Brave Girl, Quiet Girl: A Novel

by Catherine Ryan Hyde

An Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestseller.

From New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde comes a gripping and emotional novel about friendship, motherhood, and the journey toward finding a place to call home.

Brooke is a divorced single mom, financially strapped, living with her mother, and holding tight to the one thing that matters most: her two-year-old daughter, Etta. Then, in a matter of seconds, Brooke’s life is shattered when she’s carjacked. Helpless and terrified, all Brooke can do is watch as Etta, still strapped in her seat, disappears into the Los Angeles night.

Miles away, Etta is found by Molly, a homeless teen who is all too used to darkness. Thrown away by her parents, and with a future as stable as the wooden crate she calls home, Molly survives day to day by her wits. As unpredictable as her life is, she’s stunned to find Etta, abandoned and alone. Shielding the little girl from more than the elements, Molly must put herself in harm’s way to protect a child as lost as she is.

Out of one terrible moment, Brooke’s and Molly’s desperate paths converge and an unlikely friendship across generations and circumstances is formed. With it, Brooke and Molly will come to discover that what’s lost—and what’s found—can change in a heartbeat.

• ISBN10: 1542010055
• ISBN13: 9781542010054
• Publish Date: 19 May 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Amazon Publishing
• Imprint: Lake Union Publishing
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 300
• Language: English

Reviews

[Jeff Sexton]

Great Storytelling With Relatable Characters. One of the best things about Hyde's books is that you know you're going to get stories of very human characters that are simply trying to do their best with the situations they find themselves in, despite several flaws (both obvious and not). Here we get an all too real story that happens *far* too often (in a part that would be a spoiler to reveal) and often enough that it is a documented event (in the initial conflict) while overtly getting a story of two women just trying to do their best. Hyde does an excellent job of humanizing both the strengths and the weaknesses of most characters, though the secondary characters get a bit less of this and the one-off characters get even less, by their very nature of only being shown once or twice. Still, a truly excellent work that explores at least one idea that is all too real for all too many, yet isn't discussed much in mainstream fiction. Very much recommended.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Divorced mother, Brooke, has moved back into her mother’s home with her two-year-old daughter Etta. It isn’t the best situation as the relationship between Brooke and her mother isn’t a healthy one.

One night after a spat with her Mom, she takes Etta out, and the unthinkable happens. She finds herself the victim of carjacked at a stoplight. Only before she cries out, the thief takes off with Etta still in her car seat. A sixteen-year-old homeless girl named Molly finds Etta abandoned on the side of the road and keeps her safe until she can find help.

The story that unfolds shares the friendship that develops between Molly and Brooke. How they inadvertently help each other. It was touching and realistic. Hyde shed light on prejudices big and small, on poverty levels, mental abuse and cold hard facts facing many people every day. She does so in a way that you connect with the characters and she shares all sides.

Hyde alternates between the perspectives of Brooke and Holly, allowing us to experience their fears, emotions, growth and more. The author captures genuine emotions and harsh realities.

I would love for everyone to read this author. Her stories pull you in and shed light on family situations, racisms, prejudices and more. She presents flawed, fleshed out individuals and sets them in situations that allow them to grow, learn, accept and find something more. Maybe not perfect, but to overcome. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer