As always, Catherine Ryan Hyde tells a story of two women who are greatly impacted by humankindness and decency. Hyde always tells a good story.

Once again, Catherine Ryan Hyde has knocked it out of the park! I have only read a handful of her books, but I’m obsessed with them. She never disappoints.

This story is about two women - strangers - who meet under scary circumstances with one thing in common: their love for a little girl named Etta. What transpires is an unlikely bond between these three people that you will not soon forget.

What I love about Hyde’s books are that they always relatable, always have heartbreaking moments and always have a positive, happy ending. You just can’t help but fall in love with all of her characters and are sad to see them go once the book ends. Whenever I see a new book with her name on it, it’s an automatic request because I know I’m in for a seriously wonderful story.

Keep up the great work, Ms. Hyde because you have a fan for life!

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

I have read several books from this author now, however this was probably my least favorite for some reason. I felt an afterschool special vibe with this book which I would have been great with if the stories for both Brooke and Molly would have been more built up around them. The reader is supposed to just accept the status quo for both women, however it just left me feeling a bit detached from the story. I think it was obvious what was going to happen. I did not mind this, however it was just hard to develop the attachment to the characters to become enmeshed with the story. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

This is an emotional journey through the pages. The fact that the story is told through alternating chapters from Brooke and Molly’s viewpoint was a great way to allow the read to delve into their lives. There are many issues covered in this book … single parenting, homosexuality, love, loss, homelessness, and relationships between mothers and daughters. The writing style flowed well and you will find yourself invested in the story and, specifically, in the lives of Brooke and Molly.

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

Catherine Ryan Hyde is a dream and so is her writing. This is a great book. I can’t wait to read more of hers.

Great book. Highly recommend and will most defiantly read more by this author and suggest to others!

Every book by Catherine Ryan Hyde that I have read has been a gem and this is no exception. The story of a mother’s worst nightmare tugs at your heart. The characters are fully developed and brought to life. I couldn’t put this down. As always, this author brought more than just a story. I highly recommend this book.

Brooke's divorced from her husband David, they have a two year old daughter Etta and he's not present in her life. Broke, Brooke moves in with her mother, her mum isn’t easy to live with and she criticizes everything she does. One night Brooke’s driving her mother’s expensive Mercedes, when she’s carjacked and Etta’s strapped into her car seat in the back. The car speeds off into the Los Angeles night, Brooke frantically goes to the nearest police station, and officer Grace Beatty issues an amber alert.

Molly, is a sixteen year old homeless teenager, living in a wooden crate and she finds Etta sitting in her car seat on the side of the road. Molly understands little Etta’s in danger, three teenage boys are looking for her, they know about the amber alert and they want to demand a ransom from Etta’s family. Molly does an amazing job of looking after Etta, keeping her safe, calm and chases down a police patrol the next morning.

Brooke and Molly meet at the police station, she takes Etta off to be checked by a doctor and she doesn’t really consider what Molly did for her for her daughter. A few days later, Grace Beatty explains to Brooke what Molly did to keep Etta safe, she’d judged her harshly and Brooke needs to thank her.

This is the start of a friendship, between Brooke and Molly, under the dirt and grime Brooke sees that Molly’s a kind, thoughtful and honest person. It makes Brooke think about how lucky she is, she wants to help Molly and the journey they go on together is life changing for them both. Brave Girl, Quiet Girl, is an emotional, uplifting story, and the ending had me in tears.I received a copy of this book from NetGalley, and Catherine Ryan Hyde writes incredible, meaningful books that tug at your heartstrings and five stars from me.

Molly, a homeless teenager who has lived a difficult life, finds 2 year old Etta abandoned after she is carjacked from her mother Brooke. This novel is the story of Molly caring for Etta while Brooke is trying to find her and then the aftermath of trying to put the pieces back together to form some sort of "normal" again. This is not my first by the author and again I loved the book! It was a touching story about motherhood, family, friendship, trust and perseverance.
Thanks to Catherine Ryan Hyde, Lake Union and NetGalley for the ARC.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is my new favorite author. Her books are just amazing. The characters are well developed and you feel a connection to them. When a book chokes me up, I know it’s good! Highly recommended! Also loved her Have You Seen Luis Velez? I can’t wait to read more from her.

While this was not my favorite book, it was a well written story. Life is filled with challenges and sometimes it is a stranger that can step in and help.
Thanks Netgalley for complimentary copy.

