Hope

Operation Galton #1

by Terry Tyler

'We haven't elected a Prime Minister, we've elected a lifestyle'.

As the fourth decade of the 21st century looms, new PM Guy Morrissey and his fitness guru wife Mona (hashtag MoMo) are hailed as the motivational couple to get the UK #FitForWork, with Mona promising to 'change the BMI of the nation'.

Lita Stone is an influential blogger and social media addict, who watches as Guy and Mona's policies become increasingly ruthless. Unemployment and homelessness are out of control. The solution? Vast new compounds all over the country, to house those who can no longer afford to keep a roof over their heads.

These are the Hope Villages, financed by US corporation Nutricorp.

Lita and her flatmates Nick and Kendall feel safe in their cosy cyberspace world. Unaware of how swiftly bad luck can snowball, they suspect little of the danger that awaits the unfortunate, behind the carefully constructed mirage of Hope.

Terry Tyler's nineteenth published work is a psychological thriller that weaves through the darker side of online life, as the gap between the haves and the have-nots grows ever wider. Whether or not it will mirror a dystopian future that awaits us, we will have to wait and see.

Genres: Dystopia, Thriller, Science Fiction, Amazon

515 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 23, 2019

About the author

I am self-published with thirty books on Amazon. Most recently I've published the first two books in my Revenge series, Served Cold and So Shall Ye Reap. More to come!

Other recent releases include Safe Zone, a dystopian/post-apocalyptic thriller. It follows on from the SFV-1 series (Infected, Darkness and Reset), but is completely stand-alone, so can be read as a story within itself.

I love watching and reading anything to do with history, post apocalypse, dystopian scenarios, anthropology, mountaineering and polar exploration. Big Walking Dead fan.

Favourite writers: Gemma Lawrence, Kate Mary, Blake Crouch, Deborah Swift, Carol Hedges, Douglas Kennedy, John Boyne, Deborah Moggach, Judith Arnopp, Jon Krakauer, Phillipa Gregory, John Privilege, Zeb Haradon, Dylan Morgan, Kate Atkinson, Norah Lofts, Dorothy Parker, Bill Bryson, PJ O'Rourke, Ann Swinfen, Keith Blackmore, Frank Tayell.

Reviews

[Stace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com

‘Hope’ is the latest novel from the pen of multi-genre author, Terry Tyler. This time, she gives us an Orwellian futuristic Britain, where life is lived mainly through the media and society is drowning in hashtags and sound bites. Many jobs have disappeared through mechanisation and automation, making career choices few.

Bubbling beneath the surface of this brave new world, there are sinister undertones. Little by little, commerce and politics converge as manipulation and control are disguised as altruism and benevolence. The ability to stay in employment depends on lifestyle and the penalty for not conforming to ‘the system’, is severe. From the start we have glimpses of the lives of the unemployed, most of whom are rounded up and forced to live in modern day workhouses, or ‘Hope Villages’.

The tale unfolds in the presence tense, through the eyes of our main character, Lita Stone. Lita is a social media influencer who works part-time in a café. We meet her at a happy time in her life, when she shares a top floor flat with people she considers to be family and sees her boyfriend, Brody, intermittently. Inevitably perhaps, Lita and her foils fall foul of the Establishment and things begin to unravel.

Lita et al, start to feel extremely uneasy about the ever-increasing intrusion of the State into every aspect of their lives. Prime Minister, Guy Morrissey and his go-getting, fitness guru wife, Mona, are a sinister combination, working hand-in-glove with Mona’s powerful father who owns a multi-national organisation. Now in power, the greed and cynical manipulation of this triumvirate, knows no bounds. It seems there are no depths to which they will not sink, in their attempt to silence any dissenting voices. Moral conscience is a thing of the past in Britain in 2029 and we have uncomfortable parallels with Nazism.

Among other devices, Terry Tyler develops her story through tension, imagery, pathos, irony, foreshadowing and sharp wit as the true extent of the Government’s plans for the future are revealed. Her characters experience a wide range of emotions but she gives Lita the resilience and strength to make a stand.

From the synopsis, I was worried the story was a little too close to Tyler’s recent successful trilogy to have sufficient impact. I’m not sure the plot gripped me quite as intensely as the first book in the ‘Project Renova’ series but looking at ‘Hope’ objectively, the cast are three-dimensional, the descriptive passages vivid and the pace well-managed. I particularly liked Lita and Mona’s backstories which give retrospective insight into their formative years.

I think new readers will be totally captivated by this story so on that basis, ‘Hope’ is worth a full five stars.

[Leonard Tillerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

When settling down to read Hope by author Terry Tyler, keep the following passages from Charles Dicken’s masterpiece A Christmas Carol in mind:

“At this festive season of the year Mr. Scrooge, … it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries.”

Scrooge- “Are there no Prisons?”

“Plenty of prisons…”

Scrooge- “And the Union Workhouses. Are they still in operation?”

“Both very busy sir…”

“Those who are badly off must go there.”

“Many can’t go there; and would rather die.”

Scrooge- “If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”

While A Christmas Carol was published in 1843, if we sprint ahead 200 years in the novel Hope, we will arrive in a futuristic Britain with some very intriguing parallels. In both works the poor and downtrodden remain on the outskirts of society looking in. However, in the novel Hope, something more sinister and esoteric is afoot. A perfect read for those who love fast-paced and intelligent fiction… which is really not so far from the truth!

The novel follows the lives of the three major characters- Lita, Nick and Kendall. Lita is a successful blogger and social media influencer; Nick is a journalist and political activist who goes under the pseudonym “Widow Skanky” in his spare time; and Kendall is a cute, yet needy, retail assistant. The three friends are roommates who are increasingly concerned with the direction their country is taking. A new government under the leadership of Prime Minister Guy Morrissey and his wife MoMo, is making itself known for strict austerity and an unforgiving nature. It brings to mind the phrase, “only the strong survive.” Or is that really the truth? Sometimes people are hit with pure bad luck, or in some cases, debilitating sabotage. That can lead to their utter destruction despite having a robust inner strength. This is something the trio find out first hand. When they run afoul of the authorities, they spiral all the way to the bottom and end up homeless and in the workhouse known as Hope Village. The three failed to safeguard themselves in a society which basically knows and follows your every move. Privacy simply does not exist and security is only for those who play nice. Will the friends be able to rise up and overcome what seem to be insurmountable odds? or are they doomed to a lifetime of suffering in this new and unforgiving land?

