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A Hand to Hold
Is there anyone out there who understands?
After escaping captivity and torture, all Jessie wanted was her life back, to return to high school, hang out with her friends and kiss her boyfriend, Jake. But six months is a long time to be gone, and her kidnapper is still at large.
Frightening memories wait around every turn as Jessie attempts to sort terror from truth. Though home, she still hears her kidnapper’s breath mingling with classmates’ whispers, and Jake is nowhere to be seen...
Jessie wakes from her nightmare to find Cole Hastings offering up gentle smiles and a chance at freedom Jessie so desperately craves and never thought she’d find in a childhood friend. From the back of a Harley can Jessie make her way through the darkness and the chaos?
In her debut YA novel, E. Collins takes her readers into the mind of a girl who refuses to be a victim. Hop on, come along for the ride through tears and laughter, love and loss, on the road to rediscovery as Jessie fights through her demons in an attempt to find life on the other side.
After escaping captivity and torture, all Jessie wanted was her life back, to return to high school, hang out with her friends and kiss her boyfriend, Jake. But six months is a long time to be gone, and her kidnapper is still at large.
Frightening memories wait around every turn as Jessie attempts to sort terror from truth. Though home, she still hears her kidnapper’s breath mingling with classmates’ whispers, and Jake is nowhere to be seen...
Jessie wakes from her nightmare to find Cole Hastings offering up gentle smiles and a chance at freedom Jessie so desperately craves and never thought she’d find in a childhood friend. From the back of a Harley can Jessie make her way through the darkness and the chaos?
In her debut YA novel, E. Collins takes her readers into the mind of a girl who refuses to be a victim. Hop on, come along for the ride through tears and laughter, love and loss, on the road to rediscovery as Jessie fights through her demons in an attempt to find life on the other side.
433 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 15, 2019
49 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 19, 2019
Not bad for a debut novel. The book’s cover was a big no-no. Never put a camera photograph on a fiction book cover ever. It’s too literal and not conceptual enough—not artistic. It’s the reason I originally didn’t even bother clicking on it even though it was a recommendation. The intimacy on the cover could’ve been conveyed by an artist’s brush, crayons—any tool—but this was a lost opportunity for something a little more special, intimate, careful. I look at it and see a stupid fuc**ing stock photo like too many YA books with photographs or models. It honestly contaminated the first thousand words or so. I kept seeing these models. Don’t do that again. With covers think one-off or simple colors/words not instagram.
August 12, 2019
I just finished reading ‘A Hand to Hold’ by E. Collins for the second time. The story line holds a complex mix of real life issues being dealt with by an all American teen. The story’s told from a traumatized teenage girls’ point of view and leads the reader through her struggle to regain her life and self-worth. She just wants to be “normal” again and refuses to remain a victim. I highly recommend you read this book and see for yourself how Jessie deals with the insurmountable task of regaining her life after a horrific ordeal, while still managing to be aware and compassionate of the problems and issues impacting others around her. This young girl portrays the strength of character we all hope to attain.
December 8, 2025
Strap on your helmet and pull up your boots! You're going on a wild ride! Imagine being kidnapped right outside of your high school! And then escaping after six months of horrors! AND then having to look over your shoulder every second because the monster hasn't been caught! AND your years-long boyfriend is now avoiding you! YIKES! Who could deal with all that? (and her friends' problems too!) Jessie, that's who. And finds love in the midst of it all! You go, girl! AND keep your eyes peeled...cause BAM! There's a lil surprise.
August 9, 2023
A story of strength
Not my typical book but I just couldn't put it down. Being able to show strength and the struggle after tragedy is very hard to do but was handled well by E.Collins
Not my typical book but I just couldn't put it down. Being able to show strength and the struggle after tragedy is very hard to do but was handled well by E.Collins
January 10, 2025
Great
Overall good read, but slow at times. This romance novel is very emotional and I cried several times. I liked that Cole never left Jess. I found it hard to decipher the difference between flashbacks and present day reality.
Overall good read, but slow at times. This romance novel is very emotional and I cried several times. I liked that Cole never left Jess. I found it hard to decipher the difference between flashbacks and present day reality.
January 26, 2023
It wasn’t all that, I felt it could have been written better. Whilst it was cute between Colt helping Jess out - there wasn’t much to a storyline here.
December 17, 2024
I spent the entire book confused and wondering why they were skirting around what happened. There was never explicit confirmation what happened and it just left me with more questions than answers.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews