What s sweet story, Relationships, loss, running, dogs, depression, Vietnam, ice cream sodas. It has everything!!

Lucas Painter is fourteen in the summer of 1969.
His parents argue all the time and his older brother Roy is off fighting in Vietnam. His best friend Connor doesn't want to leave his house.
Lucas takes up running as a way to forget the problems that plague him.
While running in the woods one day, two massive dogs join him. At first he is terrified, but the three soon become good pals.
They are owned by Zoe Dinsmore, a fifty five year old loner living in the woods, hiding from an earlier tragedy in her life.
Zoe and Lucas become friends. He is able to open up to her about his troubles and even introduces Connor to her.
When Roy comes home from the war injured and addicted, he also is befriended by Zoe.
These unexpected attachments help begin the healing process for all of them.
A sweet, reflective look at the restorative power of friendship.
A beautifully written, feel good coming of age story with a nostalgic feeling.
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for the e-ARC via NetGalley.

This is the 3rd book by this author and she never disappoints!! Amazing story with amazing characters!!! You just fall in love with all of them!! Highly highly recommend..

This is the story of a young 14 year old boy who develops a friendship with a solitary woman with a heartbreaking back story; his best friend who's struggling with depression; and an older brother returned from Viet Nam with a self-inflicted injury and drug addiction. As morbid as that all sounds, it is actually a heartwarming story of love and redemption. Teenager Lucas discovers the woman, Zoe, barely breathing in her house after a suicide attempt, and he saves her life. Their subsequent slow-developing friendship was a pleasure to read. She, in her own grumpy way, helps him make sense of the world around him. And by helping him, his friend, and his brother, Zoe finds a reason for living.

I really enjoyed this book and thank Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review. Catherine Ryan Hyde is a favorite author of mine. Her characters are so relatable. She’s one of those writers who “shows," rather than “tells.” That, to me, is the hallmark of exceptional writing talent.

This book was a wonderful surprise! I had never read anything by this author, but a friend recommended it so I thought I would pick it up. The story is told from the point of view of a fourteen-year-old boy, Lucas Painter, who was dealing with several issues: his brother was off fighting in Vietnam, his parents argued all the time, and his best friend, Connor, is always sad. Lucas has discovered that two dogs live at a cabin in the woods and he goes and runs with them every day. One day the dogs don't come out when he comes by to see them. Lucas looks in the windows of the cabin and finds the lady who lives there in her bed, seemingly unconscious. He calls the police to check on her. After this Lucas's life begins to change.

This book is full of heart and touches on redemption, forgiveness, friendship, and caring for others. I truly enjoyed the story and hope to read more by this author. The characters are poignant and memorable. There is great wisdom to be found in the pages. I loved it!

Thanks to Catherine Ryan Hyde and Lake Union Publishing through Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read two books by Catherine Ryan Hyde and while I enjoy an uplifting story, they felt a bit too sappy, even for me. Then I read [book:Have You Seen Luis Velez?|42632584] and I liked that one so much more. Still, I wasn’t planning on reading this one, until I read the 4 and 5 stars reviews by some of my friends that kept coming. It was my friend Tudor Queen’s review that convinced me and I’m thankful because I really was moved by this story.

It was easy to like Lucas right from the beginning, feel for him as he endures the endless arguments of his parents and misses and worries for his older brother Roy who is in Vietnam. You think that might be enough of a burden for a fourteen year old boy, but then it gets heavier as he saves a recluse woman living in a cabin with her two dogs . It gets worse, she really doesn’t want to be saved and he worries. Just too much, I thought for this young boy, but then there’s someone else he has to worry about, his best friend Conner, who has some serious issues of his own to deal with. The summer of 1969 would be one that marks Lucas for the rest of his life, turning him into a man anyone would be proud to know.

It was hard to imagine at times that a fourteen year old boy could be this perceptive, this understanding , but yet most of the time I did. At times it felt just too much, almost a bit melodramatic with so many sad things happening to the characters. Having said that, this story covers some serious issues - drug addiction, attempted suicide, mental illness, the stress of the Vietnam War, marital problems, and debilitating guilt. It’s also full of heart and love and caring and loyal friendship of the kind that anyone of us would want in our lives. Lucas is a character I’ll remember for a long time.

I received an advanced copy of this from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley.

Another great story by Catherine Ryan Hyde, always such a talent for grabbing you from page 1 and taking you on such an emotional ride that you keep coming back for more.