I have reviewed Terry Tyler’s work before so I was not surprised in the least by the quality of her writing. It is fast-paced, intelligent and gripping. It will engage the reader right from the outset and then spit them out at the end. Mesmerized from start to finish. I could honestly read her work all day long. However, what I found the most impressive in this particular book was the terrifying nature of the plot. This author knows her stuff! She understands the art of social media and it is discussed intelligently, realistically… and put together as part of a fascinating story! Also, around the globe we are currently observing the rise of austerity and harsh, narrow-minded governments which welcome exclusion as opposed to inclusion. As such, what Tyler puts forth in Hope is not too far from reality. That is what makes it a truly terrifying book!

In regards to characters, I found the many different players to be very well developed and entirely believable. They are characters who I will not soon forget. For instance, Lita experiences a roller coaster of growth throughout the novel. We see her experience extreme highs and devastating lows. We are also able to get right into her mindset. Nick and Kendall play significant supporting roles, albeit at opposite ends of the spectrum. Nick as a caustic rebel and Kendall as a gullible individual who simply wants to be loved in a cold-hearted world. In my opinion, Kendall may be the wisest of them all in the end. As a reader you find yourself rooting for the trio as they battle setbacks and truly evil, devious individuals.

Overall, I was entranced by this novel and give it my highest recommendation. It should be required reading for those who possess a social conscience … but more so for those who do not. Top notch fiction which is juxtaposed with current events.

5 out of 5 Orwellian Stars for this one! *****

[Fergal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Dystopian UK, great tension and storytelling with characters that the reader cares about. Bravo TT!

[G. Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, and was just as equally disturbed by it. A chilling version of the future, which also contains the hope that compassion survives, despite the best efforts of some.

Ms Tyler has a gift for taking strands of the present and weaving them into a completely believable, and chilling, vision of the near future. A future where compassion and understanding, individuality and difference, are being slowly replaced by judgement and condemnation; where all people are stream-lined into a vision of "perfection" held by the few, and not for the reasons they say, but for commercial gain, for a world they want. It is a future where the poor are shunned, segregated and slowly destroyed, where the body, if it does not fit into the "right" size, is shamed. Products to bring about "perfection" are sold through fear (much as now) of not fitting in, not being perfect, not being enough.

This book condemns the ills of our present society and shows a terrifying vision of what happens when judgement replaces compassion. A world where kindness is dying, strangled by revulsion, where acceptance and variety are shamed rather than celebrated, where people are made into consumers, forced by shame and circumstance into a docile, helpless work force, making the few rich richer.

There were echoes of 1984 in the book, but brought up to date. A population kept under control by shame and fear, kept spending where they need to spend by the message that in order to be perfect (and only by being perfect will they have jobs, home, love) they must be a certain way, their lack of privacy sold to them as freedom, a "freedom" which is then used as a weapon against them.

And yet, for all this there is a real message of hope I saw at the end. Whilst evil continues on, so does the fight. Those willing to risk, those willing to stand up and question the system will encounter problems, life altering in many ways, but those voices count. Those voices stand up. Stand out. The war is not won in one go, and the book makes that clear. It is the battles that matter; standing up with a voice that is yours alone to say when something is not right. That, is the hope I took from the book. Hope has many meanings in the book, but the book ends with a hope that unlike the Hope Villages, is not fake, is not something packaged up with nothing solid inside. Hope is in people, in individuality, and is in the knowledge within us of what is right and wrong, and the courage to speak out against injustice. Hope is in human compassion, in love and in friendship. Hope is in us.

[Cathy Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope is a scarily plausible look into a dystopian, not too distant, future. The title of the book has several implications, the main one initially being the Hope villages, which couldn’t be more misnamed, but as story progresses there are glimpses of the true meaning of the word.

Guy Morrissey, elected prime minister, along with his fitness and health leading light wife Mona, have become the golden couple, known as brand Morrissey. With their two perfect children they are the role models for the nation. Mona is on a mission to get the populace fit and anyone who doesn’t conform risks unemployment…and worse.

Lita Stone makes her living from her blog, reviewing and commenting on social issues with honesty and objectivity, and from profitable advertising. She also enjoys working part time in the health food café that kick started her rise to online fame. She shares living space with Nick, a journalist and the anonymous face behind the acerbic Widow Skanky, and Kendall, who suffers from constant low self esteem but takes the time and care to listen to others. Social media has become even more intrusive and people share most aspects of their lives online.

Paul Bettencourt, Mona’s father, is the founder of Nutricorp and the corporation is the power behind Brand Morrissey. Seemingly working for the greater good, the actual motivation is profit and control of the population by purposely increasing the social and economic problems of the country. There is a zero tolerance policy for homelessness—anyone picked up is sent to a Hope village—which are all provided for by Nutricorp and so the cycle is maintained.

We follow the fortunes of Lita, Kendall and Nick, as their lives begin to unravel and the story takes an even darker turn as the true horror of the villages, and the enormity of those that control, use and manipulate, emerges. Those that fit the required government criteria have no thought, concern or compassion for anyone else’s misfortunes. Ultimately though, there is a glimmer of hope. The fight against evil has only just started.

Hope is a well thought through, thought provoking and well written tale from Terry Tyler, which is disturbing and too near a possible future scenario for comfort. Vivid descriptions paint distressing pictures of living in a country effectively dominated by a far reaching conspiracy. The characters are multi layered and realistic, all with their own personalities shown through dialogue and introspection, some to engage and empathise with and some to feel only loathing for, but all with the varied aspects of human nature that come to the fore in certain situations. It makes compelling reading.

I chose to read and review Hope based on a digital copy kindly supplied by the author.

