From New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde comes an uplifting and poignant novel about friendship, trust, and facing your fears.No longer tolerating her husband’s borderline abuse, Faith escapes to her parents’ California beach house to plan her next move. She never dreamed her new chapter would involve befriending Sarah, a fourteen-year-old on the run from her father and reeling … her father and reeling from her mother’s sudden and suspicious death.
While Sarah’s grandmother scrambles to get custody, Faith is charged with spiriting the girl away on a journey that will restore her hope: Sarah implores Faith to take her to Falkner’s Midnight Sun, the prized black mare that her father sold out from under her. Sarah shares an unbreakable bond with Midnight and can’t bear to be apart from her. Throughout the sweltering summer, as they follow Midnight from show to show, Sarah comes to terms with what she witnessed on the terrible night her mother died.
But the journey is far from over. Faith must learn the value of trusting her instincts—and realize that the key to her future, and Sarah’s, is in her hands.
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This is a wonderful story which features family, loyalty, love and self- sacrifice.
“Sometimes the worst circumstances bring out the best in people.” This quote from the book is on target in the case of the two main characters, Faith and Sarah.
These two, a teenager and a young woman, meet by chance but become very important to each other over time. Both are trying to escape conflicts stemming from their pasts.
A horse, so loved and cared for with devotion, plays a pivotal role in the life of both women.
Sarah is a self conflicted girl in need of support and advice. Unusual as it is for Faith to give of herself to help someone, she nevertheless steps up and becomes a friend and advocate for Sarah. In doing so, her better self emerges and sets her on a new direction in life.
Well done!
I always enjoy books by Catherine Ryan Hyde. She knows how to weave a story that will capture your heart and keep you turning pages. This one is no different. It’s a very touching story of a girl and her horse. How they were separated and how it affected them both. The world of horses is a beautiful one and it was good to read a story that told so much about showing horses. Told so much about the bond between the horse and the owner.
Sarah lost her mother to suspicious circumstances and she is pretty sure she knows exactly what happened the night her mother died. Also right after losing her mom, her dad sold her horse Midnight. She was so devastated that she could not eat or do much of anything. She was staying with her grandmother at the beach when she meets Faith. Faith was there hiding from her abusive soon to be ex husband. She is more than just mentally abusive. He has touched her so that in my opinion makes him physically abusive also. Together Sarah and Faith will go on a trip of self examination. Getting to know themselves and each other. Friends, one older and one a child of 14.
There are many obstacles in their path for a while but they overcome so much. They become stronger then either things possible. Especially Faith. She is able to confront her ex and demand what is rightfully hers. Faith still has a lot to learn and trust if one of the big things for her. She’s lost faith in almost everything and everyone. But with her grandmother and Faith she can be ok again.
The bond of friendship is strong. Strong between a woman who is helping and caring for a young girl who feels she has lost everything. Together they will have many ups and downs but in the end they will always have each other.
This is such a good book. You will learn a lot about horses and friendships.
Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union and Catherine Ryan Hyde for a copy of this in exchange for my honest opinion. This is my opinion of a wonderful story.
A 5 star book that anyone that believes in bonds, love and friendships should read. Not a love story, just a story of love that truly knows no bounds…
This is a beautifully written novel about family and love and helping other people when you can. It’s about a woman and a teenager with major problems that learn to help each other understand their lives and search for happier times.
Faith has left her mentally and psychological abusive husband and is hiding in her parents cottage on the Pacific shore. Sarah is a 14 year old girl, living with her grandmother and hiding from her father after the suspicious death of her mother. They meet and seem to recognize the need in each other. Sarah’s grandmother asks Faith to take Sarah somewhere while she works to get custody. They go to the horse farm where her beloved horse – Midnight – is stabled. Her father had jut sold Midnight to pay his gambling debts which further devastates Sarah. Sarah and Midnight have a strong bond and he preforms dressage with her better than with anyone so she starts helping (reluctantly) the man who bought Midnight. As the summer continues, Faith and Sarah both realize that they are stronger than they thought – but are they strong enough to face the people who brought them so much pain??
The characters are wonderful and well written – as with all of Catherine Ryan Hyde’s characters. The reader is pulled into their lives and emotions and I can promise a few tears along their journeys. Along with a great story with believable characters, there is a lot of information about horses and dressage and the horse show circuits. I loved it.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
A long time fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde, I really enjoyed this story. While I’m not a horse person, I found the journey of Sarah and her horse Midnight, very educational, in the world of dressage and associated competition.
Sarah loses both her horse and her mother within a short period of time. She meets Faith, a young woman, on her own journey to turn her life around, and they follow Midnight, with the intent to fix both of their story situations.
A story of devastating losses, disappointments, trust and redemption. It reinforces how love and support can appear from unexpected places, and dreams can come true, with trust and acceptance. I wasn’t disappointed.
