Why we’re excited
Hope Longiness is ninety-nine, a one-time actress sharing a shabby apartment with Buddy, the great-grandson who works too hard. Two women from either end of her block decide she needs saving: Leila, a psychologist who likes to rescue people, and Jeannette, a prickly shopkeeper who wants to be noticed. Hope accepts every invitation and trades stories of old Hollywood.
Hyde wrote Pay It Forward, which became a 2000 film, and has built a long career on warm novels about strangers who end up changing each other. Readers who enjoy gentle neighborhood stories like A Man Called Ove should keep this standalone in mind.
On our most-anticipated list since 6 November 2026. See all the most anticipated books →
What to know about Hope in Between
We haven’t reviewed Catherine Ryan Hyde before, so this would be our first look at their work.
At 331 pages it is one of the longer other books out in April 2027; the typical one runs about 272 pages.
From the publisher
One dustup on a city block and the lives of six neighbors suddenly intertwine in a bittersweet novel about friendship, mortality, and kindness by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde.
Leila and Patty, and Jeannette and Wallace, live on opposite corners of their neighborhood block with little in common. Except concern for the welfare of the woman in the rundown apartment building between them. That’s ninety-nine-year-old Hope Longiness, a former actress living modestly but contentedly with her overworked great-grandson, Buddy. Unwittingly, Hope is also stirring a rivalry.
Leila, a psychologist with a savior complex, and Jeannette, a socially difficult shop owner longing to be recognized, find themselves in a contentious fight for Hope’s long-term care and “rescue.” To the delighted Hope it’s afternoon tea, luncheons, board games, and dinner invitations as she regales each woman with tales of Hollywood’s golden age, big bands, love affairs, and scandals.
For Patty and Wallace, a commiserating friendship develops as they navigate their spouses’ increasingly problematic behavior. When the competition reaches a crises point, Leila and Jeannette are forced to confront their motivations and to realize the genuine good that can come from unexpected connections and the transformative and collective power of community.
Description supplied by the publisher.
We haven’t read Hope in Between yet. When our review goes up, it will replace this page.
