Hope's Way: a journey of grief can transform one woman's life

Hope’s Way is the first book in the Hope series by David Johnson. Hope Rodriquez is about to face a journey that will transform her life. She becomes pregnant at 15, then loses her parents in a tragic accident. Fearing that she will lose custody of her child, she leaves her Kentucky small town to New York City. There she is faced with the harsh realities of public housing and scraping by as a single mother. She manages to build a life and raise her daughter. However, Hope is plunged into tragedy once again as her teenage daughter decides to take her own life. In the depths of grief, Hope is determined to find the reasons behind her daughter’s decision. Along the way, she meets Michael, a charismatic preacher, who awakens emotions in her that she did not know she could feel again. Can she find solace with her daughter’s decision? 

With the book’s synopsis, I expected an amazing emotional journey that tackles heavy topics. And it was filled with the heavy topics and I’m sure the emotional journey was intended; however, I was taken away from the journey with the glaring mistakes. Right off the bat, from the opening chapter, Hope is described as a 36 year old woman with a 16 year old daughter, Lisa. The next chapter takes the reader back in time when Hope is 15 and seven months pregnant. So, the math is off as Hope would be 31/32 when Lisa is 16 years old. That mistake took me out of the story. Unfortunately, I feel I missed the impact the book’s emotional story should have had. Overall, I was disappointed with this story. I will not continue with this series. I do not recommend Hope’s Way. 

Hope’s Way is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook