Finished ✔️ Just a Regular Boy by Catherine Ryan Hyde and I really loved it so much! 🤩🤩🤩

5 ⭐️’s
Publish Day: May 2nd, 2023
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
An orphaned boy raise by a survivalist wends his way into the real world in an novel about hope, fears, and found family
Absolutely LOVED this book
Catherine has a way of telling a story and making the reader love it.
I enjoyed all the characters
It was beautifully & brilliantly written
It was definitely engrossing in more ways than one
It was a beautifully interwoven story
I enjoyed and loved every little thing about this book
Won’t be my last book by this author
Yes, I’d recommend

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I have felt very lucky in the last couple of years to be given the opportunity to read early copies of Catherine Ryan Hyde’s books. This is another winner. It is a story that includes a survivalist living off the grid, Covid, a troubled marriage, a very young child somehow surviving the unsurvivable. Remy and Anne are both wonderful characters. They will stay with me for a long time. Catherine Ryan Hyde knows how to tell a story!

JUST A REGULAR BOY by Catherine Ryan Hyde is a compelling and emotional story of a young boy raised off the grid by his survivalist father and his heart-wrenching journey back into civilization. Every new novel by this author becomes an instant favorite and this one is no exception. Remy Blake is just five-years-old when his recently-widowed, survivalist father, Roy, takes him to live in a remote cabin in the Idaho wilderness, forced to live in complete isolation. When Roy dies unexpectedly, Remy is left alone to fend for himself. After several years, their stockpile of food and supplies runs out and a desperate Remy knows he will have to make his way to town. When Anne, a mother of two adopted teenagers and a seasoned foster parent, hears about this silent, injured and terrified boy, she is determined to take him in despite what such a challenge might do to her own family. What follows is told from the alternating points of view of Remy and Anne as they try to navigate this new journey. As always, Catherine Ryan Hyde creates unique characters and unexpected relationships that touch the heart. The raw emotions and resilience of the characters were beautifully-written. I truly enjoyed this heartwarming and thought-provoking book and I highly recommend it. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review and early copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own
TW: COVID-19, Death of a character, Generational Trauma, Scenes of hunting and killing an animal.

Once I start a Catherine Ryan Hyde novel, there is no way that I can physically put the book down. Her characters always hit their target right in the middle of my heart. Remy, an orphaned boy surviving in the woods, and Anne, the foster mother that takes Remy into the home she shares with her husband and two children kept me up past my bedtime last night. I liked this novel for its positive depiction of foster care. The characters and conversations were very realistic.

However, I did raise an eyebrow at police officials needing a child who had experienced trauma to revisit the scene of that experience.

Overall, a heartwarming story.

Expected Publication Date 02/05/23
Goodreads Review Published 04/04/23

#JustaRegularBoy #NetGalley.

Wow, this book is easily one of my favorites by Catherine Ryan Hyde. While the book is purely fictional, it had me greatly pondering and processing the great heartache, sacrifices, and joys of taking huge risks out of love. Many hard topics are included, while it is written with such great heart and gentleness that it leaves you with hope and inspiration.

Catherine Ryan Hyde writes books that people want to read. I've read many of her titles, she does not recycle stories, she does not have an off title, they all leave you thinking about them. Remember "pay it forward"? Yeah, that was her.

In JUST A REGULAR BOY, a young boy's life goes off the traditional family guidelines when his father, paranoid and not clearly planning, moves the two of them into the woods after his mother....the voice of reason in the family....dies. The boy must grow up quickly, he soon becomes the more rational of the family. Did I mention he's 5 yrs old when they move to an area where no one knows where they are? Their life has many unusual events, and then when he's 8, his father dies, leaving him to face survival on his own. That is the back story. The meat of the story starts when he tries to be "just a regular boy".

This was a GREAT, not good, GREAT book, as so many of her books are. I no longer read the story synopsis when she has a new title released. I know I'm going to love it.

This book hooked me from page one!
This is a story of a little boy, Remey, and the people that love him; some of them loving him the best way they know how. Remy embodies the essence of the word resilience and teaches us all a lesson in learning to embrace the world for its rights and wrongs. This book will captivate your heart and soul.

At five years old, Remy’s mother died and his father who has always had strong political beliefs and listened to conspiracy theories decides it is time to live off the grid. He purchases 175 acres in rural Idaho and they move into a shack with no running water or electricity. Three years later, his father dies leaving Remy all alone. Remy find his way to a town, but is to scared to ask anyone for help. He survives by stealing and hiding until one night he is hit by a car. He is placed with a foster family who supports him as he recovers from his physical injuries and the trauma he has endured. The story is told from Remy and his foster mother’s perspective.

