Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review

I think this book would make a charming beach read. I thought the story was a pretty enjoyable woman's fiction novel. This is my first book I've read by Catherine Ryan Howard, but I may be interested in reading more books by her in the future.

the setup…
Margaret (Maggie) Blount is a 41-year old physician, divorced and the mother of two teens, Willa and Gemma (sixteen and fourteen, respectively). She and her romantic partner Alex are also part of Doctors on Wheels, an organization he founded and fundraises for, that responds to natural disasters. Her thriving practice allows her to take these leaves. Sounds perfect, right? Maggie is concerned about her daughters who she loves but doesn’t like very much. They’re spoiled, entitled and she’s unsure of how to fix things. But when she returns from a hurricane disaster in Louisiana with two orphaned teens (Jean & Rose) and a dog she decided to foster and adopt, her household turns into a battlefield.

the heart of the story…
There’s no doubt that Maggie’s decision to bring those traumatized girls home with her was for all the right reasons. But deep down, it also was true that they provided her with the affection and respect she yearned for from Willa and Gemma. Yes, they were truly awful (and mean) young girls but Maggie had to own responsibility for how they turned out. Her lack of a plan was stunning and even though I didn’t like those brats, I sympathized with their reactions.

the narration…
Kate Rudd managed to give Maggie perfect voice while managing the same for four teenagers. She nailed Willa & Gemma as well as Jean & Rose, all while being an excellent storyteller.

the bottom line…
Blended families can be difficult to navigate under ideal circumstances and there certainly were excessive minefields here. I appreciated that Maggie was an imperfect parent and owned it, allowing others in her life to give her much needed advice, including her own mother. Willa & Gemma may have been presented as villains initially but their underlying issues were given validation. There were no easy answers or solutions, just commitment and hard work to create a loving and respectful family. There’s a lot to learn here.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing/Amazon Publishing, and Brilliance Publishing for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest book by a favorite, Catherine Ryan Hyde, with the audio wonderfully narrated by Kate Rudd. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Maggie is a physician, divorced single mother to two teenage girls, and the founder of Doctors on Wheels with Alex, a nurse and her romantic partner as well. When disaster strikes, they go wherever they are needed to help out free of charge. When they get to rural Louisiana after a Category 5 hurricane, she forms a bond with two teenage girls who have lost everything and Maggie refuses to leave them behind when she returns home. But the two girls are polar opposites to Maggie's own daughters, who are entitled, used to getting whatever they want, and not happy about these new strangers in their lives.

I can never resist the pull of a novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde because, while you know you're getting a good story, there are always so many life lessons intertwined. Here, we see how the best of intentions in parenting may cause unwanted consequences for everyone. It's definitely a story of the difference between the have's and the have not's, and in the wake of so many natural disasters recently, will make you grateful and hopefully more aware. It's also a cautionary tale about teenagers and social media, which always makes me feel relieved that I didn't have to navigate that when my kids were growing up. Always a treat so don't miss it!

Rolling Toward Clear Skies is yet another lovely story from Catherine Ryan Hyde. I appreciate how she always finds a way to weave the importance of empathy into her tales, and in that respect this one is no different. Blended family, grief, and entitlement are also explored in this engaging read.

Kate Rudd did an excellent job narrating the audiobook.

Thank you Catherine Ryan Hyde, Lake Union Publishing, Brilliance Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

I always enjoy books by Catherine Ryan Hyde and usually learn a lesson while reading. In Rolling Toward Clear Skies, we encounter issues with parenting, step-parenting, teenage entitlement issues, fostering and adopting children, volunteerism, and more!
While this wasn't my favorite book, It is one I would recommend.

3.5

I listened to the audio of this book, which was well read by Kate Rudd, who managed to navigate a couple of accents, several adults and screechy teenagers extremely well.

The story is a nice tale of how we can all change if we really want to and that we are perhaps not aware of our own faults until a very bright light is shone on them.

Dr Maggie Blount is a respected doctor who, as well as a private practice, runs a non- profit (Doctors on Wheels who attend to disasters to give free medical aid to anyone who needs it) with her boyfriend Alex (a nurse). However she also has two teenage daughters who she has showered with gifts in order to make up for her own shortcomings and frequent absences. Consequently she now has two entitled brats with only herself to blame.

As we know no one person shapes a life and as the story unfolds we see the family change through adding more members and circumstances.

It's a nice salutary tale with a few good life lessons for both adults and young adults. I enjoyed it.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Brilliance Publishing for the audio advance review copy.

Thanks to Netgally and the publisher for an advanced copy of the audio book in exchange for an honest review!
Maggie Blount is a divorced mother of 2 spoiled teenagers. She volunteers for an organization created by her current boyfriend, Doctors on Wheels, that drives out after natural disasters to help and medically treat people affected for free. After helping hurricane victims on the Gulf Coast, Maggie ends up bringing home more than she bargained for (in the best possible way).
I'm not sure if it was the narrator (her voice was fine except for when she had to do male voices, in my opinion), or what but I just did not feel connected or care about most of the characters in this book. The story was good, but not great. It was a fast,easy audio book to listen to, but I think I was expecting to feel all the feelings like I usually do with Catherine Ryan Hyde's books. This one fell a bit flat for me, but it's not going to stop me from reading/listening to her books in the future.

I will read anything from this author because she never disappoints. And she has done it again. This book is fabulous. So the inner workings of a complex family. A divorced mom with a serious boyfriend. 2 spoiled girl teenagers. And fostering 2 perfect girl teenagers. What could go wrong? It's well worth the read to find out!

Many thanks to Net Galley and Brilliance Publishing for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Once again I was totally enthralled. CRH has written another book that I quickly found myself wholly invested in.

The story begins with Dr. Maggie Blount and her comfortable life with her two daughters and medical practice. She’s part of Drs On Wheels and often attends to emergencies for those that needed it most. We get our first glance at her teenage daughters, Willa and Gemma and it’s obvious they are typical teenagers. (Perhaps more selfish and spoiled than average?)

When Maggie meets and helps Rose and Jean, it becomes obvious the story has changed. What comes next is family changes, tough lessons and the beginnings of redemption. The writing is so good I was uncomfortable for Maggie and the girls.

The audio of the story is great and brought all the characters to life.

Advance reader copy provided by Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.