I can really appreciate a storyline in which I am unable, as a reader, to predict exactly what is going to happen next. This is far from a typical romance novel, with twists and turns that will have your jaw-dropping and your empathy muscles working as you connect with the characters and want to see them succeed. Can't wait for the next book, this one left me decidedly hoping (pun intended) for more!

I was honored to be able to read a pre-release copy of Journey to Hope.
WOW.
Ever since finishing Decision to Hope, I've been WAITING for the next installment. What would happen with Kathleen? How will her relationship with Matt unfold? How CAN it unfold with the weight of her past? And what about that piece of work, Matt's sister?
Journey to Hope is so much MORE than I expected or anticipated. To be honest, it took me a while to think of what to write. I've written more book reviews in various places than I can count... but this one stopped me in my tracks.
If you are looking for fluff, you may want to skip this particular novel. But if you're looking for a story to get wrapped up in that's just so... grimly real, but gritty with messy people and hope and love - romantic love, familial love, friendship love - this is the next book to pick up.
Kathleen faces down her demons. No spoilers from me, but frankly, there were times when it was too much. Too HARD. One of my favorite things about this book is that Kathleen is real - in her rage, in her fear, in her confusion at herself, and in her compassion for others. That's what made me love the story, but also what made me wince as the plot unfolds.
Matt has to do some housecleaning of his own. His romantic abandonment of his less-than-loved-but-highly-lucrative career seemed passionate when he met Kathleen. Now, however, he's dealing not only with visioning the life he wants to build, but how to meet his obligations to his former firm and his own family.
Speaking of family... some of my questions got answered about Matt's sister. I was looking for more... more details, more salacious information about this nasty wicked sister. Instead, I read a story that unfolded that made her a lot more sympathetic, gave an understanding of how she and Matt spent years building the firm... and how, after all, she was simply the best kind of ally. Now, you might think that would be disappointing. I wanted some JUSTICE for her nastiness in Decide to Hope. What I got instead was... satisfying. Kind of like how we all want to enjoy a big ol' slice of chocolate-by-death cake, even though it's SO unhealthy, but in the end, a well-prepared meal with balanced flavors leaves us feeling satisfied both in fullness and in flavor. THAT kind of satisfying.
In case you haven't figured it out: I loved this book, but not the way I love some of my other favorite books. It's not a fantasy world that gives fodder for my imagination to run in a new world. Instead, it's a story about people who grow to be increasingly real and gives me hope about this broken and disjointed world we're all living in right now.

What would your journey to live again, to hope again be like if you were the sole witness and sole survivor of the murder of your entire family?
In Journey to Hope, June Converse vividly depicts the reclusive behavior of a disfigured woman tormented by grief and anger. Kathleen wants to live again, to love again, to hope again. To do so, she must seek and accept help.
With brilliant depiction of character, Converse transports the reader into the mind and world of a traumatized woman who questions her self-worth. On her journey to hope, she finds her answers in learning how to face her demons and how to move on. To move one, to hope again Kathleen must learn how to avoid the dead-end paths of prolonged grief and consuming anger.
Journey to Hope is an easy read that intrigues the reader with ‘what-next moments’ and realistic characters.