More frequent readers of my blog know that I have always had a soft spot for Alice Hoffman's writing. There is something magical about how she blends the ordinary with the extraordinary which makes reading her books both soothing and exhilarating at the same time. Hence every time I start a new book by her I am both excited and nervous. What if this is the book that falls flat for me? What if the magic is not there? Thankfully Hoffman never disappoints, especially with her latest, Faithful. Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Not many books can make me cry but Faithful managed to have me sobbing in the middle of the night. It's easy to want to write about tragedies, about loss, heartbreak, love and forgiveness, and many authors do try. It's incredibly difficult, however, to create that fine nuance that can make these literary disasters come to life for the reader. Hoffman has perfected the art of writing about human life, and especially about human women. Whether it's her unnamed protagonist in The Ice Queen, Shelby in Faithful or the magical Owen sisters in Practical Magic, Hoffman writes women who live, dream, fear, hope, doubt and believe. Perhaps it is the fairy tale element in many of her books that makes them feel so real, because they are given a struggle. Their life never passes them by, they are never spectators to the happenings in their own inner selves. Novels about women often fall into self-help traps and there was a part of me that was worried Faithful would go there as well. Although this novel does lay out a "roadmap", as the blur above says, it is never pedantic, patronising or preachy. Rather, it is an inspiration.

At the heart of Faithful is Shelby, a teenage girl whose life is derailed by a car accident. Although her friend is the one in a coma, Shelby's life comes to a sharp stop. Grief, survivor's guilt and a whole series of bad events see Shelby reduced not only to a husk of her former self but to, in her own words, 'nothing'. Deeply cynical and yet secretly hopeful, Shelby is straight up lost and she knows it. As the reader follows her journey, Shelby encounters others in the process of finding themselves. This story could so easily have devolved into platitudes and cliches, yet Hoffman tells Shelby's story with an honest kindness. She doesn't leave anything in the dark, yet also never forgets her subjects are human. Shelby grows enormously throughout the novel, finding herself capable where she never expected, broken where she hopes to become fixed, and saved when she least expects it. Although she has an angel watching over her, it is Shelby who travels this road. It is she who makes her choices, who finds herself making choice after choice when she never thought she would be capable of choices.

Hoffman is, rightfully, heaped with praise for her writing and there is not much that a fledgling blogger like me could add to it. Her writing is magical because she finds the extraordinary moments in life, whether it is noticing a shaking hand or a dog's loyal nature. It was these moments which broke my heart because they are true. I was crying at the kindness of strangers, the love of mothers, the trust of children, and the beauty of a starry night. I was also soothed by these exact things. Life can be heartbreaking and heartwarming, it both breaks you and make you, and Hoffman always finds that balance. Although my life has been a lot less tragic than Shelby's, I could identify with her need for forgiveness and for a reason. A reason for everything, for all the things, all the people, all the moments that become a part of your life and not someone else's. It is painful to read someone writing about your emotions, your thoughts, but there is also something rehabilitating about it. Reading Faithful, reading all of Hoffman's books, brings me that healing pain which makes you stronger at the end of a book. It is something I've never found with any other author and it is why I will always treasure Hoffman's books.

Faithful stunned me, broke me and then put me back together. Yes that sounds dramatic, but I walked away from this novel with an incredibly amount of hope. I will be rereading Faithful numerous times and it will join the list of books that changed me. I'd recommend this, naturally, to fans of Hoffman but also to those who are looking for the magic of writing and the beauty in an ordinary life.

A brilliant book, and a real coming of age story.

Shelby was 17 when she skidded her car on ice, seriously injuring her best friend who ends up in a coma. Shelby has to start her life all over again, going from being a popular, beautiful high school girl to someone who shies away from life, company and just wants to disappear, whilst people flock to the bedside of Helene, believing that in her coma she works miracles.

Hoffman's writing is absolutely beautiful, creating characters about whom the reader really cares, and a story which keeps the pages turning. Highly recommended to anyone.

Good book, and easy read, but nothing extraordinary. I think this is is a great book to carry when traveling or when in a reading slump. It's entertaining and heartfelt.

Before picking up this book, I'd certainly heard of Alice Hoffman, and I'd been interested in reading several of her books. Somehow, though, I'd never gotten around to it, so this was my first from her, and based on how much I enjoyed her style here, I can say I'll definitely be reading more of her books in the future.

