Once again, Catherine Ryan Hyde manages to steal my time with her words. I was sucked in, wanting to know more, needing to turn page after page after page. She has a way of creating very real characters that her readers can empathize with.

I know that when I read a novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde, I’m in for a treat! Her characters come alive on the page, each of them facing unique challenges. I couldn’t put down Just a Regular Boy but had to read it straight through to find out what ultimately happens with Remy. Remy’s situation is scary and harrowing but he perseveres throughout, regardless of whatever hardships he faces. At times he almost seems too perceptive for his young age. It's a heartwarming tale!

I'm a sucker for a story told from a child's perspective, so I was excited for the opportunity to read this book.

When we meet Remy, he is 5 years old and his father is driving him away from the only home he's ever known, into the wilderness, to live in isolation and prepare for the end of the world. Reading Remy's perspective, made his worries tangible for me, and with a knot in my stomach, I was hooked. The tension of those first few pages can be felt throughout the entire book as we witness Remy's ordeals in the wilderness.
A few chapters in, the perspective switches to that of Anne, a wife and mother/foster mother, and we get to know more about her situation. The rest of the book continues to alternate between the two perspectives.

While I enjoyed this book very much, there were a few things that affected my rating. Mostly, as engrossed as I was by Remy's POV, I often found myself pushing past things that were contradictory to his character, or unexplained by the author. One example is that he often asks for clarification on vocabulary the adults in the story use (as a young child would), but then there are other times that he comprehends things perfectly that a young child (who has been isolated from the world) would probably not understand. While I understand how the author needed to push the story forward, these things were often distracting to me.

Overall, this was a great read, and I really enjoyed it. I've been meaning to read a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde for a long time, and now that I've finally read one, I look forward to reading more.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me access to the ARC ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book made me think a lot, just like Remy, the little boy who also thinks a lot...not in a bad way, tho. There's something new that I know actually exists in this world, namely people who are called 'survivalists'.

At the beginning of the story, I was confused about why Remy's father brought him to live in the wild and forced Remy to become independent even though he was only five years old. I can't help but feel sorry for Remy. But I was also amazed because Remy was really strong. Even though his life is really hard, he can still think positively, especially about him who loves his father even though he knows his father is wrong. I love him a lot for that.

Apart from that, I really admire Anne and Chris, as well as their two adopted children, Peter and Janie. I'm glad Remy met this family.

For me, Catherine Ryan Hyde's work never fails.

Thank you, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this eARC!!

I love books by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Just a Regular Boy is another one I love. Remy's .dad is a survivalist. He makes decisions that he thinks will be best for his son but... they're bad decisions. Read this book to find out the good and bad. The book has quite a few triggers - physical injuries, the pandemic, politics, depression. They are dealt with in a caring way. I hope you enjoy the book

Young boy in untenable circumstances: wonderfully told but heartwrenching😢

Hyde's book about young Remy and the ordeals he endures after his survivalist father sweeps him off to the wilderness of Northern Idaho just tugged on the heartstrings from beginning to end. It's so sad but I could not put it down! And Anne, the perpetual foster mother who takes in the most challenging children in reaction to her own childhood, is a real gem.

The author makes a lot of good points on the social issues raised in the novel. I did not feel she was ramming one point of view home as much as airing the confusion and uncertainties of modern day life.

Another absorbing, one-sitting read from an author I discovered a few years ago and now can't miss her latest release. It's so easy to get drawn into the story and take inspiration from it. Heartily recommended.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is an amazing storyteller that makes you believe there is still hope in the world and good people do exist. This story tackles some really tough issues that exist in today's world and leave you feeling inspired.

Remy Blake is only five years old when his dad takes him away from the only world he has ever known to live off the grid as a survivalist. For three years, Remy is taught to trust no one and that civilization is going to burn itself to the ground. During the years that they are together, Remy's father brainwashes Remy.

When Remy turns eight, his father unexpectedly dies out in the woods while hunting. Although Remy has developed some survival skills in the three years he's been in the woods, he is still just a little boy. Very quickly, he runs out of food, is injured, and begins to fear that he will starve to death.

Despite Remy's severe reluctance and fear, he decides he needs to go into civilization if he is going to survive. It is an extremely challenging endeavor since he was taught to trust no one and he still strongly believes civilization is in the midst of being destroyed. Because of Remy's age and condition, he very quickly attracts the attention of people in the town and ultimately, the authorities.

