Watching from her wheelchair, Mattie Tice supervised the move from her beloved lakeside cabin with a broken heart. Her prolonged battle with ALS had left her tired and weak, requiring her husband, Don, to be her constant companion and caretaker. Living at Hope Dunes had become too difficult for Mattie, and they had made the decision to move to a house in town, where Mattie could move about more easily. During the movers’ final sweep of the cabin, one of the men discovered Mattie’s hope chest in a corner of the attic, and brought it to her, releasing a flood of memories.

Rose’s life as a single parent had been much more difficult after the death of her parents, and she was hoping the job as a care provider would be enough to support her and her daughter Jeri. Already nervous about the interview, she was even more distressed about having to leave Jeri in the car while she spoke with the Tices about the job. During the interview, Jeri was invited in, and her curiosity about the hope chest at the foot of Mattie’s bed quickly won them over.

Mattie’s incredible strength and determination shone through on every page. Though she basically became a prisoner in her body, she still managed to interact with Don, Rose, and Jeri, and somehow found pleasure in small things. Don’s unending devotion to his wife was absolutely beautiful, and Rose and Jeri provided love, caring, and comfort to both Don and Mattie. This story had everything – love, laughter, loyalty, home, heartache, and happiness – but most important of all, there was hope. Hope is the thing with feathers…

I loved how the author alternates between the present and the past, through the reminisces of an aging ALS patient named Mattie. The peek at Mattie’s life as girl and young woman shows some of the circumstances that made her into such a strong, caring woman. On the other hand, the present moments give a glimpse of what it is like to suffer such a debilitating disease. There were times the story brought me to tears as my connection to her and the people in her life became solidified by the author’s detailed and heartwarming writing style.

The author also added some past details for the other characters: a young caretaker named Rose and her daughter Jeri. She peels the layers of Rose’s life to show us a a young mother who is struggling to pay her bills and care for only child. When Rose is hired to take care of Mattie, a wonderful relationship develops between the women, and also Mattie’s husband Don.

The hope chest plays an important part in this story because each item that was carefully placed in it has a story, and these treasures are an important part of getting to know the characters. I loved the idea of the hope chest, and I’m glad to see that the author wrote about it. I never had one, but it seems like such a lovely tradition to be given one at a young age and add special things for the future as the years go by.


I want to thank St. Martin Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

A beautifully written tale of love, loss and discovering happiness in the little things in life.

“There is always hope where there is love.”

Mattie and Don Tice have been married for 50 years and Don still loves Mattie more than anything. But as Mattie’s ALS progresses, he is forced to seek help taking care of her. When Don hires Rose, a struggling single mother, as Mattie’s caretaker, he had no idea how involved Rose and her daughter would become in their lives. They became the family they never had.

The story is told in phases after Don and Mattie list their beloved lake house for sale and move someplace easier for Mattie to navigate in her wheelchair. During the move, Mattie’s hope chest is rediscovered. Throughout the book, Mattie finds comfort in the heirlooms in her hope chest as she asks for them or they are discovered. The story flashes back in time to when each item was placed in the box and tells of the importance of each item in Mattie’s life.

When I first started reading this book, I really didn’t know much about ALS. Now I have a good idea what the patients and their loved ones go through. I got totally lost in this book. It is a very emotional story full of love, hope and the value of family.

I thought this bible verse was a perfect addition to the story.
“‘So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.’” Corinthians 4:16–18

This is a fantastic emotionally charged story that both broke my heart and gave me hope. Mattie and Don are an older couple dealing with Mattie's battle against ALS. She's reached a point where her care is too much for Don to handle alone so they hire a young woman raising a daughter on her own. Rose and Jeri bring much needed life back into the home and the four of them form a comfortable little family unit. They really bond as the go through the items Mattie has stored in the Hope Chest. Each item has memories attached and reminds Mattie and Don of the wonderful life they've shared and shows Rose and Jeri how extraordinary love and family can be. This is a wonderfully done story and one I highly recommend.

