If I could give this book more stars, I would. The whole concept, the uncomplaining way nine-year old Grace just accepts what happens to her because of her mother's addictions, brings so many different people to a moment of looking outside of themselves. The role the blessing of Reiki plays, as well as the healing of dancing, music, simple beauty of emotions, all these combinations made me love the book and all the characters. From the first pages I was wrapped up in the way Grace just sits outs...

Excellent novel! I cannot recommend this one enough. Written by the author of Pay It Forward and many other titles. I will definitely be adding more of this author's titles to my reading list.First grader, Grace, is the force that brings together the neighbors in her building who otherwise would not have come together. Billy Shine, a 37 year old agoraphobic former dancer who has not left the apartment in 12 years, wants to know what's wrong when Grace suddenly becomes a fixture on the front step...

This was an easy "feel-good" read. I don't gravitate towards books like this, but every now and then, one seems to satisfy my sweet tooth. This is the first book by this author, that I've read. I have one more that I'll get to eventually. The characters were lovable. I liked the emphasis on community and what an asset that can be, especially when it comes to raising families. Grace is the center of the story. She is a 10-year-old girl with an addict for a mother. Sometimes she sounded wise beyon...

As an agoraphobic, Billy Shine looks out at the world from within his small apartment. He sees his neighbors come in and leave the apartment building but doesn't interact with them. But all that changes the day he notices 9 year old Grace sitting out on the steps all by herself. He inches his patio door open and when he asks her why she's sitting out there, she answers; “If I sit inside, then nobody will know I’m in trouble. And then nobody will help me.” In this apartment building of lonely ten...

4.5Excellent book. I would definitely recommend it as well as quite a few other books by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Grace was a delight and I fell in love with almost all of the characters. I read it quite quickly and was sad to have it end. I could see this being made into a movie as well. I originally found this author because of the movie Pay it Forward being based on her book. I've been a fan ever since. I will continue to read more by this author.

I really enjoyed this book, it reminded me of the well known story Pollyanna, where a little girl spreads positivity bringing older grumpy adults together. All the characters who have never met or Even spoken until Grace, the main character needs help to help her drug addict mother. A pull at your heart strings story about human intervention and how people come together in a time of crisis.

Grace is a very young girl who has to rely on herself for most things because her mother is an ongoing drug addict. When they move into the basement of a small, not so nice apartment building, the other tenants start to realize that she is going unsupervised and become concerned. As they each try to get to the bottom of her story, Grace starts to grow on and eventually steal their hearts. They themselves each have their own life predicaments and scarred pasts to deal with, but in the long run th...

More like 4 1/2 stars! I’ve been stuck on romances lately and wanted to read something different. Well, this story may not have had romantic love, but it had love none the less. What started as the concern of a group of neighbors for a little girl grew into the love of a group of neighbors for a little girl. They were trying to help her, but she wound up helping each of them in an equally profound way. Loved the character of Billy. The author really took me into his world and head! I didn’t quit...

Don’t let me go is a hard book to review. I loved it and it annoyed me all at the same time. The story is about a young girl, Grace that has an addict for a mother and sits out on the front steps on her apartment building hoping that her neighbors may notice and help her. The story is centered around that apartment building and the neighbors that Grace meets. The characters were great in the book for the most part, and I adored Billy! My problem was parts of the story were just not really believ...

Oh my goodness! This book could make a fantastic movie! Grace is 9 years old and her mother is a drug addict. Every day that she can't go to school because her mom can't get her there, she sits on the steps outside so that someone will notice her and help her. In her apartment complex in a dangerous neighborhood, no one knows each other and they avoid one another until several neighbors decide to help Grace. Through her friendliness, they become friends with her and one another. At first, I thou...

Probably closer to 2.5 stars. Although I have mixed feelings about this book, I liked the book in spite of myself. I listened to the audiobook and, on balance, the two readers do a good job, although with one major letdown to which I return below. It isn’t great writing—more on the order of a TV-script for the Hallmark channel. it seems to be directed toward young adults. (view spoiler)[At least the story ends on an upbeat note. (hide spoiler)] This is a contemporary, character-based story, with...

This story was written by the same author that wrote Pay it Forward... I loved that story so I couldn't wait to see what else this author had in store for me. I love books that touch on the possibilities of humanity and that's exactly what this book does. It ponders the question of "What if?". What if we decided to take action to help ourselves instead of just waiting for something to happen? What if I took the time to reach past my boundaries of safety and take a chance?What if I took charge of...

4 1/2 stars, really good. ( I like the description on Amazon better than the one here:"Former Broadway dancer and current agoraphobic Billy Shine has not set foot outside his apartment in almost a decade. He has glimpsed his neighbors—beautiful manicurist Rayleen, lonely old Ms. Hinman, bigoted and angry Mr. Lafferty, kind-hearted Felipe, and 9-year-old Grace and her former addict mother Eileen. But most of them have never seen Billy. Not until Grace begins to sit outside on the building’s front...

Absolutely loved this book.Sometimes a child knows better. Which is the exact case when it comes to Don't Let Me Go. In it, you will meet 10 year old Grace who is completely adorable and mostly alone in this world. Yes, she has mom and lives with her. Unfortunately, her mom enjoys getting high, or "loaded" if you ask Grace, instead of playing mom. This leads Grace to adventure out past her apartment and she gets to know the people who live around her.Here's the double whammy - they are all alone...