My emotions were very high while reading this book. It tackles quite a few tough topics so reader be aware. Although I had to stop reading a few times to gather my thoughts I really enjoyed the whole book.

Very interesting read! The book pulled me in from the start and I wanted to see how it ended. Try it and see if this book is for you!

3.5 stars
This novel, set in Texas, is about Ben and Sky, neglected siblings, separated when their lives take very different paths through the child protection system. Ben, a young teen, ends up in juvenile detention, while Sky goes to live with an affluent couple.

This is an emotionally charged and riveting read, that tells two very different coming of age stories. As their lives unfold, the poignant intersections reveal the indelible impact of circumstance and choice. It explores themes of privilege, resilience, and the enduring bonds that persist even in the face of adversity.

While this story is fiction, the writer has had firsthand experience of the child protection system through adoption, which she writes about at the end, explaining that through this story she wants to shine a spotlight ‘on the systemic dysfunction of foster care and child welfare…as one of the greatest moral failings in America’.

Thanks to @netgalley and @alcovepress for the ebook in return for an honest review.

#fiction #contemporaryfiction #americanwriters #americanwriter #netgalleyreads #thewindwillcatchyou #michelletheall #fostercare #lgbti #comingofage

This was such a hard book to read from an emotional standpoint. Sky's life was anything but easy. Even when she was living in a mansion with everything at her disposal, she wasn't happy because she couldn't be herself. This is the epitome of the story where nothing goes right and all the bad luck continues to present itself over and over again.

Sky and her brother, Ben are separated when social services finds out their parents are dead. From there, things are never quite right. One bad thing after another continues to happen and the good things never seem to fully work out.

The book is told in both past and present time periods. Through this plot mechanism, you get the history and background you need to better understand them.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: The audio version of this book was really quite good. I enjoyed the narration and felt as if I was a part of the storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley copies of both the ebook and audiobook. I voluntarily chose to review them both and the opinions contained within are my own.

I received a digital ARC of this novel from Alcove Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This novel tackles some topics that may be difficult for some readers. It is a beautiful story of family, and what people do for each other. I believe readers who enjoy novels by Catherine Ryan Hyde would appreciate, The Wind Will Catch You, as well.I look forward to reading more from Michelle Theall in the future. Ben and Sky will stay with me for a long time.

Sky Fielder is trying to get through college while also dealing with her past and her experience in the foster care system. One day she gets a call from a doctor who says she is treating Sky's brother Ben. Sky can't believe this since she was told when she was young that her brother had died. This news shocks her and causes her to spiral, while her caseworker Laura tries to help her stay focused and figure it out if it's really Ben. The story then travels back to Sky's childhood, when her parents both died and Ben took care of her until the authorities moved them to foster care and they got separated. Sky was eventually adopted by a wealthy family while Ben ended up in a group home for boys and then in prison. They both went through difficulties, as Sky felt she had to conform to her adopted families values despite how much she loved her girlfriend and Ben ended up with little care and compassion and few choices in his life. Now there's a chance for them to reunite and for both of them to live the lives they want with the people they love. Overall, a moving story about siblings who went through the foster care system and the difficulties they faced.

Sky Fielder who is in her late teens maybe twenty is someone who is getting by trying to complete college and getting by in life the best she can living at the Manor House and answering to case workers who are supposed to be looking out for her in another words she finds herself in the system, the foster care system. Sky gets a call from a doctor in Arizona who is trying to find the family of a man who is in the hospital in bad condition. The doctor claims that this is Sky's brother, but this cannot be as she knows that this is not true as her brother passed away many years ago. The story rolls back to when Sky and her brother are very young living in beyond deplorable conditions and looking out for each other until they are caught and find their selves in the foster care system. They find themselves on different paths and this is where most of the story evolves with Sky coming of age and struggling with trying to fit in and figure out her sexually and the struggles most teens have and learning that sometimes life is just not fair. There are subject matters that give you pause to mull over. This is a moving story at times and a great read overall. I definitely will recommend it.

Michelle Theall’s debut novel is a home run! 5 Stars! Like Jodi Picoult, Ms. Theall brings forth several of the social issues currently facing our nation. At the heart of this story, was a well written example of the horrors that many children face in their own families and again once they enter the Foster Care System that was enacted to protect them. I was reminded of the many inconceivable examples of child abuse that I witnessed working in a Pediatric ER. Our country continues to fail a multitude of children who cannot protect themselves.

At the beginning of this this heartbreaking story, siblings five-year-old Sky and eleven-year-old Ben live with their abusive drug-addicted parents in a run-down trailer in an sparsely inhabited area of Texas. These children suffered many types of abuse at the hands of both parents. Money went for drugs rather than food, clothing, or necessities. One day, their father brutally killed their mother, then met his maker in the same incident. Both children watched their parents die. Afterwards, the two children took care of themselves until the state took custody. Ben and Sky were immediately separated. Sky was soon adopted while Ben fell through the cracks of the Foster Care System, spending time in group homes and jail.