[Sally Cronin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the scariest books I have read this year... very close to reality.

As a fan of Terry Tyler’s books, I was expecting to enjoy her latest book, Hope. What I was not expecting to be was horrified as well. I doubt that I am the only one who wonders how we are going to move forward from our lives today, as technology becomes integrated, into not just our personal lives, but in communications, the work place and crucially, as an every advancing tool for our governments. We are already spied on by cameras, monitored on social media, having our personal data used for many purposes, and allegedly listened to on our devices. Wonderful if the attention is to stop crime as they tell us, but how quickly it might cross over into population manipulation.

This is set only a few years into the future from 2023 on wards. Ordinary, hard working people are being fired from their jobs and find themselves homeless and at the mercy of the government and the new aid package. Villages where there is little hope of leaving, and where the numbers do not add up. Well crafted media campaigns promise a better Britain but it is tough to tell truth from lies. Those who want to expose the corruption are shut down and seeking the truth becomes dangerous.

The author has captured the era of where we are now accurately, which is very frightening. Superficial role models, a welfare state, education and health service stretched to the limit and increased lifestyle related obesity and disease. Crucially she also recognises how very little positivity is broadcast via the media, creating a very stark environment especially for the younger generation. Tyler then takes the next, and possibly inevitable step on from this scenario, leading us to a very dark place.

The main characters are realistic and identifiable, and are like billions of us, blogging and posting online daily, and initially doing very well by providing content that pleases. Some who are more sceptical are also working behind the scenes, questioning both the government and the growing monopoly Nutricorp taking over sectors of the food and health industry. Some work within the corporation, and begin to question its ethics or refuse to conform to the draconian regulations, but they are soon rooted out and fired. Leaving them with little option but accept the offer to relocate into one of the villages for the homeless… named Hope.

Those at the government level are greedy and self-seeking, and their goal is to get the population fit for work, and off benefits, by any means possible.

If this book was set in 2050 or later, one could dismiss it as a piece of science fiction that would never happen in reality. But everyday we see the signs of a fractured society in the headlines, in our own community and in most of our countries. I think everyone should read the book to see where that might lead us if we are not careful about who we put into power.

You won’t want to put the book down… and it will leave you with much to think about.

[Liza Perrat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope is a frightening exploration of a not-too-distant, dystopian future, the fourth decade of the 21st century. Frightening, and very disturbing, because this near future is entirely plausible in a world where social media has become even more intrusive than it is today, and where people share their lives online.

UK Prime Minister, Guy Morrissey, his health and fitness fanatic wife, Mona, and their perfect children, have become role models for the entire nation: Brand Morrissey. Any individual who doesn’t conform to Mona’s fitness regime (#FitForWork) finds themselves unemployed.

The power behind Brand Morrissey is the Nutricorp company, founded by Mona’s father, Paul Bettencourt. While it appears, on the surface, that Nutricorp has the nation’s best interests at heart, Nutricorp’s underlying motives are purely financial, through control of the population.

Young woman, Lita Stone earns her living from the profitable adverts people place on her well-known blog, where she posts honest reviews and comments on social issues. She shares accommodation with a sensitive young girl, Kendall, and with Nick, a journalist and anonymous icon behind the satirical and scathing online persona, Widow Skanky.

When the lives of Lita, Nick and Kendall take a downward turn, the trio find themselves homeless. And since there is no place for homelessness in this Brand Morrissey nation, they are sent, along with many others, to a Hope village, all of which are funded by Nutricorp.

The title of the book primarily indicates the Hope villages, which, with their policies of total control over the residents, hold anything but hope. But as we follow the struggles of Lita, Nick and Kendall, the true meaning of “hope” does emerge, as the ending leaves us with hope for the battle against such evil.

Terry Tyler is a skilled and talented writer, her descriptions vividly depicting the people living in this disturbing dystopia she so well imagines: those existing on both sides of the coin. She portrays a wide array of personalities: the ones who thrive in such situations, those who suffer, and those who decide to fight back.

I found Hope a thought-provoking and compelling read. I highly recommend it, not only for readers who enjoy dystopian fiction, but for those seeking a believable, multi-layered and suspenseful psychological thriller.

[Barb Taub · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when I come up with something that defines Terry Tyler’s writing, she delivers another game changer. In reviewing her other books, I’ve said that the one thing you can count on is that she’s not identified by genre, style, or theme. In fact, each new book (or series) is almost completely different from the others.

So what does Terry do? She writes Hope, a psychological thriller that echoes the dystopian themes and warnings of her excellent Project Renova series. And you know what’s worse? It’s good—seriously good.

The story follows Lita Stone, lifestyle blogger and social influencer—a term she hates but embraces all the same because it comes with the money, gifts, and freebies that make up her income. Although she works part time in a cafe, she sees her time there as a chance to ‘interact with live human beings’, while her main source of income is her blog. But along with her roommate Nick, Lita is worried about the slow, almost imperceptible, changes to the world around her—changes that see people less willing to help each other, and more willing to accept the loss of social gains and even privacy.

Lita lives with her two best friends—political blogger Nick and surrogate little sister Kendall. Together, they represent in microcosm most of the population of the UK. Nick is the brooding but altruistic visionary who is first to see what’s going on, but fundamentally underestimates the scope and scale of his enemy. Lita is the damaged orphan, an unreliable narrator terrified of sharing her love with anyone outside of the three-person family they’ve made, incapable even of trusting her relationship with her not-quite-boyfriend Brody. But she’s also the glue that holds their little chosen-family unit together. Kendall is the one who accepts #MoMo’s promises. It’s just so much easier to ignore the threat posed by the Hope Villages with their horrific echoes of the worst Victorian workhouses than to bother thinking for herself. Ironically, it’s Kendall who symbolizes the rest of the country. She surrenders her heart and soul to MoMo’s promises, is betrayed in the most fundamental way by the Hope Villages, yet represents the hope for the future.

