I think that Catherine Ryan Hyde is one of my all time favorite authors now. I love how she weaves her stories, and makes the characters real people. I truly care for who they are, what they want, and how their story turns out. She also usually includes a human interest element which I appreciate as a former foster parent, and adoptive parent. It can be very easy for society to forget about the "unwanted" members of society whether thats the homeless, the addicts, the orphans, widows or senior citizens. Many people feel unseen in society! When authors go to bat for the underdogs in society, it is even more compelling of a read, in my opinion.

Another fabulous book from Catherine Ryan Hyde. Her books are so emotional, and characters are always accepted for who they are, which I love. Really enjoyed this!

Michael was only 7 when an accident with fireworks almost ended his life and left him scarred. He has struggled through the change in his looks, the reactions of his classmates, and foster care, and is aware that he is visually different to look at .
As he sets off for college, he meets his film professor who is also scarred. He sets Michael on a course of self- acceptance and discovery, faith , and the strength to make the most of himself and his life. Along the way, he finds many people who are scarred too, albeit in different ways .
He will eventually emerge in the world not as a scarred little boy, but as an adult with a changed perspective of himself and his world. His thoughts and attitudes change, allowing him to accept himself and get on with living.
This reader discovered Catherine Ryan Hyde in Pay it forward ,and was moved by her ability to elicit my emotions. She is someone I would love to meet because of her empathy and ability to see the person within. Her kindness and view of the world make our world more tolerable.
Michael is a good kid who has been hurt physically and emotionally. How will he emerge from his cocoon and be satisfied with his life, and finally realize his own worth as he embraces his possibilities? The most important quality or emotion in life is kindness, which is often undervalued, but sorely needed.
Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Michael Without Apology by Catherine Ryan Hyde is a beautifully heartfelt story about acceptance, resilience, and the courage to share one’s truth. Michael’s journey from hiding his scars to embracing them is both moving and inspiring, enriched by the voices of others who reveal their own struggles. I enjoyed this book immensely and rated it five stars, and I love all books of hers that I have read.

This was absolutely another 5 star read by Catherine Ryan Hyde. All of her books have this magical ability to transport me in time and space to wherever the book is set, watching characters that by the end of the book I adore and don't want to leave. This one was no exception, and I already want her next book. 5 glowing stars!

Loved, loved, loved "Michael Without Apology" by Catherine Ryan Hyde was WONDERFUL. Love all of this author's novels, and they just keep getting better. Uplifting, honest, and beautiful. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

Unexpected delight. Really enjoyed this story and couldn’t put it down. Read all night. Strongly recommend and will read the author again. Great characters and wonderful writing.

I always take my time with Catherine books, they always transport me to another place where I can feel happy and joyful, and also in a different mood.

Michael Without apology was a great surprise, it talks about our self-awareness, how most people have some insecurities about themselves, especially physically. We sometimes don't know by looking at a person if they feel secure or if they have some insecurity, and for that, we should be more mindful about others before assuming or judging.

This was the story of Michael making a project in school that changed his life forever. He thought what happened to him changed him forever, but his project was also part of that change. He meets Madeline, another person with insecurities and with more things that, in time, she will reveal, becoming a very important person in his life.

I don't want to give anything away, I just want to say this book and story were amazing, and it gives you all the right feelings Catherine does in every single one of her stories.

I absolutely adore this book, and I have to say Michael Crouch, the narrator, is just amazing. This book became alive more and more with his narrations

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced copy of Michael Without Apology in exchange for my honest review

"Michael Without Apology" was absolutely the best book I've read in a long time! I can't speak highly enough of it.

From the opening lines, it drew me in. I loved the characters. I loved the storyline. I loved how it spoke to the heart of each of our insecurities. I loved how it espoused a more compassionate and connected worldview.

At the heart of it, no one knows the burden another carries. And in this story, that's something that Michael, a young film major, discovers as he starts to realize that his own secret (the burn scars on his chest and stomach) don't need to be kept hidden like some dirty secret. And I love that it's his college professor and mentor, a burn victim himself, teaches him that.

In this story, we have themes of self-discovery, first love, loss and grief, adoption, community, found family, and so much more going on, and it's all skillfully and wonderfully handled.

This is the first book I've read from this author, but if her others are anything like this, I can't wait to read more!

