EXCERPT: My plan was to put on my seat belt to drive home. I had Etta strapped into her car seat, still snoring like a miniature soprano buzz saw. I was sitting in the driver's seat of my mom's Mercedes, trying to get my own belt done. Sounds easy enough, but I was wearing a big, long sweater, and the folds of it kept getting in the way. I go back to this moment a lot. It wasn't much of a struggle before I gave up. It wasn't that frustrating. Which makes it even harder to explain after the fact....

A contemporary novel about how a dramatic 24 hours bring a single mother and a homeless teenager together. Single mother, Brooke watches in horror as her mother's car is hijacked with her two year old daughter, Etta, trapped inside. When teen runaway, Molly finds Etta abandoned in a LA alley, she takes the little girl under her protection. Soon Molly is able to make contact with police, but Brooke finds herself unexpectedly taking interest in her daughter's rescuer. It's a tale filled with a fo...

4.5 starsI'm rapidly learning there's something truly lovely about Catherine Ryan Hyde's novels, and Brave Girl, Quiet Girl was no exception.    Since discovering her work I've noticed she doesn't shy away from contentious issues but she takes them on in an expert and engaging manner.   Her characters are so very realistic and I love the way she uses them to make me question my own morals and behaviours. The two main characters are Brooke and Molly and their  alternating perspectives bring the s...

This is my third book by Catherine Ryan Hyde and the third that earns 5 stars from me. This author really knows how to push my reading buttons! I am thrilled that I have so many more of her books to read, not to mention she puts out at least one new book every year. I have been slumpish in my reading the last several months, taking 10-17 days to read one book instead of the usual 4-5 days. It seems all the info out there on the Trump impeachment and the COVID-19 pandemic has drawn me in more tha...

Brooke, divorced for two years and mother of two-year-old Etta was back living with her mother, the criticizing woman who couldn’t say a nice word about her daughter. The night Brooke took Etta to the movies – just to get out of the house – was the night her life shifted on its axis. It was on the way back from the movies that Brooke was carjacked; thrown to the ground by the masked man, she watched in devastated horror as the Mercedes tore away from her – with Etta still inside.Sixteen-year-old...

A tender and triumphant story of friendships and doing the right thing.SUMMARYBrooke is a divorced single mom, financially strapped, living with her unhappy and very negative mother. Brooke’s life is shattered when she’s carjacked. Helpless and terrified, all Brooke can do is watch as her two year old daughter, Etta, still strapped in her car seat, disappears into the Los Angeles night.Molly had been kick out of her parents home and has barely surviving on the street of LA She is stunned to find...

3.75 stars rounded up to 4I pounced on this due to author recognition. One of my favorite books of 2019 was her beautiful story Stay. This offering isn't quite as good as that 5 Star read, but was enjoyable nonetheless.The book takes place in Los Angeles. A divorcee named Brooke has a sweet, intelligent and adorable two year-old daughter named Etta. They are currently living at Brooke's mother's house due to lack of funds in the wake of her divorce. Sadly, Brooke's mother has few redeeming quali...

4.5 stars, rounded up! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Once again, Catherine Ryan Hyde has knocked it out of the park! I have only read a handful of her books, but I’m obsessed with them. She never disappoints. This story is about two women - strangers - who meet under scary circumstances with one thing in common: their love for a little girl named Etta. What transpires is an unlikely bond between these three people that you will not soon forget.What I love about Hyde’s books are that they always relatable, always ha...

I like most of Ms Hyde's books as they usually have heart and deal with people on a journey, where things happen and resolution comes by the end. I liked this journey perhaps the most of all her books.The three main characters: Brook, a mum who has her two year old taken in a carjacking, Molly, a homeless 16 year old doing it tough in LA on the streets and of course our wonderful 2 year old Etta.The story takes many turns and it is often an emotional read, but Ms Hyde is always in control and wr...

I am a big fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde's writing. There were many of her books that I really liked and Brave Girl, Quiet Girl was no exception. As soon as I began reading this book I was hooked. It was so hard to put down. The characters were well developed and very believable. It was fast paced and kept me engaged from beginning to end.The story took place in Los Angeles, California. Brooke, a thirty-nine year old divorced mother, and her two year old daughter, Etta, were living in Brooke's moth...

“A slice of hot pizza almost sounded too good to be true. I didn’t want to look forward to it, because I thought she might be lying about it, because it felt like nothing as good as that could exist in the world anymore, or at least not anywhere near me and my rotten luck.”Brave Girl, Quiet Girl is a novel by American author, Catherine Ryan Hyde. It happens in seconds. Brooke is driving home in her mother’s late-model BMW when a balaclava’d man drags her out of the car and drives off with Etta,

I read an ARC of this book and ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! I have read all 35+ published books and numerous short stories, by Catherine Ryan Hyde, and this next release is my absolute ALL TIME FAVORITE! Catherine had me holding my breath with suspense, and sitting very still... trying to be a brave girl, quiet girl, too. Catherine's stories always shine a spotlight on important human issues, and the messages in this book are vital! Thank you, Ms Hyde, for your continued efforts towards making our world...

Brooke's divorced from her husband David, they have a two year old daughter Etta and he's not present in her life. Broke, Brooke moves in with her mother, her mum isn’t easy to live with and she criticizes everything she does. One night Brooke’s driving her mother’s expensive Mercedes, when she’s carjacked and Etta’s strapped into her car seat in the back. The car speeds off into the Los Angeles night, Brooke frantically goes to the nearest police station, and officer Grace Beatty issues an ambe...