As with all her work, Terry’s signature is her brilliant character development. Lita, who narrates most of the story, slowly peels back her own layers to reveal the insecurities that make her an unreliable narrator, both less smart and more brave than she realizes as she accepts the unthinkable situation as well as the unbelievable possibility that she is the one person who might change it.

Author Terry Tyler’s brilliant world building and character development doesn’t stop with the main characters. Consider this description of CJ, the former lover of Lita’s ‘sometimes-boyfriend’ Brody:

[QUOTE:]“He was offered the room by his friend CJ, with whom he had a relationship at one time; she’s one of those frightfully boho, arty women who say clever, profound things about the role of women in society. She has a bleached platinum crop and endless legs that are usually encased in black leather jeans; she’s a freelance website designer who vapes constantly and only ever drinks neat Grey Goose vodka, which I can’t help thinking is just a pose.” [END QUOTE]

And that, ladies and gentlemen and readers, is how you nail an entire character in two sentences. (You should probably take a breath now.)

There’s a theme that repeats several times through the book. “We are defined by the choices we make.” An entire country accepts a choice of government that promises to keep them safe—in exchange for loss of personal choice, and even at the cost of systematically turning their most precious possessions—phone, social media connections, internet access, friends, and even their own families—against them.

Kendall accepts life without trying to make choices. Lita doesn’t even realize she’s made the choice that starts her spiral into homelessness and life in the Hope Villages. And Nick makes a spur-of-the-moment choice that changes everything. But the turning point for Lita is what I think is the theme of the book, and that occurs when she accepts and then embraces being defined by the choices she’s made.

I wouldn’t say this is a perfect book. As I’ve said before, the author’s grasp of real world economics is shaky at best. I think most Americans would, like me, be amused at the thought they would—even for commercial reasons—have any desire to own the UK. (They might also be surprised at all the references to the ‘American Dream’ which actually means the exact opposite of how it’s repeatedly used here.)

But what I realized was that these points are actually irrelevant. When watching Walking Dead, you don’t stop to say, “But you know, zombies don’t really exist.” Nobody tells Harry Potter there’s no such thing as magic. And of course, Bambi can talk. Duh. In the same way, the real horrors of Hope Villages don’t lay with the economics of the structure, but with an all-too-human tendency to let others make choices for you.

There are so many brilliant echoes in this book, like the subtle reminders of the dystopian Big Brother in Nineteen Eighty-Four, with its not-at-all subtle echoes of the Nazis and their own ‘Final Solution’. But there are also notes of humor and love and—in an even more ironic twist on the title—hope. So unlike the dystopian classics, the flawed, three-dimensional, characters of Hope had me rooting for them and, yes, believing that hope is possible.

[Georgia Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lita, Nick and Kendall are close friends who live together. Lita Stone earns good money from her blog and works part time for Esme in a café. Nick Freer is a journalist and runs a couple of blogs anonymously. Kendal Clarke works for Zest, a restaurant which is part of Nutricorp.

The country has leading it a lifestyle brand rather than a prime minister. And Nutricorp, it seems, runs everything. Taking over supermarket chains and absorbing eateries into its vast brand.

Hope Villages are where the homeless go and have the Bettencourts (Paul, Caleb and Mona) behind them. A toxic family, if ever there was one.

When Lita, Nick and Kendall’s world spirals out of control, they end up in Hope Village 37.

Lita’s on-off boyfriend, Brody, used to work with Hope but left for an off-grid community. But not before there was a misunderstanding between him and Lita about someone called Jaffa.

When Lita discovers sinister practices taking place in the Hope Villages, she has to take action to speak up for those no longer able to speak up for themselves. Then disappear.

There are two short stories at the end of the book that show the background of why two of the characters are how they are–Lita’s first love and Mona’s self-control, which make an interesting addition.

Tyler is a terrific social observer. There are things mentioned in this story that are disturbingly familiar–the creep effect. As she says, it is just a story, but be warned…

Thoroughly absorbing and highly recommended. I am going straight onto the next book in this fabulous trilogy.

[D. Peach · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the not-so-distant future when the world is run by mega conglomerates and the vast majority of people are just getting by, the solution to increasing homelessness is Hope Villages. But is there really any hope of escaping poverty in a world rife with unemployment and rigged for the rich, beautiful, and powerful? When Lita and her two roomies find themselves unemployed, the only solution is to enter Hope Village #37. And revealing the truth about what happens within its walls can get you killed.

One of the things that was so enthralling about this read is how realistic it is. I can definitely see these villages (warehouses) for the poor cropping up in the near future. There’s a sense of just-getting-by and that anyone, including the reader, could end up in one of these places. And how they’re run is entirely based on the political party in charge. Scary, scary, scary stuff.

The writing is flawless. The read starts with a fair amount of backstory as Lita, her friends, and the challenges they face are introduced. It builds to a simmer with an impending sense of doom as things start spiraling downward. Before you know it, they’re out of choices, a point at which I found the book difficult to put down. The characters are emotionally realistic, vulnerable, brave, and totally outgunned by the powerful machine controlling their lives. The realism extends right to the end – no happily-ever-after here, though there is hope. Highly recommended for readers who enjoy suspense, dystopian fiction, and “this could happen” thrillers.

[Debbie Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fab read but a bit close to the truth!

I really enjoy this genre of book. Set in the future, where things are so controlled, I felt a bit sick with where the world of today is heading. Hope was a great read and kept me intrigued throughout. As a blogger it was interesting to read of how media was so important to the storyline and how controlled it all was. I will definitely check out more of Terry’s work.

[Brian Kitchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since reading '1984' as a young man, I have enjoyed reading novels portraying dystopian futures. Twenty years ago the future Britain that Terry Tyler portrays in 'Hope', would have been unthinkable. Now however, after ten years of austerity, one might even start to believe it possible. I certainly do.
The novel follows the lives of three young people, who through no fault of their own become homeless and end up in a 'Hope' village. There they soon discover that the Government's solution for an ever growing problem of homelessness and unemployment, is not a benign one.
I won't spoil the plot, but it is an excellent novel and one that I can highly recommend.

[Harmony Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only discovered this author this year, and I've fallen in love with her books.

