The Wake Up Review & Giveaway

I have been lucky enough to be asked to review the last three of Catherine Ryan Hyde’s novels.  While I enjoyed Say Goodbye For Now (my review) and Allie and Bea (my review), this was definitely my favorite.  The setting had a Nicholas Sparks-type feel and I was pulling for the characters.

We meet Aiden Delacorte, a 40-year-old cattle rancher who begins to feel extra empathy for the animals on his ranch.  While his staff and neighbors are quick to dismiss his change of heart, his new girlfriend, Gwen, and her two children, Elizabeth and Milo, wonder what may be the cause.  With the help of a therapist, Aiden digs into his past.  Not only does it help him sort out his feelings, but it helps him relate to Gwen’s son, Milo, who appears with trouble of his own.

As I was reading, I couldn’t help but picture Parenthood’s Max Burkholder in the role of Milo.  I know he is too old for the character, but he was the only fully formed Hollywood actor in my head.  Given that I’m bingeing the series for the first time, I see a lot of similarities.  It’s possible Milo does have a form of autism, but it wasn’t mentioned in the book.

I loved following the developing relationship between Aiden and the kids.  It was really interesting to read how Aiden’s childhood allowed him to forge bonds in a way that wasn’t expected.  There’s a lesson (or two) in here about compassion and patience.  This heartwarmer is perfect for fans of Amy Hatvany and Nicole Baart.

My thanks to the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

About the author:  Catherine Ryan Hyde is the author of thirty-three published books. Her bestselling 1999 novel, Pay It Forward, adapted into a major Warner Bros. motion picture, made the American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults list and was translated into more than two dozen languages for distribution in more than thirty countries. Her novels Becoming Chloe and Jumpstart the World were included on the ALA’s Rainbow List; Jumpstart the World was also a finalist for two Lambda Literary Awards and won Rainbow Awards in two categories. The Language of Hoofbeats won a Rainbow Award. More than fifty of her short stories have been published in many journals, including the Antioch Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, the Virginia Quarterly Review, Ploughshares, Glimmer Train, and the Sun, and in the anthologies Santa Barbara Stories and California Shorts, as well as the bestselling anthology Dog Is My Co-Pilot. Her short fiction received honorable mention in the Raymond Carver Short Story Contest, a second-place win for the Tobias Wolff Award, and nominations for Best American Short Stories, the O. Henry Award, and the Pushcart Prize. Three have also been cited in Best American Short Stories.

Hyde is the founder and former president of the Pay It Forward Foundation. As a professional public speaker, she has addressed the National Conference on Education, twice spoken at Cornell University, met with AmeriCorps members at the White House, and shared a dais with Bill Clinton. An avid equestrian, photographer, and traveler, she lives in California.

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy to give away to a lucky reader.  U.S. only, please.  Enter on the Rafflecopter.
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9 thoughts on “The Wake Up Review & Giveaway

  1. Margie Shaw says:

    I have read some of Catherine’s books and have purchased several more of hers in Ebook form that I still have to read. I think so far, Allie & Bea would have to be my favorite. I really connected with Bea in that story. Loved it!

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