As usual Catherine Ryan Hyde hit the mark. The story of Maggie and Alex who helped in disasters with Doctors on wheels, a volunteer, non profit service came to me at a time when horrible hurricanes were happening in the south. Not only was this story packed with wisdom and thought provoking reminders but it made me more aware of the effects that climate disasters have on those affected. The relationships among Maggie's biological daughters and her two adopted daughter, although predictable, was enjoyable to read as it progressed. I always enjoy this author’s books!!

This year I have not loved many of my favorite authors new books. While I always look forward to a new Catherine Ryan Hyde book, this one was disappointing. Rolling Towards Clear Skies is about relationships between mothers and daughters, another topic I usually enjoy, yet I could not at all relate to how Maggie treated her daughters. I did not like her or her decisions. Her two daughters were evil, though if I had a mother like Maggie I may have been too. The topic had potential but it missed the mark. Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of Rolling Towards Clear Skies in exchange for an honest review.

After a slow start, Rolling Toward Clear Skies finally captured my interest and kept it throughout. At times I thought that the contrast between the two sets of sisters was a bit over the top. However, the difficulties of blended families were well presented, with enough tension to make it believable. I always look forward to Catherine Ryan Hyde’s books. They present a novel way of looking at things.

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 Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

Catherine Ryan Hyde has done it again. She has written a book that is easy to read, has a good storyline and I couldn't wait to see how things turn out.

This book is about a blended family. Normally, this creates resentment and chaos in the beginning. This time it involves a mother with two teenage girls who brings in two more teenage girls, initially as foster children, but adoption is in process. Naturally, it is not a fairy tale. The two sets of girls are opposites. The new sisters are well-mannered, polite and grateful. The original sisters are not!

It is interesting how differently the 2 sets of girls deal with their new lifestyle. Actions and words are hurtful. Mom makes mistakes. But, they are all human.

I love how this author often brings dogs or other animals into her stories. Animals are always therapeutic, as is the case in this book. This time it was a homeless, scared dog who wormed his way into a family in turmoil.

I don't think this is one of the author's top three books but definitely enjoyable. Can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

I was happy with the ending. Very realistic!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Rolling Toward Clear Skies" and all opinions expressed are my own. I like books by this author. It's always an interesting story that flows smoothly.

Rolling Toward Clear Skies superbly reflects the complexities of blended families, but what I loved about this book was the kindness, the compassion and the mercy that spilled from the pages.
This story demonstrates how life is full of change. Change can be hard, but it’s those hard times that allow a person to grow.

Wonderful storytelling from Catherine Ryan Hyde. The pace and flow were perfect; the characters were compelling and I was easily absorbed into the story.
My first experience of Catherine Ryan Hyde novels and it won’t be the last!

I am grateful to the publisher, Lake Union Publishing, via NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It is always a delight to read Catherine Ryan Hyde's trademark emotionally heart tugging, thought provoking novels, here featuring divorced Californian medic, Dr Maggie Blount, a mother of 2 children, Willa and Gemma, with a nurse boyfriend, Alex. She is a principled woman who puts her private practice, when required, on hold, when disaster hits, the children staying with their father. Emergency response charity, Doctors on Wheels, takes her and Alex to the latest nightmare of a devastating category 5 hurricane in Louisiana, which is where she encounters 2 homeless and traumatised orphan sisters, Jean and Rose,and the puppy, Sandy. Her bond with them will not allow her leave them behind when it is time to come back.

Maggie returns to Vista del Mar into a world of troubling conflict and the fallout from becoming a foster parent, her spoilt, entitled, self absorbed teen daughters are far from happy to have their home opened up to these interlopers. Jean and Rose are their polar opposites, shell shocked, they find themselves in unfamiliar, well off surroundings, but they are lovely, kind, grateful, and appreciate what they now have. Maggie is more than aware that she has played her part in how Willa and Gemma have turned out be like, as she tries to tackle the issues that arise with a newly blended family. It is not easy to address the damage done to her girls as foster mum Maggie endeavours to meet the needs of all the girls, not to mention the puppy!

Once again the author charms and engages in her ability to weave a sensitive, spellbinding, and captivating story as we wonder if Maggie can make her new family work. Perhaps some of her characters are little too black and white in their depiction, but this did not spoil my enjoyment of this uplifting family drama, with its core issues of identity, inequalities, being a teenager, social media, along with the nature of blended and flawed families. Fans of the author are likely to love this, as indeed are those readers who are new to her. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

In Rolling Toward Clear Skies Catherine Ryan Hyde brings the reader another realistic, heartfelt book. A divorced female physician travels with her boyfriend to disaster areas to help those in need. When away she leaves her two privileged daughters with their father. On one of these trips she connects with two humble teenage girls who have been through devastating loss and have no one to care for them. A new family is created even though the girls couldn’t be more different. A heart warming story!