Anne, already a foster mom of two children, decides if given the opportunity, she wants to take on Remy. This will be no easy task since Remy is severely damaged both physically and mentally from his time with his father and while on his own and brainwashed to believe the world is a bad place.

One of the most insightful and interesting parts about this story is that Remy's dad wasn't completely wrong about the condition of civilization. During the story, the world was in the middle of a global pandemic, mass shootings are occurring regularly and there is lots of racial and political unrest. What Remy and Anne teach us is that despite all of this, we have a choice to make, to live in the world despite all of the challenges and miss out on the positives or abandon this world and forever be alone.

I received a complimentarily copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

I just love this authors books and this was no exception! Amazing story line! Love love loved it! Highly highly recommend..

I have to admit that the first half of this book, when we really learn the abuse and alienation from society Remy's dad puts him through is really hard to get through. There were multiple times where I considered not even being able to finish this book but I'm so very glad I did. Watching the way that Remy is loved by his new family and learns to align his father's viewpoints with the way society actually functions is incredibly thought provoking. I loved what the author had to say about functioning even with fear being a factor in day to day life. Overall impressed but definite trigger warnings required for the first half of this book.

I’d like to thank Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Just A Regular Boy’ written by Catherine Ryan Hyde in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Remy is five years old when his father Ray believes that society is about to destroy itself and moves them to an isolated cabin in the wilds. Ray has a heart problem and nearly three years later he dies while hunting leaving Remy to fend for himself. Anne lives with her husband Chris and adopted children Peter and Janie when she’s made aware of a boy who’s so terrified of people and the world around him that he’s unable to speak. They become Remy’s foster family and although things aren’t going to be easy she’s determined to help Remy become a regular boy.

‘Just A Regular Boy’ is a truly wonderful story of an amazingly resourceful boy who after the death of his father is thrown into a world of loneliness and fear who, with the help of his new family, eventually learns to trust people again. This is an inspiring and beautifully written story of Remy who’s slowly but surely edged himself into my heart until I’ve wanted to scoop him up and cuddle him and make his world better. This is the third novel I’ve read by this very talented storyteller and just when I think they can’t be improved on she comes back with another. I’ve loved reading this story and have no hesitation in recommending it to everyone but I suggest having a few tissues to hand just in case!

Roy Blake is preparing to leave Pocatello and he’s sold his house, and he’s purchased some land in the wilderness near the Canadian border. Roy thinks everyone is out to get him, the society is falling apart and he wants to be free. Roy is a survivalist, he's moving to live in a little cabin in the woods, with no running water or cooking facilities, he plans on supplementing his stockpile of food by hunting and fishing.

This would be fine if it was just Roy, he has a son Remy and he’s confused and upset when they arrive at the remote cabin. Roy assures him they will be fine, Remy might only be five and even he can see his father’s plans are not practical. Roy has a medical condition, just before Remy’s eight birthday he goes hunting and doesn’t return. Remy is alone, he’s scared and he doesn’t know what to do? Remy sets out on foot, he takes what little food he has left and starts walking towards the Canadian border. A severely injured Remy is found, he’s silent and filthy and people have been talking about a wild wolf boy in the area!

Anne and Chris are foster parents to teenagers Peter and Janie and when Anne hears about Remy she wants to help him. Remy needs around the clock care, extensive physiotherapy and the doctors are not sure what the impact of being alone in the wilderness has done to his mind? Remy slowly begins to trust Anne, he wants reassurance that nothing bad will happen to him again and Anne has been instructed to gently tell him the truth. Is the world a bad place, sometimes, they can’t shield Remy from everything, and they have to explain about the Covid pandemic.

I received a copy of Just a Regular Boy from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Catherine Ryan Hyde has a way of writing stories about obscure subjects, she always has a meaning tucked between the pages and a purpose. The narrative makes you consider what it would be like to be a young boy abandoned in the woods, his father was an idiot, how he made his son think the world is a bad place and everyone was out to get him. Anne has to confront her own fears of being abandoned to help Remy, it’s a story about feeling vulnerable, scared, you can’t hide from the world, life is for living, families come in all sorts of configurations and never give up hope. Four and a half stars from me and Catherine Ryan Hyde's books always make me feel like an emotional wreck.

