Stay by Catherine Ryan Hyde

☆☆☆☆1/2
Kindle Edition, 298 pages
Published December 3rd 2019 by Lake Union Publishing
About the Book:
In the summer of 1969, fourteen-year-old Lucas Painter carries a huge weight on his shoulders. His brother is fighting in Vietnam. His embattled parents are locked in a never-ending war. And his best friend, Connor, is struggling with his own family issues. To find relief from the chaos, Lucas takes long, meandering walks, and one day he veers into the woods. There he discovers an isolated cabin and two huge dogs. Frightened, he runs. And the dogs run with him. Lucas finds unusual peace in running with the dogs, and eventually he meets their owner, Zoe Dinsmore. Closed off and haunted by a tragic past, Zoe has given up. She doesn’t want to be saved. She wants out. But Lucas doesn’t want her to go, and he sees an opportunity to bring more than one friend back into the light. It’s either the best or worst idea he’s ever had, but Lucas isn’t giving up on Zoe or Connor. Their unexpected connection might be the saving grace that Zoe thought she’d lost, that Connor needs, and that Lucas has been running toward.

This emotional, thought-provoking read had me questioning everything at every turn. I don't know what I would have done, my thoughts were all over the place. This book reminds me that family is more than the one you are born into. The story is well paced and I loved the characters. The author really got the widening awareness that Lucas has as he grows up. The setting is so well depicted I could feel and see the dry grasses and the rains. She shows that all was not sweetness and light.

There is something about Catherine Ryan Hyde, and the way she writes, that makes me adore her books. Something so soul wrenching. I get lost in her books and feel like I am one of the books characters. I find myself rooting for a person in the books and being pretty satisfied when it turns out the way I want it to. I can imagine all the settings vividly and feel as though I belong there. I cannot wait for her to release another book. Thanks for the joyride I get to take while living these characters (both human and animal) lives.

Thank you NetGalley, Catherine Ryan Hyde and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

#Stay #NetGalley