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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
A beautiful story over all, but I feel like when authors try to write from so many different perspectives, the story loses depth, which was the case with this book.
3.5 stars, rounded up. I loved the premise of this book and how all the characters tied together. There were times, though, where I found my mind wondering off and I wasn’t so interested. So it didn’t grab me, but technically it’s a good book with all the fixings, and warmed my heart at several turns.
I'm a highly sensitive person. Publix commercials, sunsets, and dying plants are just a few items on the long list of things that make me cry. So the fact that I couldn't rustle up one measly tear at any point in this supposedly "heart-wrenching" book says a lot.
It's well-written in the sense that it's grammatically sound and readable, but that's about all the praise I can muster. There are too many characters, and none of them are well-developed or memorable enough to stand out. The women are especially one-dimensional and have almost identical inner monologues. The author also repeatedly refers to their "bouncy ponytails."
Almost all of the characters are small-town upper-class white people with small-town upper-class white people problems. Everyone talks and behaves like sheltered 14-year-olds (which, to the author's credit, may actually be a realistic interpretation of how wealthy, small-town people react when they finally face adversity).
The title is ironic since this is essentially 290 pages of misery porn capped by a rushed and highly unrealistic conclusion that was neither hopeful nor satisfying. I'm not saying this is the worst book I *ever* read, but it takes the cake for 2021.
It's well-written in the sense that it's grammatically sound and readable, but that's about all the praise I can muster. There are too many characters, and none of them are well-developed or memorable enough to stand out. The women are especially one-dimensional and have almost identical inner monologues. The author also repeatedly refers to their "bouncy ponytails."
Almost all of the characters are small-town upper-class white people with small-town upper-class white people problems. Everyone talks and behaves like sheltered 14-year-olds (which, to the author's credit, may actually be a realistic interpretation of how wealthy, small-town people react when they finally face adversity).
The title is ironic since this is essentially 290 pages of misery porn capped by a rushed and highly unrealistic conclusion that was neither hopeful nor satisfying. I'm not saying this is the worst book I *ever* read, but it takes the cake for 2021.
I love the way he weaves his characters together and writes about loss and love, grief and hope. It’s beautiful.
This was beautifully written and raw without being graphic. I am usually put off by too many perspectives, but this book is completely character driven and each storyline sucked me in. There was an effortless weaving that went on that by no means felt like you were retelling the same scene from different perspectives (even when that’s what was essentially happening).
However, as a mom and a wife, it was challenging to dive so deeply into the tremendous grief in this book. I wanted just a little more hope.
However, as a mom and a wife, it was challenging to dive so deeply into the tremendous grief in this book. I wanted just a little more hope.
It was sweet story overall, but it was soooo rushed. There were just too many characters for how short this book was, and thus there was very little character or story line development.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A Little Hope explores human vulnerability and the quiet, often profound ways our lives intersect. Set in a picturesque Connecticut town, Joella weaves together the stories of several residents, each navigating their own personal struggles. One faces a cancer diagnosis; another grapples with the grief of losing a spouse while watching her son battle addiction, and a third returns home for a wedding, torn between the past and the future.
What stands out in Joella’s storytelling is his ability to make each character feel deeply real. The emotions they experience are raw but universal—fear, loss, longing, and the search for meaning. Through these layered narratives, Joella captures life in a small town where everyone’s story is connected, often unexpectedly. A trip to the local gas station or a wedding dress fitting might seem ordinary, but these are the moments where true connections can unfold.
In a world that sometimes feels uncertain, Joella offers a quiet but powerful reminder: “We are guaranteed nothing,” so we must hold onto “a little hope.” The themes of forgiveness, self-discovery, and the importance of human connection resonate deeply, and ultimately, I felt a sense of comfort and optimism. What a debut!
While I enjoyed the setting of this book, I found that there were too many character story lines for me to care too much about any of them. The book went a little differently than I expected and there were some nice components but again I didn’t connect with any character and I kept having to remind myself who these people were. Each chapter almost felt like it’s own mini story from the same town