This book was very well written, I enjoyed the character development. It was just hard to stay involved. I think just personal preference. Thanks to Netgalley for the copy of the book for an honest review

Catherine Ryan Hyde is one of my top favorites authors because she writes amazing novels that always grip me right from the start, and then stay with me for for a long time because I can’t stop thinking about them. Stay is a perfect example. She has a talent for capturing and expressing character emotions and feelings that is astounding. The subject matter and plot are deep, profound, and reflective and I gobbled up every word, yearning to read more. I am certain that Stay will be a bestseller and an award winner! I beg everyone to read this book and tell everyone you know about it.

Catherine Ryan Hyde (author of "Pay It Forward")....You have done it again!! * WOW....What a book!!
Such a deep, touching story of the purest form of selfless love within friendships and siblings.
I was lucky enough to receive an early release copy of this from NetGalley ~
Me reading any book in 2 days, is rare for me but I swear I could hardly put it down! I only WISH there were many more books out there, like this!
***** 5 FULL stars~
~Thank YOU...Catherine Ryan Hyde

It’s been a really long time since I:

A. Read a book in it’s entirety in one sitting
B. Shed actual tears at its ending

This is a beautiful coming of age story that explores the ties and importance of friendship, family and friends that become family. Set in 1969, yet still a story all ages can relate to. To be honest, anything by Catherine Ryan Hyde is an easy 5 stars.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Lucas Painter is fourteen years old in the summer of 1969. His big brother is fighting in Vietnam, his parents are fighting each other, and his best friend is fighting depression. To escape, Lucas starts running daily through the forest near his home. When he comes across a cabin in the middle of nowhere that appears abandoned Lucas almost lets it be, until two massive dogs belonging to the cabin’s owner join him on his run. Lucas runs daily with the strangers’ dogs, and begins to form a bond with the dogs’ owner, a self-proclaimed recluse named Zoe. Throughout the summer, Lucas’ life is drastically changed by having Zoe in it, as is the life of his friend and brother, but it takes Zoe to teach Lucas how much he has changed her life for the better as well.
“Stay” by Catherine Ryan Hyde has its moments of beauty, and poignant, thought-provoking events that will stick with you. The novel portrays the darkest parts of depression and addiction with honesty and humility.
The problem I couldn’t get over is that young Lucas is fourteen, however he reacts to extreme circumstances in his life with utter maturity and gumption that adults many years older (myself included) would be unable to portray. Also, he knows three people in his life (parents excluded) and all of them have some form of mental illness or addiction. Now, it is obvious that mental illness and addiction are everywhere, and many struggle in silence, but to have the only people in one person’s life suffering from similar afflictions—poor Lucas draws them to him like moths to a flame. Admirable and charming though his character is, I got stuck a bit on believability.
I really enjoyed “Luis Velez” and perhaps that is what got my expectations up so high. I wanted the same heartwarming story that I got with Velez, and although the powerful message was there, “Stay” played out much slower. I did enjoy the dogs and their healing role throughout the novel—this part was the most believable of the entire novel.
A good read to be sure, full of important messages, but I found it lacking in believability, and incomparable to “Luis Velez”; and not necessarily in a good way.

Catherine Ryan Hyde has another hit with this new book, Stay. She has once again shown how “lost” people can help find each other and actually save each other’s lives. It is easy for us to like Lucas, the main character, and then all of the others we meet in this story. It’s a feel-good read even though it deals with some heavy topics. Hyde has found a formula that works, and it works well again in this novel. If you haven’t read any of her novels, you should. They help remind us to see the good in people.

Wonderfully written. This at first started like what I would consider a coming of age tale, or YA novel, but became so much more. Lucas and Connor have been best friends since the age of 3. Lucas tells the story of their friendship and how they each have had to struggle with the circumstances of distant and inadequate parents, their own insecurities and their strengths. With heartfelt emotion you will be drawn into these wonderful flawed characters.

Lucas as a pre-teen boy has made a habit of running through the woods each morning. He’s soon accompanied by 2 big dogs belonging to an elderly lady named Zoe that lives in a remote spot in these woods. His mother forbids him to run in the woods or have a dog, so this is his private outlet. He’s curious about the owner of these dogs and peeks in her window one morning. She’s apparently unconscious, in what appears a suicide attempt. He saves her. For many years she has lived with the guilt of falling asleep at the wheel of a school bus which took 2 children’s lives. Her two grown daughters are estranged from their mother, affected by the embarrassment of their mothers actions. So this is the story of Lucas, Connor and Zoe and how they each affected who they became as a result of their circumstances.