Brave Girl, Quiet Girl was an engaging fast paced story. The alternating chapters between Brooke and Molly helped me fly through the story. Although given the content I imagined I would be more emotionally invested than I was. I would have loved to have been presented with more back story with Brooke and her mom and Molly and hers. Still a good story.

This is my first book by this author. I will definitely be checking out more. I was drawn in from the beginning with the suspense. I had to make sure the child would be ok. Then the story turned more heartfelt. I knew how it would end but I still couldn't put it down because I had to make sure.

This is a very moving story of women, mothers, and our strength to survive when others can't. Parts of this book had me in tears and parts of it had me rejoicing for joy. I love Catherine Ryan Hyde's style of writing. She is the queen of making you feel like you know the characters and she knows how to pull you right in. Thank you to Netgalley for my honest review.

I had a difficult time finding a character to root for in this book. Hyde is a well-known author and popular at my library, so am hoping this is just a glitch. I still would like to read other books of hers.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I am a fan of books in this genre, so I was very much looking forward to reading this one. I was not dissapointed and both the plot and characters gripped me from the start. I will definitley aim to read another by this author. Highly reccomended!

I loved this book. It was a quick read that I didn't want to put down. Made me think about how sometimes when we need help it comes from the people that we would never expect it from.

This book was so good! I was a little distraught, as a mother of two, reading about the carjacking of a mother, with her child still in the car. It was such a thrilling story though! I loved how emotionally involved I became in the story. The characters just grab you and don't let go!

I would highly recommend this book for readers that enjoy contemporary fiction with a suspenseful, highly engaging plot!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

I received this book "Brave Girl, Quiet Girl" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. This book was a little on the slower side for me, probably won't remember it in a few months.

I am a big fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde's writing. There were many of her books that I really liked and Brave Girl, Quiet Girl was no exception. As soon as I began reading this book I was hooked. It was so hard to put down. The characters were well developed and very believable. It was fast paced and kept me engaged from beginning to end.

The story took place in Los Angeles, California. Brooke, a thirty-nine year old divorced mother, and her two year old daughter, Etta, were living in Brooke's mother home. Brooke was down on her luck. She had married for love but her and husband turned out to have opposing opinions about having a child. Brooke's husband made it very clear that he never wanted to have a child. Brooke, on the other hand, always wanted a family. She always felt that her husband would change his mind but he never did. When Brooke discovered that she was indeed pregnant, her marriage fell apart and she found herself with no choice but to move back to her childhood home with her daughter. Brooke and her mother did not have a good relationship. Her mother was just not a warm, loving person. She was not a nice person. Brooke tolerated her only because she needed her at this time in her life.

One night, Brooke had had just about all she could stand from her negative mother and decided to take Etta and go to a movie. Brooke's mother insisted that Brooke take her car instead of Brooke's old, unreliable one. During the movie, Etta fell asleep. When the movie was over, Brooke carried sleeping Etta to the car and secured her in her car seat. When Brooke tried to fasten her own seat belt she had such difficulty that she gave up and started driving home. That was something Brooke would have done differently if she had a second chance. Her mother's car was expensive and stood out. On the way home, her mother's fancy car was carjacked. Brooke was literally pulled out of the car and the carjacker sped away. The shock of being pulled from her mother's car would have been traumatizing enough but Brooke suddenly realized that Etta was still strapped into her car seat asleep in the back seat of the car that was getting away from her.

That same night, a homeless, sixteen year old girl, Molly, was out collecting recyclables when she spotted something that looked out of place. As she walked closer, Molly, discovered a car seat with a child still in it. Molly decided that she could not leave this little girl on the street. In that instance, she knew that she had to protect this little girl. Molly took the child out of her car seat and carried her and the car seat to the crate where she and her friend were living. How was she going to let the police know that she found a little girl? Molly did not have a phone and it was not safe to be out on the streets at that hour. She would do everything in her power, though, to keep the little girl safe.

After a terrorizing night and part of a day, Molly was finally able to stop a police car and explain how she found the baby. The police officers brought Molly and the baby to a police station where Etta was finally reunited with Brooke. From that point on Molly's and Brooke's lives became intersected and woven together. In alternating chapters, Molly and Brooke shared their stories, worries, concerns, fears and intentions. Sometimes the most unlikely people are thrown together and come to understand, like, care and trust each other. This was a story about family dynamics, sexual preferences, trust, love, wealth, poverty, homelessness, and respect for others.

I really enjoyed reading Brave Girl, Quiet Girl by Catherine Ryan Hyde and highly recommend it. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.