Finding Hope

Librarians of Willow Hollow #0.5

by Amanda Tero

Lena Davis’ life will never be the same.

Aunt Melba Lynn was gone. And with her, the only fragment of comfort left Lena’s life.

Without Aunt Melba Lynn, Lena doesn’t have a choice but to spend her days alone, surviving while Mom spends her days away.

Unless the stranger in town can provide a solution.

A short story prequel to "A Strand of Hope" by Amanda Tero.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Christian Fiction

ebook

Published June 15, 2020

About the author

Amanda Tero grew up attending a one room school with her eleven siblings—and loved it! She also fell in love with reading to the point her mom withheld her books to get her to do her chores. That love of reading turned into a love of writing YA fiction.

Amanda is a music teacher by day and a literary guide by night, creating stories that whisk readers off to new eras and introduce them to heroic but flawed characters that live out their faith in astonishing ways.

Reviews

[Emma | meadowroselibrary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short, cute little book was amazing!! I absolutely adored Lena and felt all the emotions with her of sadness, happiness. I was just so heartbroken with her, I felt like I was right there.
I'm now so anxious for the next book!!

[Amanda Tero]

Super excited to send this short story out on Monday with Lena's cover reveal!!

[Hannah Leake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great job Amanda! This is such a sweet short story, and I can’t wait to see what else Lena’s story holds! I definitely recommend reading this short story, especially if you are planning on reading “A Strand of Hope”

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story tugged at my heart and made me long to get my hands on "A Strand of Hope."
My only complaint: It was too short and I didn't have the rest of Lena's story!

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading "Finding Hope"! It was really interesting to see more of Lena's childhood. And it pairs beautifully with her main story. If you are wanting to read (or even if you have already read) Lena's full story in "A Strand of Hope", I highly recommend you read this lovely short story as well!

[Joshua Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lena's story in Finding Hope was a great set up to A Strand of Hope, the first book in the Librarians of Willow Hollow series.

The way in which Amanda shoes Lena's heartbreak at the death of her Aunt while also showcasing what the relationship between Lena and her mother was like is amazing and I can't wait to read A Strand of Hope to learn more.

Overall, I would give this short story prequel a 4.5 out of 5 stars. It was a nice set up to the story to come.

[Jordy Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding Hope doesn't have a whole lot of intrigue on its own, but those who have first read and enjoyed A Strand of Hope will surely enjoy this bite-sized piece of backstory. My favorite part was seeing how Lena met one of the other beloved characters and how books became so dear to her.

[Kaitlyn S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone who enjoyed getting to know Lena in "Strand of Hope" will absolutely getting to see a glimpse of her life before the librarian days. The writing is as masterful in this little nugget as it was in Lena's original story, and my only complaint was that it was too short :D

[Erika Mathews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and interesting backstory to Lena’s tale. :)

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so I really loved this short little story! The faith-content was woven in so beautiful! I don't want to give any spoilers so I'm not going to elaborate, but it was SO GOOD!!! I feel in love with Lena's character so quickly. I definitely didn't like the mother in the story, but maybe she will change in the novella "A Strand of Hope."

[Kim Hampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story is a prequel to A Strand of Hope. I loved the glimpse into Lena's early life, and it set a great back story for the novella. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet story! It's easy to relate to, since books and God are the solution.

The setting is Willow Hollow, October 1930. I appreciate that the date is listed at the beginning, to give an immediate sense of the setting, but even though the place is not mentioned until almost the end, the general setting is established very well through mentions of moonshine and an Acme Princess stove.

The writing is smooth, to the point, and leaves no confusion. It's basically just what I've come to expect from Amanda Tero, and I believe this short story was successful; it has caught my interest for the main novel in this series.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars & 3/10 hearts. This was a very interesting prequel. I felt so sorry for Lena & became very interested in her story... can’t wait to read “A Strand of Hope”!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author for promotional purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.*

[Lauren Compton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a sweet story! It left me wanting to know the rest of Lena's story. And I appreciated the theme of looking to God for our hope, even when life feels hopeless! :)

[Brooklyne E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely piqued my interest for Lena’s story!

[Autumn Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a sweet story!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding Hope is a very short prequel to A Strand of Hope. This short story gives the reader a little insight into Lena’s childhood. I had started reading A Strand of Hope and then received Finding Hope as the author’s newsletter signup freebie. So I quickly read this story before continuing A Strand of Hope. The characters in these stories, especially Lena, are well written and realistic. I would recommend Finding Hope to anyone who wants a taste of the author’s writing style or to readers who have already enjoyed A Strand of Hope.

[Tarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick, cute story that will warm a book lover's heart. This is the story of how little Lena Davis discovers that a library is coming to her town of Willow Hollow... and that opens the door to Lena finding the magic hidden in books!

A nice prequel to an amazing book, A Strand of Hope. Be sure to read that one next!

[Hanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was super sweet! I loved seeing the Lena's backstory and some of the backstory to A Strand of Hope.

[Tara Savanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great little snippet into Lena's life and how she came to love books so much! Like many others, I wish it could've been longer, I wasn't quite ready for it to end!

[Rachel Lemmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the moment that I started the first sentence of Finding Hope, I was engrossed! Lena is such a relatable character, and I especially like how the story is written to sound like it's coming from a child's perspective. Excellent excellent! I will be definitely be getting A Strand of Hope in the near future!

[Val Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Within the first paragraph, I found myself completely at home in the story, which tugged on my heart from the very beginning. Tero evokes the reader's empathy for her character and makes us desperate to see her loneliness resolved. I enjoyed the prequel very much and it left me wanting more.

[Maridele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very short story which is available only through signing up for the author’s newsletter. I add that last part because I was looking everywhere for the book! It is a good lead in to the series Librarians of Willow Hollow.

[Rachel E. Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very sweet little story. I love how much emotion there was in only five or so pages of story.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story! This is a great reminder that sometimes God doesn't take pain away, but He helps us through it. I can't wait to read the next book!