Hold on to Hope

Fight for Me #4

by A.L. Jackson

A best friends-to-lovers, stand-alone romance from New York Times Bestselling Author, A.L. Jackson . . .

Evan Bryant wasn't your typical hero.
But he was mine.
Broken by the worlds' standards, he was still the strongest boy I would ever know.
My best friend. The boy I'd given everything to. My heart, my body, and the promise of forever.
The day I'd needed him most, he walked away.
He left me shattered and questioning the love I'd thought we'd shared.

Three years later, I wasn't prepared for him to return to Gingham Lakes.
It wouldn't have mattered if he wasn't the most beautiful man I'd ever seen.
My fingers still would have ached to caress his skin.
My body still would have begged to get lost in his touch.
And my heart . . . it would have always sung his name.
But time changes things. With it, secrets that could ruin everything.
Can we find a way to love again, or have the fears of our past stolen the hope of our forever . . .

Genres: Romance, Friends To Lovers, Second Chance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Audiobook, Second Chance Romance

381 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 26, 2019

About the author

A.L. Jackson is the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance. She writes emotional, sexy, heart-filled stories about boys who usually like to be a little bit bad.

Her bestselling series include THE REGRET SERIES, CLOSER TO YOU, BLEEDING STARS, FIGHT FOR ME, CONFESSIONS OF THE HEART, FALLING STARS, REDEMPTION HILLS, TIME RIVER, and MOONLIT RIDGE novels. Start your binge with the first book in her latest series, From Here to Eternity! A broody single dad, a heroine on the run, and all the steam and suspense!

If she’s not writing, you can find her hanging out by the pool with her family, sipping cocktails with her friends, or of course with her nose buried in a book.

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Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can see why many people liked this book. The thought of two people meant to be. I mean, that’s what romance is to a lot of people. I agree with that as long as I feel they are worthy of each other. I’m sorry to say that I didn’t really feel that with Frankie and Evan.

Evan didn’t really do anything to win Frankie back. She always belonged to him and that was that. A few I’m sorry’s and I never meant to hurt you and I love you blah blah blah, and Evan gets all he ever wanted.

SERIOUS SPOILER below:




I really didn’t like the route the author took with the child angle. Not of Everett but of Frankie’s. Why?? It could have been done so differently. So the one thing Evan kept saying he couldn’t do, he had done with his hook up. He got his hook up pregnant and of course the baby turns out fine. But let’s take Frankie’s and Evan’s baby and give it no chance. Ridiculous...are you trying for sainthood or martyrdom with the heroine??? Frankie lost their child but since her long lost love returns with a child in tow she can show the world she can love this baby like no others business. I’m sure there are people that might be able to look at the situation and just accept it. But I am not one of them. He left her before she could tell him she is pregnant and she lost the FREAKING BABY! He wasn’t there. The whole reason he left Frankie was supposedly for her not to be burdened by him and his heart condition and to have the life he says he can’t provide due to his health. Then you come back and apparently you can give that life to someone other than your soulmate and she just accepts it with no resentment, anger, disillusionment? I just don’t feel that is realistic. I know he didn’t plan getting the hook up pregnant and I am thrilled that Frankie can love this child like her own. I just needed more. To me nothing was hashed out. He says he’s sorry...he’s her other half and She can’t live without him so she forgives him. I needed to see her blow up at him. I needed her to slay him with that hurt she felt and I needed to see him pick her up after that and put her back together. All I saw was him getting everything while Frankie sat back and waited for him to come back and hand everything to him on a silver platter.

This is just my humble opinion reflecting how I felt at this particular moment in time. It’s all subject to change when I have had time to really process it.

[❥ KAT ❥ Kitty Kats Crazy About Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

HOLD ON TO HOPE Is a full length romance novel by author 'A.L. Jackson' Spoken in Dual POV's.

This book right here took me by surprise on so many levels, this wasn't your run of the mill second chance romance, it had so much more going on. I read this in one sitting, devoured it as fast as my eyes could read the words on the pages, the flow of the story was perfect, the characters were so easy to relate to, the emotional turmoil our heroine felt became my pain. This was so beautifully written, the feels just rushed at me out of nowhere.

Our Hero Evan is not your typical character that you come across every day, he has genetic defects; ie: deafness and has had a heart transplant when he was younger, which mean't he needed many surgeries making his life expectancy not the greatest. Which played a big part with him up and leaving everything he held dear to his heart behind.

