Review: "Where Hope Begins" by Catherine West

Have you done a blind date with a book? This is my second one with JustRead Publicity Tours. You sign up, and they match you with a book to review. I enjoyed the first book they sent me, but this one? It couldn't have been a better match!

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In the aftermath of her husband’s act of adultery and abandonment, Savannah must finally face the ghosts that haunt her and discover for herself whether authentic faith, grace, and ultimate healing really do exist.

When her husband of twenty-one years leaves her, Savannah Barrington believes she’s lost almost everything she’s ever loved. With her daughter in college and her son in boarding school, Savannah retreats to her parents’ lake house in the Berkshires, where hope and healing come in the form of an old woman’s wisdom, a little girl’s laughter, a touch of magic, and a handsome man who’s willing to risk his own heart to prove she’s still worth loving.

But when her husband asks to reconcile, Savannah is faced with the hardest challenge of all: Forgiving the unforgivable. Somehow she must find freedom from the chains of their past and move forward, or face an unknown future without him.

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Oh my goodness! I've seen blogger and bookstagram friends raving about Catherine West's books, but I hadn't read any of her books ... until now. Where Hope Begins is worthy of all the hype (and the awards!) that came its way.

The story of a woman abandoned by her husband, Where Hope Begins deals with serious topics like the death of a child, infidelity, illness, and suicide, but it's also full of hope, healing, and forgiveness.

Much of the story is told in first person from Savannah's perspective, and I loved the intimate feel that gave. Other portions are written in third person from the perspective of other characters, and I especially loved Brock's portion. Brock is the man Savannah meets in the Berkshires, the man who helps her begin living again, and I was half in love with him myself by the end of the book!

I was hooked from the beginning, and at first I wasn't sure what would (or should) happen. As the story went along, I figured out where Savannah's story would go—but knowing didn't lessen the impact. I closed the book with tears streaming down my face (I sobbed through the final pages), and I know this is a story that is going to stick with me. 5 stars.

Buy the book.

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Catherine West is an award-winning author of contemporary women’s fiction. When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or reading books by her favorite authors. She and her husband reside in Bermuda, and have two adult children and two beautiful granddaughters. Catherine is the winner of the 2015 Grace Award (Bridge of Faith) and a two-time winner of Romance Writers of America’s Faith, Hope & Love Reader’s Choice Award (The Things We Knew, 2017 and Where Hope Begins, 2019), and a recipient of the American Christian Fiction Writer’s 2019 Carol Award, for Where Hope Begins. Her latest novel, As the Light Fades, released September 2019.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from JustRead Publicity Tours. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."