I'll be honest and say that I honestly couldn't remember what this book was about by the time I started reading it, though I'm sure that I did know at one point or another. I was surprised, then, to find that it was about the aftermath of a car accident (sort of) and one girl's/woman's journey to healing over the course of several years. There wasn't any sort of connected plot driving me to keep reading, only a desire to see Shelby, the main character, grow and change and learn to accept herself as she was.

Faithful is full of sad moments, and I definitely cried more than once, especially where dogs were concerned. (Dogs show up pretty frequently in this book, which was a nice bonus for me.) But even with the sad parts, rays of happiness still shone through, even though they weren't necessarily big, joyous parts.

This book was, for me, a reminder to appreciate the small happinesses that we have, even when everything seems to be depressing and dismal. A simple note or postcard can really brighten someone's day and change their life. It was also a reminder to appreciate the people (and pets) around us while we have them, because they won't always be there.

There were a few bits bordering on magical realism at the beginning, but they didn't really linger throughout the book. It might have been nice to see more, but at the same time, I think it would have been a distraction more than anything else. I appreciated being able to follow Shelby's story without any distractions, and I really felt satisfied at the way things turned out for her, though I didn't always (or even frequently) agree with her choices.

I really loved reading this book and gave it five stars. Did it have flaws? Maybe, but if they were there, I didn't really notice them. Once I started reading, I had trouble putting it down, and that's enough for me.

My heart broke for Shelby and the guilt and emotional baggage she carried around from an auto accident in which she and her BFF Helene were in the same car, with Shelby driving. What happens to Helene is something Shelby can't get past.

After a short time in an institution, her teen years are spent in the basement with a shaved head, dark clothing, blocking out the world (with the help of drugs).

Helene is thought to be a "miracle worker" of some kind. People come from far and wide to see her, but Shelby cannot even bring herself to visit.

The best part of this book to me was when Shelby finally starts on her journey to find herself. All the creatures (human and four legged) she lets into her heart help her find her way. Along with random post cards that encourage her along the way, but never revealing who they are from. She had some heartbreak and failed relationships, and other losses, but watching her grow and become true to herself was the best part of this book for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Shuster for allowing me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite writers and she does not disappoint. A sad and tragic coming of age story that is beautifully written. hoffman has a knack for portraying teen angst real. I am def purchasing this title for my high school library.

I would have given this a solid 3 stars, but as it started to finally come together, I would say it was closer to a 4. I like reading YA books & even though this is not listed as such, it felt & read like a YA book.

Up until the 1/2 way point of this book I was still wondering where it was going & what the point of it all was & then the book grabbed me & I couldn't put it down.

The story picks up 2 years after a high school girl, Shelby & her friend, Helene have a very bad car accident. Shelby basically falls apart because she feels guilt from the wreck & we piece together what she dealt with the first 2 years after the accident. She is a mess, lives in her parents basement, doesn't speak, smokes dope & just exists. That was the running theme for me, over & over again. But then we start to see changes in Shelby, she has a boyfriend ( doesn't start out as such), gets a job, has some responsibility & even makes friends with a family. Through out it all, over the years since the accident, Shelby receives post cards in the mail, usually just 2 words such as....Say Something or Do Something. Shelby's mom believes they are being sent by an angel who looks over Shelby.

I grew to like Shelby, she wasn't always the easiest person to be around, she had many faults but she was loyal & she rescued animals- how can you not love that?

After some bad, sad & happy times, Shelby's life comes together.....it takes her 10 years, but she survived.

& Leonard Cohen lyrics at the start of the book, beautiful!

I received this book as an ARC from Net Galley for an honest review.

Not as captivating as previous efforts from Hoffman, abandoned after several attempts to get through the first third.

Shelby, who is just about to go to college, was driving herself and her friend Helene on a night out when their car hit a patch of ice and crashed. Shelby feels responsible for Helene's severe injuries. She spends her time sleeping in the basement, barely leaving the house, smoking weed in the fog of a major depression. Her friends desert her and only her mother stands by her, giving up her job to care and cook for her. Then Shelby starts to receive anonymous postcards with short messages: "say something"; "do something"; "want something".
Your heart aches for this young woman who is unable to forgive herself or love herself. She begins a slow journey of rebuilding her world through loving others, first rescue dogs and then humans.
She starts working in a pet store in New York and, with the help of a love of Chinese food and bookstores, gradually begins to piece herself together again, making a lifelong friend in a colleague Maravelle and her three children. Then one day the author of the mysterious postcards comes into her life.
It is a heartbreaking and heartwarming story, an enjoyable read about love; love for lovers, love for friends, a mother's love and most of all the journey towards loving yourself. Alice Hoffman, whose writing I always love, swept me up in Shelby's tale with the most beautiful prose. A wonderful book.