I won’t go into more as I suggest you go into this blind, as I did. Don’t read any more reviews. Let me say that Hyde is a brilliant story teller with a talent for stringing words and emotions together. Her writing brings you along in the experience... the sadness, the joy, the hope and yes ultimately the redemption for the troubled souls of this wonderful writing.

Highly recommended. My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for my digital copy. It’s on sale now and will be a great idea for any readers on your gift lists.

Love this author and every single book she wrote. This was no exception. Well written and enthralling. A Registry of My Passage Upon the Earth

5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Wow! Stunning book! Catherine Ryan Hyde does it again with Stay - a coming of age story about Lucas Painter growing up in the summer of 1969. My review will be brief because it’s best to just dive into this book without knowing too much about it.

The story is told from one POV - Lucas. He is the sweetest, most caring and selfless 14 year old boy who carries a lot of burdens. His parents constantly fight and yell, his older brother is at war in Vietnam and his best friend Conner is showing signs of serious depression. While running through the woods one morning, a couple of very large dogs start running with Lucas. It becomes a morning ritual and this is how he meets and befriends Zoe (the owner of the dogs), an older woman with major problems of her own. I loved all of these characters and they are ones that I will not forget.

The author touches on quite a few serious issues: drug addiction, suicide, depression and grief. As the story unfolds, you learn how these characters all cope with these issues and learn to not only forgive others, but themselves too.

I’ve only read two other books by Ms. Hyde and cannot wait to read them all. She is such a beautiful storyteller. In the little experience that I have with her books, I can say that they are just simply divine!

I recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Catherine Ryan Hyde for my advanced copy to read and review.

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

Don't you just love those rare books that grab you immediately from the first page? It's such a thrill when that happens. I'm going to write this review with the strictest of caution not to reveal too many details as the reader must experience this delicious unfolding of a story going in blind.

It's the summer of 1969 when the book begins, with one 14-year old Lucas Painter recounting a pivotal moment in the trajectory of his life. He likened it to when you're walking across a teeter totter and gingerly balance along the metal in the middle before you carefully step down off to the other side. It was a tipping point. The story took off in several directions all as a result of this one day.

As a character, young Lucas Painter is a very likeable one. He's a deep thinker, quite mature for his age, resourceful, compassionate and fair-minded. His parents seem to be engaged in one endless argument. He longs for peace and quiet when he's at home. Lucas's best friend from the age of three years old is Connor Barnes. Connor suffers from the exact opposite situation at his house. His parents never seem to communicate about anything. The shades are always drawn and it's a heavy, dreary atmosphere. There is the sense of a lot of unspoken negativity simmering in the background, its silence causing unbearable tension. Connor seems to have a black cloud over his head, with his sad demeanor. Lucas is his only friend. A loyal friend.

The Vietnam war is ongoing and Lucas's older brother Leroy (called Roy) was drafted. Lucas receives heavily redacted letters from Roy and worries about him returning home alive.

I was born in the sixties and I remember how the summers seemed to last forever as a child. We were able to safely leave our homes in the morning and come back home before dark, having all kinds of adventures and experiences with our friends. Well, Lucas is a very responsible and self-sufficient kid whose "tipping point" day launches the book to unravel a very moving life's story. You never know who you will meet in life. It kind of reminds me of that special thing Fred Rogers (of Mister Rogers Neighborhood) would do that could move you to tears where he'd ask you to think silently for 10 seconds about the people you'd like to thank, who had a huge, positive impact on your life. They might still be alive, or they may have already gone to heaven; but wouldn't it make them happy to know that you've thought about them? I strongly suggest you read this lovely story of a boy named Lucas who was a catalyst for saving people's lives.

Another winner from Catherine Ryan Hyde. I anxiously await each of her new books, and this one did not disappoint. Friendship shows no bounds between young and old. The subjects of age, depression and deep friendships makes for another wonderful book

This book was everything a typical CRH book has and more. There's the usual troubled teen/older person pairing, there's animals you come to love, and there's also the life lesson: One decision can alter the entire direction your life takes.

I enjoyed the book, I enjoy all books by Catherine. I'm giving it a solid 4.5 stars :)

Thanks netgalley for giving me the advanced PDF so that I can share my opinions with y'all