The book further highlights their difficult transition to adulthood. The transition was long and drawn out, carrying with them the burdens from their early lives. Did they ever find each other again? Were they able to find peace and tranquility?

The novel was eloquently written and highly emotional. The characters were well developed, and I felt their pain as if I was part of the story.

I enjoyed this book immensely and highly recommended it to all readers who have a heart for helping others or desire to learn the truths about social concerns facing our nation. I commend the author for bringing the issues of child abuse and the difficulties of the foster care system to the pages of this novel. It’s only through strength of community and transparency of the many issues at hand, that we can inact change.

I received this advanced reader’s copy free from Author Michelle Theall, Alcove Press, and NetGalley. This is a voluntary review, and all comments and opinions are entirely my own.

I really enjoyed this book. There are not many books on the market that I know of covering similar topics. I really recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

This book was wonderful, one of the best I’ve read this year.
It focuses on the foster care system and it’s numerous flaws. I’m sure there are many tragic stories, similar to those of Skye and Ben and their story.
There couldn’t be a better debut than this Michelle Theall treasure. It’s shows the strength and grit of two kids with parents that were flawed and their tumultuous lives, without resources or help, and despite is all, grew into wonderful, caring adults
My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Alcove Press for the ARC. It’s message should be shared!

An emotional novel about Sky and Ben- siblings who are separated after the death of their parents. While Sky is eventually adopted, she's never settled fully. Ben falls through the cracks and ends up in a bad place. A surprise call pulls them back together but this isn't as clear cut as some readers might want. It's well written and a page turner where you'll really root for both of them. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

A very emotional book about a girl in the system. What she went through and what the social worker went through. This is truly a heartbreaking book that will keep you turning the pages.

Well written with just the right amount of description. Emotional but good. A must read.

Thank you #NetGalley for this ARC.

Sky, a college student, has lived a life of trial and tribulation. She is the product of the foster care system, and has experienced the loss of her birth family. Eventually, the details of her upbringing are described, and they are truly heart breaking. As a college student, Sky lives in a half-way house, and still receives support from a case worker, Laura. Sky receives a phone call from a doctor asking her to make medical decisions for her brother, Ben. However, Sky is thrown in a tailspin, as her brother Ben is deceased. The story details the present day of events regarding Sky, and past events that detail her childhood and time spent with an adoptive family. Sky’s childhood is heart breaking, and difficult to read. While the events were difficult to read, it was masterfully told, as it was impossible for me to put down. The themes in this novel included: foster care, drugs, college, involvement with social systems, family, and trust. I wish that there had been additional details revealed about Ben’s life, but otherwise, the character development was adequate. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

A very emotional book about a brother and sister separated by the foster care system. This family definitely had the will to survive through it all. It's amazing too what the social workers have to go through so they themselves don't become too attached to these kids and their circumstances. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release. To be released September 2023.

This is my second book by this author and just like the first. She has a way with words that just take you away. I loved every minute of this read. .

I thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating novel that follows the separate stories of a brother and sister who are separated when young. It is deeply emotional and I kept turning the pages. The ending was a bit surprising, but ultimately satisfying. I have two big brothers and totally understood the relationship between Sky and Ben.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley, Michelle Theall, and Alcove publisher for this chance to read a heart tugging story. Sky and Ben are the children who fall through the cracks with parents lost in their difficulties and the foster care system. Ben tries to hard to take care of Sky but foster care separated them. Sky is finally adopted and Ben winds up in prison. How they work through this and the people they meet is so well connected. I loved the epilogue as some books leave us assuming the ending. Thanks Michelle! I will recommend it to many at the library📚

The Wind Will Catch You by Michelle Theall follows Sky and Bens emotional journey.
This was a beautifully written debut.
I enjoyed this book a lot! I loved the writing and it kept me reading. I fell in love with the characters.
The writing is excellent and greatly paced and detailed.
A heart-warming yet emotional story that was gripping and compelling.

A story of forgiveness and family, love and unexpected allies, all set in motion by issues of social justice and a broken American foster care system.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Alcove Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was an intense and heartbreaking story. The storyline touches on so many terrible things like child abuse and foster care. This was tragic and beautiful and I highly recommend

Be still my heart! This book is a gut punch right in the feels. It is the story of a brother and sister who end up in the foster care system, though their paths take uniquely different turns.

They both make some bad choices, end up in predicaments they didn’t choose, but never, ever forget their sibling bond. It’s a look into the American foster care program and all its faults. We see what drug abuse, physical abuse and emotional abuse look like, both inside and outside the foster care system.

The story is enlightening and compelling. It’s both ugly and beautiful. I rate this 4 stars. Thank you, NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC. This is due to be published on September 19, 2023.