Hope was all the more compelling because I'm reading it at a time in which the UK's PM is now seen in the news running with his personal trainer. Anti-obesity ads are on the radio all the time ... so much so that I just switch off. What's so different between fiction and real life right now? Not a lot, and that's freaky. It's also testament to the powers and prowess of this amazing writer. Whether way in the future, the near future, or now, she hits the nail on the head every time.

While the narrative is well written and mostly error free, I did pick up on a few glitches, such as:

'then' instead of 'than'
'whose' instead of 'who's'
'alright' instead of 'all right'

And some funny sentences which have some of the characters 'turn round' ... I'm sure the intention here was to 'turn around' instead of into a sperical shape!

And then there were instances of adding extraneous words, as in:

He shrugged (his shoulders) and She nodded (her head). We don't need the bits in parentheses because they're self-explanatory.

However, with all that said, these instances were few and minor and didn't detract from the brilliance of the story enough to lose stars. Whichever way you look at it, from all I've read up to now, this writer would have to work hard to get less than a solid five stars from me.

I'm heading straight to the next book in the series and cannot wait to get into it. Terry Tyler has become one of my auto-buy authors.

Even if you don't usually read dystopian or post-apocalyptic fiction, you'll love Hope and this series. And, most likely, you'll enjoy all of her books. Nothing that Ms Tyler has written up to now seems far-fetched because she has a chilling knack of making it all so real and not just possible but entirely likely.



***

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.
4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.
3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.
2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.
1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

[Zoe Saadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was like watching an especially good episode of "Black Mirror."

I read plenty of books by this author, so grabbed this one with great expectations the moment Amazon notified me it was out and available. No disappointments there...
A fan of "Black Mirror" series, I felt like I got a bonus episode of it, reading a new especially good and absorbing chapter in the series. The way the author depicted our lives, our reality of fairly firm dependency to the social media, whether of real addicts or those of us who use it and its benefits and opportunities to a bearable degree (or what Lita and Nick called "online economy"), then put it in not a very far away future and added just a few believable new high-tech developments like SneekPeek or GlobalOnline - just a step or two from our current reality, frighteningly believable future possibilities.
Lita, a successful online blogger that broke through and became a relatively known online "influenter" due to chance rather than her own confidence or ambition, was a character one is hard put not to care for. Analytic, honest, bordering with naive, deeply insecure inside, she makes the reader root for her and sometimes fight the urge to grab her and shake her hard in order to make her see the obvious (whether in her romantic life or the online-turned-into-real-life disaster).
Her roommates, who are actually the only family she ever had, are as likable and easy to connect to - the razor-tongued, sharp and observant Nick (I admit liking him a great deal!) and the adorably silly and endearing Kendall, the perfect listener. When their private world crumbles around them, it comes together with the general crumble of the futuristic UK all around them, with the pretty-looking PM and his online superstar of a wife (and the rest of their instagram-family) tightening their grip on the country through online means and reality shows (I was sitting on the edge of my seat, chewing my fingernails and wishing to scream again, this time at Lita and Nick "I saw it coming, how could you guys miss it, come on!"). From there it becomes a fast and frightening roller-coaster that made me read on and on, glued to my kindle, unable to put if down.

[Lisette Brodey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in the not too-distant future (four decades into the 21st Century) in the UK, Hope is narrated by Lita Stone, a popular and well-known blogger and social media aficionado, who lives in a flat with her best friends, Nick and Kendall. Living the “online life,” Lita is tuned in to the nation’s politics. She becomes increasingly uneasy by the policies of Prime Minster Guy Morrissey and his fitness guru wife, Mona, who, like Lita, has a large social media presence.

Although Lita and her friends are happy in their private flat, she cannot help but be concerned about the Hope Villages, homeless compounds that are owned by a US corporation called Nutricorp, that are suddenly dotting the landscape and offering services that some might see as too good to be real. It’s a good thing they are secure in their flat …

Only pages into this book, I found myself feeing unnerved by Lita’s narrative. In one respect it was intimate, in another, chilling. As rumors about life at the Villages began to increase, so did my anxiety. There was nothing in the story that I believed could never happen, and much that is way close to events that are already happening.

Hope isn’t the kind of thriller with shoot-outs and car chases, but a psychological thriller and cautionary tale paced ever so delicately, with just the right balance of hope and despair, that it keeps the reader off-kilter. If my schedule had allowed for it, I might have read this book in one sitting, as it was that engrossing and that gripping. Author Tyler has crafted a superb story that is more than just fiction; it is a warning worth heeding.

[Judith Barrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far back as her first books I have loved Terry Tyler's work, particularly as they are character led, and because the characters leap out at you on the page from the word go. When the author ventured into the dystopian genre (not one of my favourite genres) I thought I wouldn't like her stories. But, true to her style, she produced great rounded characters in a world that was both believable and gave a good sense of place.
And so she has carried on in the same way with this latest book. Hope continues to build on a future that is so easily credible but also made me very uneasy; because many of the themes that run through this story are juxtaposed with the premises of our world today. The people in power, whether in business or politics, influence and control the everyday life of the public; through lies and machinations. But where there is a modicum of subtlety (perhaps) in the present world, the depiction of authority and dominance in this future life is blatant in the control over the masses
The story revolves around three friends, living in Britain, who swiftly move from a flat share to homelessness. And hopelessness. But there is hope; two of the three, Lita and Nick, fight back against the tyrannical and oppressive regime.
It’s a gripping yet disturbing read. An unnerving story that ends, however, on the hope that humanity survives because of the intrinsic layers of empathy and compassion in the majority of mankind. I would recommend Hope to any reader, both those who like a good dystopian book and those who just want to settle down with a brilliant story

