Dr Maggie Blount and her partner - in both life and work - Alex, ran Doctors on Wheels, a not-for-profit where they headed into disasters to help, and heal, those in need. Now, accompanied by two other doctors, the four of them, plus their assistant, headed to Louisiana where a category 5 hurricane had decimated the area, leaving many homeless, many dead, and a lot of injured who didn't know where to go. As busy as usual, when Maggie noticed two young girls - probably around the same age as her own teen daughters - she was shocked at how ill they looked. Both had pneumonia and both were alone. Treating them, she ushered them to her RV, where they could rest. The younger of the two, Rose, found an abandoned puppy who was malnourished and terrified. Rose and her sister Jean, decided they wanted to help the puppy, whom they named Sunny.

Eventually, their job done, Doctors on Wheels headed for home, with three extra passengers. Maggie would foster the girls - and Sunny - until such time as a permanent place could be found. But Maggie's two daughters, Willa and Gemma, were not happy about the new arrangement. Self absorbed, entitled and pretentious, Maggie's girls were the opposite of the two polite, well mannered and grateful teens. What would Maggie do? Could she and Alex expect perfect harmony now there were four teens in the house?

Rolling Toward Clear Skies is another sensational read from Catherine Ryan Hyde which I loved. A blended family can be chaotic, especially at the beginning as everyone finds their space in the new norm. I felt for Maggie as she was tearing her hair out, wondering what to do next. Alex was pretty amazing with his support and biting his tongue when he needed to! Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley & Lake Union Publishing for my digital ARC to read and review.

If nothing changes, nothing changes. This statement rings true in life and through Catherine Ryan Hyde’s latest book, Rolling Towards Clear Skies. She did a great job showing how shaking things up, while painful, can change you for the better. Jean and Rose had undergone tragedy while Willa and Gemma had grown into entitled teenagers. Can they possibly live together as a family? I recommend you read and find out. I always enjoy Catherine Ryan Hyde books and this was no exception.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and the author for an ARC of this book which I had the pleasure of reading. All opinions are my own. Publication date: November 12, 2024

My heartfelt thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Rolling Towards Clear Skies’ written by Catherine Ryan Hyde in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Dr Maggie Blount and her medical/romantic partner Alex are part of ‘Doctors On Wheels’, heading for wherever there’s a natural disaster. A hurricane has hit Louisiana and their first patients are two sisters Jean and Rose who are sick with pneumonia and have just watched their parents die while trapped in rubble. Maggie forms an immediate attachment with them and takes them home to foster and be part of her family. But her daughters Willa and Gemma are headstrong teenagers, entitled, spoilt and ungrateful, and they hate having to share their home, and although Maggie realises things aren’t going to be easy she hasn’t realised just how difficult life will be.

‘Rolling Towards Clear Skies’ is a truly exceptional story that tells of the problems encountered when living with a blended family. From the beginning I was so involved with this inspiring and beautifully conceived story that I couldn’t help having tears in my eyes, especially when reading of their kindness as they treat patients who’ve lost everything. All of the characters were wonderfully described, with Jean and Rose quickly edging themselves into my heart so that I wanted to take them and their puppy Sunny home and look after them. This novel, the sixth I’ve read by this amazing author, has captivated me from the first page to the last and I’ve loved every single moment. Even though I’ve finished reading, it’s one of those stories that I can’t stop thinking about and will be for some time to come.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is a treasure. Her books are so well written and evoke much emotion; and yes, I do love her work. I did a happy dance when I saw this new one!

Description:
Maggie Blount, divorced mother of two and California physician, puts her private practice on hold when disaster strikes. Doctors on Wheels takes her and Alex—Maggie’s professional and romantic partner—wherever they’re needed. After rolling into rural Louisiana in the wake of a category five hurricane, Maggie immediately bonds with two sisters and their puppy, all orphaned by the storm. It’s enough to break Maggie’s heart, and she’s not leaving them behind.

Feeling blessed and looking forward to their new foster home in affluent Vista del Mar—a world apart from the one they’ve known—Jean and Rose are polite, appreciative, and humble. Frankly, polar opposite of Maggie’s own self-involved teenage daughters, Willa and Gemma, who resist this intrusion by strangers into their privileged lives. Soon enough, Maggie’s new blended family is in chaos.

Teaching Willa and Gemma about gratitude and empathy will be hard enough. Maggie must also admit her own role in their entitled upbringing, undo the damage, and anticipate the needs of all four girls and a puppy, all amid faraway natural disasters and those closer to home.