Our Heroine Frankie Leigh has loved him with a passion for as long as she can remember, but he broke her heart when he left her for 3 years leaving nothing but a letter behind. Leaving her devastated, barely able to move on with life.

I especially enjoyed the flashbacks to when they were so much younger, (5 and 8) to present day..Such a heartfelt journey filled with secrets, suspense, danger and love..

[A.L. Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOW LIVE AND FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED! - A BEST FRIENDS-TO-LOVERS, STAND-ALONE ROMANCE



Get Your Copy Now: https://smarturl.it/HOTHAmzn2
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Signed Paperbacks or Pink Boxes: https://smarturl.it/HOTHPaperback

Enter the release giveaway!
https://smarturl.it/HOTHReleaseGiveaway

[Dilek VT]

Hero has a disability & illness, leaves the heroine for her own good so that he doesn't become a burden for her. He has a child from another woman and then comes back to the heroine.

No, thanks but no!

For further info, see this review:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Princess under cover · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to create a new shelf called "bad writing" just for this book.

This author thinks sentence fragments are entire paragraphs and love to go pages and pages with sentence fragments. Yes she also writes in complete sentences, like 30% of the time!

No thank you.

[London]

Fuck off with this trash. The hero leaves the heroine before finding out that she’s pregnant and lost the baby. He leaves her because he has a medical condition he doesn’t want to burden her with or pass it on and yet the son of a bitch had no problem knocking up someone else that’s not his “soulmate”? What kind of garbage is this?? And the heroine is just totally fine that he left her but then had no issue fucking and getting someone else pregnant?? She holds no resentment or anger at all? Get the fuck out of here.

[Elizabeth]

Spoilers
.
.
.



I'm so tired of the I left you for your own good, please accept and support me with the baby I had with another woman now....I would punch him in the face tbh 🙃

At least she wasnt celibate I guess whatever

[Mizz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nope, I cant do it....I cant forgive him for running away

Also....there was no grovel from him because the stupid heroine dropped her panties for him as soon as she could (whilst she had a boyfriend)

[Betül · Rating 4 out of 5]

**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**


"Did you really think I loved you so little? That my love was so superficial that you could leave and I'd forget you? Did you really think you could erase the spot where you are carved inside of me?"

I love friends-to-lovers and second-chance romances, and when the lead characters are the kids from previous books (Fighting series book #1 and #2) I read and enjoyed, it brings me extra joy. I was pretty excited to get started on Hold on to Hope. The main characters are Frankie Leigh (daughter of Rex from Show Me the Way) and Evan (son of Hope from Follow Me Back). They have had a strong bond and friendship from the moment they met when they were just five and eight years old. Evan has genetic defects: deafness and a transplanted heart. He shouldn't be alive and his life expectancy isn't high either. He feels like a burden to his family and friends, that they always will worry about him and not be able to live their lives to the fullest. However, Frankie Leigh has loved him so strongly and unconditionally. Their love was just so beautiful to witness in both the short flashbacks and present time. I felt a strong connection with and between them.

"All I ever wanted was to love you right. Be enough of a man to do it. To stand for you. To protect you. To take care of you. I never wanted you to see me as a burden. As a weight."

AL Jackson always does such an incredible job in making you live through the characters. Her writing style is very poetic and addictive. She will always pull at your heartstrings with her emotional scenes. Especially the flashbacks were a homerun in this book, I loved seeing the friendship and love grow over the years. I also loved seeing how the rest of the characters from the Fighting series were doing. It was just so nice to be reunited and see Frankie Leigh and Evan get their HEA. I can always depend on AL Jackson to come up with the best characters and straight forward romance that makes sense. No unnecessary drama or miscommunication that makes you want to pull your hair out. I fully understood why the characters made the decisions they did. I am just happy they found their way back to each other, because they were made for each other. The emotional scenes will bring tears to your eyes, the sex scenes will make you feel hot, and the suspense will have you on the edge of your seat.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Drama & angst overload. This writing style isn’t for me. It was just too poetic using all these pretty words to describe Frankie & Evans feelings. I had zero compassion for Evan. His decision just to up and leave everyone because he felt like a burden and then comes back home after 3yrs of no contact because he needed help. Then Frankie who I could not stomach. She was so immature and had no backbone. She forgave him way too easy & takes him back within days of his return.

[Night reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hold on to Hope. No, really. Hold the hope because this book is soooo bad.

