Reviews

Stay by Catherine Ryan Hyde

meldav4's review against another edition

5.0

Catherine Ryan Hyde is one of my top favorites authors because she writes amazing novels that always grip me right from the start, and then stay with me for for a long time because I can’t stop thinking about them. Stay is a perfect example. She has a talent for capturing and expressing character emotions and feelings that is astounding. The subject matter and plot are deep, profound, and reflective and I gobbled up every word, yearning to read more. I am certain that Stay will be a bestseller and an award winner! I beg everyone to read this book and tell everyone you know about it.

isabellaella's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

lisa11111's review against another edition

4.0

Tough subject but very well written

catreader18's review against another edition

5.0

Lucas is a 14 year old boy dealing with issues beyond his years. He recuses an older lady who tried to commit sucide, is trying to keep his best friend from committing sucide, and trying to process his brother’s deployment to Nam. This is so much for anyone to handle but Lucas does it beautifully. I loved his character and how the story highlighted all these issues and more. I highly recommend this book!

barrod221's review against another edition

3.0

2.5 stars. The telling of the story of a 14 year old boy and his circle of people lost some of it emotional weight by injecting it with his reflection on the event as an adult. It took me out of the story. Overall sweet with some weighty topics.

abrswf's review against another edition

4.0

It was lovely to receive this book in one of the Goodreads giveaways. Hyde always writes compelling books about ordinary people facing big challenges, like miserable marriages, profound depression, inadequate parents, death, guilt, addiction, and shame -- and prevailing through love, honesty, and kindness. I wish the world were so neat, but her stories are far from Hallmark cards and include plenty of truth. Her narrator in this book is particularly lovable. And there are two fabulous dogs and a darling kitten, too.

sunshine4me's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A layered story that does a good job of touching on subjects of addiction and attempted and contemplated suicide. Nice character development. 

caslater83's review against another edition

5.0

Lovely book.

This is a good story that tugs at your emotions. I felt sorry for Roy, Connor, Zoe, and Lucas. I think we all feel worthless at some point in our lives. The sadness and despair drives some to contemplate suicide. Some use guns, others use drugs. Considering this era (Vietnam war), asking for help is kinda taboo. People still had to follow the rules of society. People would talk about you behind your back and the negative rumors and gossip would follow you forever. But Lucas wants his friends to stay. Everyone around him is hurting. He still sees their value and wants them to see their own worth. I was crying toward the end. It's just a lovely story.

jlworley's review against another edition

5.0

4.5 stars, rounded up.

alifromkc1907's review against another edition

4.0

Gut Instinct Rating: 4
Characters: 5
Believability: 5
Uniqueness: 5
Writing Style: 5
Excitement Factor: 3.5
Story Line: 5
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 5
Audiobook Narration: 4.25
Overall: 4.68