It might sound strange, but I hadn't read SHANNON'S HOPE by Josi S. Kilpack straight through until it was released last month. The character I was writing at the time (Ruby) has a lot of interaction with Shannon, so Josi and I were continually hammering out scenes together. But I didn't know "the end" of Shannon's journey, or some of the steps along the way.
Before I met Josi, I was a fan of hers. And when she told me she read one of my books and enjoyed it, I was pretty excited since I thought she was a fabulous author. Over the years, I read everything she put out and became an avid Sadie Hoffmiller fan as well, often buying the book the first few days it hit the store, then neglecting other duties for a weekend while I read the latest Sadie adventure.
So, even though I'd read portions of SHANNON'S HOPE (heck, I even wrote a few scenes that Josi then transposed into Shannon's point of view), I went all "fan girl" when the book came out. And... I love it. Josi has a way of endearing the reader to her characters, and her characters are completely flawed, sometimes broken, but always relatable.
I hope you'll love the book as much as I did! Here's my official review:
"SHANNON'S HOPE kicks off the 2nd set in the Newport Ladies Book Club series. You can start with this one, or read the 1st set (Daisy, Olivia, Paige, Athena). Shannon is a pharmacist, married, with a 12 year old son. She's also Ruby Crenshaw's niece and gets roped into attending the book club by her aunt. Just before one of the meetings, her step-daughter comes back into her life after a failed stint in rehab. Determined to help Keisha in anyway she can, Shannon brings her step-daughter to book club.
What follows it a gripping, heart-wrenching story of a woman who only wants to help her step-daughter overcome her addictions and get her life back on track. In the author's introduction to the novel, she says, 'In my years of writing there are few books I've written that have explored things that are a part of my personal experience. SHANNON was one of those books for me . . . I have been a participant in the 'dance' of addiction and codependency and boundaries and letting go and forgiving . . . There is a fine line between hope and hopelessness sometimes; between love and self-preservation; between kindness and enabling . . . If you are a dancer, on any side of the issue, of which there are many sides, I wish you peace and perspective as you figure out your own steps.'
Thank you, Josi. I hope my journey will be stronger from learning about Shannon's hope..."
SHANNON'S HOPE is available on Amazon and Deseret Book and Barnes and Noble in both paperback and e-book!
