A best friends-to-lovers, stand-alone romance from New York Times Bestselling Author, A.L. Jackson . . . Evan Bryant wasn’t your typical hero. But he was mine. Broken by the worlds’ standards, he was still the strongest boy I would ever know. My best friend. The boy I’d given everything to. My heart, my body, and the promise of forever.The day I’d needed him most, he walked away. He left me … walked away.
He left me shattered and questioning the love I’d thought we’d shared.
Three years later, I wasn’t prepared for him to return to Gingham Lakes.
It wouldn’t have mattered if he wasn’t the most beautiful man I’d ever seen.
My fingers still would have ached to caress his skin.
My body still would have begged to get lost in his touch.
And my heart . . . it would have always sung his name.
But time changes things. With it, secrets that could ruin everything.
Can we find a way to love again, or have the fears of our past stolen the hope of our forever . . .
more
Incredible book full of hope and romance!
Hold on to Hope is the perfect best friends-to-lovers, single dad, second chance romance with all the feeeeels story. Get ready to grab the tissues and dive into this love story.
Okay have to say of all the books A.L. Jackson has written this one just, oh my god outshined them all. I loved that this author not only creates beautiful stories but she listens to her readers as well. We finally get to see what has become of little Frankie Leigh and Evan since she first showed us them books ago. They have a love that anybody can see but it is a love that comes with heartache, pain and acceptance only they can see. Not only do we see Frankie Leigh struggling with Evan’s appearance again but trying to overcome her own heartache years ago was tearful. A.L. Jackson not only shows us these two beauitful persons but we see all her past characters come full circle in this book. It was beautiful titled for Frankie Leigh and Evan definitely give us hope that love can overcome anything with one thing, fight for it and never give up.
“I received an eBook copy from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own.”
A new best friends-to-lovers, stand-alone romance!
A.L. Jackson just continues to woo me time and time again with her heartfelt and passionate romances! With their loving characters and family-like feel, her stories just seem like home, and coming back to the quaint town of Gingham Lakes in ‘Hold on to Hope’ was such a delight!
Frankie Leigh and Evan really stole my heart with their debut as children in Jackson’s Fight for Me Series. I adored Frankie Leigh, with her sass and sparkle, and Evan, with his joyful spirit amongst all the obstacles he faced with his disabilities. Their special childhood friendship formed an unbreakable bond between them and evolved into an unexpected love that held a very uncertain future which could keep them apart.
True to the book’s title, Frankie Leigh and Evan’s journey was so filled with hope. Their story was angsty and incredibly heartbreaking at times, yet it was also encouraging to live every day to the fullest. Jackson’s beautiful and poetic writing along with the added suspense consumed me and really played on all of my emotions. She writes the best children’s characters and little ‘Chunky Monk’ offered such refreshing light and happiness to the story.
I also loved going back to the familiar faces and places from the Fight for Me Series and seeing how their close ties had kept them together through the years as well. Although ‘Hold on to Hope’ reads perfectly well as a standalone, these combined are some of my favorite romances by A.L. Jackson, and I highly recommend reading them all!
Hold on to Hope is one of those books where I almost begrudged the busy- ness that kept me from reading the whole thing in one sitting. Ms Jackson takes us back to a wonderful small town full of friends turned family with this second generation, second chance story.
Evan and Frankie Leigh are characters that we initially met as children when we had the chance to see their respective sets of parents fall in love. In Hold On To Hope, we get to see them as 20 something’s with a lot of love, a lot of hurt, and a few misguided notions in between them.
Ms Jackson weaves a wonderful tale full of emotion as she takes us on a journey with these two as they figure out the right path. Evan and Frankie Leigh are characters that are impossible not to like. They are surrounded by an excellent secondary cast that loyal readers will be excited to see. My favorite is the scene stealing Everett! Add in a dash of intrigue and Hope on to Hope is a must read if you are looking for a emotional true love story.
Hope…
It may be a small one consonant word but its meaning carries significant weight, allowing those who keep it alive to continue to move forward with the knowledge that all is not lost, but then there are those who lose faith in what they once held on to because nothing has worked out as planned and the pain and heartache seem to over shadow any promises that were once made.
Frankie Leigh and Evan Bryant have been in each other’s lives since they were young, building a strong foundation of friendship, having one another’s back and creating, what they hoped, was a relationship that would last forever.
But fate can be just as fickle as everything else, turning one’s hopes and dreams into missed opportunities and forgotten aspirations, especially when it comes to the fear of abandonment, the fear of not being enough, the fear of too many imperfections, and the fear of being too much of a burden.