I can't. i just can't.
It was just masochistic, Childish, unreasonable And plain dumb.

I won't even bother with spoilers.

The H is pathetic and the h is even worse. Seriously. It was so dumb

I would never forgive that kind of betrayal on all aspects.

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOW LIVE!
Amazon US * Amazon UK



This book was just too sweet! Evan and Frankie Leigh seriously gave me all the feels and I couldn't get over how cute they were together. Even during the heartbreaking moments when they weren't together after Evan left they still had so much chemistry and I was just begging the book to put them back together. They were true soulmates.

I'm not usually a fan of flashbacks in my books but in this story I adored every past moment we got to see with Frankie and Evan as kids. It added so much sweetness to the story and I thought it went along with everything they were dealing with in the present really well. Overall, this book gets a huge recommend from me.

[Sakshi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this is my second book written by A.L. Jackson. First being Give Me a Reason.

All the reading I've done, I've seen quite a few types of writing. Some of them being:
💡 The one we usually give 1-2 stars rating. There is no show and all tell.
💡 The descriptive and narrative ones. Like Nora Roberts. All the characters, surroundings, emotions... everything is discussed. That is one type of writing I adore and hate at the same time. Not all the authors can pull that every time. Hence, Nora Roberts is one of my favorite authors.
💡 A good writing. Ones we usually read. I mean, the normal. Good. Detailed, but not unnecessarily descriptive. The ones where you get lost in reading. Our usual 3-4-5 stars read. You know what I mean?
💡 And then there is this type of writing by this author. (Experienced it while reading both the books.) Filled with some kind of poetry. Let me give you an example, or two.
(Me trying to search and give you a perfect example. But, the whole book seems this way. So, getting more and more confused!) So, you know what - JUST READ A FEW PAGES OF THE BOOK, AND YOU SHALL UNDERSTAND!!!
I mean, the writing is kinda beautiful. But, to read it for entire 300-400 pages... it became a torture.

Okay, the writing aside - The story was decent. The characters were... not that bad. I mean, keeping aside the main characters, the secondary characters were a bonus. And of course, my baby, Everett. Then, the story was nothing original.

But, despite everything, here I am. Read the entire book, staying up late. And, now I'm judging myself for it.

Only thing worth mentioning :

I cut my gaze over to Everett before I returned it to her. “I get it now, Mom, how you always told me I was perfect to you, no matter my disabilities. Don’t think I ever really believed it before. Thought it was something you and Dad told me to make me feel better. But I get it. It doesn’t matter how this turns out, I will love him the same.”
Her nod was slow. “I don’t think a child can ever understand the extent of a parent’s love until they get to experience that for themselves.”

[AJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 “you are my favourite” stars

Oh, the feels! The epic, heartwrenching feels! I’ve been so eagerly awaiting this story, and I absolutely devoured it. Evan and Frankie Leigh’s beautiful second-chance, friends-to-lovers romance captured my heart, and I loved their story so much.

This book is a standalone, but it’s a spin off from the Fight For Me series. Frankie Leigh and Evan were introduced as children in that series (Frankie is the daughter of Rex from Show Me the Way and Evan is the son of Hope from Follow Me Back), both a big part of their parent’s stories and adorably irresistible on their own. They became instant best friends when they met, and grew up completely enmeshed in each other’s worlds, setting the stage for this, their epic love story.

Evan was born with a genetic heart defect. His health difficulties meant that he needed multiple surgeries, including a heart transplant, and resulted in him being deaf. His battles were a big part of Hope and Kale’s book and he survived it all, but in his early 20s it all became too much and he took off and cut off all contact with his friends and family. Now, three years later, and just as unexpectedly as he left, he is back… and he is not alone.

Frankie was left shattered when Evan left. The love of her life, he was her everything, and when he left she was left with just a letter, a broken heart and so many questions. She has tried so hard to move on, but with one glance at him she knows she hasn’t.

“There is no amount of time that could ever erase who you are to me.”

As old wounds are torn open once again, Evan begins to realise the magnitude of the mistake that he made in leaving, and oh, my heart! I was so devastated for all of the people that love him so dearly, and for Evan himself when he sees the damage he has caused. He vows to make it right, to make it up to the people he hurt so badly, and to win back the heart of the only girl he has ever loved.

“There hasn’t been a single day since the day I met you that I didn’t love you, Frankie Leigh … You belong with me. Just like I belong with you.”