A sincere thank you to Catherine Ryan Hyde, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Michael Without Apology has so many layers. First it was about when Michael was 7, and how it happened that much of his body was scarred, how his parents couldn’t take care of him and let him be adopted, and how he felt about it. The book moved into his first year of college but continued to flashback seamlessly to his childhood. In college he met a wonderful professor who taught film making, and gave the class an assignment to make a film. Michael decided he wanted to explore how people with scars cope with life, and asked for volunteers who had body image problems and would talk about them on film. Michael was shocked and humbled by how many people had body issue problems, and most were not scarred - there was even one who was too thin. Michael’s film won an award, and started his film-making career. Along the way Michael found love in surprising ways, learned to accept himself, his adoptive parents, and his dysfunctional biological family. Catherine Ryan Hyde is a new favorite author. Especially for when I need a good cry! Thanks to NetGalley for the gift of reading this book. Five stars!

Ever since I read Pay It Forward, I knew Catherine Ryan Hyde would become a favorite author of mine. Michael Without Apology didn’t disappoint! Hyde’s amazing ability to portray characters in a realistic fashion is her strength; she truly knows how to tug on a reader’s heartstrings. Almost everyone can relate to a theme or two in her books.

My Thoughts on Michael Without Apology:
This book immediately resonated with my own experiences with self-image. (Honestly, I’d like to meet anyone who hasn’t grappled with it!) Like Michael, who carries a scar from a childhood firework incident that has affected him his entire life, I also have an obvious scar that runs from my nose to my chin. It is the people Michael meets throughout the story who truly help him reflect on how to live his life “without apology.”

Catherine Ryan Hyde’s storytelling is masterful. Aside from his birth parents, I genuinely loved every character in this book. Madeline, in particular, was my favorite. Even through her own pain from a double-mastectomy, she taught Michael the profound importance of loving and accepting yourself as you are.

As a film student, Michael’s journey also brought me back to my own college days. I could relate to the profound impact of finding that one mentor who changes your way of thinking. I especially loved reading about Michael’s first day in Mr. Dunning’s class, and how the professor presented himself to his students. Mr. Dunning taught Michael to confront his image head-on and not let it hinder him from truly enjoying life.

Final Thoughts:
I highly recommend this book. It made me smile, cry, think, reflect, and it also made me want to hug my loved ones. This book will stay with me for a while. I also listened to part of it on audio, and it was just as good. I can’t wait to read Hyde’s next book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Catherine Ryan Hyde for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.

MICHAEL WITHOUT APOLOGY
In a Nutshell: A contemporary fiction about a young man who finally learns the value of self-acceptance. Excellent characters, storyline, writing, and life lessons. Drags a little in the final few chapters, but overall, a beautiful and meaningful read. Much recommended.

Plot Preview:
When Michael was seven, he had a near-fatal accident that left him with severe physical scars and eventually led to foster care. Now nineteen, Michael has learnt to keep his scars hidden.
On signing up for film class, he is taken aback on seeing that his professor Robert Dunning is also disfigured, but unlike Michael, he doesn’t hide his scars. Encouraged by Dunning, Michael plans to make a documentary about body image issues in scarred people. When he places an ad seeking potential interviewees, he learns that too many people in society are unhappy with their bodies. With their stories and also his own, Michael realises some important truths about scars, whether physical or mental.
The story comes to us in Michael’s third-person POV over two broad timelines: the present and the past.

Bookish Yays:
🎆 Michael – vulnerable and believable. Mostly written as per his age, though he is more mature thanks to his traumatic childhood experience.
🎆 Dunning, though in a relatively minor role, is my favourite character in this book. If all professors were like this, students would have a marvellous time learning.
🎆 The use of the two timelines – perfectly in sync and working slowly to create an overall picture of Michael’s life. Each timeline is labelled clearly with Michael’s age at that point in the narrative – very helpful.
🎆 The secondary characters. Don't want to go into spoilers about the people Michael meets for his documentary, but suffice it to say, their arcs encompass a wide range of human experiences and ages. All these characters are memorable.
🎆 The theme of body image issues – so beautifully handled. It resonated personally with me as I too struggle with body dysmorphia. And I am sure many others do, even if they don’t know the term for it. I also love that the book tackles both visible and invisible scars.
🎆 The various other themes, especially connected to past trauma, life-altering news, and grief. The author handles emotions really well, and except in the final quarter, the feelings don’t sound cheesy.
🎆 The abundant life lessons in the writing! So many wise words where I found myself either nodding vigorously in agreement or reflecting upon the brilliance of the thought.
🎆 Quite fast-paced and easy to read, despite the abundance of characters.
🎆 The significance of the title. Don’t want to reveal it entirely here (a part of the meaning might be guessable), but it suits the story excellently.
🎆 The discussion questions provided at the end of the book – intricate and brilliant! They went much beyond typical discussion questions found in such novels.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
🔥 Though the book contains many sad events, the overall tone is a bit too positive, and most characters can be easily slotted in two clear categories: good & kind OR bad & selfish. There’s no grey area, no middle ground, no mixed personality. Then again, that’s a hallmark of this genre, so perhaps regular uplit readers would be more tolerant of this.
🔥 There's an age-gap relationship in the story. Though written mostly well, it also made me uncomfortable at times when I felt like Michael wasn’t given much choice in the decisions as he came across as too submissive. This might be more of a ME issue than a BOOK issue.
🔥 The ending took a long while coming. The final few chapters felt like extended epilogues. The finale was just as satisfying can be expected in this genre, but I do think the book would have worked better had it been stopped a few chapters before.