Both Frankie Leigh and Evan lost hope three years ago, so much so that Evan went against his word and left Frankie Leigh with nothing but a broken heart along with broken promises, forcing her to let go of any future that had him by her side.
Can hope be restored? Can it be held onto for years even when it seems to only bring pain?
That’s the question Frankie and Evan need to figure out as they work through all that’s taken place in the three years that he’s been gone as well as what he brings back with him when he returns to Gingham Lakes.
Boy did this Frankie and Evan’s journey put my emotions through the ringer. The way that A.L. Jackson crafts their story and develops their characters illustrate just how necessary they are to one another and why neither of them are truly to blame for what happened three years ago, even though Evan’s the one who left, ultimately breaking both of their hearts. But the thing is…while nothing can make up for him leaving Frankie and his family without any explanation, his reasons for leaving, his conception of himself, and the broken pieces of his soul are what drove him away but what brings him back are just as significant and offer him and Frankie a chance to, once again, believe in that hope that was washed away the day Evan left without looking back.
“You were always my hope, Frankie Leigh. My faith.”
As much as I wanted to rage against Evan for his decisions and the pain he caused to his family and his best friend, the fact that Jackson allows readers to be privy to Evan’s inner turmoil, his fears, and his sense of self helps us to understand his dilemma, but now that he’s back, it’s also time for him to prove to his ‘unicorn girl’ that he never meant to ‘steal’ her ‘sparkle.’ And, I honestly believe that’s the absolute truth.
While I do understand that Evan had his reasons for leaving everyone behind, it doesn’t negate the devastation and pain that he put Frankie through, which means that every single emotion she feels is warranted.
Evan and Frankie’s pain resonates from the pages – the heartbreak, the unanswered questions, the brokenness that seems to be all that Evan can see about himself…it’s all there on the pages of their story and with the added stressors that come into play, holding onto that hope maybe difficult but it’s absolutely necessary.
4.5 Poison Apples
Love AL Jackson’s writing! A best friends to lovers story with a broken hero. So much to love here.
A new best friends-to-lovers, stand-alone romance!
Holding on to Hope, love, and my tissue box
A.L. Jackson is known for her ability to make stones cry. Apparently, she can make they break in half too.
Hold on to Hope is a heartbreaking, loving, and absolutely soul destroying story. Not in that specific order though…
I was a huge Frankie Leigh and Evan fan as soon as they met. Frankie Leigh stole my heart years ago when she was a wee little Wonder Woman. She captured me with her spirit and wild child ways while I read her Daddy and Mama’s story. It was impossible not to lo w the precocious trouble maker with the enormous heart. Fast forward to Hold on to Hope, which is Frankie Leigh’s heartbreak, and I was concerned because I equally have a place in my heart for Evan. I didn’t want to hate him. I couldn’t even when my anger tried to. I was hurt and heartbroken. I was devastated for Frankie Leigh and then the small green eyed “Chunk” entered into the picture. I wasn’t sure that was a betrayal I could get over. It still hurts no matter how much that Chunk is mine.
A.L. Jackson did it again. She took my new favorite town and made it impossible to leave. I can’t possibly abandon all my loves and my adopted family. (Yes, I own them now. Each and every one!) Hold in to Hope is the embodiment of faith, love, a d hope. The strength and love comes off these pages in waves. Its physical presence- one I’m extremely grateful to have experienced.
Don’t let go. Hold on to Hope. Experience love the way these soulmates do. But please for the love of all things holy, grab a box of tissues first!
AL Jackson knows exactly how to rip your heart out, wring it dry and then ever so gently put it back and breathe life back into you. A fabulous and stunningly written second chance romance. Just make sure you keep a box of tissues at your side, because this one is going to take you on an amazing, emotional journey.
Another stunning romance from AL Jackson, unique and highly emotional!
Raw and stunning. Those are two words that come to mind when you read this amazing story from AL Jackson. She takes you on a roller coaster ride of past emotions that build up to moving forward in the present. Not allowing things to hold you back anymore, especially in Evan’s case. Both Evan and Frankie Leigh have a special place in my heart, especially when we meet them as littles in prior books, the Fight for Me series. Seeing how they grew and the reasons why the broke in so many ways was heart shattering but when things happen, their love shines through.
Evan is back like a wrecking ball and Frankie is gun shy, and honestly I don’t blame her. But their connection is so much deeper than young love. It is a bond that no matter what is thrown at them. Between ex’s, twists and epic turns, you are completely engrossed in this story.