My thanks to Lake Union, NetGalley and the author for the ARC. I hope that my review reflects how much I liked this book.
This is a beautifully written heartwarming story. Faith has left her abusive husband and meets Sarah and her grandmother. Sarah is trying to deal with the death of her mother and her father selling her beloved horse. Together Faith and Sarah heal and learn to trust again. I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing. All opinions are my own.
Lots of emotional trauma is buried in the pages. As you get lost in the story of Faith and Sarah, your heart will ache. Faith’s willingness to take Sarah under her wing and care for her was touching. The characters were well developed and you will discover so many wonderful people along the way. I don’t want to give away anything, but there were several twists and turns that had me stopping to catch my breath. And kudos to Faith for how she dealt with Robert. I literally cheered out loud.
This is an emotional journey, but well worth the time and tissues you’ll use along the way.
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
6 stars plus
It started out slow. It got better the last 3 chapters.
Great book and story as everything I’ve read by Catherine Ryan Just after midnight is not the exception.
A story, full of emotions and a rollercoaster of not knowing what will happen. after leaving her husband Faith has decided to start a new life after all the fear she has felt for a lot of years. she embarks on a journey not knowing where she is heading or what life has for her but soon she sill meet people that will change her life forever and seething so different for the first time.
Faith didn’t know she was about to become a “foster mom” or something similar, she has a lot of love to give and share but her previous life made her a little scared or aware of being more careful when giving your heart away.
Sarah is a teenager that feels a lot without her mom and the only beautiful creature that made her feel alive.. her horse midnight. she feels like nothing is worth fighting anymore, she feels alone and so out of place, but life and a beautiful stranger will help her regain everything she lost especially her hope and faith.
This was a good story, I felt so much for Faith and Sarah, they both really suffer so much and it was about time life gave them a second chance a new life and a new happiness to look forward too.
This is a great story about a young girl who turns to her horse for the love and support that she missed with her family. The characters in this book are so likable and the compassion and love examples are inspirational.
I enjoyed the characters and original storyline. Inspired me to get involved with the people whom you cross paths with.
I am NEVER disappointed in a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde! Wonderful character development! As soon as I’m done reading one, I look for another.
I am a total fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde and was beyond excited to be approved via Netgalley for an ARC of her latest, Just After Midnight. I’ve read everything she’s written and have to say this was AMAZING and that might even be not a big enough or descriptive enough term, but it’s all I’ve got.
This book, after everything is said and done, is about the goodness in people, the kindness of strangers, and the love and caring people show for their fellow man. The characters are so full bodied and fleshed out that if one actually spoke to me, I wouldn’t have been surprised.
So much stood out about this book that I really can’t go into it because I do not want to spoil the story, but I can say I’ve never learned so much about horses and dressage in any other books I’ve read. It was so interesting and having Faith be the one who needed to know about dressage and horses served the purpose of “teaching” the reader or at least making sure they knew what was being discussed without feeling as if it was a lecture.
I was truly sad when this story ended. I’ll admit I was greedy. I wanted more and more and even more of Faith, Constance, Sarah and Estelle and the rest of the cast as well. I’m so happy I got to read this book, but now comes the looooong wait for another! Please keep writing Ms. Hyde and I’ll keep reading.
Now a big fan of this author.
This book is about a horse and her owner and the special connection they have. The ups & downs of life enter and how others help her reach her goal is the main theme. Catherine Ryan Hyde always writes from the heart and has never disappointed me.
This was not as good of a story as I am used to from Ryan Hyde. You don’t find out until near the end why Faith left her husband. And, truly, I just couldn’t get invested in it. Besides, the story itself was unbelievable. I just don’t see this happening in the real world.
A young girl is coming to terms with a tragedy. A grown woman is running from her husband. A grandmother is fighting desperately to get custody of her granddaughter. When these three people meet, their lives are forever changed, surprisingly by a beautiful horse.
Author Catherine Ryan Hyde creates magic again in her latest novel, Just After Midnight. Hyde is a master at creating down-to-earth stories with characters that you feel you know immediately and want to root for from the get-go. She uses emotion and sometimes humor to keep a story flowing steadily along and knows how to make a reader connect to the real-life characters. Life isn’t glossed over in her stories, and that’s why they are so heartfelt. True, raw emotion comes through and that’s just one of the reasons her stories capture readers.
I enjoyed reading Just After Midnight and recommend it to anyone looking for a story that will touch your heart.
I have loved all of her books. Her style of writing captured my attention with the first book of hers that I read, take me with you, I believe. She has a unique way of expressing the characters thoughts and feelings that make them so relatable. You can feel yourself falling into the story and going along for the ride. I hate for them to end, which is always a good sign of a well written book. I also always feel better for having read them.
Great book as are most of them by Catherine Ryan Hyde
I always enjoy the author’s novels. They pull at my emotions. Looking forward to the next offering by this prolific writer.