Shelby Richmon is an ordinary girl, I would say maybe not even so ordinary – her best friend is very beautiful and popular. But one night something terrible happens – the two girls suffer a car crash which Shelby survives barely scratched, while her best friend Helene ends up in a coma with permanent brain damage. After this, Shelby is thrown into the deepest depression and won’t stop blaming herself for years, as well as destroying herself and letting others do it for her. We follow Shelby through her story of maturing, something like 5 or 10 years (I couldn’t tell) of her starting out as a complete mess and learning to live life anew. It is a touching account, filled with learning what love is, what one truly wants and how to forgive oneself for things unimaginable.

The aspect I liked the most about this book was how honest it was. So sad, aching and deep – and so sincere. It’s hard to be honest in these things. It’s hard not to overdramatize. And yet, it was done so well! Couldn’t help wondering if the writer had seen her own share of sorrow in her life. Only one who has suffered can really portray pain, depression and self-hatred so well. The part I thought was done the best was how Shelby refused to see that she was actually a kind, good person, that she was worth something. The inability to forgive oneself and see oneself worthy of anything is, I would say, the main point of the book.

It’s a painful path that we see our main character walk. But it’s one you can deeply empathise, or even connect with. You’ll keep turning it over and over in your head, whether Shelby’s choices were right or wrong, right considering the circumstances, or the only ones she could have taken anyway. And in the end, it’s so satisfying, because you can see clearly the whole path she walked and where it brought her. It’s a very good ending. Not because something exceptionally good happens, but because there’s release from the past, from the pain. There’s redemption.

It was a magical, wonderful, emotional and very well written journey into a young girl’s life. Troubled and raw, which you are going to love every minute of. I truly recommend this book, it was a great one to start my reading year with, and it might be my best read this year. I am deeply grateful to the writer and the publishers to have allowed me an early read of this gem, even if it took me so long to catch up to it in my schedule.

Alice Hoffman has recently written some fantastic historical novels, such as The Dovekeepers and The Marriage of Opposites, but Faithful brings back her classic style – a coming of age story edged with her own kind of magic realism. She is an expert at character building, especially in the form of ordinary young women who experience extraordinary events.

Shelby is a teenage girl growing up on Long Island, when a car accident puts her best friend Helene in a coma and derails Shelby’s entire future. Helene becomes a sort of local spectacle, with neighbours making pilgrimages to her bedside because they think she can perform miracles. Meanwhile, Shelby won’t even visit Helene because she is carrying so much guilt over the accident. Her feelings manifest themselves in a suicide attempt and too much time wasted in her parent’s basement – but eventually she finds a way to move on, in New York City.

In the city, Shelby is in a relationship with a boy from her hometown – he adores her, but she just cannot accept his love. Instead, she is obsessed with Chinese food and strays of all kind, especially dogs in all shapes and sizes that she rescues off the streets of New York City. She can never fully connect to her boyfriend, and eventually realizes that she must leave her past behind completely in order to move forward.

Although her relationship with her boyfriend is unsuccessful, Shelby experiences many other complex and powerful relationships – the most meaningful one was with her mother, as they reconnect later in life. Shelby seems to surround herself with a collection of lost souls, and she eventually finds hope in her heartbreak. Her mental instability, brought on by the car accident and never properly dealt with, is only somewhat resolved by her final stable relationship.

Throughout her time in New York, Shelby receives unsigned postcards with perfectly timely messages, such as “say something” or “want something” – she feels like she is being watched over by an angel who always knows exactly what she needs to hear to move forward. It turns out that her “angel” was closer than she realized, giving her a sense of faith and wonder, in herself and in the world around her.

Although I often felt emotionally manipulated by Shelby’s character, especially watching in frustration while she cannot or will not help herself, I do feel like it was a realistic portrayal of the time and energy it would take to recover from such a tragedy as Shelby experienced. This novel is an exploration of the depths of grief and guilt, but it is also about recovery and redemption, as Shelby learns that every life is worth saving.

I received this book from Simon & Schuster and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Last century (!) I read Hoffman’s Turtle Moon and loved it. The next thing I knew, Hoffman started writing woo woo stuff, like Practical Magic, and I ran the other way.

I might have made up the term “woo woo”—sounds like something I’d do—so let me explain. By woo woo I mean all things magic, psychic, ghosty, New Age-y, paranormal, and supernatural. Angels, devils, miracles—all woo woo. Woo woo and I don’t get along very well (with one notable exception, the book Big Magic). Even though I totally love saying woo woo, I must get back to this review.