But it won’t be easy. Frankie is understandably terrified to trust that Evan won’t leave her again, and though her heart aches for him, she tries to listen to her head and protect herself.

But Evan is one determined man-in-love, and it’s only a matter of time before their undeniable connection sucks them both in.

“Let me love you.”
…”As long as you promise never to stop.”
“Never.”

The love between these two is just amazing. You can feel it! You can feel their connection, the bond of friendship and the deep, undying love that they have for each other. They are each other’s whole worlds, and the passion, intensity and all-consuming need for each other just drips off the page.

Reaching out, I signed against the scar on his chest where his beautiful heart hammered at his ribs. YOU ARE MINE.
Evan dropped his forehead to mine. “You are my everything.”

So. Much. SWOOOOOOON!

But there are secrets from the past between them that have the potential to break their hearts all over again. And danger is lurking, threatening everything that Evan and Frankie are building together.

It’s a dramatic read that is full of feels, and I was sucked in from start to finish. We see glimpses of Evan and Frankie together over the years, helping us understand the depth of their connection, and they are just so beautiful together. We also get to see the couples from the Fight For Me series, and I loved seeing them in their roles as parents to grown up children – still supporting them and being there for them in every way that they can, that was really special to see.

Confession: I usually get a bit turned off by overly poetic, gushy writing, and I’ve struggled with that in A.L. Jackson’s more recent releases. Yeah, it was there again, with all of the metaphors and excessive emotion that had me wanting to roll my eyes. But the more I got sucked into this book, the less it bothered me. I was so caught up in the love story, and I was experiencing everything right along with them that I just let go and went with it.

This is a really beautiful story. Not the ideal path that you wanted these characters to have to go down, but there is this sense that it happened as it was supposed to happen, and I loved watching them work through it all and find their way back to each other

“I’m finished living my life without you in it.

I loved this one! 4.5 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Vicky Sp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recensione sulla mia pagina Bookstagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CRyxLktHm...

⭐⭐⭐⭐, 5
Evan era tornato. Era comparso a Gingham Lake come se non fosse mai andato via, quando in realtà nella sua vita e in quella del suo “unicorno” era cambiato tutto.

Frankie Leigh era stata la sua migliore amica quando erano bambini. Evan le aveva dimostrato fin da subito di essere un combattente e lei aveva saputo consolarlo e stargli vicino nei momenti bui perché lo riteneva un ragazzo speciale.

«Evan era la mia vita e il mio cuore e il mio tutto. Il mio migliore amico. Il mio primo amante. L’amore che avrebbe bruciato dentro di me per il resto dei miei giorni. Era la persona più gentile e generosa che avessi mai conosciuto» .

Ma poi se n’era andato. Frankie non aveva sofferto soltanto l’abbandono del suo migliore amico, ma anche la perdita del suo più grande amore.

Dopo tre anni aveva fatto ritorno nella loro cittadina e pretendeva di rimettere le cose a posto, come se un semplice colpo di spugna potesse cancellare il dolore e le cicatrici che la sua lontanza le aveva lasciato addosso.

«Mi. Hai. Lasciata! Ti amavo Evan. Avevo bisogno di te. Se il mio amore non ti bastava allora, perché dovrebbe essere sufficiente adesso?».

Evan le aveva risposto di aver capito di aver commesso uno sbaglio e che non sarebbe mai dovuto andare via. Ma all’epoca era convinto di star facendo unicamente il suo bene. Quando l’aveva vista entrare in ospedale e guardarlo con la sofferenza negli occhi, aveva compreso che senza di lui sarebbe stata meglio. Avrebbe vissuto una splendida vita, avuto una famiglia e le gioie che meritava. Lasciarla era stata dura anche per lui, ma necessario.

Ma Evan non poteva immaginare quello che di lì a poco avrebbe dovuto sopportare di terribile il suo “unicorno”.

🖋️Un romanzo nel quale anche questa volta l’autrice ha saputo rappresentare su carta emozioni vivide e potenti.

I protagonisti hanno sprecato troppo tempo nell’intento di sacrificarsi l’uno per l’altra: lui per proteggerla dalla vita che era convinto sarebbe stata solo un peso per lei, e Frankie dal dolore che Evan non sarebbe mai stato capace di sopportare.