Wow! This book was an emotional rollercoaster and made me think a lot about our society. The author did an amazing job developing the characters and setting the pace of the novel. There are some great discussion questions at the end of the book. It would make an excellent book club selection when it is published in May 2023. I would love for this to be made into a movie! This is a new author for me, and I will definitely check out some of her other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing a free copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

I have read many if not all of the books by Catherine Ryan Hyde and have found them to be heartwarming and mind opening. This book "Just a Regular Boy" did not disappoint in that regard. I was thrilled that a new book was out and couldn't wait to read it. The story of Remy and his father was deeply moving and also very heartbreaking to read. The fact that a father would take a five year old boy into the wild to keep him safe and yet cause him more danger was unthinkable. Meeting Anne and her desire to foster children who might not have been fostered otherwise made me aware of all the people in real life who actually do that. I would have given it 5 stars if it weren't for the fact that I did find the story predictable unlike other books by the author.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read the unpublished edition of this book

I really enjoyed this heart warming story. The first part of the story is about Remy first moving to the woods with his father at age 5 and how he has to survive, both with and without his Dad. Based on his Father's teachings, Remy isn't sure who he can trust. Then we go through the journey of Remy learning to trust again and his integration back into the real world. I really enjoyed the alternating viewpoints from both Remy and Anne. We got to know Remy's story as well as Anne's, including her husband and adopted children. Overall it was a heartfelt emotional story which I enjoyed reading.

Remy is a young boy who has been living in the wilderness with his survivalist father. When he is found, alone, starved, and mute, Anne, a mother of two adopted teens, steps up to foster Remy. Just a Regular Boy follows Remy and Anne as they navigate the complicated path of reintroducing Remy to regular life. This story hooked me from chapter 1 and didn’t let go. It is full of emotion, compassion, and grace. Amazing. 5 stars.

Catherine Ryan Hyde has woven a very interesting story about a 5 year old boy taken deep into the woods by his depressed and fanatical father. What life was like for this child, left without people or interaction. It is amazing how this kid lived on his own. He is adopted and you follow the child’s journey back to reality. It shows that there are some really good and brave people in this world.

With little Remi‘s dad Roy move them to a remote piece of land five year old Remi didn’t understand why he could never speak to his friend Lester again nor why they couldn’t just go home. His dad told him all kinds of scary reasons why they had to stay on this land and protect her self but a couple of years later when little Remi woke up and his dad was gone he thought he would be right back but unfortunately when he finally went to look for him he found him dead in the woods. although little Remi didn’t believe everything his dad told him he believed enough to be scared of other people and this is why even when he was close to a town he still did not venture in except to steal food from the local grocer. This is something the grocer did not like at all and started letting his dogs loose to chase little Remi this is why little Remi was in the middle of the road and got hit by a car. Weeks before residents had contacted the Boise child protection but they could not find him so when they learned he was in the hospital his social worker Ed Wayna knew the person to call. Ann Sebastian already had two adopted children Jane and Peter. So when Edwina called she immediately knew despite that she would still take the boy. She also knew there was a divide emotionally between her and her husband Chris so when he agreed instantly to take him in Ann was shocked but happy. She was told that the little boy didn’t talk only screamed when people came close to him so the first time she met the little boy against hospital rules she took her face mask off and this is when little Remi decided he would trust her but finding him a home was just the first step. That was still a whole wide world that this little boy was afraid of and Anne didn’t know if he was federal or just frightened. Slowly but surely through trial and error do not only ironed out the kinks but made memories in the process and although it wasn’t easy it made for such a great story! I feel like I am not doing this book justice I know when I read a Catherine Ryan Hyde book it isn’t going to be your typical thriller flair with dangerous twist but a story plotted with emotional curveballs and that was definitely the case with this book. there was so much heartbreak and drama in this book but it all gets paid back with good feelings and a pretty happy ending. Sometimes things have to get worse before they get better in this book is a great example of that what a great story I knew this author wrote awesome books but I really believe she has all done her self this time what a great great great book! I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

It's my third book by Catherine Ryan Hyde. And I have always loved her writing. Absolutely loved 'My Name is Anton', and really liked 'Seven Perfect Things'. Her stories are so endearing, her writing so engaging.

The plot of Just a Regular Boy is so unique; to be honest, I didn't really know what a survivalist meant. Remy and his foster mom, Anne, are the main protagonists of this story and they are both so lovable. Their bonding is so endearing. The secondary characters are also likeable, significant and well defined. I could easily connect with them (and that's a big plus point for me); except for Miri, Anne's friend. I think it's an unnecessary character.

The writing is lucid, and conversations are realistic.

A few things that bothered me a little:

Remy's age. He's just five and the kinds of things he's able to do, and the level of maturity he shows right from the beginning is hard to believe.

Also, in the second half, it meanders a little and gets repetitive.

Overall, I really liked it; it's poignant, thought provoking, heartwarming and so full of hope.

This was a 3.5 star book for me. I desperately wanted to love it, & I did enjoy it very much but it just never quite made it to “love” territory.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is a very prolific author, & when somebody has that much of backlog of books & releases books that consistently & often, it makes me wary. I believe in quality>quantity & so I can’t help but be dubious of authors that have upwards of 10 books, & CRH has 40+ published books. So that being said, I went into my first CRH book with an open mind & tried to ignore all my preconceived notions, & what I found was a perfectly decent book.

