Cover Image: Just After Midnight

Just After Midnight

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Member Reviews

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Fabulous, engaging story. Wonderfully written with exceptional character development. I would give this book 10+ stars if I could! We all handle traumatic events in our lives differently but what is important is that we get through them the best way we can. 📚 Enjoy!

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Just After Midnight is one of those books that you thoroughly enjoy, that make you feel content when you are done, and stay with you for a long time after. I loved the strong characters and their unique relationships, though some were not very realistic or credible. The emotions were captured and portrayed so wonderfully, it was easy to get swallowed up in the story. Not a favorite, but still very good.

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This story of tragedy, deep sadness and escape brings a young teen and grandmother together with Faith who is escaping an unhappy marriage. They build an unusual bond that takes them on a summer run to stay safe. I thought the book was fine and if you love horses then you'll immerse yourself in the horse lingo/language.

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This is the story of Faith abs Sarah! A story of courage and second chances.
Sarah is dealing with the loss of her mom and her horse ( they have an incredible bond) and Faith is hiding from her mentally abusive husband , so he can be served with divorce papers !
These two took me on an incredible journey of trust and friendship and taught me a lot about horses along the way !

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4 1/2⭐️‘s
A beautifully written, touching book. A story of betrayal, courage, hope, unconditional love and second chances. Even if the reader knows nothing about dressage or horses, this book will captivate you and leave a smile on your face (even as the tears are dried) and a sense a renewed faith in humanity!

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Just After Midnight is an enjoyable, well-written, character-driven novel.

Faith was hiding out at her family’s beach house. She didn’t want to be anywhere near her controlling husband when he discovered that she was divorcing him. Faith knew that her life was about to change in a big way but would never have guessed that a teenage girl was going to be the main reason for it.

Sarah was crushed. She hated and blamed her father for her mother’s sudden death, for selling her horse, and for basically stripping her life of happiness. When Sarah met Faith on the beach, she had no idea what a good friend Faith would become to her. Although Faith was much older than herself, Sarah found that she could talk to her and that Faith understood her. Sarah would discover that although everything in her life felt hopeless and dark, that genuine loving kindness could turn everything around.

Just After Midnight, is an uplifting and touching story. The loss fourteen-year-old Sarah was made to suffer was heartwrenching. The story itself, however, is heartwarming, and about, how kindness can heal even the most broken of hearts.

If you enjoy touching stories and reading about horses, you’ll love Just After Midnight.


Thank you, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley, for my advanced review copy.

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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.

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Barbara always gives an interesting story with indept characters and story. You'll love how the characters find themselves and evolve into better people

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I am very torn about writing this review. I am a huge fan of CRH. I have read almost every book she has written but Just After Midnight was not for me. I felt like there were chunks of the story missing that were vital to the storyline. I also know the book is based in the horse world but I got so bogged down with all the terms etc that I didn't enjoy the story.

I am not submitting any reviews on any of the social media that I would typically review because I am such a CRH fan.

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Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing, delivered through NetGalley, for the ARC of this book.

I loved this tale. It has been quite some time since I have read a story from Ms. Hyde but this reminds me that I need to start adding her backlist to my TBR pile. Such a poignant tale of the need to help others with a nice happy tears ending. I know absolutely nothing about horses, much less about dressage, but found it to be very interesting.

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Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC.

They meet on the beach: Faith, in the proces of divorcing her mentally abusive husband, and Sarah, a 14 year old who accuses her father of the death of her mother. In the months that follow the woman track Sarah's horse, put on the market by her father to pay off his gambling debts. The horsewhispering is very soothing in the turmoil of events.
This book reads like a breeze, at the same time dealing with fear, safety and security, caring for others and coming out strong. Although the end is predictable from the start, Just After Midnight is a painfully beautiful story with a good balance between hope and despair.