Remy Blake was five years old when his survivalist father sold their home in Pocatello, leaving Remy's best friend Lester, and Lester's family, and driving high up into the wilderness where he'd bought land, preparing for this day, which had a small, very basic cottage for them to live in. Roy Blake knew the world was beginning to fall to pieces, that the killings would begin and he and Remy would be the only survivors. But Remy had no natural instinct for the woods and with the world narrowed to their existence, Remy tried to do as his father said. But the day his father died, when Remy was only seven, was when Remy's nightmare really began.

Eventually, starving, thirsty, mute and terrified, Remy knew his life was ending. The small town of Blaire, where he'd been existing in the nearby woods, was where he gave himself up. The doctors and nurses who tended him were horrified at old injuries that hadn't been treated, the state of this wild child, but Anne, a caring foster parent, knew that this poor child needed saving. Anne and Chris already had two foster children whom they'd adopted - she knew she would do the same to the broken child laying in hospital. But would Remy become a survivor? Or would his fragility crush him?

Catherine Ryan Hyde has a magical way with words. Her passion for the story, the empathy shown for Remy in Just a Regular Boy shines through. Her plots are always different, spectacular, and all I have read of this author's have been 5+★ reads. This one is no exception! Remy is an amazing character, with a strength he was unaware he had. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first introduction to this author and I was impressed! I binge-read this book on a recent flight and was willing to trade reading time for sleep.

In short, five-year-old Remy Blake finds himself swept up in his father’s quest for freedom and follows his plan for a survivalist existence. When something happens to his father, Remy is forced to grow up and put his childhood behind him.

Have you read Hatchet by Gary Paulsen? It had some essence of that award-winning book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s spotlight on the Importance of freedom, the impact of our formative years on our development and adult life, the exploration of fear-driven behaviour, and the encouragement given when facing challenges in today’s world.

At first, I couldn’t understand why references to the pandemic were important but then realized that it linked in with the theme of isolation. It was easy then for me to recall how I felt socializing after being isolated for so long and this enabled me to understand how Remy felt at being surrounded by Anne’s family.

Days later, I’m still pondering Miri’s philosophy. The more I think about it and re-read this quote, the more convinced I am that she is right.

“This is something you do with your eyes open. You look a the world, see it for exactly what it is, and then make this conscious choice to be a part of it.”

The heartfelt examination of owing fear as an adult and the guilt of acknowledging a tug of war between love and hatred within were expertly explored and left me searching out this author’s backlist.

Remy will worm his way into your heart and you’ll be in awe at the lengths Anne will go to help the needy.

I was gifted this book by Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Anyone who has read Catherine Ryan Hyde knows that she will pull at your heartstrings.
And she has done it again with Just a Regular Boy!

Remy is only 5 years old when his father suddenly moves them to the middle of nowhere. Living as survivalists is not easy, especially for a young boy. The two have a lot to learn about making it in the wilderness. Remy does not like this life style and is thrown to his own devices when his father suddenly dies.

Alone, hungry, angry and scared Remy must fend for himself. What will he do when he runs out of food? What if he gets hurt and needs medical attention? How will he survive on his own?

I felt so angry on Remy's behalf, but was so impressed by his abilities and perseverance. He's his own hero.
Anne is an angel sent from heaven for sure. Not many people in the world can do what she does. And does it so well. I was also impressed by the two adopted teenagers who dealt with difficult situations and stepped up with very little guidance. If only there were more people like them in the real world.

Many thanks to netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the arc.

I always enjoy books by this author, and this book is no exception. There are some differences in this book that set it apart from the others.

Remy is a special boy who is years beyond his age. He’s stuck in a dangerous, life-changing situation. Anne and her family could be just the thing to bring Remy back to life.

The characters are great, except for Anne’s husband, Chris. For the 2/3rds of the book, I couldn’t get a read on him. He’s cold and distant in his conversations, with Anne doing all the talking. He doesn’t want another foster child but will do things with Remy, even though he’s a fairly distant father who doesn’t really do anything with his other kids. I understand there are reasons why he’s being cold with Anne, but it doesn’t excuse his character not being fleshed out.

So if we remove Chris from the book, I would absolutely give this 5 stars. But he holds the book back from being what it could be. Aside from that, I found this to be a lovely read, with all the emotion you expect from reading Ryan Hyde’s books.

Thank you, Lake Union Publishing, for sending this along.