I have read Viola Shipman’s The Charm Bracelet, and, after reading The Hope Chest, I am not sure which is a better book. Both deserve at least five stars, and I would gladly give more stars if I could. In The Hope Chest, the author has set forth a wonderful, fascinating story. Mattie and Don have been married for many years and it is very obvious that they are still very much in love. However, Mattie has been diagnosed with ALS, and Don has become her caregiver. When things become too much for him, they hire Rose to supplement Mattie’s care. Rose is a fiercely independent single mother, struggling to support her young daughter Jeri. Both Don and Mattie as well as Rose have secrets and memories that are gradually revealed through the book, as they bond together in love and Mattie’s support. In Rose’s case, she finds the family she and Jeri want and need. In Don and Mattie’s case, they find a daughter they always wanted but never had and, in Jeri, a terribly exciting and sometimes precocious and smart youngster, they soon grow to love as if she is their long-awaited/ wanted grandchild. The story follows these four individuals as three of them care for Mattie in their own way, while Jeri adds a sometimes humorous but usually poignant moment. The story is both fascinating and heart wrenching. It is never easy to watch someone move closer and close to death, but this book manages to do this in a tactful and beautiful way. Watching each of the characters grow in their relationship and bonding was definitely interesting. The biggest thing I liked was the tactful way the author handled all this. As I said, I cannot decide whether this book or her earlier one is better. What I did like was the beautiful way author handled this issue. Viola Shipman definitely writes and handles often difficult issues well, based on this and her other book. She is one author to watch. I am very grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book. I think anyone who enjoys a good read will enjoy this book, especially if you have read and enjoyed her other writing.

From the author of the heartwarming novel, The Charm Bracelet comes a new novel filled with as much warmth and charm as its predecessor. The Hope Chest by Viola Shipman is a beautifully written story of never-ending love, hope, and beautiful memories.

Mattie grew up with loving parents at a cozy beach house. As she grew older, the beach house became hers and her husband’s Don’s home. Filled with memories, Mattie is saddened in her old age to leave it behind. But she is struggling with ALS, and can no longer care for herself. Her husband is a loving and tireless caretaker, but he can’t do it alone, so they hire a woman, Rose, who has a young daughter, Jeri, to help care for Mattie. As time goes on, the older woman grows to care for Rose and her daughter. One day the young girl opens the old hope chest and suddenly the memories of Mattie’s childhood come alive. Mattie has a charming story to tell for each item in the chest, and the reader is shown her world, one item at a time.

A lovely story woven between the past and present, The Hope Chest is sure to pull at your heartstrings. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a story of family, love, and hope.

Viola Shipman’s book, The Hope Chest is one of the most wonderful stories I have read. It is a story that ties three people together, people who are struggling with hope. Mattie has ALS and is nearing the end. Don, her husband is floundering and overwhelmed. Rose is hired as a home health aide and with her comes her precious and precocious daughter, Jeri. Together, they find love and hope and family even in the midst of Mattie’s battle with ALS. The story pulls on your heartstrings and reminds you of how each of us not only depend on each other, but grow and thrive with the comfort of family and friends.

My mere words cannot possibly give this book the depth and passion it so deserves. I can only tell you that to me The Hope Chest is a must read, however I would suggest that a cuppa tea and a box of tissues be your guide to enjoying the book. Viola Shipman and The Hope Chest gives us a truly marvelous story that reminds us that home and hope are only a letter apart.

This was a beautiful book of hope and love. Mattie has ALS. Her husband Don has been taking care of her but he needs help. Rose and her daughter Jeri, start helping Don take care of Mattie. When Mattie was a little girl, her Mom started a hope chest for her. Each chapter of the book is about an item in the hope chest. The items in the hope chest are a story in themselves for Mattie, Don, Rose, and Jeri. It is a beautiful story of hope, love, and family. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Dunne Books for ARC of this book for an honest review.