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Faith flees her abusive husband to return to her parent's home on the beach in CA. There she befriends Sarah, a 14-year-old who has also fled and witnessed her mother's death. They form a bond and Sarah convinces Faith to help her find her beloved horse, Midnight, that her father sold. Along their journey they learn to heal and forgive and confront past tragedies and learn to love and live again.
I thought this book was just OK - I think it would appeal more to teenagers with a love of horses. The concepts of love and forgiveness are understood young and old, but I found myself not quite as interested in this story as I have been others.
Thank you to Catherine Ryan Hyde, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

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Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a review.
This book was a little better than ok to me. I figured out the end way before I got to it. Not a book I would choose to read a second time. I did not really have a hard time reading it but was ready to get done with it the whole time because I know I have better books waiting for me.

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Faith just left her abusive husband and escaped to her family's beach house, where she meets Sarah, a 14 year old who just witnessed her mother's tragic death. To make things worse, her father sold her best friend, her talented dressage horse Midnight. Sarah and Faith form a friendship, and when Sarah's life is in danger, Faith helps her escape. They decide to find Midnight and give Sarah a chance to say goodbye. As the two follow the dressage circuit through the summer, they help each other overcome the tragedies in their lives.
I think this book would appeal more to preteen/young adult readers. As an adult, a lot of the situations in this book are unlikely. Overall I thought it was a cute story that horse crazy young girls would like. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Another winner by Catherine Ryan Hyde. I have never written to an author about a book I’ve read but when I finished this one, I did! I just felt likeh I needed to thank her for sharing her gift with her readers. Faith has just left her husband, and she has gone to her family’s beach house. There she meets a young girl- about 13-14 years old, Sarah. Sarah has more problems than Faith and is currently mad at the world. Sarah learns to trust Faith and they become friends. This friendship takes them both places that surprises them both. Ms. Hyde’s books are easy to read, not a lot of cursing or sex scenes. Her characters could be your best friends or next door neighbor. You get to know them and care about what happens to them. It doesn’t matter if I don’t hear back from Ms. Hyde, I will keep reading her books and recommending to anyone who loves books. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

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One of the best books I've read this year. Full of all the important things, love, friendship, family. Excellent mystery and plenty of tears, but strong words of encouragement make the tears worth it. Great author!

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Catherine Ryan Hyde has another bestseller on her hands. Her upcoming release Just After Midnight continues her book theme of a plot that centers around a horse and an older character helping a younger character find a sense of peace and well being. Faith and Sarah are two people that have both suffered life changing loses in their own different ways. Faith has recently left her husband and is seeking refuge in her families beach house when she meets Sarah. Sarah is a 14 yr old girl that has witnessed an impossible crime and in the process has lost both of her parents in different ways. Faith soon finds herself agreeing to help her new friend and hits the road to keep her safe without knowing that Sarah has a very special destination in mind. While Faith is finding her new peace stemming from helping Sarah deal with her devastating situation Sarah is finding hers by having an unusual access to a horse that was once hers. As Sarah and Faith continue to find themselves in a position to follow this horse around the reader could easily think that the lose of the horse is grieved more than the lose of parents. I am a fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde and though I enjoyed this book it didn't immediately draw me and I enjoyed Heaven Adjacent slightly more. Her fans, fans of Women's Fiction, and horse lovers are all sure to enjoy this book.. Look for the release coming Dec. 4th 2018 or pre order your copy now.

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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.

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I think this would be a great book for a pre-teen teen/teenage horse crazy girl! As an adult, I found myself wondering about a few things that seemed a bit far-fetched - 1) why would Sarah's grandmother let a complete stranger take her granddaughter? 2) why did Sarah seem more upset about her horse being sold than she did about her mom's death? 3) Faith's dad is really ok supporting his adult daughter (who doesn't have a job or her own money) while she takes a kid she just met to follow a horse that used to belong to said kid? and 4) the ending (which I won't go into detail about so I don't spoil it...) Overall, I thought the book was okay.

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I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Get your tissues ready because you will do the ugly cry. Sarah and Faith are both suffering for two very different reasons. They find a way to save each other through some of the worse heartbreak. This is a great book and a powerful story.

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