on a new course and Maggie is in for a rough ride with the fallout of this decision.
A beautifully told story about kindness and generosity no matter the circumstances.
Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

Catherine Ryan Hyde has written another excellent book. Rolling Toward Clear Skies takes you into the life and work of a family with two very privileged teen girls. Their mother is a doctor who operates a clinic on wheels and travels to disaster areas to help the wounded. I loved this book as I have every other book that she has written.
Thank you to the author, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy. The opinion is entirely my own.

This book was a delightful surprise. It felt honestly heartbreaking at times. Cringingly horrible at others. Yet full of love at all times.

I'm not sure I've ever read another story where the family (new & old) seemed so real. Every characters honesty emanated from the page, and I loved that. Even will Gemma & Willa were horrible, I appreciated it because it was true.

I'd definitely recommend this book, and would love if there was a sequel.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Maggie is a doctor who volunteers her time with Doctors on Wheels. It's an organization that travels to hard hit areas to help with medical care.

When Maggie travels to Louisiana after a major hurricane she meets two teenagers who have lost everything including their parents.

I loved the concept of this book. After a few devastating hurricanes here in the US recently this story is so relevant.

I liked the characters, but Maggie's daughters have a lot to learn about life. I loved how the two new girls were so grounded even after such tragedy.

You really can't go wrong with a Catherine Ryan Hyde book if you like an emotional true to life type of story.

Thanks to netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the arc.

This is another 5 star read from this renowned author Catherine Ryan Hyde.
Maggie is a divorced mum of two teenager daughters, they have had a privileged upbringing and are used to always getting what they want. They can be selfish and thoughtless
Maggie is a GP who also volunteers for Doctors on Wheels and in this role meets two teenage sisters who have just lost both their parents to a hurricane. . Maggie sees how different these two girls are to her own daughters, how they support each other, she decides with her partner Alex to offer the girls a foster home and she later adopts them.
As expected her own daughters are not happy and they flea to their fathers to stay. In contrast her foster daughters show her love and appreciation for what she is doing for them. There are some rocky months, the four girls meeting, and there are some hard lessons for her own two girls.
The story as always rolls along drawing the reader in to the complexities of this newly formed family. Lots of topics are explored, loss, grief, jealousy, bullying, anger, but as time moves on there is between the 4 daughters a growing respect, friendship, tolerance and most importantly love. Maggie's original two girls begin to learn that trust and respect are earned.
One again this author has her readers captivated and I highly recommend this book to any reader.

Huge thanks to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review. I apologise for late review.

I'm sorry, but this is a very shallow book. It covers a lot of important topics, but the story barely scratches the surface.
80% of the text consists of banal, flat, cheesy, and utterly fake dialogue. None of the characters are likable. The main character, Maggie, is not only perfect but also incredibly naive and somehow stupid. The whole story raises my eyebrows because nothing in this book is believable.

4/5 (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Book: Rolling Toward Clear Skies by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Genre: Fiction

This was my first dive into a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it! "Rolling Toward Clear Skies" is a heartwarming story about Maggie Blount, a divorced physician whose life takes a turn when she teams up with her partner, Alex, to join Doctors on Wheels. After responding to a devastating hurricane in rural Louisiana, Maggie decides to foster two orphaned sisters and their puppy. The story really digs into the ups and downs of blending families from different backgrounds. Maggie brings Jean and Rose into her fancy Vista del Mar home, which doesn’t sit well with her self-absorbed teenage daughters, Willa and Gemma.

Hyde does an amazing job of tackling themes like privilege, empathy, and personal growth throughout the book. The contrast between the grateful Jean and Rose and Maggie's entitled daughters creates some real tension that makes everyone rethink their assumptions. As Maggie tries to teach her kids about gratitude while figuring out her own role in all this, the chaos of their new family dynamic unfolds beautifully. "Rolling Toward Clear Skies" is a heartfelt look at second chances and what family really means, encouraging readers to think about compassion and understanding. If you believe in the transformative power of love, this book is definitely a must-read! 💕🌟

Thank you SO much to @netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for sending me the wonderful ARC of #RollingTowardClearSkies #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I have read many books by this author and this was definitely the worst one. The book came across as very after school special and was just not relatable unfortunately. I just feel that the author did not capture the emotion of the story. We are told how to feel, but the actions and behaviors of the characters do not match with the emotions. The adoption took a second and I think the adopted ones had suffered brain damage or something because they are just the most ridiculously easy teens ever. I really hope that this book is a fluke. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

CRH is such a wonderful author. This may be my favorite of hers that I've read. I will be recommending to everyone.
Thanks so much for approving my request.