Sadly this one is a DNF at 40% for me, I really like the premise of this novel but found the characters so unrealistic, her biological daughters were so unrealistically unpleasant and the adopted / rescued girls far too sickly sweet and nice that it was almost impossible to connect. I also found the main characters thoughts and then the reality were too coincidental and everything seemed too neat.

Not my favourite by this author but will definitely not be the last I pick up as I have enjoyed earlier works. If you like the author then I would recommend giving this a go.

Catherine Ryan Hyde has been consistently writing at least two books a year. Readers are presented with the wonder of a new book twice a year. I don’t know how she keeps coming up with new, fresh subjects so often, but I am glad she does it. This one is about a couple, she’s a doctor and he’s a nurse, who operate a doctors on wheels with two other doctors. They make their way to disasters and help the people involved for free. At one disaster, Maggie ends up bringing two teenage girls and a dog home. She already has two teenage daughters from a previous marriage so you can imagine the conflicts that occur. This is such a great story, I didn’t want it to end. Bravo to Catherine Ryan Hyde for another winner!

The thing I love most about a Catherine Ryan Hyde book is that it is going to make you think. It make you look at yourself and situations in a new light or from a new perspective.

This book has so many great things about it. You have Maggie, a doctor that travels to disaster areas and provides free medical care. This doctors on wheels was started by her younger boyfriend and nurse Alex. They along with two other doctors travel and help people when they are probably at their lowest. Maggie has two teenage daughters she shares with her ex-husband. Maggie is concerned that her daughter maybe a selfish and entitled.

Alex and Maggie head to a hurricane to offer relief to those affected by the tragedy. There two teenage girls come for medical care. They soon find out the girls were orphaned by the hurricane. Maggie after caring for the girls and due to circumstances regarding their family decides to foster the girls. The differences between the orphaned teens and her own soon become obvious.

I loved how Maggie went about bridging the gap between the girls. She loves her own daughters but becomes a mother to Jean and Rose easily. The transition for all the girls is difficult. Through counseling and some hard learned lessons this family becomes just that. This story was heartwarming and realistic.

I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I've read a few Catherine Ryan Hyde books and she never disappoints! This is a story about a mother, Maggie who has two teen daughters and decides to adopt two more teen daughters when their parents are killed in a hurricane. When the four daughters are living together, there is chaos but it ends up being a heartwarming story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!

I have been a fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde since 1999 and she has never disappointed me. She always finds new and interesting emotional topics to write about. This was a timely one to read because after a natural disaster (Helene anyone?) two teenage girls are left parentless and homeless. Maggie Blount is a doctor who volunteers at such events and is a divorced mom of two teenage girls. When she decides to foster and then adopt the newly orphaned teenagers what follows is a dramatic tale of the impact the adoption has on everyone in the family.

I was quickly absorbed into this tale. Maggie's biological daughters were not very likable and I tried very hard to sympathize with them. While I liked and related to the adopted daughters a lot more I found them to be sickly sweet and not as realistic as the other two. I think the author did that on purpose to show how polar opposites the teens are. I really enjoyed this book about nature versus nurture, the haves and the have-nots. It's about growing up, helping others and blended families and it was told with Hyde's typical sensitivity and wit. This one really touched my heart.

Catherine Ryan Hyde remains one of those authors I consider to give me a comfort factor when reading, like putting on my favorite sweater or sweatshirt. I decided to read her latest “Rolling Toward Clear Skies” for that reason.

Dr. Maggie Blount is a divorced mother of two teenage daughters who lives in California. When natural disasters strike, she and her partner, Alex, head out as part of Doctors on Wheels. The idea for Doctors on Wheels came from Alex, who’s a Registered Nurse. He got Maggie to agree to join, along with another couple who are also doctors.

I read this book in one evening. Maggie meets two sisters, who have been orphaned, and their puppy when Doctors on Wheels arrives in Louisiana after a category five hurricane. Reading this book was a timely choice for me since Hurricane Helene and the aftermath of her destruction was still fresh and present in the news and social media.

