An Amazon Charts bestseller.
Humor and heart move the fast-paced journey of an unlikely pair coming together to form a family of their own in this touching story from New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde.
Bea has barely been scraping by since her husband died. After falling for a telephone scam, she loses everything and is forced to abandon her trailer. With only two-thirds of … her trailer. With only two-thirds of a tank in her old van, she heads toward the Pacific Ocean with her cat—on a mission to reclaim what’s rightfully hers, even if it means making others pay for what she lost.
When fifteen-year-old Allie’s parents are jailed for tax fraud, she’s sent to a group home. But when her life is threatened by another resident, she knows she has to get out. She escapes only to find she has nowhere to go—until fate throws Allie in Bea’s path.
Reluctant to trust each other, much less become friends, the two warily make their way up the Pacific Coast. Yet as their hearts open to friendship and love from the strangers they meet on their journey, they find the courage to forge their own unique family—and begin to see an imperfect world with new eyes.
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Loved this unexpected book with it’s real life charters. Author does a great job with being real and entertaining in the same stroke of the pen.
I just read this book twice back to back it is an amazing book on life, friendship, and family with so many different twist LOVED IT
I really enjoyed reading this novel. Told in alternating points of view by a cash-strapped widow and a teenage girl who needs help, two strangers take a road trip together with a scrappy cat. The author also wrote Pay it Forward, which was adapted into a major motion picture. In this book, she tackles homelessness and other major social issues with a deft hand. Well worth the read.
This is one of those novels that pulls you in immediately—the voice, the premise, the characters, the everything—and you just know you’re in the good hands of a storyteller who will not disappoint. I adored the unlikely friendship between Allie and Bea: Two very different strangers whose lives intersect just when each has hit a respective, heartbreaking rock bottom. A wholly original, believable, and powerful reminder to keep faith against all odds—that with the right person by our side, we just might find the strength to save ourselves (and each other).
I enjoyed the premise of a young girl who experiences a massive hardship and ends up traveling with a reserved older woman. This book was unique and easy to follow as yoy switched reading from the point of view of Allie and Bea. I really enjoyed this book!
I love all of Catherine Ryan Hyde’s books. Always inspiring.
Another one off the CRH production line with disparate characters changing each other’s lives. Not her best as the slow-moving events lead to predictable ending.
Two lost souls needed each other.
Love this author. This was not my favorite but still a good read.
This story started out with sad and unfortunate circumstances for both main characters. Allie and Bea were two people thrown into a world of uncertainty by the selfish acts of others. Bringing together a teenage girl and a 70 something woman who find themselves alone in an uncertain world, was pure genius by author Catherine Ryan Hyde. This unlikely duo played off each other’s strengths and weaknesses, age and youth, and together managed to find adventure and a path back to a more stable life.
This story was a heartwarming reminder that even in the most difficult of circumstances, when you think you have nowhere to turn, help can come from the most unimaginable places AND there are still some very good people in this world!
Great read!
A delightful journey!
Allie and Bea is a charming story of two people in different circumstances coming together for both a road trip, and a journey of the heart.
After losing her money to a scam, Bea packs up what she can and leaves her home in search of new surroundings.
Allie loses everything when her parents are arrested, leaving her in the care of the child protective services. For her own survival, she ends up on the run.
When their paths cross, neither knows what lies ahead. But both know they can’t go back, and their road trip turns into an adventure of a lifetime.
During their journey, they both reevaluate their lives and the events that led to their current situations. Bea the crotchety old lady, and Allie the runaway learn to trust again and begin an unlikely friendship amidst the uncertainty of their future.
Well fleshed out characters, and the coastal highway backdrop, provide a rich and colorful storyline.
Funny, heartwarming and a little suspenseful, this feel good novel leaves you wanting a sequel. I am looking forward to more from this author!
Young runaway meets elderly lady. This is a wonderful story of a young girl who escaped more than one harrowing situation only to run into an elderly homeless woman. Together they help each other learn and grow while having an adventure.
What a lovely surprise this book was! We first meet Bea a widow in her 70’s who is the victim of a scam. We then meet Allie a 15 year old who has a great life; until she doesn’t. Their worlds collide through a set of well timed circumstances and they set off together up the Western US Coast. Both are cautious but desperate and don’t particularly like each other but we watch this relationship build and be tested more than once. I found myself rooting for the best possible outcome for these two wonderful characters.
This is a story of survival and resilience simply written in a manner that is unrushed but perfectly paced and so descriptive I felt I was secretly riding along. Not one beautiful sentence is wasted or unnecessary. Once again I am reminded of what we can learn from young people if we aren’t too busy to listen. And that we were all strangers before we met.
A few important Social Issues are touched upon in this book but they are the not the focus of the story. They’re what set off the chain of events that create the story and the links that weave it together that made me say “I could see that happening.”
Thought provoking, at times funny, thoroughly enjoyable right down to the Chapter Titles, I recommend this book to anyone 14 yrs and up who needs an adventure filled, feel good story that is easily readable. A very delightful read thank you Ms. Hyde, it was exactly what I needed at this time.
This should be required reading for so many people who lose sight of the value of ALL human beings. This is a story of caring and of surprise as a result of a small incident that passes the notice of most of us. I highly recommend it. This is easy to read and very thought-provoking.
This story starts slow, but keep with it. It’s a book that stays with you after you read it. This day and age, homelessness could be a few thousand dollars away or one bad moment.
I enjoyed the story very much. The characters are very likeable.
This book was wonderful – the characters were from completely different generations but in the same type of situation and were able to connect on so many levels. It was inspiring and heartwarming. It was quite an adventure and they took the reader with them the whole way.
Catherine Hyde’s character development is terrific, and the story drew me in. Very honest and realistic personalities. No pie-in-the-sky story line, but believable people and events. I really enjoyed it.
Brought together two people who never would’ve met under Dire circumstances and learned to love again.