Bookish Nays:
💥 Insta relationships. Two times!

All in all, this is the kind of book you pick up when you are fed up with the idiots of humankind (and let's be honest, idiots are everywhere these days especially in public life) and want to restore some faith in the inherent goodness of people. Despite containing some upsetting incidents, it works excellently as a balm for the heart.
Definitely recommended to those looking for a contemporary book with thought-provoking wisdom and heartwarming emotions.
4.25 stars. (I would have happily given this 4.5 stars and rounded up had the ending been crisper.)

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing for providing the DRC of “Michael Without Apology” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Catherine Ryan Hyde has really become a favorite of mine. Her stories are always raw, personal, filled with struggling individuals loaded with a whole lot of feelings, and yet she tells her stories in a way that just draws you in and won't let you go. Michael without Apology is a classic example of that. Michael grows up in a family of four, him, his brother Thomas, his mom and dad. Until one eventful fourth of July day mishap. What unfolds is Michael's way of coming to terms, in his own way, of that event and moving forward into maturity and adulthood. A beautifully well done story that enraptured me from the first page until the very last one. Highly highly recommend!
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

A freak fireworks accident at age 7 left Michael with horrific scars on torso. Subsequently he spent his life refusing to swim, date, or in any other way let people see his body. With the encouragement of his film-making college professor, Michael decides that his feelings of shame should be acknowledged and exposed. He decides to film a documentary wherein he and others talk about their physical insecurities without apology.

This book isn’t necessarily big on plot. It’s very low key, with few characters and not much action. However, it’s big on human connection and feeling. I’ve read many of this author’s books. In my opinion her claim to fame is her ability to make you feel like you’re in the room with the characters. The scenes flow easily. At times I might re-read a segment, not because it’s hard to understand, but because it resonates with human emotions I want to savor. She is a masterful writer.

Thanks so much NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review another Catherine Ryan Hyde book. She’s definitely one of my favorites.

Just finished this book. Catherine Ryan Hyde is one of my favorite authors. This book didn’t disappoint. Loved the characters and the storyline. Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union publishing for letting me read this prerelease book for an honest review.

Hyde's novel are full of emotion and personal growth experiences. This one explores image, what we think of ourselves, what makes us uncomfortable in that area and what we think others think of us. Michael was scarred from a childhood accident. Others in his project did not necessarily have physical scars as much as painful self concepts, thinking others see them in a bad way. It was touching to see how people can grow through those debilitating thoughts to be open and free. (My only disappointment was the sex involved. It was not graphic by any means but was just disappointing to me that it happened so quickly and knowingly without commitment.)

Be sure to have tissues nearby as this novel will touch you emotionally. This is a good novel for readers who like ones centering on personal growth through issues.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent review.

Wow! What an incredibly wonderfully warm and uplifting novel.

From beginning to end, I was enthralled.

After a terrible fireworks accident, seven year old Michael is left physically disfigured.

At nineteen, he attends a film class and is set a task to create a film. His lecturer gives Michael advice: 'Work out what you want to say.'

In 'Michael Without Apology' Michael challenges and explores the idea of body image with extreme wisdom.

I highly recommend this novel.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is an incredible author and is not afraid to tackle issues that happen in real life. Michael Without Apology is partially about self-image and how we should be comfortable in our body, but there is so much more. I loved this book and every single one of her books. Read it and ponder.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this e-ARC. This review is entirely my opinion.

This was my first book by Catherine Ryan Hyde but definitely will not be my last! The story of Michael Wood and his scars immediately drew me in and I literally read this book in one day! Michael Without Apology not only made me cry but made me think about how I feel about myself and those around me. I feel like it is a very thought-provoking book and I've already recommended it to my 93 year old mom who has read a previous book by this author. I really liked Michael's professor Mr. Dunning and the advice and support he gave Michael. There are definitely some hard topics but the ending was wonderful. I truly enjoyed it!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 6 May 2025

This one was fantastic. I was rooting for the lead character from the start and so will you. Relatable for anyone who has ever had to persevere.