Book Review: Hope's Journey

Hope's Journey by Stephanie Worlton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is one I plan to bookmark for future use. It needs to be read by kids who are dealing with teenage pregnancy (both male and female) but I think it is also inspirational for all people who struggle with having self-worth or who have made bad decisions that they need to find a way past. I really want my girls to read it as I hope it will help them to understand their infinite worth as daughters of God, which will hopefully help them make good decisions. Relating one's own self-worth with their ability to take good care of themselves is one of the major themes of this book.

The synopsis: a teenage couple winds up pregnant. The very foundation of their faith are shaken, as is their relationship.

I really enjoyed the way the author gave us the story chronologically from both character's standpoints. She did a great job of giving them each their own voice and it is of no surprise that she herself has dealt with teenage pregnancy. Her portrayal of emotions was very honest and obviously from the inside of the problem, not from the outside looking in.

My only critique would be that it has a lot of LDS references which I think could have been flushed out to make this more appealing to a larger audience. Mormons aren't the only kids dealing with this issue. As a Mormon, however, I really enjoyed the accurate portrayal, even if it is a shame that many of the members of my church really are judgmental and callous at times. Aren't all religious people at risk of such?

As a codependent in recovery I think this book will speak powerfully to many other suffering codependents who look to others to define their own worth. In fact, I would love to hand out a copy of this book to every woman in my weekly support group.

Well done Stephanie Worlton. Your labor of love is inspiring and I hope it will end up in the hands of every person who needs the message of self-love and self-acceptance delivered. Sometimes God speaks through fiction and this is the kind of book that I believe He will use for his purposes. As a writer you have achieved the miraculous with this book. Not all books can draw one into the story and also give a portion of self-help but yours has.

I loved it.

You can go to the author's blog here.
You can even read a few chapters of the book here.

View all my reviews

This was my first review where I was contacted directly by the author. Thanks Stephanie. Go on over to her blog tour to purchase or enter for a chance to win a free copy of the book.