Finding Hope in Texas

Hope Kilpatrick’s world shatters when a drunk driver kills her parents and younger brother, Tyler.  Aunt Mags carries Hope off to northern Texas to recover. The move puts Hope into another type of shock as she enters a culture foreign to the privileged teenager.

Her first contact at her new school is from the helpful cheerleader, Jody, who declares her job is to help her fit in because it’s what God would want. It all sounds great until Hope accidentally talks to Jody’s boyfriend and then all bets are off. Jody turns into a one-girl wrecking squad and Hope is what she’s bringing down.

Hope takes a great deal of abuse from Jody with no one questioning it. The one bright spot in Hope’s life is Jason, a disenfranchised veteran she meets at a reenactment. If losing her family wasn’t enough, she has the school bully on her case, and then her aunt wants her to use her inheritance to buy an antique shop. What’s a girl to do?

Ryan T. Petty pens an emotional tale that will cause a few tear swipes. His portrayal of high school lunchroom antics and bullying rings true along.  The last part of the book was all antique shop business and didn’t really resolve Jody’s bullying completely or highlight the budding romance between Jason and Hope. The story concept was praiseworthy, but the execution failed to capture the spirit of a young, traumatized female coming to terms with her life. 

Morgan Stamm