Finding Hope

It's more of a 4,5 stars. I really enjoyed this book, and I loved the characters. I will be writing a review on my blog soon, and will add the link to it, when it's up.

This ARC was graciously provided to me by Netgalley and Dundurn for an honest review.

The Blurb focuses on Hope but it’s really a dual story and POV about two siblings, Hope and her brother Eric. I could not put this book down and was up until 3:30am reading it. That being said I found it a pretty sad and heart wrenching read. I liked how the Author seemed to really know her stuff concerning drug addiction and the angst of teen age girls. I’m not a big reader of heartbreaking books and tend to avoid them but I was drawn to this story and glad I picked it up. I would not recommend this book to anyone under 18 years of age because of the drug abuse, language and sexual content and may need a warning for those who have been sexually abused.

REVIEW: This book will be popular with mature readers who loved Beatrice Sparks's Go Ask Alice and Ellen Hopkins's Crank series. Hope and Eric's alternating chapters are believable and heartbreaking. I really liked that Eric's chapters give us a glimpse into Eric's thoughts and behaviors while he is high on meth and while he desperately seeks his next fix.

I loved both Hope and Eric, and I felt for both of them. Eric's addiction stems from a life-changing event, and Hope's naivete makes her vulnerable to some of the most disgusting cyberbullying I've seen. Unlike many YA stories of addiction, the parents are not the cause of the problems, but they do unwittingly help enable them. The dad really made me mad in his hard-nosed stand, and the mom wrings her hands and worries but doesn't really know how to help. I kept wondering why no one tried to get family counseling or, instead of kicking Eric out, put him into a treatment facility. I get that he is 18 now and an adult, but Eric's addiction started when he was 16. Why did no one think of getting him treatment then? Or at least some family counseling for Hope and the parents after they kicked Eric out?

I also love how, though the story is dark and incredibly sad, it stays true to its title. It's dark, but it's not all gloom and doom. For teens in Hope's situation, with a drug-addicted sibling, Finding Hope just might help them see that they are not alone and that there can be a happy ending if they search out professional help.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Don't miss it. The themes--drug abuse, sexual abuse, bullying, suicide--are very mature, so I do not recommend this title for middle school.

STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: Even though I have high school students, this title has some very mature (but powerful) themes and scenes. If I were in the USA, I would get it for my high school library. But in my current international school in China, I'm conflicted about getting it. We just have different (read: more innocent) students than I had in the USA. I'll have to think about this one.

READALIKES: Crank series (Hopkins); Go Ask Alice (Sparks); The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Chbosky)

RATING BREAKDOWN:

Overall: 5/5 Creativity: 5/5 Characters: 5/5 Engrossing: 5/5 Writing: 5/5 Appeal to teens: 4/5--very mature content Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5

CONTENT:
Language: moderate--includes 30+ F-bombs; sh**
Sexuality: high--sexual abuse (described in some detail); sexting nude photos Violence: moderate--Eric is violent while he is high--punches innocent people, commits burglary Drugs/Alcohol: high--it's about a meth addict, and he gets high many times in the story. Also alcohol drinking in dorms.

I read this book in two hours last night. Based on a brother and sister, you read about the struggle of a meth addict and a girl trying to fit into a prep school. I really enjoyed this book. This is a great book if you want something to get lost in for a few hours.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review.

Wowza this book is small in terms of pages but HUGE in terms of subject matter.This book is not a light YA read, it is HEAVY with troubling issues. This book deals with sexual abuse, bullying, mean pranks and drug addiction.

In Finding Hope, Colleen Nelson tells the story of two siblings: Hope and Eric. The book is told through both of their points of view. This really worked for me. I liked how we learn about each characters thoughts and emotions. Their story unravels at a good pace using this technique. Their POV chapters show how they relate to not only to each other but also how they relate to those around them. The POV chapters also give the reader a glimpse into a drug addicts mind and also into the mind of their loved ones. I found that Eric's POV chapters were the most moving due in part, to them being more troubling and heartbreaking.

Hope is a young girl who is accepted into Ravenhurst, a private boarding school that she views as a ticket out of her small town. It is also her Mother's dream for her. She is an avid poetry writer, who uses poetry as an outlet for her innermost thoughts and feelings. In her public school, she felt like an outside who never fit in. At Ravenhurst, she jumps at the chance at acceptance, even if that acceptance is by the "mean" girls at the school.

Eric, once a talented Hockey player is a Meth Addict always looking for the next score. He wasn't always an addict. He was once a good looking talented teenager with a talent for playing Hockey. What could have possibly happened to change his life so drastically. It doesn't take long to figure out as the Author gives us hints and clues along the way thorough Eric's point of view.

This book was very good and I really enjoyed the poetry. I loved how it added to the story. It was a very good reflection on Hope's feeling and emotions. The ending did not feel rushed and it was nice to see that both characters found some "hope" at the end.

A quick but intense read that really delved into the psyche of an abused teenager turned drug addict and how it affects his teenage sister. Eric turns to drugs and becomes addicted to meth to deal with the pain of an abusive experience. It was startling how entranced I was with this character. It relayed a strong message of what drug addiction is like. They know it's bad and they are aware of how horrible they are, but they just CANT stop. Then there is Hope, a teenager just looking for a new start where she isn't associated with her "meth head" brother. Leaving him behind, she attends a boarding school three hours away. Looking in the wrong places for friends, she gets tricked in the worst way and has to deal with the effects of that situation while dealing with her brother popping up looking for money for his next high. This was a haunting read that kept me riveted all day as I couldn't wait to see what happened next.