Book Review: Hope Always Rises

Hope Always Rises by Kathie Giorgio came out earlier this year. The premise is really interesting. It follows Hope, a mid-40s woman, who committed suicide and is now in special section of Heaven with others who have ended their own lives.

Hope has had this sadness inside her since she was a child and has never known why. Once in Heaven, she meets others. Some have been there for just a few more months or years than her and some have been there for decades. She also meets with God for discussions about her life and feelings. Everyone there is required to attend therapy sessions so she learns the stories of many others and what drove them to suicide.

There are some humorous interactions, but overall the stories of all the people Hope meets are just sad! From a woman who had suffered through cancer multiple times and just wanted peace to a woman who was trying to escape an abusive marriage.

The writing and the stories were so engaging, but I found the stories to be so emotional that I ended up having to skim the second half.

Overall the writing was really good and the stories for all the characters really sucked me in, but I couldn’t handle the sad tone to it.