My thoughts:
This book had themes of self-sacrifice, responsibility, love, entitlement, family, sharing, and a host of other things. Once again, this author evokes all the feelings. Maggie was an admirable person who was giving and kind-hearted. She gave up a lot to respond to others needs in times of disaster. She also loves her family and wants to do her best for them and sterr her teenage girls in the right direction. I can't imagine taking in two new teenage girls when have two at home already - that would be a difficult situation for everyone concerned. Maggie's daughters and the two new girls were like night and day in personality and life experience. Made for some interesting situations. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes family dramas. And remember you will never go wrong picking up a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde!

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing through Netgalley for an advance copy.

This was a quick read. I really liked Life, Loss and Puffins so I was looking forward to this. I enjoyed reading it but it felt a little like an after school special. Gemma and Willa are SO obviously nasty and Joan and Rose are SO obviously good that it became a little annoying. Gemma and Willa had no redeeming qualities. None. They were like spoiled toddlers. And it was also a little weird how Rose and Joan are sickeningly sweet but are sort of mean to each other. It was all just a little too hokey.

Rolling Toward Clear Skies by Catherine Ryan Hyde follows the story of two pairs of teenage girls from starkly different backgrounds who become part of the same family. Maggie and Alex, who run a mobile medical service called Doctors on Wheels, discover two neglected teenage girls and a puppy while providing aid after a hurricane in Louisiana. Maggie decides to foster and eventually adopt them, despite knowing that her two daughters from a previous marriage may not be welcoming. Maggie hopes this challenging situation will help all four girls grow, learn from each other, and become better people.

This novel is a story of resilience, compassion, and family, with Hyde’s signature approach of finding the best in people and inspiring hope, even if the journey isn’t perfectly smooth.

I believe this is my first book by this author but it certainly will not be my last!

Maggie is the divorced mother of two very entitled teenage girls. They have grown up having everything they want yet they are no way grateful for any of it. When Maggie decides to foster and then adopt two teenage girls (and a dog) who have lost their parents and their home in a hurricane disaster chaos ensues.

The contrast between Maggie's daughters and her adoptees could not be greater and it takes a lot of effort from her and her partner, Alex, to ride out the storm. I really enjoyed the strong relationship she has with Alex. I also loved the firm way she goes about dealing with the objectionable behaviour of the daughters.

Altogether a very moving book and one which I found very hard to put down. Five stars from me!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Sweet story about blended families. The drama is very low key. I liked Maggie, the mother character. She was just doing her best to raise her two daughters and give them every advantage. Unfortunately, she recognizes that they became self centered sharp tongued, entitled twits - Malibu mean girls. They sharply contrast with the Louisiana orphan girls Maggie falls in love with during a rescue mission. Rose and Jean are the exact opposite. Sweet and sappy fairytale teens. Personally, I found them a bit too perfect. I would have liked the author to have given at least one of them a bit of grit, more outward expression of trauma. Even a touch of PMS. Still, it led to conflict with Maggie finding herself enjoying them so much more than her own two demons, I guess it served the plot purpose. Raising kids is tough especially teen girls, and no matter what you do the feeling of failure is constant. Am I too lenient? Or am I too strict? How do I fix this?

Speaking of lack of grit- Alex, Maggie’s much younger hot boyfriend is so perfect in every way- he actually reminds me of ‘Ian Miller” the neglected doormat of a husband in My big fat greek wedding. Im all about supportive men, but I cant imagine anyone silently putting up with living with some of what she tosses his way.

Enjoyable read -recommend

Mild spoilers below-

I was dreading some big event to happen that never did. No more mention of Willas eating disorder, no fire disaster, and was expecting Willa or Gemma to accuse Alex of something heinous- but nope.
Appreciate the therapy thread line, it’s important for families to get help when they are struggling to create a happy safe space for everyone.

I feel terrible giving a bad review to an author I have previously loved. Especially as this was given free as an ARC. (Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity.) In fact, I would have said she was one of my go-to authors in the past.
This started off reasonably well with a doctor and her boyfriend rushing to help the survivors of a hurricane. Maggie, the doctor, has 2 teenagers, and they are obnoxious little brats. They go to stay with their father while she's away. All good.
Then Maggie meets and treats two teenage girls who are so sugar-coated that it made my teeth hurt. They seemed to have a dubious upbringing, so it was even more unbelievable that they were so perfect. We all know there's no such thing as a perfect teenager anyway!
Despite having 2 other children to care for, she brings the 2 teens home and immediately starts talking about adoption. It's so obvious she hates her own children. Why is she surprised that they hate her back! This story was just a back and forth between the good and bad girls, with no real depth. Not a lot happened, really.
So I'm sorry to say this was another miss for me for Catherine Ryan Hyde. I loved her older books. They have so much more depth and heart. I think I will go back to these and be more cautious with her new novels.

I just love Catherine Ryan Hyde's books. Rolling Toward Clear Skies is now one of my favorites. This is a wonderful quick, enjoyable read. It is very heartwarming, heartbreaking and a story of how people can always change for the better. The story keeps your attention and the characters are just wonderful and relatable. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

A heartwarming story about a doctor who provides assistance to people following a disaster, such as a hurricane or earthquake. They call it Doctors on Wheels. Dr. Blount is divorced with two extremely privileged teenage daughters. She has a boyfriend, a nurse, who also goes into disaster settings to provide much needed medical attention.
During a recent hurricane, they came across two sisters badly in need of medication and emotional support. Not only did they have pneumonia, but they just witnessed their parents getting killed during the hurricane. Dr. Blount, Maggie, becomes very attached to them, thinking of her own daughters safely at home. The two sisters, Jean and Rose, are the total opposite of her own two daughters. They are caring, polite, thoughtful, while her own daughters are demanding and probably typical teenagers.
The story continues with Maggie taking the two orphaned girls to live with them and how she tries to blend the 4 girls together.
This is a very character driven novel, with likable ones and definitely ones that you will not like very much. The counselor that they all eventually went provided realistic goals for all the girls as well as for Maggie.
Catherine Ryan Hyde’s novels always have a warm feeling as you read them. She provides a message within them. They storylines were interesting, but at times a bit of a reach. While I have enjoyed many of this author’s novels, this one wasn’t one of my favorites.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. To be published on November 12, 2024.

WARNING: it's another unpopular opinion!!

I'm honestly surprised this has happened... I know it's been only two years since I discovered Catherine Ryan Hyde's writing, but she has quickly turned into a favorite author with her ability to create emotional and thought provoking stories. I was intrigued by the premise of Rolling Toward Clear Skies, although I admit I added it to my shelves before I read it... Because somehow this author can make me enjoy even those topics/tropes that don't usually work for me. Sadly, Rolling Toward Clear Skies turned out to be the exception to that rule, and I ended up feeling a bit underwhelmed.

Don't get me wrong: the premise of this story is without doubt fascinating and there were certain parts of the plot that I could really appreciate. This is especially everything relating to Doctor On Wheels and the chapters focusing on the characters going to disaster zones to help... Those scenes were without doubt very powerful and added so much to the story. I could also appreciate what the author tried to do with the focus on blended families and how it can be difficult to adjust to the new family dynamics... BUT. I kind of wish her portrayal would have been more nuanced.

What do I mean with this? It has everything to do with the characters and the way they are presented. Especially the two sister pairs are extremely stereotyped; either all good and basically little angels like Jean and Rose or extremely spoiled and entitled like Willa and Gemma. This enormous contrast just wasn't credible for me, and it made it a lot harder to properly connect and care for the characters. Especially Willa and Gemma come over as true villains, and their behavior is despicable for most of the book. Their mother Maggie was actually quite annoying as well, and again her character was surprisingly bland. This lack of realistic and properly fleshed out characters took me by surprise to be honest, because this is usually where the author shines.

Since the main part of the plot is based on so many cliches and the contrast between the two sister pairs just wasn't credible, I had a hard time properly enjoying the plot. Then again, I'm never a big fan of family drama, and there is plenty of that to be found in Rolling Toward Clear Skies. I can overcome this if the family drama is described in a realistic way, but in this case with the stereotyped characters it just didn't work for me personally. I know that I'm in the minority though, and this might just have been a case of this particular story simply not being a right fit for me. If you like the sound of the premise, definitely don't give up on my account!

First and foremost, I really like Catherine Ryan Hyde! She’s a really good author and a wonderful storyteller. I really can’t go wrong choosing to read one of her books. This is the 8th book of hers that I have read and they have all been 4-5star reads. This one is another 5star read that not only made me laugh, but also brought tears to my eyes. Not the first time CRH has done that either. One of the things that I’ve noticed about Hyde’s work is that she has some great kids in her stories.