[Olga Miret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this novel prior to its publication, and I freely chose to review it.
I have read some of Terry Tyler’s work before (I’ve read her dystopian Project Renova series and I cannot recommend it enough), and I was keen to read her new novel, which also fits into that genre.
This story, set in the UK in the near future, felt even more prescient than Renova, and it perfectly captures some of the realities of today’s society (the increased reliance on AI and machines to replace many jobs, the dominance of social media, fake news, and the near impossibility of living a truly private life, the increase in populist politics, the problems of housing and homelessness in a society averse to welfare…), creating a mirror effect that reflects back to the reader some very ugly truths about today’s world. The rise to power of a politician supported (?) by a huge corporation, whose spouse is a media darling, the doctoring of social media news, hashtags, blog posts and reviews, a “new” (read “final” for a historical parallel that this novel will bring to mind as well) solution to deal with homelessness (very akin to “out of sight, out of mind”), the lack of funding for volunteer and charitable organisations, all sound far too real, and a more than likely scenario illustrating what fascism might look like now or in the near future. And the novel also makes readers realise that something like this could be the rule, rather than the exception. What would it take for many of us to lose everything and not be able to afford a roof over our heads or food on our tables? The author points out, loud and clear, that it is likelier scenario than we’d like to believe.
Tyler always manages to combine gripping plots with engaging characters. Here, Lita, a blogger with a sad and unhappy childhood, tells most of the story in the first person, and although she is very private (understandably so, due to her circumstances), it is easy to identify with her (well, in my case I also blog and review books, so I felt particularly close to her), her friends and co-workers, and the people she meets. There are some fragments of the story that are narrated in the third person from the point of view of the people in charge, and that allows readers to get a wider picture of what is going on (and to fear even more what might be coming).
I don’t want to go into a lot of detail about the plot, to avoid spoilers, but the ending is great (creepy, worrying, but not totally black), the writing is of great quality, as usual, and I challenge anybody to read this novel and not feel chills down their spine.
The author includes two short-stories that, according to her notes, had initially been written as part of the novel but she later decided to remove, to improve the flow of the story even further. They provide background information about Lita and Mona, and they enhance the novel, in my opinion. Mona’s story, in particular, should serve as a warning to parents (fat shaming and lack of true affection will have enduring negative consequences) and feels psychologically so true… I advise readers to make sure they don’t miss them, as they give a more rounded picture of the characters, and particularly in Mona’s case, an insight into a character that otherwise we only see from outside and feels totally unsympathetic (not that I loved her after reading the story, but I gained some understanding of how she got to be her, and also as to who might be behind it).
Another great novel by this Terry Tyler. Do read it and take the warning about our future to heart. I will keep reading her novels, for sure, and I just hope she is wrong.

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw what this book was about, I was really excited to read it. Within a few chapters, I began to think this is not so much futuristic as the here and now.

The thing with this book is it’s all just so believable. Guy Morrisey is the Prime Minister, and with his wife Mona or hashtag MoMo as she’s been dubbed, they have a vision – to get Britain #FitForWork. If you find yourself out of work for any reason, not only do you have to persuade any prospective employer that you have the qualifications and the experience to do the job, you also have to prove that your health is up to the job too.

Due to growth in population, more and more automation of jobs etc, work is in short supply. It really is the survival of the fittest who get what few jobs there are available. There is little in the way of a social safety net in this book. There is still social welfare but if you think you have to jump through hoops in real life now to get it, then think yourself lucky you’re not living under the premiership of Guy Morrisey.

Just like now, it’s the global corporations that have the monopoly on well……everything. It’s not difficult to imagine a US pharmaceutical corporation getting contracts for everything even vaguely related to health. Nutricorp has its fingers in just about every pie you can think of. They carry out health assessments to decide if you’re fit for work, if you’re not fit for work then you can’t have any benefits because they’re only to tide you over until you get a job and if you’re not fit and healthy then no ones going to give you a job so you can’t have any benefits. It all sounds sooo familiar doesn’t it.

Under our current ‘Austerity measures’ with benefits being stopped for the very slightest of misdemeanours, with our sick and disabled often being declared fit for work only to die not long after, we often joke (though without much humour) that it won’t be long before they bring back the Victorian workhouses. Enter Hope Villages.

In part two of the book it is a Hope Village where the protagonist Lita Stone and her two previous flatshare friends end up. Without a roof over their head and not entitled to welfare payments they have no alternative but to take up residence in one of these ‘back to work’ centres. Guess who runs them? Yep Nutricorp.

Part two revolves around life inside one of Nutricorp’s better ‘villages’. The story follows Lita and her two friends within the village. And Part 3, well you’ll need to read the book but suffice to say things get ever more chilling. The writing is very atmospheric, so much so that it kind of becomes claustrophobic just reading about life in a Hope Village. I could imagine places like this popping up in the not so distant future.

Personally, maybe I took it all too seriously I don’t know, but I just found the book quite disturbing in some respects. With the current divisions in this country and all the turmoil over Brexit, this story certainly makes you think about what the future really holds for us. I think it would make an excellent read for a book club as it opens up some interesting topics for discussion.

[Bjørn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terry Tyler has a rare and terrifying talent. She can foretell the future. There's only one thing that she gets wrong – the dates. Because she writes about 2026, but some of the things she describes are already happening.

There's not a lot of hope to Hope. UK's newly elected lifestyle... typo! Prime minister's wife and her husband start phasing out those who don't fit the #FitForWork, then #FitForLife norms. The undesirables are being sent to Hope Villages, which are neither villages nor filled with hope (delusion, perhaps). And it's terrifyingly easy to find yourself homeless, then a resident of a Hope, once you cross the corporation that essentially owns the UK and just so happens to belong to PM's wife's family.

An actual, non-fictional American president was aided by an army of Russian trolls, who skewed the social media enough to manipulate the result of the elections. This, sadly, didn't happen in Tyler's imagination. Hope presents the next steps. But she wasn't pessimistic enough. Software that "emulates" humans already exists, it's just not as good as in the book. A few days before I bought the novel I saw a presentation of a technology that allows to turn paintings into people who move and talk just like the "real" ones. When you see Mona Lisa chuckle, frown, roll her eyes, then show her profile, all based on that one painting, you can be either excited or terrified. Tyler's book will point you into the latter direction.

