Hope Rising

by Amy Spade

Reggie has a secret she is desperate to keep. Because there is no way she wants to become "that girl" in school all over again. And that should be fairly easy, considering her recent move to a new town where nobody knows or cares why she is living with her brother and not her parents.

So why does Reggie feel drawn to Sam, who looks at her with knowing eyes? Why is it so easy to spill everything to the death of her parents, the blame she places on herself, and her broken hopelessness for the future? Maybe it's because Sam has a secret of his own.

As Reggie learns from Sam, when life is falling apart, sometimes the only hope you have left is the kind you can find in yourself. And sometimes it takes forgiving yourself to even begin to see it.

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Fiction

254 pages, ebook

First published June 22, 2012

About the author

Amy Spade lives in the valleys of central Pennsylvania with her husband. She spends her days writing and wrangling (domestic, not wild) cats.

Amy once spent an entire childhood summer trying to play "1,000,000 Rummy" with her sister and a friend. She hasn't been the same since.

Reviews

[CeCe · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/3 Stars

Reggie has to move from NYC to a city in Pennsylvania with her brother and sister in-law after her parents died in car accident. Before she starts her senior year in a new high school, she meets Sam while hiking. From they their story continues.

This book had a great start but then it fizzled. I heroine was just okay. There was nothing special about her. I think a lot of issues she brought on herself. She was the one creating the drama where there was none. The friends were okay. The misunderstanding could have been cleared up with one question. It became a bit ridiculous.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I couldn't put it down and found my heart breaking along with Reggie. Her world is such a reality for so many of our teens. I teach middle school and always look for books that I can recommend for my students to read. This will definitely be one that I promote. The impact that others' have on our lives and how our experiences mold us into the people that we become is a great lesson through this book. I would love to see a sequel to this as she continues to work through her grief.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

YA , but definitely worth the read

[Neha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't bad. It was a quick read, the characters felt authentic, and I give the author credit for a very realistic depiction of grief and the associated mixed bag of emotions. I do, however, feel like the book could have benefitted from extending the storyline a few months to Reggie's high school graduation - it would have felt more complete as a narrative of her whole year in State College, and as it stands the ending is pretty abrupt. I feel like we're left in the middle of things without really knowing what's going to happen to any of the characters. There are also a lot of distracting grammatical errors - whoever edited the book doesn't seem to know the difference between your and you're.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking through the Kindle's lender library to find something light, funny and romantic to read and this hit the spot. It was not too long and I finished it quickly probably because it was hard to put down. I wanted to know more about Reggie and her life and was drawn into it. I like YA novels (being a high school teacher myself) maybe because I see kids like Reggie and Sam all the time. I would probably give it a 4.5 stars...definitely worth a read! :)

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt that there really should have been more development between Sam and Reggie. It seemed like they had such a strong relationship but we never got to see how it really got there. It was a sweet sad tale but otherwise lacked any depth.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good read. Some good writing, good storyline... I wanted more of ending, but I say that about a lot of books that I've read.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want more Sam.