Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a heartwarming story about what it means to make your own family and all the memories that come with that. The story focuses on Mattie, who is suffering from ALS and Rose who becomes her caregiver. Although Mattie is very independent, her husband finally decides he needs help taking care of her and Rose and her daughter come into their lives. Each feels trapped in their lives but as they go through Mattie's hope chest and all the items inside, they each find some peace with their place in the world and in each other's lives.
The relationship they all develop with one another is very touching and soon they discover that all hope is not lost and you can find happy memories even within sad circumstances.

I was Into This book. Though it is not my usual fare, I think I read it at just the right time in my life (I mean the right week in my life). I didn’t even read the synopsis before diving in, and when I started it I immediately thought, “great, a depressing book about a woman with ALS.” When I started this book I knew just enough about the disease to know that it is a prison. The mind works as the body fails you, and you have seen several devastating stories about it. But this book, as the title suggests, is more than just a sad story.

Mattie and Don have been married for almost 50 years, and Mattie has ALS. Rose is a young, divorced single parent of daughter Jeri. Rose is hired to be a caregiver for Mattie, but she becomes much more. The four of them redefine the meaning of family. The book is well written and Viola Shipman does well making the characters three dimensional, and you really care about what happens to these people. I may have even shed a few tears while reading….

I like the way the book was divided; each section was titled for an object in Mattie’s hope chest, and the chapters in that section were devoted to the memories associated with the objects. It was a beautiful and unique way to tell the story.



You will be Really Into This book if you like love stories, romances and Hallmark movies. This is not normally something I would pick up, and honestly not something I would normally enjoy, but I did. This was a little on the cheesy side, but it was just what I needed. Everyone needs a little bit of sappiness in their lives sometimes.

Special thanks to Viola Shipman, St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for providing my copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

After reading the first few pages, I have to admit I didn't think I would like this book. I usually don't like sad books and this started out in a way that led me to believe it would be sad. It very easily could have been as one of the main characters has ALS. Viola Shipman wrote this story in such a way that it was much more a celebration of life than a sad tale. As the characters went through the items in the hope chest we learn of what made their lives special and how they lived their lives to the fullest. It is a story of how things, people and memories can influence our lives. I very much enjoyed The Hope Chest. I read the Kindle version and ordered the hardcover for my 88 year old mother immediately after finishing. As stated before, this book is a celebration of what life can be and is uplifting. It takes place on Lake Michigan in a small town less than an hour from where I have spent my summers all of my life so reading about the beauty of the Lake and the small town of Saugatuck. was a special experience. This is one of those books where you know what the outcome is going to be and you desperately want to be able to change it. Beautifully told story by Viola Shipman. I look forward to reading her other books.

The Hope Chest by Viola Shipman is a story of hope and love. Madeline “Mattie” Tice has ALS and can no longer stay in Hope Dunnes—her beloved lake house. Don, her husband, is moving them into a newly built home that can accommodate her wheelchair. The movers are bringing down one more item as Mattie takes one last look around the house. It turns out to be the hope chest given to her by her mother and father one Easter when she was a little girl. Each item in the chest holds a special meaning to Mattie. Don is wore out from caring for his wife full-time and is hiring a caregiver. Rose Hoffs is applying for the position. She desperately needs a full-time job. She has been working part-time for There’s No Place Like Home. Her boss feels that Rose is the perfect fit for the job with the Tice’s. Rose has been raising her daughter, Jeri on her own since her husband left her. Rose is forced to bring Jeri with her to the interview. Mattie notices that Rose has a little girl in the car and insists she bring her in. Rose and Jeri entering Mattie and Don’s life is just what they needed. They were both feeling hopeless and lost (and so was Rose). We get to find out about Mattie’s life through the items in her hope chest. The items hold precious memories. These items help bring Mattie, Don, Rose and Jeri together as a family and provide hope for the future. Mattie may not be with them much longer, but she is leaving behind a legacy of memories and a future for three important people in her life. Join them in Saugatuck, Michigan for a story of love, faith, courage, hopefulness along with a touch of sadness in The Hope Chest.