🖋️L’amore è in primo piano. Ma segreti e bugie dette a fin di bene hanno offuscato questo meraviglioso sentimento, che comunque non è mai scomparso dalle loro vite, pronto ad essere nuovamente liberato.

Tanti i flashback e le introspezioni utili a comprendere le decisioni che Evan e Frankie hanno ritenuto necessario dover prendere a salvaguardia del proprio cuore, ma anche a beneficio della serenità dell’altro.

*Ringrazio la CE per la copia ARC *

[Jennifer Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars ⭐️

[Elisabetta Veneziani · Rating 4 out of 5]

La prima parte mi stava piacendo più del solito, nella seconda siamo tornati alle solite abitudini: le stesse frasi fatte che si ripetono, mille mila drammi 🙄 diciamo che si poteva evitare qualcosa, sarebbe stato bello lo stesso, anzi probabilmente meglio.

[✮ rach ✮]

Not a fan of the writing style. Too annoying and whiny (1st person). Prefer more substance, personally.

DNF.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A.L. Jackson has truly become a force to reckon with when it comes to contemporary romance books. This book is true contemporary romance but it does a bit of suspense that keeps readers vested in this story.

Hold On to Hope made me feel so much. The emotions these characters go through hit you directly in the heart. I won't give away much about Evan an Frankie Leigh because I feel that it's something readers should experience first-hand so the connection is stronger.

Something that really surprised me was who these characters are; they are kids of other characters from Amy's other books (you don't need to read those at all to read this book). I just loved that aspect and I think for any readers who have read those books will feel the same way.

This book is told from both POV's and goes back and forth between past and present. Amy does a great job of never losing her readers with the many different aspect, but gives the book a more well-rounded story that gives readers a better understanding of each character.

Hold On to Hope is a beautiful and emotional love story. A.L. Jackson really knows how to bring life to her words and give her readers a story that you can feel deep in your soul.

[Sbell · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 "You are not my favorite" stars. I don't
even know where to start with this hot mess
of a book. There will be spoilers, and I know
that I am in the minority. I'm just going to tell
a few things that really bothered me.

-this book could have been done so much
better, if the characters would have interacted
more and lived in their heads less
-TOO flowery. It had pages and pages, and
pages, and pages of over the top flowery
love words, love expressions, the she is my
soul, he is my world, blah blah blah. I got
sick of it. Give me more time with them,
not in their heads.
-The reason Evan left was BS
-Evan comes back with a baby he didn't even
know he had, in fact said baby is the reason he
did come back. SOOO he actually didn't come
back for Frankie. He came back because he had
a baby.
-The mother of said baby is of course villianized,
and of course was just a hookup. I'm over this.
If the guy is going to have sex, make a baby, I
would like to read that all the OW are not villains.
So sick of this.
-Frankies boyfriend Jack. OF COURSE she immediately
dumps Jack because- Evan, the only beautiful, loving,
froggy face, emotional love of her life WHO DUMPED HER
comes back and she doesn't even play hard to get. NEVER
asks serious questions. Never needs space. UGGGG. She
has spent years with Jack, and of course he is now a
villain, and she LITERALLY runs into Evans arms when
she sees him.
-When Evan leaves Frankie, she of course has to have
his genetically unhealthy baby, the genes that Evan has.
Baby dies. While Evan, against all doctors odds, has hookups
with a villainous girl and he has a perfect miralce baby. So what?
Frankie gets to raise this other woman and Evans baby and
never gets her own. Stupid
-My biggest complaint, as if the above isn't enough is that
Frankie is a dumb doormat. Eh, it's okay Evan because
"you are my favorite". She gives heroines a bad name.
She doesn't really want a real explanation, she forgets
all the heartache he caused. She really has not feelings
of regret over his having a baby and that the only reason he
came back was because of the baby. She should have
demanded more. She was so scared that he wouldn't be
in her life that she put herself second.

I can't believe this is the same author who wrote one
of my very favorite trilogies, The Regret series. I don't
know if I will read anything else by this author. This
book was enough.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

***AVAILABLE NOW - FULL REVIEW***

4 Unicorn & Froggy CROWNS

I love A.L. Jackson's style of writing. The emotional, angsty journey was great, and I loved the romance between these two. The second generation is off to a good start.

Evan is such a cute boy and he grew up to an amazing man. He, of course, made some foolish mistakes to protect those he loves, which lends to the conflict of the story, but overall he is likable, charming, and loves the heroine with his whole heart and soul.

