This was a sweet enough book about a family who just want to survive. The characters are cute and genuine, although I did feel like it was rather rushed at times, whilst other bits were very slow.

I feel like Hope.. Anyway could have been written much better. It has an important message but that message is lost in the choppy writing. I want to like this book, the writing was just too off... I think it needs a rewrite.

I wanted to like this book. I really did. It presented as a beautiful story about the effects of alcoholism on kids, and how those kids can find courage and help people who’ve hurt them. 

However, the writing hindered my ability to enjoy the story. I would have preferred a more linear format, instead of one which skips all over the place in terms of backstory, current events, and Hope’s lists about her family. These additions were cute, but I don’t think they always added much to my understanding of the characters. 

I liked Hope, and I felt for her. I genuinely wanted her to learn and grow, and for her family to heal, but I had a hard time connecting with her. 3 stars for character development, because I was rooting for them to succeed, but didn’t like the way they were presented.

This book was... fine. A solid 3 stars, no more, no less, because nothing much really happens. We follow Heidi who writes lists, her brother Bean (who FYI seems like the more interesting sibling!) and their mother Joy who is an alcoholic. It was an okay read but nothing about it excited me.

I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review. This was a heartbreaking and real book, that shows that the author truly understands people. This is about a family struggling with real life issues. My only complaint would be that it was a bit disjointed and left me confused at times. Very good writing style though.

I absolutely adored this novel. There were so many heartbreaking moments mixed with a few funny scenes and some triumphant ones. 

I enjoyed the quirkiness of Bean, the strength of Heidi, and the comedy of Billy. I love that there is a brother/sister duo navigating the turbulence that they face.

Most of the events in the story are believable and I could picture them happening within families. That said, the end seemed to wrap up a little too neat and tidy. I’m not sure that both Joy and Jerry would make such drastic transformations in such a short time. I have no frame of reference, it’s just a gut feeling.

I would absolutely recommend this novel for young adults who are mature enough to handle the topics of abuse and alcoholism. The discussion guide at the end is a great jumping off point to facilitate a group discussion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Uplifting novel about a challenging upbringing of a young girl.

This book reads as more of a middle grade rather than a young adult novel. This is due partially to the lack of description of the abuse suffered in the home and the problems the children must overcome. I found the main character real and honest. I recommend this book to anyone who has an addict in the family especially a parent because this book gave me personally someone to relate too, This book is also good to others because it allows them to understand the everyday struggles some children must face.

I absolutely adored this read by Lisa L. Walsh - Heidi is a likable character who is very real in the struggles that her family is going through. Lisa hit on the difficulty that children with addicts face - even when things were getting bad, Heidi and Bean attempted to hide what was going on as much as they could from those around them. They were trying to find normalcy in what they could. I thought the book was an easy read that flowed nicely through the entire storyline. I liked the "extras" that were included - they  felt exactly like the thoughts that would be told by a young teen. Some were lighthearted while others were more serious. This book is a good read for everyone - for children struggling with addiction in their own families, they can feel connected with the main characters and for those who are not, it's a chance to talk about a very real topic that might be hard to bring up. I look forward to reading more of this author's work!

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I actually DNFed the book, the story was decent. I just did not enjoy the writing style. I couldn't get into the story because of this. It does seem like a good story, it just was not for me.

Thank you netgalley for letting me read this arc. I received this arc in return of an honest review of this book.

Recommended age: 12+ just because it deals with some serious themes i.e. alcohol consumption.

I really liked the idea of this book. It's a very unique, interesting and relatable story. The characters were well developed and the relationships could be seen growing as the book progresses. The only problem I had with this book was that the chapter headers were not properly structured. They were a bit confusing. At some point I did feel the story was dragged a little but it's probably just me.

My favourite part were the "walker trio" chapters because they provided us with a bit more info about Heidi and her family. Another thing that really intrigued me was the focus on physical/outdoor activity rather than on electronic devices which I think in today's world is necessary. 

I think there should have been a few more pages of description and dialogue between Heidi and her granddad when Heidi and her family meet her granddad after so many years. Since she likes him so much we should know a bit more about him.

Hope... Anyway is a well-written debut novel by Lisa L. Walsh. This book is relatable/realistic story & I loved the writing style. I truly enjoyed this novel and look forward to diving into many more books by Ms. Walsh. Kudos on your debut

This book reads more as a middle grade book than a YA book, while it was too young for my taste I think it would be great for preteens or younger teens.

My thoughts:

Ok, first I want to thank netgalley for letting me read this arc for an honest review.  Now, the synopsis for this book, I don't believe gives it justice, it does not lay out what you are actually going to be reading about.  Which I doubt was the intention since this book, is more so told in almost a diary format.  

The book starts off with Heidi and Bean, leaving with their mother since she has just divorced her husband which they point out is a alcoholic.  They move to an apartment above a bank and start their new lives, which is where we see where Heidi loves making lists, though she only does it about 4 to 5 times in the book.  They are living in the apartment and Heidi complains about not having her own room while they are in the apartment then all of a sudden their mom gets an old barn for 2000 dollars which is moved onto a plot.  Along with this house a man comes into her mothers life by the name of Jerry.  Jerry is the catalyst to this story, he is a big alcohol drinker, and then starts the downward spiral for Heidi's mom and now stepdad.

When the synopsis is talking about surviving the adults in her life, it should more so be about how Heidi is living in a home with 2 alcoholics, that are abusive and absent most of the time.  A father that is completely out of the picture, and other family members that are kept in the dark on what is going on in the family home.

Along with the story of how this young 13 year old life is changing with her parents, it is also about her school life with her brother Bean, who is how did the book put it soft boiled in the head when he was born.  They don't actually give the actual name to what Bean is but they make comments about how he is in school and how he is different from the other students. Heidi and Bean are in the same class, they are two years apart but apparently they let Heidi start school early because she got into a certain program that let her start a year before she was suppose to.

This book was interesting and it held my attention, it didn't go very deep in the abuse of the what the family was doing.  Which is way I'm saying it is more on the middle grade spectrum more so than the young adult section. The writing was done quite well, it did have random family facts in the chapter breaks to get to know the children more and sometimes the mom.  All in all, it was ok

This was an adorable book about the bravery of a young girl who wants her mom, and who struggles with the knowledge of a disease everyone has but nobody remedies. 

It's a story about three teenagers being the responsible ones of the family and having to learn how to lean on each other

It's a compilation of lists, which I love. 

And it has a reader's guide so you could argue it's educational and read it in math class. (What...just me?)

As a child of divorce, I related to Heidi on a very personal level.  I truly enjoyed Walsh's style of writing and find it hard to believe that this is her first book.

This book felt very raw and real and I the POV of a 12/13-year-old girl was interesting. It discussed some very heavy themes like alcoholism and abuse.
Though, I was kind of unconfortable reading it and I did not “like” it. However, I don’t think these kind of books should be liked. Appreciate is a better word for it.