Right from the beginning of the book, I could tell it was going to be an emotional read and it definitely was. It is a beautiful story, though, very well written but heartbreaking. It was touching how Mattie, who has ALS, and her husband Don, made Mattie's caregiver Rose and her young daughter, Jeri, a part of their family from day one of Rose becoming her caregiver. Mattie's sharing of the contents of her hope chest is what brings them together. The bond that developed between the four of them really moved me. Reading this book will make the reader realize how precious life is and that you just never know what life is going to throw at you. It certainly made me realize that. I really felt for Mattie as she was no longer able to care for herself and do the things she loved to do, mostly designing gardens as a landscape architect, or just caring for her own garden, something she really had a passion for. And I also felt great sadness for her devoted husband of 50 years. They had a such a beautiful relationship. I enjoyed the flashbacks to Mattie's years as a child, when she met Don, and the stories of how she acquired the precious items she had stored in her hope chest. I was not familiar with McCoy vases and now after reading this book and looking up McCoy vases online, I feel the need to own one. They are indeed beautiful, just like this story!

This is the second book by Viola Shipman that I have read and loved. It definitely won't be my last. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of this truly amazing book.

Beautifully written, this book reminded me of a Diane Chamberlain esque book, and I love how deeply the author cared about the characters you can definitely tell in her writing.

THE HOPE CHEST by Viola Shipman captures the love and life story of Mattie and Don, a married couple approaching their 50th wedding anniversary. But Mattie has ALS and she is approaching more than just this milestone. She's approaching the end and that is how they meet Rose, Mattie's caretaker, and Jeri, her spunky daughter. What unfolds is a story of her lifetime told through the precious items stored in her hope chest and how to keep hope when faced with loss.

There are many lessons in this novel about family and home. As a sentimentalist, I loved the premise of this novel - that our story is captured by the things we keep or hold dear and having each item in the hope chest be a "part" for the book was a great idea. The book is touching though predictable. This is a dialog driven story, which I usually don't prefer because I get hyper-critical about how realistic those conversations are. The most refreshing dialog comes from Jeri who has none of the apprehension others have towards Mattie. She is completely honest as children are and is written very well. The rest of the dialog sometimes read as unbelievable because there were too many grand sentences to teach life lessons. I really liked the subtler gestures in the book - like how Don could read Mattie's mind about what stories she wanted to tell, how he puts his hands on her shoulders all the time, and how he says repeatedly that she smells of sunshine throughout the book.

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

You will need some tissues handy when you are reading this book! A single Mom who is raising her teenage daughter with no support sytem is dying of ovarian cancer and must make some difficult decisions. This book deals with many issues, including rape, spousal abuse and anxiety disorder. The author does an excellent job writing about these sensitive issues along with great storytelling. This story is heartbreaking and will stay with you long after you finish the book. This is the first book I have read from Sally Hepworth and I will be looking forward to more from this author! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely love Viola Shipman's books. After reading "The Charm Bracelet", I was hooked on this author. I was going on Net Galley like every other day plugging in "The Hope Chest" seeing if it was available after I found out that it was coming out. Every day, I was disappointed. Then one day, I got an e-mail telling me that since I had read the first book, would I like to read the second book. Hallelujah! Heck yeah! I hit that button so fast, my head was spinning. And just like the first, this one did not disappoint.

Like the first book, the charms on the bracelet brought out a story from the mother's past that she told her daughter. This one the items in Mattie's hope chest told a story that she relayed to her caregiver and her daughter. *TISSUES NEEDED* Mattie, once a world renown landscaper who had done so many world famous gardens for aristocrats, public gardens, presidents, movie stars, etc., has ALS. She has suffered from it for over 4 years. Don, her husband, can't really handle doing everything for anymore and has hired a caregiver, Rose. Rose has a young daughter, Jeri, who is seven years old and she is very mature and like an old soul for her age.

The story of how these come to meet, how the stories from the hope chest help them bond and how they become a family are so endearing. I just loved, loved, loved this book. And now, I wait to see what truly enchanting book the author has coming up next. I can't wait!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for approving my request for this long awaited book and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

The discovery of a hope chest helps change Mattie, Don and Rose's lives. Mattie has been diagnosed with ALS and is having trouble dealing with everything. Her husband Don doesn't want to lose her or live without her. Rose becomes Mattie's caretaker and she and her daughter Jeri bring a happiness with them. A novel of hope, love and family.

