From award-winning author McCall Hoyle comes a new young adult novel, Meet the Sky, a story of love, letting go, and the unstoppable power of nature. It all started with the accident. The one that caused Sophie’s dad to walk out of her life. The one that left Sophie’s older sister, Meredith, barely able to walk at all. With nothing but pain in her past, all Sophie wants is to plan for the … plan for the future–keep the family business running, get accepted to veterinary school, and protect her mom and sister from another disaster. But when a hurricane forms off the coast of North Carolina’s Outer Banks and heads right toward their island, Sophie realizes nature is one thing she can’t control.
After she gets separated from her family during the evacuation, Sophie finds herself trapped on the island with the last person she’d have chosen–the reckless and wild Finn Sanders, who broke her heart freshman year. As they struggle to find safety, Sophie learns that Finn has suffered his own heartbreak; but instead of playing it safe, Finn’s become the kind of guy who goes surfing in the eye of the hurricane. He may be the perfect person to remind Sophie how to embrace life again, but only if their newfound friendship can survive the storm.
Praise for McCall Hoyle’s debut novel, The Thing with Feathers:
“Beautiful, touching, and bursting with hope.”
Pintip Dunn, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author
“Heartfelt and affecting. Hoyle tells a familiar story, but does so in a voice that is rarely heard, and that makes all the difference.”
Leah Thomas, William C. Morris Award finalist and author of Because You’ll Never Meet Me and Nowhere Near You
“The inspiring story of one girl’s struggle not to be defined by her illness, The Thing with Feathers soars as it explores what it means to live–and love–without fear.”
Kathryn Holmes, author of How It Feels to Fly
“A refreshing, quality debut–meaningfully woven and beautifully engaging, from the first page to the last.”
YA Books Central (5 stars)
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Meet the Sky is an endearing story about how love can help us weather the storms of life.
When you blend a girl, a boy, the beach, and horses, what’s not to love? But McCall Hoyle does so much more than a simple romance. This is a wild roller coast ride of outer turbulence paired the inner turbulence of teenage hopes and fears, grief, and dysfunctional families. Sophie’s uneasy relationship with Finn portends trouble, as does the impending hurricane. I’m not familiar with the Outer Banks of North Carolina or the dangers of a hurricane, but the author brings those to life in such vivid detail that I could feel the sand and hear the surf and smell the salt. The tension between Sophie and Finn was just as detailed. Every moment brought up difficult choices, the kind that make you keep turning the pages to see what happens next. I also loved the quotes by Tennyson at the beginning of each chapter. This is my first novel by McCall Hoyle. I can’t wait to read another one.
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
It’s a quick read and a good book for a YA reader. It takes the reader on Sophie’s journey through some challenges that life has given her in her young life. Then throw in a hurricane and being stranded with a boy who she felt stood her up and a horse that needs rescued and you have an adventure that has you turning the pages to see how it all shakes out. There are a lot of life lessons I feel the author wrote into the book and how to find a balance with situations that life can throw at a person.
I like the writing of McCall Hoyle and how she took me through the angst of a hurricane. I have been through severe weather and I felt connected to the feelings and fears Finn and Sophie experienced. I loved the heart Sophie has for horses and how she felt compelled to save a stranded horse. It was a compassionate deed that touched my heart.
There is a passage that expresses a lesson Sophie learned that I felt I could apply to my life. She’s referring to something one of her teachers told her:
“….then proceeded to share her philosophy-that God doesn’t expect us to take care of all the problems in the world. He expects us to help the specific people placed in our lives and on our hearts…….I totally get what she was saying now. I can’t help all the wild horses. I can’t do a lot of things right now. But I can help that horse-the one that’s been placed in my life a second time in as many days.”
I do recommend this book to a YA reader and I gave it 4 stars.
In every hurricane, there is an eye, and in every McCall Hoyle book, there is a core of deep emotion. With effervescent prose and vivid characters, Meet the Sky is a sweeping tale of unwavering hope in the face of a relentless storm.
Meet the Sky is a beautifully crafted story about grief, love, and the power of tragedy to shift our perspective on life. The character’s realistic struggle through a deadly hurricane will have you devouring the pages! A perfect summer read.
If you love contemporary YA, this is a great read! It’s a thoughtful and sweet story that deals with the heart ache of personal loss, but the content is appropriate for younger readers as well.
Beautiful story
Heartfelt and affecting. Hoyle tells a familiar story, but does so in a voice that is rarely heard, and that makes all the difference.
McCall Hoyleand’s Meet the Sky is a story of survival, courage, and love. Compelling and wonderfully written, it will resonate with readers seeking a protagonist who is selfless and resourceful, forced to battle a setting both beautiful and brutal. This book is not to be missed!
A riveting story about the quest to find safety and survival, and also the things we stay alive for: friendship, family, and love.
Against the stunning backdrop of the Outer Banks mid-hurricane, complete with wild horses and even wilder winds, McCall Hoyle turns grief into something beautiful. Meet the Skyis a story about broken families trying to put the pieces of their fractured lives back together. Sophie and Finn prove what it means to forge ahead against all odds, even in the eye of a storm.
The inspiring story of one girl’s struggle not to be defined by her illness, The Thing with Feathers soars as it explores what it means to live — and love — without fear.
A turbulent and emotionally-charged tale of survival, hope, and second chances. Meet the Skyis a beautiful testament to the only thing more powerful than nature–the resilience of the human spirit.
Sophie and Finn will take your heart by storm! A suspenseful story about the power of nature and two teens learning to live and love in an uncertain world.
Meet the Sky is a heartfelt, heart-pounding look at weathering all of life’s many storms–a story about strength, difficult choices, second chances, and the power of forgiveness. Sophie is highly relatable and deeply honest, and her beloved–yet treacherous–North Carolina barrier islands are beautifully evoked.
I loved this book! Beautiful Young Adult story about taking risks and forgiving. Excellent!