Frankie is still the strongheaded spitfire little girl we met in her dad's book, just all grown up. I loved her character and spirit, and the way that she tackled adversity in the book.

The plot is engaging and has a bit of suspense added into it. The trumoil and loss that this couple endures is hard, and lends to the angst of the whole plot. I really enjoyed how the story unfolded and was resolved.

The male narrator for the audiobook was fantastic, but I didn't love Frankie's accent or the female narrators rendition of Evan's voice. Overall, though, it was an enjoyable audiobook.

As always, AL Jackson's poetic writing was beautiful. She really has a knack for pulling readers into the writing and the story-line, and the second chance romance of Evan and Frankie Lee exemplifies just that.

ARC review

[Melissa ❤️ bookaddict_fanatic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even know where to begin, except to say that Hold on to Hope was EVERYTHING!! This book was all the freaking STARS, all the freaking FEELS.... it made me laugh, made me cry and left me breathless! This was AL Jackson at her best..... with every page playing like a movie, vivid images and raw emotion that will leave you absolutely speechess! BEST FREAKING BOOK, TOP READ OF 2019 AND ONE I'LL RECOMMEND TO EVERYONE!!!!

[Sentranced Jem]

A friends to lovers love story? HELL YA!

[Lu Bielefeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐⭐⭐ - OK decent reads.
=======================
Same old BS!

He’d left me three years ago, and still, I could feel him everywhere.

He’d left me when I’d needed him most. Destroyed and decimated.

Like fucking some other girl was going to erase the pain.

“I was lonely . . . drinking a bunch at that time. Think she liked that, too. Kind of became a thing. We’d get trashed and hook up.”

You up and left her without a word and then came riding back with a kid three years later.

[HMS · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the plot, but



The writing style wasn't for me nor was the over the top (IMO) prose.

[Syndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the finest work of Miss Jackson. Hold On to Hope is a story about second chance, heart break and disability. The story have potential. I had big hope for Miss Jackson and her dramatic and sad writing.

But not really hit the mark and the Unicorn Girl? Honestly it is cringe and chessy.

3 stars

[Ambriehl Khalil · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ [4.75/5 Stars] ⭐️

Aw hell. I don’t even know where to start.

One of my favourite tropes of all time—yes, I’m aware that I sound like a broken record at this point—is childhood love. When they grew up together/fell in love slowly over the years. Ugh. I could swoon. Add on second chance romance and I’m in heaven. This was beautiful. Honestly. I don’t really have any other words to explain it. This is my second book by this author and I loved the other one a lot, but this just blew me away. It was definitely a page turner and I couldn’t put it down. While I was able to predict the gist of what was going to happen, I was surprised by a couple of the twists.

This novel was incredibly heartbreaking and touching at the same time. I may have cried several times. I adored these characters; their devotion to each other was so powerful. With every book I read, I’m always chasing an intense connection between the two main characters and I always finds the ones with history have the most. That’s why I love second chance romance so much, especially when their previous relationship is established well. Sometimes you can just tell when two characters are soulmates and that was most certainly the case for Evan and Frankie.

I love them so much.

I do however think there was a lot that could be improved on, so I understand why there are some seriously negative reviews. There needed to be more redemption for Frankie and her loss. She forgived too easily and there needed to be more of a reconciliation between the two characters where they discussed their past, their losses and what happened. It was too short and there needed to be more depth. Regardless of that, at the moment, I’m still a bundle of emotions. Maybe my rating will change with more thought and time. We’ll see!

[Sarah N · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, MY HEART!!! A.L. Jackson seriously gets me every time! This book has heart and soul, with a deep, undying, UNFATHOMABLE connection. All the stars, all the feels, all the amazingness!

Hold on to Hope has the perfect ratio of angst, heat, emotion, and a touch of suspense. I absolutely devoured the friends to lovers/second chance vibe, and hung on to every word, and loved every chapter. Author A.L. Jackson has an undeniable talent for injecting so much heart, and tying the reader to the characters. I love the connection, the chemistry, and the deep down feel good satisfaction in my soul.

Hold on to Hope is deeply emotional, beautifully written, and incredible beyond words! It's sure to touch your heart, and set fire to your soul. One click this sensational, five star read today! You simply can't miss it! xo

[Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 STARS

I don’t know how to be in your space and not want you, Evan. I don’t remember how not to be yours.”

