Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

Catherine Ryan Hyde writes feel good kind for your soul of books! I am actually new to her work, but I feel the need to binge read some of her books!

Have You Seen Luis Velez? is the story of two unlikely strangers coming together.

Raymond Jaffe feels like he doesn’t belong. Not with his mother’s new family. Not as a weekend guest with his father and his father’s wife. Not at school, where he’s an outcast. After his best friend moves away, Raymond has only two real connections: to the feral cat he’s tamed and to a blind ninety-two-year-old woman in his building who’s introduced herself with a curious question: Have you seen Luis Velez?

Mildred Gutermann, a German Jew who narrowly escaped the Holocaust, has been alone since her caretaker disappeared. She turns to Raymond for help, and as he tries to track Luis down.

This unlikely friendship was so well written I could not help falling in love with the characters.

A touching, poignant novel that lifted my heart while also breaking it at different moments. The characters are engaging and realistic, and as a cat lover, I did have an extra soft spot in my heart for the kitty and Raymond's connection to it. Overall, lovely and a good read.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is a very talented author with the ability to pull together the least likely characters that create a wonderful friendship. '"Have you seen Luis?"is intriguing, funny and it pulls you in from the very beginning.

Have You Seen Luis Velez begin as a great light read, but develops into so much more. The author did an excellent job building her story into something very meaningful and validating Heartwarming, poignant, and inspiring. Highly recommended.

An amazing story about the power of kindness. The story details an unlikely friendship between a 17 year old boy and a 92 year old woman who both don’t fit in, but find joy in understanding one another.

The purpose of the book is reminding you that life will undoubtedly have hard moments, but it’s about prioritizing the joy and people around you despite hardships.

My favorite message was how inspired the teen was by how much the older lady knew, and she kept telling him she knew nothing at all.

Recommend this book for anyone who enjoyed: A Man Called Ove; The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett

I received this book as an ARC. As with most of Catherine Ryan Hyde’s novels, I walk away from this one with a renewed sense of hope in humanity and inspiration to do more in the world. Have You Seen Luis Velez is an extremely timely novel with beautiful, relatable characters. Our protagonist Raymond breaks barriers and speaks truths not often spoken about being a half-black eldest child in a now all white family. Raymond is a brilliant young man who befriends an elderly neighbor. Millie (or Mrs G) has a particularly special role in that she is blind, so she perceives people solely on character and not appearance. The dialogue in this novel is wonderful and very needed at this time in history. Similarly to Pay It Forward, this should be read widely and may open hearts of all kinds. We all could learn a lot from Raymond, Millie and the several kind people they encounter.
#haveyouseenluisvelez #netgalley

This book stayed with me. It’s been quite some time since I read it and it remains a favorite. I tell others. I’ve bought several copies for others. I just loved it! One person can make a difference in this world. And that matters. We should all be so lucky as to find those in our lives. Buy this book. Buy it for those you love. It’s a keeper!

This is such a heartwarming and uplifting story. After putting off reading this for sometime I decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did and it was just the perfect timing. This book shows that as much bad there is in the world there is just as much good and it is up to us to see the good and appreciate it. Life is messy and unbearable at times but it is also beautiful and amazing. The story teaches grace, community and love, and the importance of having compassion for those around you. I hope many enjoy this book as much as I did. Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this book for my honest review.

This was a lovely story about a boy, Raymond, and his ninety-two year old neighbor, Millie. Raymond does not really feel a part of his mother's family and he doesn't feel comfortable at this father's home either. He doesn't really have any friends at school, except for one boy, and he has recently moved out of the area. Millie lives in the same apartment building as Raymond, but on another floor. When Millie, who is blind, asks Raymond if he has seen Luis Velez, it is the beginning of a search and a friendship which enriches the lives of two very lonely people. A moving and very well written book. Strongly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author Catherine Ryan Hyde (whose books I just love), and the publisher Lake Union Publishing, for the free ARC I received in return for an honest review.

Have You Seen Luis Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Brief Summary: Raymond is a teenager struggling to fit in. Millie is an elderly blind woman calling for help (literally) because her caregiver has vanished and she doesn’t know what happened to him. Together they become friends and solve the mystery. This is my second read by Catherine Ryan Hyde and I was excited that she featured a main character with a disability(blindness) in her novel.

Highlights: This is a thought-provoking novel of power and privilege in society. I loved Millie’s background story and wish we would have heard more about her experience with vision loss. I enjoyed the search for Luis Velez and the trial. The social justice advocate in me was angry, frustrated, and disappointed. I hope people learn from this book. I enjoyed how much Raymond learned from Millie during their unlikely friendship.

Explanation of Rating: 4/5: I really enjoyed the reflections on power and privilege as well as Millie’s background.

Favorite Quotes: You are the first person who really sees me for who I am and I hope I’m saying this right but you can’t see!-Raymond

This novel is more in line with what I would expect from the reputation of Catherine Ryan Hyde. This would be a great book club pick, especially for those who are interested in social justice issues.

Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

A story with a diverse message so finely woven into the plot you can recommend it to readers who run from issue related books and they will probably not realize that's what they are reading. The teen/senior citizen friendship kicked it up to my top title in 2019. It's wonderfully written.

Very touching story about how how kindness can open up the world to you. I loved this story! As with all of Catherine Ryan Hyde's books, this was very well written, I loved the plot and I fell in love with all the characters.
If I could I would give this more than 5 stars!I

Thank you to NetGalley and the author and publisher for an advance copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

A very gripping and emotional story! I loved this book very much! I also loved the emotional depth of the characters. A must read!!

Oh my goodness, I loved this book.
Watching Raymond try to find his place in his world, as his friendship develops with his neighbor, Mildred, is such a sweet journey. But not sticky-sweet - it's lovely-sweet, it's messy, it's painful and heart-wrenching at times as he struggles with the other relationships in his life. He's sad, he's angry, he's confused and lost at times. And he struggles against his growing relationship with Mildred, who is an equally compelling character. I've never been disappointed with a Catherine Ryan Hyde book, and this one was no exception - well, aside from the fact that I found it to be an exceptional read. And listen - I did listen to a lot of it as an audiobook and found the narration to be excellent.

My thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

This was an extremely moving book for me, Raymond who is the MC , ends up taking care of Millie, the blind woman in the buliding after his Best Friend Andrè leaves for California. He also makes it his task to find Luis Velez, who Millie is extremely concerned about.

It just, i felt so much through this book and i understood where Raymond came from and why he did those things he did. It was just so moving to see someone care so much for another being, to feel the words into your heart, if i can be so blunt. This is a book i'd reccomend 100%.

Another wonderful, heartwarming and deep story by an author I have come to rely on to pull my heartstrings and deliver a tale like no one else.

It can be hard growing up and feeling like you don’t belong anywhere. Raymond Jaffe feels this way living with his mother and her new family. He spends the weekends with his father and stepmother he is even more out of place. When his best friend moves, he is left with a stray cat he has taken a liking to and a blind ninety-two-year old woman from his building who needs his help. The first time he met her, she was asking about a man named Luis Velez. Luis had been coming to help her go to the bank and grocery story and has disappeared. Mildred Gutterman is worried about him but also needs help to provide her basic needs she can’t do on her own. She and her family escaped the Holocaust and has been on her own since her husband passed away. Luis came to help her and when he stopped coming without an explanation, she feared the worst might have happened. Raymond works to help Mildred survive and find out what happened to Luis and give her closure. The more they dig, the farther Mildred retreats into herself and Raymond makes it his mission to show her that even in the hard times there is always hope.

Every single novel I read by Catherine Ryan Hyde pulls me in further and shows me she is one of the very best at crafting a story that pulls at your heartstrings and character relationships that very few other author could pull off. The relation between Raymond and Mildred is one that normally wouldn’t have worked out, but the way they came together here was so natural and beautiful. There are so many life lessons in this book: friendship, kindness, hope when things seem lost, family, even if it isn’t blood relatives. The job that Raymond has, trying to help Mildred, isn’t an easy one; he could have just made a call and tried to get her government assistance, but he didn’t. Raymond needed Mildred as much as she needed him, even if he didn’t realize it or want to admit it. One thing this book teaches us it to pay attention to who is around us. It may be easy to look the other way or pass the person down the hall and think they aren’t are problem or concern, but we might be the only thing keeping them handing on in a tough time. I could go on and on about the lessons and little gems in this book for readers, but it is better to soak them in with the passing of each page. I highly recommend this book to readers looking for a read that will touch their heart and show them that good people are still out there ready and willing to do what is right.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

Raymond, a mixed race, high school student, feels like he doesn't belong anywhere. He is overlooked at home with his mother and step-father. His real dad, a dentist and in Raymond's life, has a new wife who DOES NOT LIKE Raymond. And, she doesn't try to hide her feelings; actually putting a wedge between Raymond and his dad. In chapter 1, his best friend from high school moves away. Raymond feels like a misfit.
Into the picture comes Mrs. G, an elderly lady from Raymond's apartment building. She is hallway asking passersby if anyone has seen Luis Velez. Luis has been her aide as Mrs. G is blind and in need of assistance. Raymond stops to inquire and we see the beginning of a friendship. Unconventional, sure, but just what Raymond needs to get his life heading the right way.
For his friend, Raymond steps in and helps Mrs. G, vowing to himself to find Luis and get the story of his disappearance. The problem, though, is NYC has several men named Luis Velez and Mrs. G cannot give a physical description. Raymond aims to find the right Luis, and meets many others on the quest.
To me, this was a story of hope, finding friendship, and showing kindness.

What a wonderful book: a heart warming story about an unusual friendship between two lonely people.

I have read and really enjoyed a few other book by Ms Hyde, (my favorite being Take Me With You), so jumped at the chance of an ARC.

The story is mostly happy and uplifting, but a bittersweet at times, with multiple endearing characters. I can’t really imagine anyone not totally loving this story and I highly recommend it!

Thank you to Net Galley.