Hope by Rhian Ivory - review

Publisher: Firefly Press (15th September 2017)

Plan Bs are for people who fail.

I just never, not once, not even for a tiny moment thought I would need one.

It's the summer before sixth-form college. When Hope doesn't get into drama college, and her friends do, all her plans fall apart. She's struggling with grief for her father and a sense that her own body is against her. A chance meeting with an attractive Irish guy on a ferry and a summer job with the Singing Medicine group at Birmingham Children's Hospital force her to rethink, but it won't be easy.

This beautiful novel from Rhian Ivory is about finding your voice and having the courage to ask for help. (Publishers' Blurb)

I loved this book! Hope wasn't an easy read for me, but it was a very important one. 

It was so great that Hope tackled big issues, from serious illness to organ donation. I sometimes shy away from books that make me face up to difficult subject matters, and after reading Hope I'm going to push myself a bit more.  

I wish this book had been around when I was a teenager. It felt like a realistic portrayal of being a teenager, with its challenges and uplifting moments. The different experiences that girls have with periods should be discussed so much more openly, and books like this go a long way towards breaking down these barriers. 

Hope was a great character, with a balance of strengths, flaws and interesting characteristics that made her feel very real. I also really liked the supporting cast of characters, especially Nonno. I would love to see more grandfathers and other family relationships explored in YA, which is something this book does really well.

Hope made me feel a full range of emotions, but ultimately I was left feeling that this book was very aptly titled.







If you liked the sound of this, try Release by Patrick Ness (which I reviewed here).