Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

In the tumultuous summer of 1969, 14-year-old Lucas Painter certainly doesn't feel like a carefree teenager. His older brother, Roy, is fighting in Vietnam, sending occasional letters that arrive more blacked-out than readable. Lucas' parents fight constantly, filling the home with shouts and eerie periods of silence. It's no wonder that Lucas takes up running, if only to get out of the house for a while. Running through the woods, he stumbles upon an isolated cabin and two intimidatingly large dogs that turn out to be ideal running partners. When Lucas meets the dogs' owner, the inhabitant of the cabin, his worldview is forever changed. Charting Lucas' journey from a sheltered teenager to a worldly young adult, Hyde (Have You Seen Luis Velez? 2019) brings signature compassion to her characters and highlights the relationships that allow us to feel a deeper sense of connection to the world around us. Fans of Hyde's previous novels and those who enjoyed Meg Donohue's You, Me, and the Sea (2019) will adore this ode to unlikely friends.--Stephanie Turza Copyright 2019 Booklist

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In the summer of 1969, 14-year-old Lucas Painter takes up running in the woods behind his house and ends up saving three lives, one of them his own.It all begins when two enormous dogs start chasing him one afternoon, and Lucas is delighted to discover that Rembrandt and Vermeer, two Weimaraner-Great Dane mixes, are out to play rather than attack. Running with them is a great way to escape the tension in his own home, where his parents do nothing but argue while his big brother, Roy, has been drafted to fight in Vietnam. But one morning the dogs won't budge from the porch, and Lucas discovers that their owner, the mysterious Zoe Dinsmore, has tried to take her own life. By fetching help, Lucas saves Zoe's life, and in the months that follow, Zoe saves Lucas' life, too. Ostracized by the town for an accident years earlier, Zoe keeps to herself. But as Lucas shows up every day, the two slowly forge a profound friendship. Meanwhile, Lucas' best friend, Connor, is struggling with his own demons. Rather than helplessly watch Connor slip deeper into depression, Lucas introduces him to Zoe, whose ability to listen without judgment becomes a lifeline. So when Roy returns, wounded and troubled, it's only natural that Lucas and Zoe find a way to help him, too. A master of tales shaped for the human heart, Hyde (Have You Seen Luis Velez?, 2019, etc.) deftly balances tears against courage, avoiding trite sentimentality. Lucas and Connor both come from troubled homes, but the troubles ring true, never gratuitously abusive; and Hyde never plays Zoe's and Roy's tribulations for melodramatic effect.A compelling tale of damage and the healing powers of acceptance. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.