(ARC) Review: A CRY FOR HOPE by Beth Rinyu

A Cry For Hope

by Beth Rinyu

Genre: New Adult Romance

Format Acquired: e-ARC

Source: Author (Thanks a bunch, Beth!)
Expected Publication March 14th 2014

Hope McAdams life as she knew it ended on the same day that her eight year old son’s did.

Eight months later she's trying to regain some semblance of normality, while trying to repair her once perfect marriage to a man who was her best friend, but now a complete stranger. Coming to the painful realization that she must fix the hole that’s deep within her heart, she goes home to the place that she grew up in hopes that time and distance will heal her wounds and lead her back to the man she loves.

Nick Abate is an old friend of Hope’s whose heart is also on the mend. He’s home on leave from the Marines, and when he and Hope reconnect, their friendship picks up right where they left off, years ago. They both begin to heal and feel whole again with the help of each other. But when their friendship crosses the line, will Hope be able to forgive herself and move on, or will the guilt that she is harboring once again cause her to slip back into the place that she has just escaped? 

What happens when two tortured souls place their trust in each other? Will they find their way back to the ones they love or will their hearts remain connected forever?

MY REVIEW

I have always been a fan of Beth Rinyu's works. The Unplanned Series made me cry, made me blush, and made me laugh. But this book, A Cry of Hope, made me shed a waterfall of tears. It gave me all the feels for a woman, a mother, who lost almost everything in her life. Everything that made her life worth living. And I have to warn you, please prepare a box of tissue before you read this book. I'm 100% sure you'll be needing it.

"This is the story about my family. My beautiful son, my once perfect husband, and finding the courage to live and feel whole again."

At first, I thought this will be another love story about a girl and a boy who were bestfriends then ended up marrying each other. But I was wrong.

A Cry For Hope is a story about Hope, a mother, who lost her son. Not only did he lost her son, but also her husband's heart. He blames her for the tragic incident and she can do nothing but to take the blame. I am not a mother (yet) but through Beth's writing, I can feel the exact feelings of Hope. If I were her, I wouldn't know what to do. It's too much heartbreak for me and I can't bear that kind of pain!

"My two greatest fears in life were losing my child and dying myself. Since I had already faced one of those fears head on, I no longer feared the second."

I hated Jamie, Hope's husband. How can he blame Hope for the loss of their son, Charlie, all this time? Does he really think Hope wanted it to happen? The flashbacks of their lives made me cry each and every time. It literally broke my heart. I was a mess. I cried inside the shuttle going to work while reading. I didn't care about the stares of other people at me. I just cared about Hope's feelings. I wanted to hug her and tell her that everything will be fine. I wanted to slap Jamie to make him realize what he's done. He should've been there for Hope and comfort her in this rough time of their lives. Ugh! Hope made the right decision to stay away from Jamie for the time being and stay with her mother. She needs someone who will understand her and make her feel better.

"You know, Jamie, sometimes emotional pain can hurt worse than physical pain. I would rather endure that day over and over again, rather than feeling like I'm worthless to the man I love."

When Hope ran home, to her mother, all she wanted was to think and probably lessen the pain in her heart by keeping herself busy. But what she didn't expect is that she'd bump into her childhood bestfriend, Nick. And I guess this is why girls also need guy bestfriends. Because in this story, one of them played the most important part. They started hanging out again, keeping up with each other's life. She found out that Nick is carrying some burden with him too, and she thought of not adding to that burden. But Nick can't bear to see Hope feeling so down and hopeless. So he helped her ease out the pain and move on. I thought this will lead into some kind of a friends with benefits thing, but I was wrong again. Nick did everything to pick up the shattered pieces of Hope's heart. He made her feel she is worthy of love, that she deserved to be loved. And I love Nick so much for what he did. Every girl needs a guy like Nick, even for just a friend.

"Hope, you are not hopeless at all. You've just been through a lot and you've changed because of it. You will never be the same person that you were before you lost your son, just like I will never be the same person I was before. . ."

Nick played the biggest role in reuniting Jamie and Hope, thus giving them another chance. Their whole story might bring you pain, and despair, but Nick will give you hope. He will bring you happiness and forgiveness. Yes, the loss of Charlie will always be a whole in their heart that will never be replaced, but eventually, that loss will turn out to be a new beginning, a new life. This is a TOTAL tear-jerker but I don't have any regrets reading this. Beth, I love you. I love your works. I love your characters.

Here are some of the songs that remind me of Hope, Jamie, and Nick's story:

Say Something - A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera

Gravity - Sara Bareilles

MY RATING

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Beth Rinyu

Ever since I can remember, I have always enjoyed Creative Writing. There was always something about being able to travel to a different place or become a different person with just the stroke of a pen - or in today's world a touch of the keyboard. I am the author of The Exception To The Rule, An Unplanned Lesson and Drowning In Love (releasing July 2013).

My life is not as interesting as my books or the characters in them, but then again whose life is? I was born and have lived in New Jersey my whole life. I'm a mom of twin teenage boys, a teenage stepson, a crazy Border Collie and a cat with an identity crisis! I guess you can say writing is my form of Calgon! I am married to a wonderful guy - but we'll keep that between us, I don't want him getting a big head! 

Thanks for taking the time to learn about my books and me! If you decide to read them (and I hope you do!) please be sure to go on and review it for me - yes, even if you don't like it!

Author Links:

Facebook | Goodreads

"We both need to accept the new people we've become before we can expect anyone else to accept us. Because, no matter how hard we wish for it, that person that we used to be is never coming back."