Hope's Journey Blog Tour

Welcome to the blog tour for Hope's Journey by Stephanie Worlton!

Sydney is a straight-A student heading to college on a scholarship, and Alex is a quiet jock preparing to serve an LDS mission. But their dreams are shattered on the eve of their high school graduation when they find out that Sydney is pregnant. Separated, they must both trust in God as they search for the worth they once found in each other.

Read a sample at the book's website.

Stephanie Connelley Worlton pursued a degree in Architecture before turning her creative energy towards other forms of artistic expression including writing. Through her many associations with youth, Stephanie felt prompted to channel her own experience as a teenage mother into a work that might open the eyes of understanding, break down stereotypes, cause youth to reevaluate their relationships, and ultimately provide hope for those in the trenches of an unplanned pregnancy. Aside from the busy schedule she keeps as a wife and mother of four, Stephanie enjoys interior design, gardening, carpentry, painting, and being involved with the youth of our rising generation.


Learn more about Stephanie at Kreating Krazy.

Review:

Sydney and Alex have their lives all planned out, and things are running smooth. Mostly. Everything changes when Sydney discovers she's pregnant. They both have to deal with their own struggles of seeing their dreams shattered. Sydney and Alex must figure out their paths separately, something they never thought would happen. In doing this, they must also figure out if their futures involve each other. The only sure thing is that nothing will be as they planned it to be. 

I'm going to get the little bit of negative out of the way first. This is a book with very introspective characters. Sometimes it was a bit too introspective to me. However, some people will really love this aspect of the book. I just got overwhelmed with the emotion of it all sometimes. My other minor issue was with the ending. I don't want to spoil anything, but I did feel like it was wrapped up a bit too neatly.

That being said, what this book did well it did very, very well. This book did a brilliant job in portraying an unexpected teen pregnancy, especially as it pertains to LDS members. Having known females and males in Sydney and Alex's positions, the things they went through and feelings they felt were spot on. The way Sydney got negative treatment from members of her ward was so heartbreaking, yet so accurate. It can be a very harsh world for a single pregnant young lady within the church. I also really felt for both Sydney and Alex. Their struggles with self-worth and forgiveness were hard to read at times, and I wanted to be able to reach into the page and help them.

I think the most important thing this book did was emphasize that so many times the mistakes we make in life can be tied into our feelings of self-worth. This is applicable to both young and not-as-young women. I think that this book really gives an amazingly accurate look into the lives of two people who find themselves in the position of becoming parents at a less than desirable time in their lives. I think a lot of people would benefit from reading this book. Hopefully it can raise awareness on the feelings of young mothers and fathers and the empathy we have for their situations. Everything is handled in such a way that even younger people can read it comfortably. This book can certainly open up avenues of conversation. Overall this book did a wonderful job of telling a difficult story in a wonderful way. 

Book provided for review.

Stephanie is holding a fabulous giveaway, so here's the details:

 Hope's Journey Giveaway: 

As part of Hope's Journey's blog tour, we will be giving away an autographed copy of Hope's Journey to one lucky winner. To enter, simply visit the author’s blog (stephanieworlton.blogspot.com) and leave a comment on the BLOG TOUR page. Plus, for a few bonus entries, “like” Hope's Journey on Facebook or become a follower of Stephanie’s blog. It's that easy!

Contest is limited to those within the continental US. Each person is eligible for up to three (3) entries. Contest closes at 11:59pm November 14,2011. Winner will be selected by random.org then notified via email and listed at stephanieworlton.blogspot.com on November 15, 2011. 

Thanks so much for stopping by!