Review: Hope in Patience

December 9, 2010

Summary: Fifteen-year-old Ashley Asher has spent half of her life living in fear. Her stepfather has been sexually abusing her for years, but her mother doesn’t believe her. After his latest assault lands her in the emergency room, Child Protective Services finally removes Ashley from her home, and sends her to live with the father she barely remembers and his new family. Her new life in Patience, Texas, is much better. She’s in therapy to deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and is trying to make her way in a new high school. She’s getting used to living with her father, stepmother, and stepbrother, and she’s made new friends in the summer course taught by her stepmother, Bev. She even joins the track team at the urging of her new African American friend, Z. Z. But Ashley is so traumatized by her past that she sometimes scratches herself until she bleeds and sleeps in her armoire, even though she knows she’s safe now. Worse, when her stepfather is finally put on trial for hurting her, she learns that truth and justice don’t always go together.

My Thoughts: A well-written account of a sensitive topic, Hope in Patience kept my attention from the very first page on through to the end. If I didn’t have children to care for and other things competing for my attention, I would have read this in one sitting. It was that gripping, that good. Amazingly, this book cracked me up in a couple of spots. It is so refreshing to find a bit of humor in such a serious, potentially disturbing book. While this is told in the first-person voice of Ashley, the sexual abuse is handled in as tasteful a way as possible. There was enough shared for the reader to get a good understanding of what’s been going on, but not so much that the book is overly detailed. Ashley’s fear and inner conflict are very well portrayed and very well handled. This book is about healing and growth, and we see both happen – not just for Ashley. Her father also goes through some healing and growth, just on a lesser scale (or at least in the background, whereas Ashley is center stage).

Another thing I like is that at the very end of the book – after the story is complete – there is information on how to get help. Unfortunately, sexual abuse happens nowadays, and kids don’t always know what to do – or even how to get help. There are resources shared that I think could really help someone who might need somewhere to turn or someone to help them get out of such a horrible situation.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Source: Received through Traveling ARC Tours for review.

Read It: If you would like your own copy of Hope in Patience, you can get it HERE. (This is an Amazon link, and purchase through this link will result in my receiving a small commission. Your support is appreciated!)

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FTC Disclosure: All items reviewed were either obtained by me for my own enjoyment or sent (from the author, publisher, publicist, via tour sites, etc.) in exchange for an honest review. I receive no monetary compensation for my posts. All opinions expressed are my own.

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