Dr Maggie Blount and her partner - in both life and work - Alex, ran Doctors on Wheels, a not-for-profit where they headed into disasters to help, and heal, those in need. Now, accompanied by two other doctors, the four of them, plus their assistant, headed to Louisiana where a category 5 hurricane had decimated the area, leaving many homeless, many dead, and a lot of injured who didn't know where to go. As busy as usual, when Maggie noticed two young girls - probably around the same age as her own teen daughters - she was shocked at how ill they looked. Both had pneumonia and both were alone. Treating them, she ushered them to her RV, where they could rest. The younger of the two, Rose, found an abandoned puppy who was malnourished and terrified. Rose and her sister Jean, decided they wanted to help the puppy, whom they named Sunny.

Eventually, their job done, Doctors on Wheels headed for home, with three extra passengers. Maggie would foster the girls - and Sunny - until such time as a permanent place could be found. But Maggie's two daughters, Willa and Gemma, were not happy about the new arrangement. Self absorbed, entitled and pretentious, Maggie's girls were the opposite of the two polite, well mannered and grateful teens. What would Maggie do? Could she and Alex expect perfect harmony now there were four teens in the house?

Catherine Ryan Hyde always writes such real stories. While fiction, it felt very realistic. The story is about adjustment and change in time of adversity and adolescents learning how to deal with that. We see two groups of teenagers, with very different experiences and how that affects their ability to adapt and mature. I was expecting some major life threatening adventure at the end, but instead it stayed true to reality with events that do happen every day.

I am not sure what was missing for me with this story as I am usually a fan of the world that Ms. Hyde puts me in, but the more I think about it, I didn’t like the majority of the characters. I never warmed up to the original Blount family, and even with the addition of a rambunctious puppy and two sweet orphans from the Louisiana hurricane, the moments as a new family seemed contrived and forced with a lot of filler dialogue. Events in the story line (the death of Maggie’s co-worker… the older girls learning to drive… meeting Grandma Bess… Kirk!!... and a follow-up family interview with Eleanor Price) seemed to be random instead of a believable part of the story.

As always, thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read the previously published early edition e-copy of; Rolling Toward Clear Skies by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Her stories are so realistic and relatable. As a mom of four, I appreciate the struggle between wanting everything for your kids, and wanting them to experience a dose of reality. We try to do both with our kids; allow them to have youthful optimism but still learn about some harsh realities that come with living on this Earth. The book really drives home parenthood and the challenges of parenthood. Empathy can be a very hard concept to teach, despite all your attempts. This book really hit home as foster and adoptive parents, and while we don't have biological children to add into the mix, we have adopted and adopted from foster care which can be very different levels of trauma to cope with. Highly recommend Catherine Ryan Hyde's books!

Rolling Towards Clear Skies by Catherine Ryan Hyde isn’t the kind of book I’d typically pick up, but I found myself genuinely enjoying it. It’s a gentle, heartfelt story about family, resilience, and unexpected bonds.

The story centers on Maggie Blount, a single mother to two difficult teenage daughters, Willa and Gemma. Maggie works for Doctors on Wheels, a nonprofit that helps disaster victims. At one of these disaster sites, she encounters two orphaned girls, Jean and Rose, along with a stray dog named Sunny. Driven by compassion, Maggie decides to adopt the girls, adding a new layer of complexity to her already strained family dynamic.

The book follows Maggie as she tries to bring her biological and adopted daughters together under one roof. It’s not an easy road—tensions flare and emotional struggles arise—but that’s where the strength of the story lies. Rather than relying on dramatic twists, the novel gently explores the challenges of building a blended family and finding connection in unlikely places.

It’s a quiet read, with no major plot surprises, but it has a comforting, reflective tone. The characters feel real, and their emotional journeys are relatable and touching. If you’re looking for an easy, heartwarming read about the ups and downs of family life, this one is worth picking up

Whenever a disaster occurs several doctors, a nurse, and a general helper roll toward the danger with their mobile units. They help as needed and then return home to their own practices and families. It takes "givers" to keep this going. In this instance we are blessed with a look into the lives of one of the doctors who rolls with this mobile unit and shares a life with the male nurse who also oversees the nonprofit. She is a busy lady, divorced with two entitled teenage girls. As the story unfolds this giving lady finds two other teenagers in a hurricane disaster and feels compelled to give them aid. The result is a disasterous home life and a couple of angry children. Catherine Ryan Hyde tells this story as noone else can. Her humane touch and real knowledge of human nature in its best and worst tells a story of hate, hope, and family. It is a story of the heart and will touch yours. If you have never read her books, this is a great one to start with. Thanks to #NetGalley#CatherineRyanHyde#RollingTowardClearSkies for the opportunity to read this inspirational book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of Rolling Toward Clear Skies by Catherine Ryan Howard. This novel is a departure from Howard’s usual thrillers, but her sharp writing and engaging storytelling remain just as strong. The story blends heartfelt moments with humor, following a protagonist on a journey of self-discovery that feels both relatable and uplifting. The pacing is steady, though some sections felt slower than others, and I wished for a bit more depth in a few side characters. That said, the emotional payoff is satisfying, making Rolling Toward Clear Skies a feel-good read with plenty of heart and charm. Fans of contemporary fiction with humor and heart will enjoy this one!

Probably 2.5 stars. I thought this book was okay, but I didn’t love it. I wouldn’t read it again, but I didn’t dislike it enough to never give the author another shot.

I didn’t find the main character likable and her two biological daughters were insufferable. Maybe if Maggie had shown them the same love she showed the foster girls, they wouldn’t have ended up that way. But I guess that’s the point. Maggie didn’t realize they were a problem until she met two girls who were much different.

The premise was interesting, if not unrealistic. And I didn’t really feel satisfied with the solving of the problem. It still seemed to be a problem at the end. So not my favorite, but fine.

Loved this story of family and new extended family. Undoing the teaching of your children that includes entitlement and lack of empathy. These characters really pulled on my heartstrings. A warm story of teaching people to be compassionate to others!

If you like Abby Jimenez, Jodi Picoult, Kristin Hannah, Hannah Bonam-Young, or Rebecca Yarros (contemporary romance version), you should read this book.

In this book, Catherine Ryan Hyde explores multiple big topics such as adoption, blended families, loss of parents, and victims of natural disasters in this general fiction with a side romance.


⚠️MILD SPOILER SUMMARY⚠️
Alex and Maggie run a Doctor on Wheels which is a mobile doctor’s office that deploys to locations of natural disasters and provides victims with free urgent medical care. When deploying for a hurricane, Maggie meets two young girls with pneumonia who lost their parents in the hurricane. When the girls have no where to go, Maggie takes them in as a foster placement and adopts them. Only hiccup? Maggie already has two teenage angsty girls that want nothing to do with Maggie our her new daughters.

thank you to netgalley & lake union publishing for this arc!

READ THIS IF YOU ENJOY ↡
📗 literary fiction
🫶🏻 found family
👭 teenage daughters
🧑‍🧒‍🧒 blended family

REVIEW ↡
i have found that i love catherine ryan hyde’s books!! this was my second book written by her, the first was HAVE YOU SEEN LUIS VELEZ? and i loved that one too. i found maggie’s story to be very heartwarming and compelling. i’m sure anyone with teenage daughters would appreciate sentiments about this book. the concept was far-fetched at times and there was an opportunity to add more depth, so i did take off a star for that. otherwise, it was a quick read and i loved it!

Catherine Ryan Hyde never disappoints! I loved this heartfelt and thought-provoking novel. Highly recommended if you are fond of emotional story telling

A feel good story from Catherine Ryan Hyde. I know I can pick up a book from her and I will be immersed in the story. All the emotions from beginning to end.

Rolling Toward Clear Skies is another amazing story by the author Catherine Ryan Hyde.

I really enjoyed this story, especially reading about Maggie's daughters' gradual change with the new circumstances in their lives. Yes, sometimes I wanted to slap them a few times for their entitled persona, but in the end, they were teenagers behaving like teenagers, always creating problems for their poor mother, who only wanted to do her best.

Maggie is dedicated to helping people in disaster situations she travels around helping as much as she can until she finds two girls who lost everything their parents and even grandparents who are unable even to know what to do with them, that's when Maggie steps in to help these two girls to find a suitable place to live finally becoming part of her own family,

The process as you can imagine was complicated having already two girls who were at the worst age of their lives making this harder for her but in the end finally understood why these things happened and why her mother did what she did.

this was a great story I enjoyed so much, every time I start a story by the author I immediately feel transported to a movie where all the characters start to come alive.

I'm still enjoying the characters, the story all that was wonderful i recommend this magnificent book.

Thank you, Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing, for the advanced copy of Rolling towards clear skies in exchange for my honest review.

Rolling Toward Clear Skies by Catherine Ryan Hyde is a heartfelt and thought-provoking novel about family, resilience, and the power of human connection. Maggie Blount, a California physician, is forced to put her life on hold to help in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane in rural Louisiana. As Maggie bonds with two orphaned sisters, her life—and the lives of her own daughters—are forever changed. Hyde masterfully explores themes of empathy, gratitude, and personal growth, highlighting the complexities of blended families and the challenges of redefining one’s sense of home and belonging. A poignant and inspiring story of healing and transformation.

Maggie is a single mother of two daughters. She is a doctor and can lavishly provide for her family. Giving children whatever they want can have undesired consequences like an air of entitlement and this weighs heavily on Maggie as her daughters lack humility. Something has to be done, but if nothing changes, nothing changes. Along with her live in love interest, RN Alex, they travel where disaster strikes. On site of a hurricane, Maggie encounters 2 sisters that have just lost their parents and feels an immediate bond. The contrast between the two pairs of sisters is striking. Feeling the need to give the girls a home, she adopts them. Navigating the dynamics of this new blended family is a splendid read.

CRH has a way of writing heartfelt stories that are full of depth and relatable without being too sugary sweet.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an early copy.

Rolling Towards the Clear Blue Sky is a heartfelt novel about family, sacrifice, and personal growth. The story follows Maggie and her partner Alex, who are both medical professionals. They work together at a disaster site after a hurricane devastates a town. While there, they meet two orphaned girls, and Maggie feels an immediate connection to them. She decides to take them in and care for them, even though she already has her own family at home. However, her decision causes tension with her two daughters, who are spoiled and selfish.

Maggie is a truly caring person, always thinking of others before herself. She is willing to take on the responsibility of these two orphaned girls, even though it creates conflict with her own children. However, her daughters don’t seem to understand or care about the girls’ pain and loss. Instead, they focus on how Maggie’s decision affects their lives. As a reader, it’s hard not to feel frustrated with them—they seem so selfish and entitled, especially when they can’t see beyond their own desires.

One of the most realistic parts of the book is how Maggie’s daughters eventually admit they were wrong. However, even at the end of the book, you can still feel that they haven’t fully changed. As the saying goes, “a leopard can’t change its spots.” They still have a lot of growing up to do and need to realize that the world doesn’t revolve around them. This adds a level of realism to the story because, in real life, people don’t always change overnight.

What I appreciated about the book was the way it highlighted Maggie’s struggle to blend her family and care for the orphaned girls. She’s a good person who tries her best, but her own children make it difficult. The story shows how hard it can be to deal with family conflicts, especially when it feels like some people just can’t understand what you’re trying to do.

Overall, Rolling Towards the Clear Blue Sky is a touching story about love, family, and the challenges of raising children who don’t always appreciate what they have. It’s easy to root for Maggie and Alex because of their selflessness, but the way the author portrays Maggie’s daughters makes the story feel very real. It reminds us that growing up and learning empathy isn’t always an easy process, especially for teenagers who feel entitled. This book is a great read for anyone who enjoys stories about family struggles and personal growth. Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

This was a good story, I just don't think it was one I would rave about. It did hold my attention, but I just didn't get really engrossed in this book like I do some.

Thank you, Net Galley, and Lake Union Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

What a great book! I am a great fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde and was thrilled to read this book. She has an amazing ability to draw her readers into her stories and provide thought provoking situations, relatable and realistic characters, and a unique ability to convey emotions. Thanks so much #NetGalley #LakeUnion

Maggie Blount runs a Doctors on Wheels program that assists those needing medical attention after a devastating disaster. When she is called to a hurricane, she meets teenaged sisters, Jean and Rose, polite young women that lost their family. Deciding to foster the two, she takes them home to meet her own entitled teenaged daughters. Needless to say, things did not go well. Has Maggie made a terrible error in judgement, or will the four ever get along? Once again, Hyde writes a heart tugging story. A story of family and what matters most. Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

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.