Jackson gives you a beautiful level of angst, passion, love and suspense. The way her words bleed off the page in such a fluid fashion has you in love with the characters and the world she has created. Between her unique concept and fantastical characters, I honestly felt like I was transported to Gingham Lakes and a part of it. If you haven’t tried Jackson’s books, you are missing out. While this one could technically be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the Fight for Me series where you get a peek at both Evan and Frankie Leigh in their younger years and feel that bond even more than what Hold on to Hope shows you. These words are sheer brilliance and I am SO hoping for more in this world!
Hold on to Hope has left me speechless. After I was done reading this beautiful and heart wrenching story, I literally needed a moment to myself. No interruptions, I just needed time to process every emotion I had going through me. I love A.L. Jackson books, but Hold on to Hope has risen to my number one! The words get caught in your throat and you mind becomes emotionally invested.
The characters were a little broken, but you get to see how they hold on and fight their demons. I fell for every single one of them. Frankie Leigh and Evan were something special. I fell for Frankie Leigh as a little girl and am in awed with her as she is now a grown woman.
The story line has your heart strung out because you feel every single word. I am a bit vague about the full story and characters in this review, but I needed to it this way. You will thank me when you start this book because you want to experience it all for the first time without an inkling of knowing what may happen next. You will be left breathless when you finish this story. I didn’t want it to end and may be on a book hangover for days to come. <3
Evan’s story.
I loved him in Follow Me Back.
This story has everything. Friends to lovers, childhood friendship, small town, second chance.
My favorite books are characters who have health problems. And Evan has a few.
And to see him grown into adulthood… The female character was a pleasant surprise for me, although I’m not sure why it would be. There was so much passion and chemistry on these pages, it gave me the chills. And then add in the suspense element of this book and I was glued to the pages.
Anytime you read an AL Jackson book, you can be sure to get your money’s worth… it’s like a romantic adventure that warms your heart.
Evan and Frankie Leigh are two of my most favorite characters ever. So when I heard they were getting their own story I was over the moon excited! I entered this book with no expectations and I finished it with my heart feeling more full and happier than it’s ever felt, while reading, before. This story touched a place deep in my soul.
About Hold On To Hope:
Evan wanted a chance to live on his own without someone always looking over his shoulder. Not only that he also wanted to spare his family and friends the ultimate hurt when his time eventually ran out. And because of his heart transplant he knew it would run out sooner than most people’s lives. So one night he ups and leaves everyone he loves behind.
Frankie Leigh felt immense heartbreak the day she woke up to find a note from her best friend and the love of her life telling her to let him go. Now three year’s later, that heartbreak still continues to seep into her soul. But she’s found it in herself to patch the break and move on.
That is until her former best friend comes riding into town with a two year old baby boy at his side. Frankie Leigh never thought her heartbreak could worsen. Well she hasn’t felt anything yet.
My Thoughts:
Since the very first moment I was introduced to both Frankie Leigh and Evan, It was love at first sight. As children I connected to them on such an emotional level, it felt a little surreal. So when I found out that A.L. Jackson was not only bringing them back but also giving them their own story, I was over the freaking moon.
When Hold On To Hope landed on my kindle I stopped everything that was going on that day and sat down in a quiet room and dove into this book…. And I didn’t leave that room until I finished Evan and Frankie Leigh’s story. So believe me when I say, pick this book up on a day you have absolutely nothing going on. This story will consume you.
I absolutely adored Frankie Leigh as a child, but as an adult…this woman is unstoppable. I loved everything about her from the emotions to the strength she showed. My heart broke throughout this whole story for her, but it especially broke when her secrets were exposed. I’m not even kidding when I say I felt ALL THE FEELS.
Evan is a very relatable character. Everyone has felt, in one point of their life, the suffocation that surrounds them in the form of a worrisome family. So Evan did the only thing he could think to do in this kind of survival. He ran and tried to find a new life of his own without everyone looking over his shoulder and waiting for the time when he takes his final breath. I completely understand why he ran and I admired his strength when it came to turning his back on not only his family, but his support system in order to find a life that was truly his own. Most would see this as a sign of weakness, but I only found true strength in his actions. Evan touched a place in my soul. I’ll never forget this character or his story.
Overall, Hold On To Hope was a wonderful story with a lot to take in. The immense emotion spilling from each and every page is just one of the reasons why I kept coming back for more. I loved seeing the adult versions of Frankie Leigh and Evan. To be honest, there wasn’t a single moment I didn’t love about this novel. A.L. Jackson hit this one right out of the ballpark. She definitely brought all the feels to this second chance romance.