Catherine Ryan Hyde once again gives us compulsive, gripping and thought provoking storytelling, creating and developing characters that captured my heart. 5 year old Remy Blake has recently lost his mother, when his father, Roy, takes him away from his home in Pocatello, Idaho, and all that he has known, including his best friend, Lester. Afraid of the world imploding, valuing freedom above all else, a paranoid Roy is a survivalist, telling his son to call him by his name, insisting they are equals, expecting him to live in a harsh, unforgiving wilderness, in a basic cabin with no facilities whatsoever, relying on hunting and fishing to eat. Taught to fear other people, a scared, helpless, lonely resentful and angry Remy is being robbed of his childhood, losing all perspective to discern what is real, as he endures neglect, bitter cold, trauma, and starvation.

Matters come to a head when Remy finds himself all alone with the death of his father, with life threatening physical injuries, forced to steal, a feared feral child, Remy is now 8 years old, who comes to the attention of foster parent, Anne Sebastian, who feels driven to try and help the most challenging of children. Her marriage to husband Chris is in a precarious state, they have 2 teens, Peter and Janie, adopted foster children, and she is seeing a therapist, Dr Klausner. Despite all warnings and risks of failure, she wants Remy as part of their family, making the decision to not lie to him. She knows there is a long road before he recovers from his physical injuries, and there is big question mark over his mental health and the trauma he has suffered. However, Remy proves to be a regular boy with a big heart who is curious about the troubled world we live in, but there are difficult challenges that lie ahead.

What might be more of a surprise is that Remy has as much to teach Anne and the family, he is keen to be with people after years of solitary living, but learning to live in a chaotic, often frightening, world where terrible things may occur is not so easy. This is a beautifully engaging and enthralling novel that held my interest from beginning to end, with a fascinating focus on fostering, giving us a glimpse into the differing nature of families. It touches on the many pertinent issues and themes that afflict our contemporary world, including Covid and mental health, but it does this through the prism of hope, light, trust and love. I can see this appealing to a wide range of readers. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

You simply can't go wrong with this author!! What a wonderful book. It is both hopeful and heart wrenching. The story follows little Remy who lives off the grid until his father dies and it suddenly thrown back into the world. The writing and characters are so well drawn. Loved this book

Yet again Catherine Ryan Hyde wrote a wonderful book. Rely had a non traditional upbringing.he was fortunate to have the support of a foster family. In the beginning of the fostering it took a toll on the family. Remybthe foster child was beyond fortunate to have this family agree to bringing him up. They showed him how to be a regular boy!

Just a Regular Boy is another well crafted, emotional novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde. This book pulled me in at the beginning and kept me engaged to the last page. After Remy’s mother dies, when he is 5 his father takes him to a remote cabin to escape the world he fears. After his father dies there and leaves Remy alone, Remy must learn to survive. His re-entry into the world we know is difficult but against all odds is possible. This is a book filled with fear, loneliness, survival, and learning to trust and help others. Just a Regular Boy is a worthy read.

'You look at the world, see it for exactly what it is, and then make this conscious choice to be a part of it.'

Remy is just five years old when, having recently lost his mother, his father, decides to escape the threats of society and 'enslavement' to authority, to become a survivalist. Roy takes Remy with him to a small cabin in the remote woodlands, determined to be done with society and its imminent downfall. Remy is relied upon to carry his weight by doing chores and living 'like a man' within Roy's egalitarian ideals. When Roy unexpectedly dies, the real story of survival begins.

Told in a dual narrative, we learn that Anne has been ignoring her troubled marriage and instead concentrates on finding another child to foster; to prove that no child is truly unlovable. Anne soon learns, after Remy moves in, that actually it's everyone who is fighting for their own survival, 'We walk around thinking we're different from everybody else. Thinking it's just us.'

'Just a Regular Boy' is a very engaging and readable book. Written during the COVID pandemic, when we were all scared and isolated, for me it clearly draws parallels with how people isolate in fear, lash out like angry wounded animals and resent what society has inflected upon them. However, the realisation is that bad things happen, sadly, around us every day but we need to choose to move past them and not give them extraordinary credence or consideration. 'You look at the world, see it for exactly what it is, and then make this conscious choice to be a part of it.' My only slight criticism is I believed Remy articulated his thoughts and emotions well beyond a small child's capability. However, I would definitely recommend this as a short, thoughtful read with lessons for all of us.