What a clever and inspiring concept. This story takes a hope chest and turns the items in it into a story filled with warmth, sadness, love, and yes, hope.
ALS is an integral part of the story. A loving husband lives with the tragedy of seeing his wife of 50 years fight this debilitating disease.
It's also a story of hope.
Two small families find each other. Two families in desperate need of something the other has to offer. In the end one whole family is formed to help, love and cherish one another. Out of tragedy hope is found.
Beautiful! 5 Stars!

This is a fantastic book that will bring you to tears but will leave you with a feeling of hope and love. The characters are well done, the plot is terrific and the setting is fantastic. Before I tell you a little about the book, I want to say that the book had me hooked with the setting in Michigan on the Lake. I spent all of my summers at Lake Michigan about 100 miles north of the setting of this book and I think Lake Michigan is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The author described the area and Lake Michigan so well, that it brought back great memories of the time that I spent there (and still do).

Mattie and Don have been married almost 50 years when the book begins. Mattie is very independent and has been fighting her diagnosis of ALS but the disease is getting worse. Her husband is totally devoted to her and takes care of her by himself until her disease progresses and he needs help. They hire Rose, a young down on her luck mother with a 6 year old daughter Jeri to take care of Mattie. Rose (and Jeri) bring some joy into their lives as Mattie begins to share her memories that are stored in the hope chest that her parents gave her as a child. Each chapter is devoted to a different memory - a vase, an apron, a snow globe and others - and we learn not only the history of the item but also how it affects them present day.

I will warn you that this is a sad book, Mattie's impending death hangs over every page and as you come to know her better throughout the book, it gets sadder. The important thing is that you are not left with a feeling of sadness but a feeling of love and family and the fact that family is not made up of who you are related to but it's made up of the people who love you.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own.

Oh my gosh! This is such a touching, beautiful story filled with loving people reliving some of their most wonderful memories.

Mattie has ALS and knows the end of her life is coming. She and her husband hire a caretaker to help out. Little did they know that Rose and her young daughter, Jeri would come to play such an important role in her remaining days.

As they pull items from Mattie's hope chest one by one, Mattie and Don relive their lives through these treasured memories. I loved learning about their lives and the memories that each thing had attached to it, memories that were full of love and happy times. As they recalled the importance of these special pieces in their live, they passed their life lessons onto Rose and Jeri.

This is one of the more touching scenes in the book and it essentially sums up the whole story—"Everything in here has a story and a history, Rose thought. Each of these heirlooms has taught me something not only about Mattie and her family, but also about herself. They are living lessons."

This is an amazing story and I was equally enchanted by this author's previous book, The Charm Bracelet.

Such a sweet story with absolutely lovable characters, in a town you'll want to move into. Single-mom Rose finds work caring for Mattie, an ALS patient. Rose and young daughter Jeri find their way into Mattie's heart, as well as her husband Don's. Together they all learn to face death by focusing on hope: specifically, the various treasures found in Mattie's long-neglected hope chest.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin Press for letting me read an advanced copy of The Hope Chest by Viola Shipman. This is the first book from this author that I have read. I was very impressed with this wonderfully written book of hope!

When Mattie was your her parents gave her a hope chest as an Easter gift. Many years later Mattie is diagnosed with ALS. As her and her husband, Don are cleaning out Hope Dunes to put the summer house on the market, the old hope chest is found.

Mattie and Don hire Rose as a caregiver as Mattie's health begins to fail. Rose is a single mom whose parents have both died and is struggling financially. Rose has a young daughter named Jeri.

The books chapters are divided into each item in the hope chest. The characters are bonded by the items in the hope chest. This book is of hope, inspiration, family, love and second chances!

Absolutely beautifully written!

Loved it the hope chest I want one can't wait to read more from this author