A review by bookedupandbusy
Hope and Glory by Jendella Benson

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

British-Nigerian, 20 something year old Glory returns home to Peckham from her glamorous life style in LA to mourn the death of her father, but she unearths a family secret.

Firstly, I will say that the title may seem very plain and simple, however upon reading, it all made sense and it is actually a genius title; caught me off guard. 👏🏾 

I didn’t relate to Glory’s character. She was immature and naive and seemed much younger than stated. There wasn’t any clear growth and unfortunately I found her character flat and uninteresting. 

The storyline is solid and explores a system that is rarely spoken of and one that I had little knowledge of. I can’t mention this system as it will be a spoiler. 😉 

The story has many themes and explores sisterhood, motherhood and family dynamics. The Mental health of Glory’s mother was an interesting angle and this is probably one of the first books I have read where a daughter stood up for and protected her Nigerian mother’s mental health. I thought this was written very well. 

I will definitely read more from this author. Even though I wasn’t a fan of the main character, the storyline was great, it was an easy read in between my trauma heavy books.