As the book progresses, Maggie becomes a foster mother to Jean and Rose while also dealing with her daughters’ resentment of them. Maggie adopts Jean and Rose and continues working on her relationship with Willa and Gemma. The entire time, Maggie learns to navigate the challenges of not only her blended family, but also trying to undo Willa and Gemma’s privileged views on life.

Overall, I recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

I so enjoyed this book. Loved the way the story unfolded and delved into the subject of blended families and how they mix. Would recommend this book.

“Rolling Toward Clear Skies” by Catherine Ryan Hyde is a book about family—how sticky they can be and how families are made up of people who love each other. Dr. Maggie Blount lives with her two teenage daughters (Willa and Gemma) in California. Maggie is a part of the humanitarian mission “Doctors on Wheels” and she and her partner Alex go to Louisiana when a major hurricane hits. Maggie decides, quite on the spur of the moment, to foster two girls (Jean and Rose) who lost their parents in the hurricane, and a puppy they’d found.

I enjoyed this book and found it to be well written, but I have to say that I didn’t like the characters very much. I found it hard to believe that Willa and Gemma were so constantly awful, with almost no redeeming qualities to them at all. And I find it hard to believe that Jean and Rose were perfect saints. This story was really told in terms of “black and white”. Having said that, I continued reading to the end, wanting to know what would happen. So I'm rounding up from three stars. I would definitely read more by this author, but I hope other books are a bit more nuanced when it comes to the characters. Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel and my opinion is my own.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is excellent at finding new contemporary topics to write about. This time it’s about two teenage girls and their reaction to their mother suddenly inviting two orphaned girls into their family.

Dr Maggie Blount is a busy woman, a divorcee with two teenage daughters, a medical practice in California and a role volunteering in a disaster medical response team set up by herself and her partner Alex, a nurse. Her daughters resent that she is often away at disasters but they have always had everything they’ve asked and have grown up spoiled with a sense of entitlement. Maggie loves them dearly but doesn’t like who they’ve become. When Maggie and Alex return from a hurricane in Louisiana with two orphaned teenagers who witnessed their parents dying, they flounce out of the house to go and stay with their father.

Over the next year Maggie works on changing her (biological) daughters’ attitudes and tries to meld her broken family back into something new where everyone can be respectful of others and get along together. As always the characters were well drawn, although I found Maggie too calm and considerate to be real (no one ever seems to think about her feelings) and the orphaned girls a little too good to be true for teenagers who’ve suffered a great trauma on top of being placed in a difficult living environment. Overall, I enjoyed the novel, loved Maggie and Sunny, the giant lost puppy the orphans adopt and the hopeful ending.

Life is about to change for Maggie Blount, her two daughter and her partner. Maggie is part of Doctors On Wheels, along with her partner. When there is a disaster, they go to help out, leaving the girls with their father. When they arrived after a hurricane hit, there were 2 girls, that came to them, and they were really sick. The roof had caved in, and their parents didn't make it. As the doctors were treating the girls in their RV, a dog appeared, that was skinny and needed nutrition. The girls wanted the dog to stay, and the dog stayed. When it was time for them to go back home, Maggie talked to the girl's social worker, and the girl's only relative, was an elderly grandmother and grandfather, that couldn't take care of the girls. Maggie turned around and went back and got the girl's and the dog and went home.
When they got home, Maggie's daughters weren't happy and moved out to live with their father. Life has a way of when you need to change, it makes things happen, that forces you to think about things, and decide what you are going to do. We find out all the things life has in store for them all, and what they decide to do. Will they learn the lessons life wants them to learn, will they continue to do the same thing they have been doing, you will enjoy reading the book to find out?
I received an ARC from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley.

Rolling Toward Clear Skies is another beautiful, comforting novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde. This time, she tackles families blended through foster care and adoption. CRH gets it. My family is also formed by blending birth and adopted children - three sets of older sibling groups. What I love most about CRH's depiction is how she covers the period it takes to really blend a family and what happens along the way. What I didn't appreciate as much was the extreme personalities she gave the two sets of sisters. The birth kids come off as entitled brats with few, if any, redeeming features. The new kids come off almost too perfectly - they never seem to go through an acting out stage, which happens, but not so much. But it's still a CRH book where I try to internalize how her adults speak to children and teens.

If you are already a CRH fan - you'll enjoy this book.
If you are interested in older sibling group fostering or adoption, add this to your resources.
If you just want to feel like life's challenges can be overcome, then you might enjoy this encouraging novel.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eBook version of this novel in exchange for a review.