The Hope Chest is a heartwarming novel. It is nicely written and easy to read. I was drawn into the story and my attention was held throughout the book. There were a couple of slow sections, but they were few. I like how as each item is revealed in the hope chest, we are taken into the past. We slowly see how Mattie’s life unfolded and how each item impacts the present. I especially liked the Raggedy Ann doll that was in the chest. It is an emotional novel that will make you smile, laugh, and cry. I give The Hope Chest 4 out of 5 stars (I liked it). The book shows you how important it is to enjoy and savor each moment of your life. We are also provided with a new type of family dynamic. I like the relationship drawn between hope and home in the story. There is a little repetition of information, but the book has a pleasing ending. The Christian element is just right and the author did a superb job at portraying a person with ALS. ALS is a debilitating disease that affects the body horribly, but leaves the person with their mind intact. The Hope Chest is my favorite book by Viola Shipman.

I can only give this book three stars. The book and characters were well written. However, I felt that conversation between characters didn't flow well and was pretty unbelievable, in particular the child. What child talks that way?

Each chapter revolved around an item from the hope chest, the memories related to the item, and the meaning associated with it. After a very short time this became tedious.

The story was touching but as a caregiver myself, I was taken aback at the lack of boundaries between the characters. To accept a monetary gift from a patient is beyond reprehensible for a care provider.

THis could have been such a great book,to me, it fell short.

'The Hope Chest' is a heartfelt and poignant story of Mattie, a fiercely independent and determined woman who is dying of the degenerative disease ALS. Whilst having to come to terms with her situation and trying her best to maintain her dignity, Mattie, along with her husband, Don, and her new carer, Rose and her young daughter, Jeri, finds a lasting sense of hope again. This comes about through the examination of a range of memorabilia from her hope chest given to her by her mother as a child, a chest containing a range of items, all of which to a beautiful memory, and all of which lead each of the characters to develop a deeper sense of self-worth and love for others.
Each of the characters has their own trials to undergo and their journeys of discovery towards love and friendship are charted through their mutual stories and experiences, each serving to draw the reader in more and more, as the novel moves towards its ultimate and heartbreaking conclusion.
Throughout the novel, the reader is shown that love matters and it is through our feelings for and treatment of others, along with the cherished memories we all hold dear, that we will feel a greater sense of the value and joys of life, things we can never take for granted and which we must make the most of whilst we can.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This story was a very emotional one - full of heartache, but also hope. The
story gets a bit saccharine at times, but the author does a good job of getting the reader invested in the characters and their plights. Make sure you have plenty of Kleenex ready ... you'll need them!
Favorite quote:
“Remember, hope is something you carry with you forever … Look inside when you need hope most, and it will guide you, and remind you of what was and what is to be.”

Wow. This is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. The use of the chest to work through Mattie and Don's life and to connect them to Rose was wonderful. Despite the really sad circumstances of how Rose came to meet Mattie, this is essentially a hopeful novel because it is filled with faith and optimism. Good characters, a believable situation, and a carefully thought through plot made this a very good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Try this one - knowing it might make you cry- if you want to read a old fashioned story.

A bit over dramatic and sad, the characters weren't relatable, but Wade (Viola) captures Michigan beautifully.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I really enjoyed The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman last year. So, I knew I wanted to read The Hope Chest. I knew it would be sweet and even sappy at times, but sometimes we need reads like that in our life.



What I liked:

Cover. I don’t know how much input Viola has or if St. Martin’s cover squad has the magic touch, but I’ve loved each of those covers!

How each piece of the hope chest was revealed. In our current day focus of having stuff or with some people trying a form of a minimalist lifestyle, seeing items brought out that have meaning and stories and were saved for the right reasons just made me want a hope chest.



Bottom line: While it was a bit sugary sweet at times and Jeri was a bit TOO cutesy at times- The Hope Chest mainly soothed my soul and even made me cry once or twice.



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*



**The Hope Chest is a March #FuturisticFriday selection from Traveling With T.**



Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T

How do I start? This book was so heartbreaking to read but then again it was joyful. I got the book last night and read through the night unable to put down. Mattie and Don have been married for 50 years but for the last five years Mattie has been struggling with ALS. Deciding they need more help they employ Rose to help look after them and she arrives with her young daughter Jeri. No longer able to live in their beautiful waterside house they are packing to move when they discover Mattie's hope chest which was given to her by her father when she was a young girl.