This was compulsively readable as I expected it might be, a story about a very young boy who is forced to live out in the woods for survival’s shake with his father until one day he loses his father & has to learn to function/survive on his own. Our MC was super sweet & endearing, & I quickly fell in love with him. He had an innocence to him that was hard to resist, my heart ached for him from start to finish. The writing itself was probably the weakest element, as far as technical writing goes, CRH is not your most talented or your most skilled, but she managed to keep me turning the pages regardless.

This was the book equivalent of canned chicken noodle soup….meaning it wasn’t all that great comparatively, but at the end of the day it’s still edible & we often will find ourselves slurping down every last drop. It’s familiar, & comforting & juuust good enough that it’s easy to shovel down our mouths. That’s basically exactly how I felt about the book, the writing was basic, the writing devices used were typical & slightly overused, but the plot was engaging enough to hold my attention & keep me entertained through to the end.

I think this will meet most people’s expectations and standards & provide exactly the kind of book that they were looking for. People always say to never judge a book by it’s cover but I think in this case it’s impossible to deny the appropriateness of the cover. It looks like women’s fiction and reads like it too.

Overall this was fairly short & sweet, I found myself feeling emotionally invested without being too overly attached to anybody or anything. This wasn’t the world’s greatest book by any means but if you pick this up looking for your typical historical fiction book you’ll be plenty satisfied. Not my favorite, but totally palatable & easy to fly through. A 3 star reading experience!

Thank you to Net galley and for Lake Union Publishing for providing me with a copy of this arc. This book pulls at your heart strings with the character Remy who is forced to live in the woods by a father who is a survialist. Due to circumstances Remy stories has a happy ending. This book was set in a covid setting but, brief mentions like when people have to wear masks. This book was good, I got attached to the characters and will be a story I remember.

Just a Regular Boy was a rollercoaster of emotions for me as I read. I was there with Remy, feeling and seeing what he was coping with. I woke up at 1 am and just had to know how it ended. I think this book would be a good book club selection. It should appeal to readers ages 12 and up.

"I feel what that feels like, to really rescue someone. And somehow it seems like when you rescue someone, they always manage to rescue you back."

This is the first book by Catherine Ryan Hyde that I have read. A heartwarming, raw story that tugged at my heart.
Remy Blake is a five year old boy living with his father Roy who has extremist views. His mother has died.
His father packs up taking Remy with him, leaving their home to live off the land in the wilderness.
Remy is taught how to survive and that if he goes back into society he will die.
From learning how to survive in the wilderness to relearning how to survive in society Remy's story will grab you and keep you reading.
A story of strength, survival, courage, determination, trust, family, love, fear.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

Every once in a while I read a book that I really enjoy but I lack the words to give it the review it deserves. This is one of them.

This is the tragic story of Remy, which turns out better. Remy is the 5 year old son of a Survivalist father. His mother has passed away and his father turns to flight mode to escape the “ conflagration” which is sure to come. They live in the woods. The father dies and Remy is left on his own, to turn into a wild child. A wild child suffering unbelievable PTSD.

Anne is a woman whole likes to foster impossible children, to atone for psychological issues from her formative years. Predictably, she takes in Remy. At this point, Remy is a very damaged 8 year old child. Physically and mentally. And completely bewildered.

The story is told in alternate voices of Remy and Anne. Each version of the story is compelling on its own. Parts of the storyline seem to be predictable, yet at the same time unrealistic. But that did not stop me from turning pages.

I love Remy's character. I just want to hug him. He is a bright little boy who suffered so much. Anne's character is a little harder to warm up to. At times her relationship with her husband is tenuous. Their 2 children, Peter and Janie (former foster children, who were adopted) cautiously welcome Remy into their fold.

A lot is going on in the background of this story besides Remy's rehab. The pandemic (masks and vaccinations are mentioned) and a school shooting. Some reviewers have mentioned that this seems like overkill. But, realistically, life in the world happens around us every day. Even to those who are trying to recover from the worst thing in their world so far. Life during the pandemic was tough for everyone. I saw one review mention that the author was pushing her own agenda. Mentioning the pandemic and the procedures (masking, health questions, vaccinations) does not constitute an agenda. It was just the facts of life during the pandemic that affected the whole world.

This story highlights the plight of damaged foster children and the people who foster them. It’s a very difficult undertaking…..sometimes with good results, sometimes not. It really touched my heart when Remy says to his new Mom: “Thank you for keeping me,” he said. Just like a normal boy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

3.5…I enjoyed this book, but it was not my favorite Catherine Ryan Hyde book. It is a story about a father who is a survivalist. He takes his 5 year old son into the wilderness and teaches him how to survive, because he believes the world is coming to an end.

Parts of the book were very unbelievable to me. I think if Remi would have been older than five when his father took him, the story may have seemed more realistic, and I would have enjoyed it more. Some of the things that Remi was forced to do at five years old really seemed impossible.

I did enjoy Just a Regular Boy more as the story moved along. In the beginning I almost gave up. That being said I did become attached to Remi and Anne. Hyde has a way with fleshing out her characters making you fall in love with them.

If you are a Catherine Ryan Hyde fan definitely read this. As always when I am finished with one of her new reads it is disappointing because I have to wait awhile for a new book to come out.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.