The book summary lays out the primary storyline so I’m not going to repeat it here. What the book summary doesn’t really mention is that Jean and Rose witnessed the death of their parents when the storm destroyed their home. Furthermore, they had pneumonia that they had contracted long before the storm hit. Sunny, the puppy, they found later scared and emaciated. Initially, Jean (16) and Rose (14) were assigned to go live with their grandparents, but when the social worker took them to their grandparent’s house, she couldn’t leave them with the grandparents because it wasn’t a safe or appropriate environment for the kids (whole other story). None of this is a spoiler since it’s how the story started.

I’ve never been a parent, but I do have some maternal instincts, and there were so many times I wished I could just hug Jean and Rose so much and tell them that they’re such amazing young ladies. Can’t say the same for the other two kids, Willa (16) and Gemma (14), in the story. For now, I’ll just keep my opinions to myself regarding them. Suffice it to say that they are products of their environment and upbringing and are polar opposites to Jean and Rose in almost every single way.

Most of the story revolved around Jean and Rose acclimating to life with Maggie and Alex in CA and the atrocious behavior of Willa and Gemma towards Jean and Rose. They were awful to Maggie too, but there was a lot more going on there. The issues between Maggie and Gemma and Willa go back years to the divorce and then her work with Doctors on Wheels, and the way she chose to raise Gemma and Willa. For years, Maggie had been developing concerns/regrets over her parenting and the way she was raising Willa and Gemma. She is well aware that she created the problems she was now having.

This was so much more than the classic domestic drama. It illustrated how raising your children with excessive privilege can blind them to the struggles of others. It laid bare the dangers of how parents raising their children in privilege can ultimately stunt their mental and emotional growth and development, which is basically what we see in Willa and Gemma; they behave like self-centered, self-absorbed toddlers.

The character development of Maggie and the four girls was pretty well fleshed out. Would have liked to have seen more development for the relationship between Maggie and her mother, Bess, and maybe some insight into how Maggie was raised that led her to raise her own daughters the way she did. The pacing was steady and the storylines very interesting and kept me engrossed throughout. The writing was classic Hyde and a vital part of the story. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.5 that I will be rounding up to a 5star review. I want to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #LakeUnionPublishing #RollingTowardClearSkies

1.5 stars

Main Characters:
-- Maggie – 41 years old, divorced mother of two teenage girls, lives with Alex and her daughters in upscale Vista Del Mar in California, physician with a private practice who spends time after natural disasters treating patients from a converted bus as part of Doctors on Wheels
-- Alex – early 30s, Maggie’s live-in boyfriend, a registered nurse who founded Doctors on Wheels
-- Willa and Gemma – Maggie’s 16- and 14-year-old daughters, they stay with their father when Maggie goes out to disasters
-- Jean and Rose – 16- and 14-year-old sisters impacted by a hurricane in Louisiana in which their parents were killed, treated by Doctors on Wheels for pneumonia, Maggie decided to foster and then adopt them after it’s discovered they can’t live with their elderly grandparents

My first Catherine Ryan Hyde novel, Rolling Toward Clear Skies will likely be my last. I requested it because the premise of the story seems interesting. Maggie drops everything when a natural disaster occurs to volunteer as a doctor with Doctors on Wheels. She shuffles her daughters off to their dad’s and drives into disaster areas—after hurricanes, fires, tornadoes—and it’s clear the girls resent it.

When the story begins, Maggie and Alex are being interviewed for a human interest piece on television about Doctors on Wheels. Willa and Gemma are completely disinterested. And when Maggie receives a call about a hurricane in Louisiana, her daughters call her out on the fact that she told them she wouldn’t go the next time. She corrects them saying that she said she might not go, and despite how angry and hurt they are, she goes anyway.

When she meets Jean and Rose, the difference between them and her own daughters stuns her. Jean and Rose are polite and thankful and helpful—a stark difference to entitled and ungrateful and rude Willa and Gemma. To make matters worse in the eyes of Willa and Gemma, Maggie feels especially drawn to Jean and Rose and decides to foster and then adopt them (and their newly found stray puppy) when their grandparents aren’t able to take care of them.

The possibility of seeing the family dynamic with all four girls was intriguing. I would have loved to see the growth in Willa and Gemma as they learn to accept Jean and Rose. Sadly, the author chose to make huge leaps in time and skipped so many opportunities to create conflict and resolution. Don’t get me wrong. There was conflict, but it came and went so fast, and it’s not like the author didn’t have room to add more of these situations. The book is less than 300 pages. Make it longer.