The chest is full of things that have emotional ties and stories attached to them and as they go through the items we learn the background to them

Mattie and Don have been married for 50 years but for the last five years Mattie has been struggling with ALS. Deciding they need more help they employ Rose to help look after them and she arrives with her young daughter Jeri. No longer able to live in their beautiful waterside house they are packing to move when they discover Mattie's hope chest which was given to her by her father when she was a young girl.

The chest is full of things that have emotional ties and stories attached to them and as they go through the items we learn the background to them

A lovely heartwarming story that is full of anecdotes and stories that bring the objects to life and show the love that surrounds them

Master storyteller, Viola Shipman (Wade Rouse) returns following the heartwarming debut, The Charm Bracelet (2016) and nostalgic Christmas novella Christmas Angels with the latest love story— THE HOPE CHEST, poignant and beautifully crafted, a story of hope, faith, memories, second chances, life’s special moments and surprises.

Emotionally rich, heartbreaking, and yet inspiring and warm-spirited— Shipman once again demonstrates the impact of family, history, and friends. Life is precious. Life is a gift. Time. How do we choose to use it? A legacy to be continued through others. To be passed along. You can utilize what time you have, or lose it all in a blink of an eye.

Thought-provoking! One man may be losing his wife, but through her strength—he may discover a new family. From family heirlooms, nostalgia, grief, sadness, to inspiration and hope for the future.

“ . . . Hope is something you carry with you forever, not only in this chest but also in your heart. So look inside it and inside yourself when you need hope the most, and it will guide you, and remind you of what was and what is to be. . . “

Set in idyllic and charming small town of Michigan, Don and Mattie Tice have had a happy life. They have been in love since they first met many years earlier. They promised one another, till death do us part. They are approaching their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Don wishes more than anything he could freeze time. Just a little longer.

They had their cottage at Hope Dunes. Their history. However, the house was big and now Don needed help with Mattie. They now required a caregiver. Mattie has ALS— for five years, and now they are forced to move to a smaller place. Are they really ready to give up a big part of their past? What about the future?

Mattie is multi-talented. She was a successful landscape designer, with many famous clients over the years. She was also a painter. Don was an executive at Herman Miller furniture, and they both love the beauty and importance that objects and plants hold in people’s homes and lives.

Now they are left with no children and only a faithful dog, Mabel. What will he do when his loving faithful wife passes on. How will he go on? He is clinging to every moment.

Enter Rose Hoffs, and her charming, "larger- than- life" daughter, Jeri. Rose lost her parents to cancer and her husband left years ago. A divorced single mom, her parents had left her their family home; however, she is struggling to make ends meet.

She needs full-time hours versus part time in order to survive without using all her savings and her inheritance, which was dwindling quickly. She needed to hang on to her family home. She was too young to have no help. She is excited to get an opportunity to work for this couple through the service, There’s No Place Like Home, the senior care group as a caregiver.

Little does she know how she and her daughter’s life will be enhanced by this wonderful caring couple, and the impact she and her daughter will have while based on this newfound relationship.

In the years following Mattie’s diagnosis, Don had been angry, with God and at every person so insinuated that his wife would one day be better off dead. However, Mattie made him aware his anger was misplaced. It was not all about him. She told him he was being selfish and wasting his strength and emotion over something he could not control. Time will march on. Life will continue.

. . . “We get one chance on this earth. One short little stop to get things right, and too few of us do. We focus on everything that is unimportant.”

Special keepsakes. A special hope chest for a special history. Everything has a story. Each of the heirlooms in the hope chest teaches something about one’s self. Past, present, future. Living lessons. A hope chest once filled with hope and now there is none.

From a cedar chest, scents, fragrances of the past. Filled with memories such as scrapbooks, heirlooms, family pictures, teddy bears, family bibles, special mementos, rag dolls, aprons, dishes, jewelry—precious items to be passed along to a family. Connecting the past with the future. Filled with love, hopes, and dreams.

“Hope is only one short letter from home.

H is for Hope Now and for always.
O is for the Overwhelming love I have for you.
P is for the Practical items that will make your house a home.
E is for the Eternal memories this chest will provide every time you open it up.

You are my hope, and my home, in this world, My daughter, my love. . . ”


Beautifully written, I bookmarked so many passages. Shipman has a way with words and vivid descriptions—predict he will be the next Nicholas Sparks! Loved everything about this charming story! Readers will fall in love with the characters, as well as the comforting words to those who have recently lost loved ones or those left behind trying to make sense of their loss. You will smile and cry at the same time. No chance encounters. An ideal book for book clubs and further discussions.

Another element which was nicely done— the way Shipman used the different timelines. Often an author will spend more time with the secondary story than the main one. I liked the fact, Don and Mattie's touching and the timeless story took center stage, as well as their background history. Rose’s life intersected perfectly, without taking away from the couple's journey.

For fans of Nicholas Sparks, Fredrik Backman, Debbie Macomber, Joanne Demaio, Sally Hepworth, Zoe Fishman, and Charles Martin.

Highly Recommend!

A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an early reading copy.

JDCMustReadBooks

Beautiful and heartbreaking. Full of love and life and the way we appreciate and see life. Well written and full of emotion. This is a heart wrenching story but it leaves you with hope and a true respect for the love between family.

Viola Shipman is a new author for me, and I am looking forward to reading more of her work. There’s a line in a song that people come into our lives for a reason and I think that describes this book perfectly. Mattie and her husband are leaving their beloved lake home due to her advanced ALS. As they are leaving, they find Mattie’s hope chest which has been packed away for many years. Rose, a single mother with a young daughter becomes her new caregiver. As they become closer, items from Mattie’s hope chest bring them together with the feelings and meanings that the items represent. This brings them all closer together and helps them find hope in adversity. It is a lovely, heartwarming and uplifting novel.

The Hope Chest

Viola Shipman


I have never read anything before by Viola Shipman but she broke my heart over and over again and she owes me a box of tissues. THE HOPE CHEST had me tearing up and trying to breathe past the huge lump in my throat over and over again. Learning about Mattie and Don's lives is so moving and will make you fall in love with both of them as you are reading. They are getting ready to celebrate their fifty year wedding anniversary but at the same time Mattie is in the final stages of ALS. Rose is hired as Mattie's caretaker and quickly becomes more of a family member and friend.


As Mattie feels the end getting closer and closer she shares her stories with Rose and her young daughter, Jeri. THE HOPE CHEST brings the four of them closer and each one realizes they now have the family they were looking for. Mattie and Don never had children and Rose and Jeri have no family, since Rose's parents passed away. Their relationship grows stronger and stronger each day, even though they were breaking my heart the whole time while I was reading. I really loved learning about Mattie and Don from their stories, but I felt heartache like I never have before.


THE HOPE CHEST is a beautiful but heartbreaking story. I became so emotionally invested in all of the characters and felt like they were lifelong friends. When they were sad, I felt sad. When they were happy I found myself smiling. I love when an author can do that to me and Viola Shipman did it perfectly. THE HOPE CHEST is filled with love, life, hope, sadness, happiness, and learning to carry on when our loved ones pass on. Be prepared not to do anything else until you finish reading this beautiful story. Once I started I had a hard time putting it down, especially when Viola began to introduce all of the treasures inside of Mattie's neglected hope chest.

This is not my favorite kind of book. I find these situations depressing. I know most people will love it, and it will be made into a Movie. However, I still wouldn't watch it.

This was a wonderful journey through the terrible world of terminal illness. Having read, and loved, the Charm Bracelet, I was so happy to be wow-ed by The Hope Chest. The challenges and heartache of the illness were portrayed so honestly. I loved the Hope Chest, it's items and what all of them represented and that the items would have new life even once their owner passed on. In a story that could have so much heartache, this provided nothing but hope. Wonderful read.

Viola Shipman out did herself again with this book. We all have moments in our lives we need to remember there is hope. Mattie has ALS and it isn’t easy when her independents is slipping away and everything is changing. Don Mattie’s husband hires Rose since he needs help taking care of his wife. Rose is a struggling single mom with a little girl named Jerri and she has no family left. When Mattie finds her hope chest she realizes she need to share the stories in order for the memories to go on living. Together they will find hope and the courage to deal with what life presents them and that life needs to continue after we losing those we love.

Touching book and well written story. If you haven’t read any of Viola Shipman’s book, please pick this up you won’t regret it! I highly recommend this book.