I am a HUGE fan of her books, and this one is just as good as her others! Once you start it, you will not want to stop. Loved the storyline and the characters! Highly recommend!

Lots of emotional trauma is buried in the pages. As you get lost in the story of Faith and Sarah, your heart will ache. Faith’s willingness to take Sarah under her wing and care for her was touching. The characters were well developed and you will discover so many wonderful people along the way. I don’t want to give away anything, but there were several twists and turns that had me stopping to catch my breath. And kudos to Faith for how she dealt with Robert. I literally cheered out loud.

This is an emotional journey, but well worth the time and tissues you’ll use along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

What I love about Catherine Ryan Hyde is how she doesn’t rely on romances or mysteries for her plots. She just writes good stories. Yes I love romance and mystery, but sometimes it takes away from the other main parts of the plot. And CRH does it so well. I love the way she developed female friendships in her books. They are often so unlikely, as in this one, but come about so naturally.

This one was a beautiful meld of two characters stories. While faith is running from an abusive husband, she meets Sarah and Midnight. And together they go on a journey of heartbreak. They learn loyalty and how to overcome, but not just that, how to help each other overcome the heartbreak.

Faith can no longer tolerate the behavior of her husband, so she decides to escape to her parents beach house in California. She needs space and time to sort out her future. This is where Faith befriends a fourteen-year-old girl called Sarah. Faith quickly learns that Sarah is at risk from her father after her mother's death.

Faith and Sarah both suffered a loss and it didn't take them long to bond quickly, although it was an unlikely friendship.

Just After Midnight is a beautifully written novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde about friendship, love and family. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it won’t be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who is looking for their next read.

With thanks to Netgalley for my digital copy to read and review.

Catherine Ryan Hyde writes stories about human connections. This story is about the connections between three friends. How much would you give for a friend ? The emotions run high, and decisions are made. A good book for discussion groups

Just After Midnight tells us the story of two women, one who is running away from an abusive marriage and the other of a fourteen year old girl, running away from her father. The story follows their journey from when they meet, showing us how a bond forms between them and how they lean on each other to sort through all their emotions. This story follows Faith and Sarah as they go on a journey together. Faith is charged with taking care of Sarah by her grandmother who is fighting for custody of the child. Sarah's mother is dead and she is on the run from her father. While spending time with each other, Faith learns to trust again thanks to Sarah and Sarah learns to open up and enjoy as a child again.

The two main protagonists go on a journey to find Sarah's prized black mare, with whom Sarah shares a very strong bond. As they find their way there, the journey turns into one of self discovery and understanding of the other. They are forced to navigate through the layers of their emotions and slowly, Sarah reveals the truth behind her mother's death and what she witnessed. With the bond between these two stronger than ever, Faith reaches the point where she chooses to stand up to her husband as well as defend and protect Sarah.

A very well-written story, this book will take the reader on an emotional roller-coaster ride. Be prepared to be amazed at the bond Faith shares with her horse, the love, care and mutual adoration. The author has beautifully described this bond and this will make the reader love the characters even more. They are real, believable and relatable. The problems they face and the hurdles they encounter will pull you in and keep you there until the very end.

This griping novel is well worth the read!

I finally got a chance to read this one. Apologies to the author and publisher for the late review.

I’ve never read anything by this author (at least I don’t think so). The story follows a newly divorced woman named Faith, and 14 year old Sarah who loved horses (and particularly one horse named Midnight), was grieving the death of the her mother and running from her father. They meet at a beach side town while evading abusive experiences of their past (Faith a possibly abusive husband, and Sarah a sadistic father). In them was an unlikely and beautiful friendship.

I really enjoyed this story and honestly didn’t expect to. The reviews are mixed but I really enjoyed the relationship between Faith and Sarah. It’s really great when an author can portray a friendship between an adult and teen in such a heart warming way. I thought they should probably do more with the husband story line but it didn’t bother me too much.

Although it’s an adult novel I think it has more of a young adult reach.

A good story from one of my favorite authors. A young girl in hiding after the tragic death of her mother meets a woman on the run from an abusive husband. Stories get told, emotions are shown. The story took a bit to hook me but was still engaging. Not as interesting as some of her others, but I think that’s because a huge part of the storyline is devoted to Sarah’s relationship with her prized show horse, Midnight.

I felt connected to the story and Catherine Ryan Hyde's characters - what a gifted storyteller. She captures the readers from the start and pulls us in -- unable to stop reading.

This book was not bad, just too much horses for me. Generally I put a lot of thought into my reviews, but this book just did not resonate with me, so I am going to leave it at this.

Additionally I generally only share reviews that are three stars or higher, so I will not be sharing anything on this book.

This book has earned a bright shiny CNR--as in Could Not Read. I wanted to like it, was settled in with tea and high hopes: Horses, a troubled teen, a woman with a secret, fascinating cast of supporting characters including memorable walk-ons, and murder? Sounds like a wonderful mix of drama, excitement, and possibility for a story -- combine that with great settings, challenging decisions, and heartbreak and you've got the basis for a terrific story, right? You would if it were better written. So much was right until the words hit the page. Then there's head hopping, wispy explanations rather than strong prose, sentences that serve where a verb would do. It was the writing. Plain and simple. The writing was not strong enough to support this incredible story. Where were the early readers and editors to help this talented, promising premise become its fullest novel self? If this were a first draft, I'd be encouraging and also stern: focus, think, make every sentence justify its existence. Alas, it is not. The second star is strictly for the premise, the appealing characters, and keen view into a world that I do not know and am fascinated in learning more about.

An unlikely friendship and a novel that is so beautiful you'll cry tears of sorrow and joy. Hope, change and love reigns in this fantastic story. As a fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde, it does not disappoint and she is a go-to author for me and I look forward to more and more!

Catherine Ryan Hyde's books haven't disappointed me yet, and this one is no exception. I enjoyed the characters and the setting. How nice to see Faith's willingness to help teen-aged Sarah, whom she barely knows, avoid her abusive father and reunite with her beloved horse. Lovely settings, and some nice lessons about horses and the sport of dressage as well. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable read for me.
My thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

When you have to begin your life over again, whether by your choice or someone else's, you learn exactly what is important in life. If you can take that lesson and use it to help someone else too, you have already taken the first steps to reclaiming control. These two "ifs" are not only hugely important, they form the basis of this touching story of two life's that intersect when both people needed someone most. A tearjerker for sure but you won't be dissatisfied with the story, the characters or the ending. Catherine Ryan Hyde has earned her reputation for telling stories that touch the reader. She continues the tradition in Just After Midnight.

I am a Catherine Ryan Hyde fan, and I always look forward to her next novel. This one, however, felt like she was writing by formula. Yes, she introduces readers to the world of dressage and those who compete in world of formal horse precision show. Hyde has done her research, and her love of horses is clearl. The characters of Faith and Sarah are too familiar, however, as rewrites from past novels. Different names, same issues - fear, loss, recovery. With all this said, I will continue to read her novels as I wait for the return of what she does best.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Get your tissues ready because you will do the ugly cry. Sarah and Faith are both suffering for two very different reasons. They find a way to save each other through some of the worse heartbreak. This is a great book and a powerful story.

This is a beautiful story about an unlikely friendship. Faith and Sarah are both dealing with significant trauma when they find each other, bonding through their struggles. Unfortunately, this was too horse topic heavy and I found my eyes glazing over often. For someone who knows nothing about horses, the jargon and technical wording was lost on me and detracted from the story. I almost gave in and put the book down at the beginning. I’m glad I pushed through to see this friendship develop but it was much too horse centric for me. Thank you @amazonpublishing for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first experience with this author. Sweet story about an unlikely and unconventional relationship that forms between a woman running from a failed marriage and a young girl who recently lost her mother. Parts of the story are predictable but even so, it wasn’t anything that ruined it for me. Overall an enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I could not get into this book. I tried it a couple of months ago and it just didn't interest me. Too much about horses and it seemed to drag on. I kept thinking, get to the story already! Finally I gave up. Too many other books to read so I moved on. While I have liked this author's books in the past, this one just didn't do it for me. But, I would recommend my library purchase it, since we have all her other titles and I know she is popular.

Faith serves her husband with divorce papers and escapes his reaction by going to her father and stepmother's beach house. She wakes during the night to see a young girl sitting in a lotus position on the sand in front of her house wearing a tank top in the chilly fog. Sarah, fourteen years old, recently lost her mother and is currently living with her Grandmother at the beach. Sarah feels lost since her world has been turned upside down and her father has sold her horse to pay his gambling debts. Faith has walked away from her marriage without a plan, just the need to survive and find the person she once was before marrying Richard. An unlikely friendship is formed between the two women based on the need for friendship and self-preservation.

Hyde has a writing style that is easy to follow and allows the reader to escape into a world where the good guys prevail. While some may feel that allowing Sarah to go away with Faith, a stranger, may seem unrealistic, I'd like to think that we haven't totally become a cynical, suspicious people. Hyde suggests that we follow our intuition when it comes to others; Faith had a legitimate reason to be wary of the man in the supermarket who turns out to be her next-door neighbor.

I have read and reviewed several of Hyde's books and have always enjoyed them. They are somewhat formulaic in their plot and in their message of "hope." Hyde's love of animals shines through her books and in this particular one; Sarah's horse Midnight is key to the story. While reading this book, I was reminded of Allie and Bea, that same feeling of friendship, trust, and there are good people in the world. My favorite of hers is Heaven Adjacent; it was so relatable for me. When you are looking for a feel good book that you know will end well, Hyde is the author for you.