Falling Apart and Other Gifts from the Universe: A Novel
Two disparate people--lost in their own way--find an unexpected healing connection in a poignant novel about redemption and chosen family by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde.
An army veteran with a career as a beat cop behind her, security guard Addie Finch is tough--on the outside. Internally, she's in crisis mode. She's lonely, introverted, struggling through AA, estranged from her son, and, at sixty-two years old, questioning her role as a protector. She also has a soft spot for the underdog that's about to change her life.
Addie finds Jonathan, a homeless teenager abandoned by his mother, holed up in a warehouse and vulnerable to the elements and to predators. Touched by the boy's gentle nature and a wisdom beyond his years, Addie offers him temporary shelter in her garden shed in exchange for maintaining the sprawling property. It's an act of kindness and purpose that means the world to Jonathan. But when Addie faces a situation that sends her internal world tumbling, the emotional connection with Jonathan, once the unlikeliest of strangers, becomes her lifeline as well.
As both process past traumas, Addie and Jonathan forge a surrogate grandmother-grandson bond--a chosen family that could restore trust and heal hearts they thought were broken forever.
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Community Reviews
First and foremost, I am a big fan of Catherine Ryan Hyde (CRH) and her work. This is the ninth book of hers that I have read and all of them are 4-5star reviews. CRH is such a great writer and storyteller. I’m also not ashamed to say that so many of the ones that I’ve read have been tear-jerkers for me. All of her stories are just so poignant and meaningful with such strong messages that revolve around some really tough topics. I’ve found myself relating to some of her stories on such a personal level.
The book summary introduces the primary storyline of Addie meeting Jonathan when she finds him taking refuge in an empty storage unit at the storage facility where Addie works the graveyard shift. Jonathan, who had been staying at the abandoned warehouse next to the storage facility, is suffering from a beating from another homeless person, Skate, who also stays at the warehouse. Skate had attacked Jonathan and tried to molest/rape him. Jonathan soon befriends another homeless resident at the warehouse, Jeannie, who Jonathan rescued when Skate tried to molest/rape her too.
There is also a secondary storyline of Addie, a recovering alcoholic with eight years of sobriety, working through her AA steps with a new sponsor after her previous one passed away. This exercise has Addie looking a lot more closely at her childhood, upbringing as well as her relationships with her brother and son, who she is still estranged from.
It's not long before Addie offers Jonathan a job cleaning up the grounds of Addie’s large property in exchange for room and board. We also find out how Jonathan ended up homeless and on the street; his mom’s new boyfriend didn’t like him and told his mom to get rid of him. It’s deep in the second half when the story takes a sad and melancholy turn. Addie’s past starts to catch up with her after a scary and unexpected incident and the fallout from it. Loved the ending! Once again, CRH has me tearing up.
The character development of the MC’s was very well done. The pacing was steady, and I never felt like it dragged. The storyline was interesting, and the writing was classic CRH. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.3 that I will be rounding down to a 4star review. I want to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #LakeUnionPublishing #FallingApartandOtherGiftsfromtheUniverse
The book summary introduces the primary storyline of Addie meeting Jonathan when she finds him taking refuge in an empty storage unit at the storage facility where Addie works the graveyard shift. Jonathan, who had been staying at the abandoned warehouse next to the storage facility, is suffering from a beating from another homeless person, Skate, who also stays at the warehouse. Skate had attacked Jonathan and tried to molest/rape him. Jonathan soon befriends another homeless resident at the warehouse, Jeannie, who Jonathan rescued when Skate tried to molest/rape her too.
There is also a secondary storyline of Addie, a recovering alcoholic with eight years of sobriety, working through her AA steps with a new sponsor after her previous one passed away. This exercise has Addie looking a lot more closely at her childhood, upbringing as well as her relationships with her brother and son, who she is still estranged from.
It's not long before Addie offers Jonathan a job cleaning up the grounds of Addie’s large property in exchange for room and board. We also find out how Jonathan ended up homeless and on the street; his mom’s new boyfriend didn’t like him and told his mom to get rid of him. It’s deep in the second half when the story takes a sad and melancholy turn. Addie’s past starts to catch up with her after a scary and unexpected incident and the fallout from it. Loved the ending! Once again, CRH has me tearing up.
The character development of the MC’s was very well done. The pacing was steady, and I never felt like it dragged. The storyline was interesting, and the writing was classic CRH. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.3 that I will be rounding down to a 4star review. I want to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #LakeUnionPublishing #FallingApartandOtherGiftsfromtheUniverse
