First comes love. Then comes marriage. Then comes a baby in the baby carriage. That’s how life goes. Not for me… my story – beautiful, ugly, passionate, gut-wrenching, and everything in between.
I’m not sure where to start with this review or what I should/shouldn’t say. This is my first book written soley written by HJ Bellus. I’ve read a few co-written by her. By the time I was in the middle of the 2nd chapter I was hooked and wanted to shoot myself for not reading HJ Bellus before.
Marlee has been in love with Bentley since elementary school. They were best friends and then fell in love and got married. Even though they were happily married and madly in love things weren’t perfect. Bentley was in the military and deployment was hard on them. They also had a hard time getting and staying pregnant. But, as long as they had each other that was all that mattered. Until a car accident left Marlee all alone and completely broken. Marlee was so broken she packed up her things, took their dog and moved far away where nobody knew her or her story of what she lost.
Marlee may have moved and the scenery may have changed. But, she’s still lost, broken, cant sleep due to the nightmares and lives in a bottle. Then one afternoon Marlee takes a rare bike ride to town where she ran into Caleb, his twin brother Jed and his son Fender. For the first time in a very very long time her heart actually beat.
The more time she spends with them the more she’s coming to life and realizing it’s OK to continue living. Except its not easy and she’s afraid she’s going to loose it all over again before it even starts.
This story is heart and gut wrenching. I don’t know how I would’ve handled Marlee’s life and everything that was thrown her way. Marlee not only got one great true love but she ends up with two great love stories. I will say the ending I was so totally and unprepared for it. I cried from the very beginning until about an hour after I finished the book. I legit cried myself to sleep. Every book lover should read this!
Author
bewitchedreader
3 years ago
Ugly cry doesn’t even begin to describe how emotional this book is. My heart broke for Marlee as she struggled to cope with the loss of Bentley and Hope. The raw pain she felt after the accident bled through HJ Bellus’s words. I listened to this audiobook while at work and I could feel every ounce of emotion through Lacy Laurel’s wonderful narration. Lacy did an amazing job at narrating Marlee’s story and giving each of these lovable characters their own unique sound. I had to wait a few days after finishing this audiobook before writing my review to digest my feelings towards this book and I’ve come to a conclusion. This story is heartfelt and real. It made me laugh and more times than I could count. Simply put, this story is absolutely magnificent.
Author
hanora1127
3 years ago
This was a good read up until the halfway point. Don’t get me wrong, I liked how Marley got her second chance and the family she found it with. I just felt that, that part of the story was rushed. In one chapter Jed and Marley are having coffee and she enjoys the fact that there is no conversation between them, just comfortable silence. While in the midst of the next chapter you come to find out that they did this daily and a few weeks have past. This continues on for the the rest of the story. Each chapter can be weeks later, even months, and then Marley will mentions things that apparently have happened, we just don’t get to read about it. This makes it harder for me to feel the connection.
Overall, I liked the story and and thought the writing was great.
Author
naty
3 years ago
An amazing love and life story. Hoe love can save you in your darkest moments and give you hope and faith in life. Marlee’s journey through joy, pain and love is unique. good narrator
Author
gingersetlock1
3 years ago
This story will put you through an emotional roller coaster, have a box of tissues handy. A forever love crushed by death in its prime and a second chance to heal and start anew.
Lacy did a wonderful job bringing these characters to life.
Reviewed for Audiobook Obsession
Author
grannypsc
3 years ago
Have you ever read a story that has grasped you emotionally from the very beginning? This story just does that from the very first chapter. This is a story of a passionate forever love. Bentley is her everything, Marlee is his world..only to be shattered by losing everything that mattered.
HJ Bellus develops their story with such poignancy. Showing their love since 4th grade. thru their laughter and tears, heartbreak and love, joy and sadness. Showing how strong a woman Marlee becomes though all her love , support of others and facing grief. Be prepared for tissues, an emotional rollercoaster ride. very well written story. Lacy Laurel narration is so soft, smooth and portrays all the emotions in this story.
#audiobookobsessionreviewer
Author
erinlewis
3 years ago
5 Star review of The Flight of Hope By HJ Bellus
Audio Review:
I knew this was going to be an emotional roller coaster of a read and listening to narrator Lacy Laurel I was impressed with the angst and emotion portrayed.
I’m not sure what to say about this book. How much pain, suffering, loss and death can someone take? Marlee Foster is a woman who has lost so much and is barely living life. Shattered by so much loss she doesn’t know how much more she can take.
The pain and suffering experienced by Marlee was palpable as narrator Lacy Laurel read this story and my heart just about broke for her.
As Marlee struggles to live one day at a time, faced with constant reminders of all she has lost, she knows she has to leave.
From start to finish this was an emotional journey about surviving tremendous loss, courage and a determination and strength of will that was inspiring.
#AudiobookObsessionReviewer
Author
lovingbooks1
3 years ago
* AUDIOBOOK REVIEW *
I cried my eyes out and I loved it. Maybe some would say it’s sappy but I like sappy. It’s not happy ending but it’s still happy ending (Confused…read and it will be clear)
For me this story is about taking chances even when things are not guaranteed to be perfect. That’s what life’s about.
The characters is developed in to realistic personalities that I definitely can relate to.
No unnecessary descriptions of surroundings
Good dialogues that has meaning (this whole story is very strong and meaningful)
Sweet love scenes and other sweet scenes that has my heart squeezing.
Narrator:
Clear pronunciation and read with feelings so I enjoyed it very much
5 stars overall
AudiobookObsessionReviewer
Author
janine
3 years ago
Loved this one. First, no glaring editing issues – always ruins a good read.
The story follows Marlee through great love and great loss. The prologue sets it up so you know what is coming during the majority of the book. What comes later is bittersweet. So hard to write without spoilers!
Still wondering what sent the Bryant family to Idaho in the first place? Hmmm…
Author
janet
3 years ago
Emotional overload. I cried laughed and cried some more. This book is amazing but I feel so bad for Marlee. She lost everything her whole life. Caleb is amazing and funny. I hope he gets a book of his own and one for Fender and Quinn. I loved the banter and family bonding. 5 Beautifully Emotional Stars
Author
crystalgray
3 years ago
Wow, I don’t even know where to start. What an emotional journey! This book had so many ups and downs, as soon as you thought it couldn’t get worse, it does! Marlee went through so much heartache. I caught myself wiping tears a few times. Fender though, that little boy brought me giggles! This is a must read.
Author
viki
3 years ago
For some reason I rarely read books from H.J. Bellus and I don’t know why because it’s not the first time that one of her stories surprised me with its brilliance. The book basically can be split into two parts, the first half or so when the past is in focus and the rest where the present gets the spotlight. I personally preferred the second part but still give the book 4.5 starts because I bawled my eyes out during reading.
Before I get to the different parts of the story let’s look at the prologue for a minute. It is definitely a strong start for the book and sets the mood perfectly. It prepares you for an emotional roller coaster; however I personally wasn’t the fan of it. Not because of it’s contents but because it reveals a lot about the story right at the beginning taking away a shock factor that would have occurred in the middle of the book without it. I just don’t like when a synopsis or a prologue tells to much about a book.
As for the first part, the ‘past’, for me it was boring and for the most part too cheesy. I see why the author created it to set up a ‘perfect’ life for Marlee which also presents a beautiful contrast for things happening later, but it was too long and dragged out. A shorter version would have sufficed in my opinion.
It starts when they are 7 or so years old at the beginning of their life together and from that point picks a couple of their happiest memories to show. As I said it’s slow, and a bit boring and also it’s not a flowing plot thanks to the big gaps between the scenes. It didn’t help that I wasn’t so much of a fan of Marlee in this part of the book.
Then comes the big tragedy that is mentioned in the prologue and everything changes, even Marlee personality. The second part is something phenomenal. It shows a way out of grief for Marlee and a new beginning even if it’s a bittersweet one. The story is really emotional from the beginning but in this part everything becomes more prominent. I loved every minute of it except the last chapter. That one was pure torture. This part of the book destroyed me, tore me into pieces but I still loved every minute of it.
The flight of hope is a beautiful story with a lot of heartbreaking moments but there were some funny and sweet parts to it too. I recommend it to everybody who likes contemporary romance and needs a soul cleansing cry. It takes you on a wild ride but you will be glad at the end.
Author
letsreadromance
3 years ago
3.5Stars
I actually enjoyed this book. I was nervous going in, wasn’t sure what to expect (no, I didn’t read the blurb, just trusted a friend when she said I had to read it).
Marlee has been through so much. We know that from just the prologue. But what she continues to endure and what she goes through to find her happiness is impressive.
Marlee and Bentley have a storybook romance. Falling in love as children, they know they will always be together. That’s just how it will always be.
Until one night when the world basically implodes and Marlee is left to scrape together some semblance of a life.
The first half of this book is fantastic. Honestly, I felt the love and the life that Bentley and Marlee were building. I believed they would be together forever (except, I knew better because everyone said I would cry).
It’s the second half of Marlee’s life that baffles me. It’s not that it isn’t believable, but it feel rushed. It feels like she just wakes up and decides to be better and BOOM, she’s better. I mean, maybe grief works that way. Maybe drowning your sorrows in a bottle is easily fixed. I don’t know, I haven’t lived it.
I feel as if HJ Bellus could have continued to build this second chance. I don’t think anyone would have been sad to read more about Marlee and Jed and Caleb and Fender. NO ONE. In fact, I wish we weren’t missing all of that in between time (read it and you’ll know what I’m talking about). I want all of those stories. Give me more build-up. I’m gonna need more than a few signs from above that this is how it’s supposed to be.
Anyway, all I’m saying is I wish the same amount of time that was spent on Marlee’s relationship with Bentley was spent on Marlee’s life after (again, I will not be super spoilery, so read the damn book).
I will say that HJ Bellus pulled a tear out of me. I wasn’t sobbing or anything. I mean it quite literally. ONE SINGLE TEAR.
If she had built on that “after” for Marlee, I would have shed more. For sure.
*I listened to this book and enjoyed Lacy Laurel’s narration. She did a great job of giving each character a voice and I was never confused as to who was speaking.
Author
dakotawillink
3 years ago
I completely ugly cried when I read this book, yet I still loved it for so many reasons. Not only was if full of raw emotion, but it was the the authors careful crafting of the characters timeline that made me truly vested. Marlee, a spoiled girl from a small town, had everything she held dear ripped away from her in a heartbreaking tragedy. I felt what Marlee felt as she went through feelings of hopelessness over her loss and not believing that she could have a second chance. Jed’s story…well, I don’t want to give spoilers, so I’ll just say that it ripped my heart out. Be prepared readers – this is a book that will have you turning the pages with urgency and crying through every one of them. It’s a story about love lost and redemption, one that will leave you thinking about it long after you finish reading.
5 Heart Breaking Stars!
I’m not sure where to start with this review or what I should/shouldn’t say. This is my first book written soley written by HJ Bellus. I’ve read a few co-written by her. By the time I was in the middle of the 2nd chapter I was hooked and wanted to shoot myself for not reading HJ Bellus before.
Marlee has been in love with Bentley since elementary school. They were best friends and then fell in love and got married. Even though they were happily married and madly in love things weren’t perfect. Bentley was in the military and deployment was hard on them. They also had a hard time getting and staying pregnant. But, as long as they had each other that was all that mattered. Until a car accident left Marlee all alone and completely broken. Marlee was so broken she packed up her things, took their dog and moved far away where nobody knew her or her story of what she lost.
Marlee may have moved and the scenery may have changed. But, she’s still lost, broken, cant sleep due to the nightmares and lives in a bottle. Then one afternoon Marlee takes a rare bike ride to town where she ran into Caleb, his twin brother Jed and his son Fender. For the first time in a very very long time her heart actually beat.
The more time she spends with them the more she’s coming to life and realizing it’s OK to continue living. Except its not easy and she’s afraid she’s going to loose it all over again before it even starts.
This story is heart and gut wrenching. I don’t know how I would’ve handled Marlee’s life and everything that was thrown her way. Marlee not only got one great true love but she ends up with two great love stories. I will say the ending I was so totally and unprepared for it. I cried from the very beginning until about an hour after I finished the book. I legit cried myself to sleep. Every book lover should read this!
Ugly cry doesn’t even begin to describe how emotional this book is. My heart broke for Marlee as she struggled to cope with the loss of Bentley and Hope. The raw pain she felt after the accident bled through HJ Bellus’s words. I listened to this audiobook while at work and I could feel every ounce of emotion through Lacy Laurel’s wonderful narration. Lacy did an amazing job at narrating Marlee’s story and giving each of these lovable characters their own unique sound. I had to wait a few days after finishing this audiobook before writing my review to digest my feelings towards this book and I’ve come to a conclusion. This story is heartfelt and real. It made me laugh and more times than I could count. Simply put, this story is absolutely magnificent.
This was a good read up until the halfway point. Don’t get me wrong, I liked how Marley got her second chance and the family she found it with. I just felt that, that part of the story was rushed. In one chapter Jed and Marley are having coffee and she enjoys the fact that there is no conversation between them, just comfortable silence. While in the midst of the next chapter you come to find out that they did this daily and a few weeks have past. This continues on for the the rest of the story. Each chapter can be weeks later, even months, and then Marley will mentions things that apparently have happened, we just don’t get to read about it. This makes it harder for me to feel the connection.
Overall, I liked the story and and thought the writing was great.
An amazing love and life story. Hoe love can save you in your darkest moments and give you hope and faith in life. Marlee’s journey through joy, pain and love is unique. good narrator
This story will put you through an emotional roller coaster, have a box of tissues handy. A forever love crushed by death in its prime and a second chance to heal and start anew.
Lacy did a wonderful job bringing these characters to life.
Reviewed for Audiobook Obsession
Have you ever read a story that has grasped you emotionally from the very beginning? This story just does that from the very first chapter. This is a story of a passionate forever love. Bentley is her everything, Marlee is his world..only to be shattered by losing everything that mattered.
HJ Bellus develops their story with such poignancy. Showing their love since 4th grade. thru their laughter and tears, heartbreak and love, joy and sadness. Showing how strong a woman Marlee becomes though all her love , support of others and facing grief. Be prepared for tissues, an emotional rollercoaster ride. very well written story. Lacy Laurel narration is so soft, smooth and portrays all the emotions in this story.
#audiobookobsessionreviewer
5 Star review of The Flight of Hope By HJ Bellus
Audio Review:
I knew this was going to be an emotional roller coaster of a read and listening to narrator Lacy Laurel I was impressed with the angst and emotion portrayed.
I’m not sure what to say about this book. How much pain, suffering, loss and death can someone take? Marlee Foster is a woman who has lost so much and is barely living life. Shattered by so much loss she doesn’t know how much more she can take.
The pain and suffering experienced by Marlee was palpable as narrator Lacy Laurel read this story and my heart just about broke for her.
As Marlee struggles to live one day at a time, faced with constant reminders of all she has lost, she knows she has to leave.
From start to finish this was an emotional journey about surviving tremendous loss, courage and a determination and strength of will that was inspiring.
#AudiobookObsessionReviewer
* AUDIOBOOK REVIEW *
I cried my eyes out and I loved it. Maybe some would say it’s sappy but I like sappy. It’s not happy ending but it’s still happy ending (Confused…read and it will be clear)
For me this story is about taking chances even when things are not guaranteed to be perfect. That’s what life’s about.
The characters is developed in to realistic personalities that I definitely can relate to.
No unnecessary descriptions of surroundings
Good dialogues that has meaning (this whole story is very strong and meaningful)
Sweet love scenes and other sweet scenes that has my heart squeezing.
Narrator:
Clear pronunciation and read with feelings so I enjoyed it very much
5 stars overall
AudiobookObsessionReviewer
Loved this one. First, no glaring editing issues – always ruins a good read.
The story follows Marlee through great love and great loss. The prologue sets it up so you know what is coming during the majority of the book. What comes later is bittersweet. So hard to write without spoilers!
Still wondering what sent the Bryant family to Idaho in the first place? Hmmm…
Emotional overload. I cried laughed and cried some more. This book is amazing but I feel so bad for Marlee. She lost everything her whole life. Caleb is amazing and funny. I hope he gets a book of his own and one for Fender and Quinn. I loved the banter and family bonding. 5 Beautifully Emotional Stars
Wow, I don’t even know where to start. What an emotional journey! This book had so many ups and downs, as soon as you thought it couldn’t get worse, it does! Marlee went through so much heartache. I caught myself wiping tears a few times. Fender though, that little boy brought me giggles! This is a must read.
For some reason I rarely read books from H.J. Bellus and I don’t know why because it’s not the first time that one of her stories surprised me with its brilliance. The book basically can be split into two parts, the first half or so when the past is in focus and the rest where the present gets the spotlight. I personally preferred the second part but still give the book 4.5 starts because I bawled my eyes out during reading.
Before I get to the different parts of the story let’s look at the prologue for a minute. It is definitely a strong start for the book and sets the mood perfectly. It prepares you for an emotional roller coaster; however I personally wasn’t the fan of it. Not because of it’s contents but because it reveals a lot about the story right at the beginning taking away a shock factor that would have occurred in the middle of the book without it. I just don’t like when a synopsis or a prologue tells to much about a book.
As for the first part, the ‘past’, for me it was boring and for the most part too cheesy. I see why the author created it to set up a ‘perfect’ life for Marlee which also presents a beautiful contrast for things happening later, but it was too long and dragged out. A shorter version would have sufficed in my opinion.
It starts when they are 7 or so years old at the beginning of their life together and from that point picks a couple of their happiest memories to show. As I said it’s slow, and a bit boring and also it’s not a flowing plot thanks to the big gaps between the scenes. It didn’t help that I wasn’t so much of a fan of Marlee in this part of the book.
Then comes the big tragedy that is mentioned in the prologue and everything changes, even Marlee personality. The second part is something phenomenal. It shows a way out of grief for Marlee and a new beginning even if it’s a bittersweet one. The story is really emotional from the beginning but in this part everything becomes more prominent. I loved every minute of it except the last chapter. That one was pure torture. This part of the book destroyed me, tore me into pieces but I still loved every minute of it.
The flight of hope is a beautiful story with a lot of heartbreaking moments but there were some funny and sweet parts to it too. I recommend it to everybody who likes contemporary romance and needs a soul cleansing cry. It takes you on a wild ride but you will be glad at the end.
3.5Stars
I actually enjoyed this book. I was nervous going in, wasn’t sure what to expect (no, I didn’t read the blurb, just trusted a friend when she said I had to read it).
Marlee has been through so much. We know that from just the prologue. But what she continues to endure and what she goes through to find her happiness is impressive.
Marlee and Bentley have a storybook romance. Falling in love as children, they know they will always be together. That’s just how it will always be.
Until one night when the world basically implodes and Marlee is left to scrape together some semblance of a life.
The first half of this book is fantastic. Honestly, I felt the love and the life that Bentley and Marlee were building. I believed they would be together forever (except, I knew better because everyone said I would cry).
It’s the second half of Marlee’s life that baffles me. It’s not that it isn’t believable, but it feel rushed. It feels like she just wakes up and decides to be better and BOOM, she’s better. I mean, maybe grief works that way. Maybe drowning your sorrows in a bottle is easily fixed. I don’t know, I haven’t lived it.
I feel as if HJ Bellus could have continued to build this second chance. I don’t think anyone would have been sad to read more about Marlee and Jed and Caleb and Fender. NO ONE. In fact, I wish we weren’t missing all of that in between time (read it and you’ll know what I’m talking about). I want all of those stories. Give me more build-up. I’m gonna need more than a few signs from above that this is how it’s supposed to be.
Anyway, all I’m saying is I wish the same amount of time that was spent on Marlee’s relationship with Bentley was spent on Marlee’s life after (again, I will not be super spoilery, so read the damn book).
I will say that HJ Bellus pulled a tear out of me. I wasn’t sobbing or anything. I mean it quite literally. ONE SINGLE TEAR.
If she had built on that “after” for Marlee, I would have shed more. For sure.
*I listened to this book and enjoyed Lacy Laurel’s narration. She did a great job of giving each character a voice and I was never confused as to who was speaking.
I completely ugly cried when I read this book, yet I still loved it for so many reasons. Not only was if full of raw emotion, but it was the the authors careful crafting of the characters timeline that made me truly vested. Marlee, a spoiled girl from a small town, had everything she held dear ripped away from her in a heartbreaking tragedy. I felt what Marlee felt as she went through feelings of hopelessness over her loss and not believing that she could have a second chance. Jed’s story…well, I don’t want to give spoilers, so I’ll just say that it ripped my heart out. Be prepared readers – this is a book that will have you turning the pages with urgency and crying through every one of them. It’s a story about love lost and redemption, one that will leave you thinking about it long after you finish reading.