Poignant. Powerful. Gripping. And utterly heart wrenching. AL Jackson knows how to create words that get into her readers souls. I swear. There's just something about stories that just stick with you. And there is no better example of it than with this book.

Evan first stole my heart a sweet little boy that was battling for his life in Follow Me Back. As a grown man, he was absolutely devastating. He and Frankie Leigh have been thick as thieves since they were just little kids. They were best friends whose love for each other soon evolved from children's adoration to something so much deeper. But when Frankie thought they would be together forever, Evan broke her heart by leaving town with nothing more than a note.

Now three years later, Evan is back, and all those feelings that Frankie thought she's finally moved on from come roaring back.

While emotional and angsty, this is very much a sweet friends-to-lovers/second chance romance. Admittedly, sweet isn't really my thing when it comes down to preference, but there was something so charming about this book that it just worked for me. Maybe it's the fact that Evan wasn't your stereotypical hero. He was sweet and intense all at the same time. The love that he had for Frankie was devastating and heart warming all at the same time. I loved watching them find their way back to each other and seeing Evan fight for her. There's something so incredibly endearing about Evan. His health struggles and all the pain that it brought along with it wasn't easy to read about. He went through so much as a little boy, and so much of it follows him into adulthood.

There's one particular plot device that was present here that I typically shy away from, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't diminish some of my enjoyment of this book. Unfortunately, I struggled with this piece of the story for a while. I equal parts understood it and hated it all at once.

But then somewhere around the second half everything just grew on me. And when the plot twist hit? I was all in! It came entirely out of left field and I didn't see it coming at all. It brought everything in a full circle and just made the book for me.

This was another emotional and beautiful romance from one of my beloved authors that tugged at every heart string I had. I can't wait for more!

ARC courtesy of author in exchange for an honest review

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[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!!

“Loving her had been the easiest thing in the world. Letting her go the most brutal.”

“My eyes climbed to hers as if they were searching through the rubble, fingers bloody and knees scraped from the time it had taken to claw my way back to her. I felt her life a goddamn stake to the heart. A scourge. A balm.”

“Love doesn’t work like that Frankie Leigh. We cut ourselves wide open when we love. Make ourselves vulnerable. Our hearts reliant on the other.”

A heartbreakingly beautiful second chance romance. So much heart and feels went into this story. The emotion pouring off of the pages. I was unable to put this book down; unable to walk away from the story that is Frankie Leigh and Evan.

Frankie Leigh and Evan’s story is the kind that just snags your heart from the very first page. The love these two shared was the reach for the stars, once in a lifetime type of love. A love that they thought could move past anything…until the day arrived where Evan would break Frankie Leigh’s heart. Evan thought he was doing the noble and right thing, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Evan leaving broke Frankie Leigh in more ways than one and it will be three years before these two lovers are once again reunited…..

Frankie Leigh and Evan are the ultimate book couple. The love and friendship between the two them was immensely palpable. Yes, there was hurt. Yes, there was pain and heartache. But, there was also the purest of love. A love that can withstand anything and any time. A love that burrows so deeply inside your heart and a friendship built to last a lifetime. Three years later and their connection was just as strong. Sure they had some major stuff to work through and lets face it, time has changed both of them, but the devotion was still, clear as day. Their hearts and souls calling out and aching for one another. My poor heart didn’t stand a chance. I was on pins and needles as I went along with Evan and Frankie Leigh’s journey. My heart ached and tugged with every page. I was breathless with anticipation and couldn’t wait to see just how Evan and Frankie Leigh’s story would play out….

Hold on to Hope is a beautiful story of love, hope and forgiveness. It is a story filled with heart, emotion and a little suspense too. A story that will captivate and consume you. The heartache, angst, and romance will all feel as though it is a part of you; as if you are experiencing it all right along with the characters.

Hold on to Hope hit all the marks and took me on the most incredible journey. A.L. Jackson has written a poetic and romantic tale of love and proves once again that there are some loves written in the stars.

In the end, Hold on to Hope left me not only with a big smile on my face, but heart filled with so much love and hope. I loved every single moment of this story from beginning to end. I’m so glad that I trusted this author with my heart and took a chance on this truly incredible journey. I laughed. I cried. I raged. I swooned. I fell head over heels for Frankie Leigh and Evan. Their story was written in the stars and so worth every angsty, heartbreaking, hair pulling, swoon worthy moment……

*I was provided an ARC copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review*