Hold on to Hope ~ Review

Ali here ~

Title: Hold on to Hope
Series: N/A
Author: A.L. Jackson
Release Date: Oct. 11, 2019
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Blurb: 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 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 . . .

Amazon | Goodreads

*****What I Loved About This Book*****

• This book will suck you right in! Intense first chapter that had my heart aching for them! I was feeling intense dread before things even got started good.
• This is one of those stories that will consume you!
• Missing pieces that just add to the intrigue.
• Awesome chemistry and intense connection between Frankie Leigh and Evan. They have such an intense bond built on a lifetime of closeness.
• Their friendship is the core of them.
• The tension just keeps intensifying!
• Hot and steamy!
• This book brings on all the feels!
• As always, I love Jackson’s almost poetic style.

***What I Didn’t Like***

• Evan says that you find your purpose when your love for someone was bigger than your fears, but he didn’t display that for Frankie Leigh from the start.
• I get that your kids need to be put first when it comes to protection. You’re the parent, it’s your responsibility. However, there was so much emphasis on the kid coming first that it took away from the romance a bit.
• Cheating. Even when the girlfriend/boyfriend is a jerk, I just don’t like it.
• Frankie Leigh keeping the past hidden for so long was annoying me.
• I didn’t understand the motivation behind the bad guy.

While this is advertised as a friends to lovers, it was more of a second chance romance to me. You do get a bunch of glimpses into their past about how they went from friends to lovers, but the main story here is about their second chance.

So, my list of dislikes is a little long, but I still give this a firm four stars because this book still consumed me and downright owned me until I was finished with it. As always, I love Jackson’s style and can’t wait for more from her. 4 stars!

Have you read Hold on to Hope or any of A.L. Jackson’s other books? What did you think? Have a recommendation for me?

Happy Reading,

Ali