Fortune-telling, or perhaps misfortune-telling is something the author has done before in her Project Renova series. In Hope hashtags turn into brainwashing as #MoMo work tirelessly on getting rid of those who are not #FitForWork and turn them into ones not #FitForLife. The public – those who satisfy the government's, or rather its owner's requirements – applaud. Compassion, sympathy, empathy are replaced by hashtags, selfies, devices that record everything we do (Alexa, why did you send all my conversations to Amazon's servers?) that we... typo! That the people in the book bought willingly.

Does Hope offer some actual hope? Perhaps. Maybe. I wish I could say "yes, of COURSE, the baddies all die in horrible circumstances and the goodies live happily ever after once they've fixed everything". But when I look at the world in 2019, I wish I could say that Tyler's book feels like fiction. It doesn't.

*re-reads the above* OK, I'm done. Off to share this review on social media. #Hope #Goodreads #BookReview #FitForReading

[Cynthia Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Hope” is the perfectly titled new dystopian novel by prolific author Terry Tyler. Hope, of course, is all but abandoned in dystopias, including this one set in a Britian perhaps twenty years into the future, where the Prime Minister is married to an American heiress and media star. Her legacy is a vast and chilling conglomerate, Nutricorp, that controls everything in England from across the pond—to the food people eat to the prices they pay to the amped up media they consume.

Main character Lita is one of the fortunates at the start of the story. She’s still able to afford housing, shared with two friends, and has a dream job as a product review blogger. Lita has a huge following and lucrative advertising deals that keep her from the bread lines she notices growing daily. The social media aspects of the novel are so spot on that they seem predictions of our own world not too far from today.

Lita, who likes to get out from behind the computer and phone screens and into the real world, also works part-time at a restaurant, one of the few that is not owned by Nutricorp. She does it more for the people interactions than the cash. Lita and her friends talk about how the homeless population seem to have all but disappeared into new shelters: “Hope Villages” built and equipped by Nutricorp.

Soon, the restaurant closes, unable to compete with Nutricorp. Lita is fine, for a while. She’s still got her blogging gig and has even been asked to review a new kind of healthy drink for Nutricorp. This leads to unimaginable, even terrifying, consequences. Lita is at heart an investigative journalist and her curiosity and sense of justice lead her to a heart-pounding climax. Is all hope truly lost, or is there a glimmer somewhere in the distance? This page-turning psychological thriller is both a caution and a prayer.

[Shelley Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terry Tyler has a gift for producing memorable characters that stay with you long after you’ve closed the book. Hope is yet another excellent example of the authors talents. She can also scare the living daylights out of you with her post-apocalyptic storylines!

Hope is a fictional story that’s a little too close to home. Terry Tyler taps into the state of the world and current affairs to weave a plot that can delight and terrify you. We’ve all seen the men and women sleeping in shop doorways who have hit rock bottom and now live on the streets. Do you ever consider how they got there, or the circumstances surrounding their misfortune? Hope follows three friends as their bright futures are slowly stripped away by the government who claims to care.

As I read this book I felt the fluttering of panic in my chest at how easy it can be to lose everything and not be in control of your own life. As with all of Terry’s books the story is driven by amazing characters and plenty of twists.

I could fully connect with top blogger, Lita Stone as she relishes her warm and safe attic room doing a job she loves and making a decent living. Okay, so I don’t make a decent living from my job, but that sense of belonging and home was incredibly relatable. To see the speed in which your life can be unpicked was chilling.

Although the plot was disturbing in its real-life possibility, it was also refreshing to see how the weak and broken can fight back. There are plenty of threads left open for a sequel, which I hope we see in the future as I’d love to find out what MoMo has in store, and if she’ll ever wake up to the controlling puppet master that stays just out of the readers reach.

A fabulous story that will leave you horrified and hopeful.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is classified as a dystopian thriller, but make no mistake, it's also a horror story simply because it isn't outside the realm of possibility something like this could happen in the not too distant future.  And that should scare the crap out of anyone.

The new PM, his wife, and family are perfect examples of how social media can be used to manipulate followers/viewers and distort the truth.  As in real life, much of the population buy into what they're selling, but others are put off by the hype and determined not to drink the Kool-Aid.  Soon, disturbing ramifications of these new policies and laws come to light, and the number of jobless jumps significantly.  Lita and her friends are employed and feeling secure in a shared comfortable flat, believing homelessness and unemployment can't happen to them.  Until it does.  And it's terrifying to see how easily it can happen. 

Tyler does an outstanding job at portraying the different reactions of three people in identical circumstances - yet, Lita, Nick, and Kendall's emotions and actions are entirely believable and valid.  I felt their frustration and outrage at the system and the sense of helplessness and lack of control over their own situations.

This was an easy five star read for me, and days after finishing, I was still thinking about it.  With shades of Big Brother and current events, Hope is guaranteed to leave you feeling unnerved.

 I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. 

[Elizabeth Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope takes us to an alternative UK in 2028. Just 5 years earlier, shiny new Prime Minister, Guy Morrisey, had been elected, part of Brand Morrissey, with his wife Mona, a fitness guru, and two clean living photogenic children. Now we meet Lila Stone, whose earnings come mainly from her social comment and review blog, content with the lifestyle she shares with her flatmates, Nick, a successful online journalist and Kendall, a sweet curvaceous girl. But slowly things begin to fall apart. Queues outside foodbanks become longer each day, Nutricorp, a company started by Mona’s father is becoming increasingly powerful and Mona’s project to make ordinary folk #FitForWork attacks their confidence and even their livelihood.
Lila’s childhood as a foster child has made her independent, and she is determined to help those in need, but she is reluctant to seek help for herself. Gradually she, Nick and Kendall find their comfortable life moving to “Just Getting By” and then “Totally Fucked”. Will they end up entering one of the villages for those who fail to support themselves, called Hope?

The frightening thing about this novel is that it is not so different to the world we live in now. The toxic effect of social media on well-being and how easily powerful factions can distort facts is present in our society and with the slightest shift we could be in Lila’s place. Another really powerful dystopian novel by Terry Tyler which could so easily become our reality.