Willa and Gemma spend an entire school year at their dad’s after Jean and Rose move in, and we don’t see any of it. Once they start to accept Jean and Rose, the book fast forwards to an epilogue a year later. As readers, we get all the fluff and none of the substance. We don’t experience any of the growth. We just read about it when everything is over.

I was pretty put off by the personalities too. Alex literally doesn’t like Maggie’s daughters, yet she has spent the past four years with him. Willa and Gemma are hateful, insufferable characters. There is nothing redeeming about them. Jean and Rose have lost everything—their parents, their home, all of their belongings. When they meet Maggie, they literally have each other and the clothes on their backs. And Willa and Gemma resent them, refuse to share a room to make space for them.

When Maggie asks Jean and Rose to go with Doctors on Wheels to help during a wildfire, Willa and Gemma resent that Maggie is taking “them,” even though they have never wanted to go. They get angry at their grandmother for buying Jean and Rose thoughtful gifts when they are the ones who asked her to just give them money instead of buying them gifts they wouldn’t like.

And as much as I dislike Willa and Gemma, Maggie isn’t a prize character either. She stays with a man who dislikes and insults her children, and she doesn’t seem to care how her daughters feel at all. Granted, they’re rude and ungrateful, but parents teach their kids to be polite and grateful. Maggie is preachy and completely out of touch with her family.

This story had so much potential, and it really fell short.

I really enjoyed this book. It's about a divorced dr. mother of 2 who volunteers to go to places of disaster to help out where she's needed. In one location that was hit by a hurricane, she ends up helping 2 girls who are very sick and have had to watch their parents die from drowning because of the hurricane. The girls don't have any other family that can take them , so she is able to foster and adopt them. Then the story really begins because as she is helping her adoptive kids cope and get used to their new life, her 2 selfish teenagers are not happy about it. Throughout the rest of the book we see how they are all coping, adjustments made to make things better and eventually become a family. I appreciated the end of the book showing us what happens in the future as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

I received an ARC of this upcoming novel through NetGalley.

This is another in a long, long series of outstanding stories by this terrific and prolific author. CRH's books invariably feature characters who are realistic and like people you know. There is nothing tricky about her storytelling style. She tackles human interest issues in a straightforward fashion, quickly taking the reader in to the matters at hand.

This book features a single (divorced) mom with two teenage daughters. She is a doctor and, besides having an office in California, she travels with a couple other doctors and a nurse to assist victims of disasters like hurricanes or earthquakes. At one of these ventures, she becomes attached to two teenage girls who lost their patents in a hurricane. She decides to adopt them, which creates a difficult dynamic in her family's life. The story deals with the family conflicts and the mom's efforts to restore peace in her household.

A riveting story.

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!

Catherine Ryan never disappoints! The main character in her latest book is Dr. Maggie Blount, who works in her own private practice but also volunteers with Doctors on Wheels, an organization that travels to the site of disasters to render free medical care. She is the divorced mother of two quite indulged, unlikeable teenage girls, and her relationship with them is in danger.
When she travels to the site of a massive fire two sick, orphaned teenage girls come for medical treatment. Maggie quickly grows fond of the shy, undemanding girls and decides to take them into her home. Her girls are not happy, to say the least. The remainder of the story is about how both sets of girls change as they adjust to their new expanded family.
I highly recommend this book! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Maggie and Alex volunteer with "Doctors on Wheels" to help victims of natural disasters. During a hurricane relief effort, they encounter Jean and Rose, two teenage sisters who have lost their parents.

Maggie feels a connection with the girls and decides to foster them, much to the disapproval of her own daughters Willa & Gemma.

Throughout the book, the contrast between the entitled Willa and Gemma, and the orphaned sisters Jean & Rose is stark. The socio economic differences are just one part on the tensions, more so seems to be the fact that Jean and Rose are polite, grateful, and hardworking, despite recently having lost their parents and having to adapt to a new life. Willa and Gemma are just spoiled, superior and annoyingly entitled.

A deeply thought-provoking a touching story, in the end bringing out the best in everyone.

I’m a bit obsessed with this author. So when I see she has a book coming out, I request it without even reading the premise because I know I’ll enjoy it.

Though I confess this one was a little difficult for me to get into. I couldn’t relate to the characters like I usually can. Maggie was standoffish, too appeasing, and she let her daughters run rough-shod over her. Then, with the introduction of Jean and Rose, it was complete opposites, almost too perfect.

However, the more I read, the more I enjoyed it. This turned into a really lovely read.