~ Alecia @ The Staircase Reader
Another beautifully written and emotionally charged read from A.L. Jackson, my heart has been stomped on and left in tatters before being carefully stitched back together again with this book!!
Evan and Frankie Leigh are characters we met in her previous books as kids, fast forward a good few years and they are the adults in their own story. Evan is the son of Hope from Follow Me Back, who was born deaf and needed a heart transplant. Frankie Leigh is the daughter of Rex from Show Me The Way, her and Evan were best friends from their first meeting, doing everything together, and that love and complete togetherness has just grown, they promised each other forever as they were growing up, with Frankie doing all the chasing while Evan had his doubts. Evan just wanted to be normal, without everyone having to worry and care about him, he wanted to be the one doing that for Frankie, and he could see he had nothing to offer her, couldn’t have kids and pass on his ‘defectiveness’. So he took off and just left her a note…..
Three years later and Evan is back, he needs help and knows his family will step up. But he was unprepared for the huge amount of pain and guilt that hit him, having walked away from his family in the first place, and completely bowled over by Frankie Leigh, their connection still as strong as every, but littered with pain and grief.
A fantastic read this is, friends-to-lovers / second chance with a huge emotional hit. I felt their pain. They were best friends, soul mates, supposed to be together, bound to each other forever, weren’t they? I laughed, I cried and I was really rooting for these 2 to have their happy ending. It was great to see some of the characters from her other books in this story as well, always a nice twist. Throw in Everett and Milo and these two will leave your heart aching and a smile on your face. Not to be missed.
You’d think by now I’d be more prepared before diving into an A.L. Jackson novel, yet she’s once again managed to put my poor battered heart through the wringer with Frankie and Evan’s story! These two were so memorable as children, but as adults, their own second chance love story allowed them to create their personal legacy separate from that of their parents. I don’t want to give too much away as far as the story line is concerned, but allow me to divulge that this does have a mystery suspense aspect to it. I had my suspicions as to who was behind the threats and harassment that Frankie and Evan were experiencing, but their motivation behind it shocked the heck out of me. Yep, aside from tugging on my heartstrings, this author also threw in a twist I never saw coming, enough to have my mouth hanging open for a good few seconds. With Jackson’s impeccable writing and a story about the healing power of love and forgiveness, Hold On to Hope is one of the romances that stays with you. Five-plus stars.
5 YOU’RE MY FAVORITE Stars
I’m blown away by the depth of emotion in this story. Evan and Frankie Leigh shared an instant bond the moment they met. That bond grew roots that tethered their souls to one another and formed an unequivocal foundation for who they were and what they were and would be to each other.
Soulmates usually meet later in life to begin a life together. It’s rare to have your soulmate grow up side by side with you. That is what these characters shared and it was beyond beautiful, emotional and bound to inflict the deepest kind of pain when one is without the other.
This story had me crying SO much. I didn’t expect it. The feels in this story were instant and nonstop.
Don’t you just love it when you read a series and fall in love with so many characters then you get a chance to do the same with their children, all grown up?? I had no clue until i was in the midst of this story that I was going to revisit some old favorites while seeing the little ones from then all grown up and struggling with their own love lives. An for Evan and Frankie…their second chance was a doozy. Evan having struggles his whole life with his own difficulties and feeling like a burden while Frankie Leigh (everyone’s ray of sunshine) comes out of the overcast life she’d been living. Her broken heart was so present in every one of her moments – as well as Evan’s remorse. He thought he was making a choice that they would all benefit from and it’s not until his return home that he realizes it was the most selfish choice he could have made.
The town of Gingham Lakes is stunning…not just from the painted scenery in my mind that are detailed in the pages, but because of the beautiful people that live there. The characters are so loving and caring and supportive. It’s one of those towns I’d like to visit, maybe even live in. And they’re all people I’d love to meet. Hold on to Hope wasn’t just a new story, but an extension of lives lived in this beautiful work that A.L. Jackson created.
I cried and laughed and awww’d and swooned. My heart felt so much – sometimes I didn’t think i could take more. The tears couldn’t be controlled but the love was overflowing. This was absolutely beautiful.
Absolutely beautiful….
This is one of those books that you immediately fall in love with, that steals your heart and runs away with it. Evan and Frankie Leigh have a love that most people dream of. The consume each other and are each other’s halves.
Best friends, hurt, anger, love…..it’s all there. Frankie Leigh has loved Evan forever, when he left he broke her heart. Well now she’s back with a huge surprise.
I absolutely loved this wonderfully written book. I laughed, I cried… oh boy did I and I loved! You gotta check this one out.
*Review by Michelle