[Deborah Swift · Rating 5 out of 5]

The underdog vs corporate big business.

I loved this book. Three friends who share a flat find themselves homeless through a series of unforeseen circumstances. Set in a future Britain where the homeless are shipped off to the equivalent of internment camps, this story tells what the friends do to fight back, and how they battle to make a stand against a repressive 'handmaids tale' regime. The characters are well-drawn and convincing - Lita and Kendall, the women, have very different views and different ideas about what 'home' means to them. Nick, the third friend, is the glue that holds the women together until... well, I won't spoil the plot!

In this future world where politics and big business walk even more closely hand in hand and profit is more important than people, internet influencers hold massive amounts of power. This novel deals with the issues of fake news, constructed personas, and the control of the masses - a book that entertains, in addition to making you think. There is emotional heart to the story as the three try to blow the whistle on the injustices of the system which sees the most vulnerable in society 'cleansed' from public life. Those that resist meet sudden death in suspicious circumstances.

Will the three friends survive against all the odds? I was turning the pages late into the night to find out.
A gripping read and the premise is clever and all too plausible.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope is a 5 star read for me. It’s also definitely in the running for my favorite book of the world. It’s this terrifying and compelling look at a dystopian world that could actually happen. Terry Tyler took a different road in the dystopian genre and I really respect her for that.

What is scary is that this could be our future. Terry Tyler got into my head and made me think about all these scenarios that could happen. The realism of the story was ever present and I was constantly paranoid that I was reading a prediction of the future!

I love the characters! Lita is a fabulous lead, and I absolutely loved being with her through this roller coaster of emotions. These characters feel like real people, which is another element that adds to the creep factor of this book!

I highly, highly recommend checking this book out! I absolutely loved it and I think you will too! Check it out!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book as part of a blog tour with R&R Book Tours. All opinions are my own.*

Find this review and more on my blog: https://www.jessicabelmont.wordpress.com

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's fiction, yet it's also a scarily plausible extrapolation of the way our society is heading.

A corrupt government controlled by a giant US corporation aiming to take over the country, possibly the world, and a population which doesn't care because they are too engrossed in vacuous social media, celebrity lifestyles and 'deep fake' news does not bode well for the people of this version of 2030-2040's UK. Many jobs have become redundant, automated or not required, social lifelines (government, community and family) have been purposefully eroded and homelessness is rife. Homelessness and a zero tolerance policy for vagrancy are not a good combination, so we see the rise of purpose-built "Hope Villages" which are basic-needs warehouses for the medicated and nutritionally deprived (not)working class.

We follow Lita, Kendall and Nick, three flatmates just getting by until Lita and Nick fall foul of the corporation and find out what it means to become jobless in this society, forced to live in Hope Village 37 where they begin to understand the true nature of the beast. But can they do anything about it?

This book is a great warning of what could happen if we allow ourselves to be led by governments dedicated to social manipulation and rule by twitter and hashtag. Oh, er...

[Lynn Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Hope, Terry Tyler writes, "The survivor is the one who adapts to changing circumstances instead of resisting them." The dystopian piece opens with roommates Lita Stone, Nick Freer and Kendall Clarke working their jobs and living regular lives. Then, the unthinkable happens. One by one, they lose their jobs from either speaking their truths online or being too overweight for a company that emphasizes fitness.

They are forced to live in one of the Hope Villages which is designed to house the displaced. It turns out to be a nightmare on a variety of levels and all three of them experience some loss. Will they make it out? If so, will they be left unscathed? Will they remain quiet or will they tell what they have seen?
Pick up a copy of this page-turning thriller and see if you can identify with Lita, Nick or Kendall's plights in this high-tech world!

[Lucinda Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Futuristic dystopian books are not my favourite gender, but I will make an exception for Terry Tyler’s books. Hope has a similar theme as her Project Renova series, a visit to a future which is all too possible and in which only those at the top will benefit. Not only is there a projected population control, but hints of mass murder in the future. An easy read with good characterisation, all too realistic scenarios and a must-read for those who now rely on social media more than they do with real-life people. People’s mindsets can be changed so easily and they can also be fooled as this book shows. Chilling in so far as it could so easily happen and most probably will. I really enjoyed Hope.

[Valerie Poore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read so many different types of books these days I no longer rate them with any kind of comparison in mind. My only real tests now are how 'putdownable' they are (or rather, not), and whether they are technically well-written overall. Well Terry Tyler scores tops on both points here. Hope is a remarkable and totally unputdownable book, utterly compelling in fact. Its storyline moves from relaxed and comfortable to uneasy and finally to gut-wrenchingly terrifying in small but incremental steps as, following a few unanticipated strokes of misfortune that blight the main characters’ lives, the tension and fear escalate.

And I was hooked. I couldn't stop picking it up at every possible opportunity: on the bus, before a class, during a break, just about everywhere. I'm not going to say 'it's all so possible' because I'm not sure if it really is, but then I don't live in the UK, so I don't know how susceptible current British society is to the kind of online political and social conditioning the story suggests. If it is, then I am even more horrified. That said, as one of many scenarios we might see for the future, it strikes a very heavy warning note. The book is set just ten years hence, so it feels as if it's all just around the corner. If this is so, everyone, especially young people, should read it and take heed.

I loved the main character, Lita. She was real and understandable, both feisty and fearful. Everyone else in the book is depicted through her eyes and I grew fond of those Lita was fond of for that reason: lovely, daft Kendall, sharp and intelligent Nick, and Brody, Lita's 'no commitments' lover, until he isn't. What makes the book so compelling is Terry Tyler's brilliant characterisation. It is because the reader relates so easily to these essentially normal, likeable people that the terrible situations they are drawn into become our situations too.

Altogether, a terrific read and highly recommended.

[Marie Keates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Propaganda, hidden agendas, and a hard to swallow truth. Another compelling, scarily believable dystopian novel from Terry Tyler. When social media rules the world it’s hard to tell truth from propaganda, and the people with a hidden agenda want to keep it that way. Speak out at your peril.