So when I began Faithful and read that people were visiting a girl in a coma because she performed miracles, I just about stopped reading. Uh oh, woo woo alert! Try to sell me a miracle, I’ll back off. But since the miracle stuff wasn’t front and center (it was more like an aside), I gambled and kept reading. Good thing I did, because I ended up liking this book a lot. There was some talk of angels too, but I found I could ignore it and keep my eye on the cool heroine, Shelby, who was not woo woo in the least.

The whole show is about Shelby, a teen who transforms from a down-and-outer to a cool chick, and in so doing inspired me to add two new bookshelves! When a book makes me sit up and create lists, you can bet it’s one that will grab 4 stars from me. I will say that Shelby’s down-and-out gloomy days lasted a tad too long (as in monotonous), but then she entered cool chick land and I got way caught up in it.
I’m clapping for Hoffman’s ability to create a character I cared about so much. It must be hard for a writer to get you to feel for a heroine, and though I don’t call it a miracle, I do call it magical (but definitely not in a woo woo sort of way). It feels so damn good to be that invested. It happens in movies a lot for me, but not so often in books.

As I said, Shelby started as a down-and-outer, edgy and dark. I felt like a nosy but concerned aunt (or even the at-her-wits-end mother), following Shelby’s every step, rooting for her to rejoin the living. I fretted endlessly about her. Would she ever recover from the tragedy that consumed her, that caused her to remain in fetal position so long and to withdraw from life so completely? Like the eternally worried mother, I was relieved when she moved to the city and let someone take care of her, even if she did so passively. I was ecstatic when Shelby found friends, I cringed when she hurt anyone’s heart, I grimaced when she made stupid choices, I gleamed when she rescued animals. Actually, the fact that she rescued animals earned the book extra points—I forgot how cozy and fun it is to have the hero be an animal lover.

Partly this book is about the power of friendship, because Shelby started to come alive once she let herself have a friend and be a friend. And it’s about how rescuing can be therapeutic: Friends rescued her and she rescued animals. I’d like to say that she was willing to dip her toes in the water, that she bravely worked at getting better, at fighting the depression and accompanying inertia, the pain that made her lifeless and tortured. But actually, life happened to her—she wasn’t consciously working on it. Watching her grow into a functional, happy person was just so satisfying, says this proud auntie. See? I’m talking about her as if she were real! Only a great storyteller can make that happen.

But, of course, there is a Complaint Board:

-The book is dangerously close to woo woo land, as I’ve said. (Yay! I got to say woo woo again!)

-The language is simplistic; sometimes I thought it bordered on chick lit.

-I found a couple of instances where an editor failed. Hoffman used the same phrase in one chapter (just sloppy) and mentioned a dog was starving but carried it around instead of feeding it (sloppier). No biggies, but annoying nonetheless because they took me out of the story for a minute.

-Not important, but I don’t like the book title. I can’t seem to make it fit with the content at all.

-The ending is weak—sappy and pat.

But despite my whining, when I finished the book I was left with a good feeling. This is an uplifting coming-of-age story about a young tortured soul who very slowly rejoins the living. Hoffman’s writing style, though simple, draws you in, and it’s a fast and satisfying read. Check it out!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

Another great story by Alice Hoffman. Shelby's experience with loss, grief and self punishment is vivid. I love the way Hoffman used animals and children to help Shelby grow and heal.
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Marriage of Opposites and The Dovekeepers comes a soul-searching story about a young woman struggling to redefine herself and the power of love, family, and fate.

Growing up on Long Island, Shelby Richmond is an ordinary girl until one night an extraordinary tragedy changes her fate. Her best friend’s future is destroyed in an accident, while Shelby walks away with the burden of guilt.

What happens when a life is turned inside out? When love is something so distant it may as well be a star in the sky? Faithful is the story of a survivor, filled with emotion—from dark suffering to true happiness—a moving portrait of a young woman finding her way in the modern world. A fan of Chinese food, dogs, bookstores, and men she should stay away from, Shelby has to fight her way back to her own future. In New York City she finds a circle of lost and found souls—including an angel who’s been watching over her ever since that fateful icy night.

I loved this book and I loved Shelby! Because life isn't easy and some people go through more than their fair share of tragedy. I was heartbroken for Shelby and the guilt and self hate she carried around. Shelby feels unworthy of love yet she goes out of her way to save others. It takes her years of self sabotage before finally realizing she is worth something, I think the emotions and character were so powerfully and beautifully written. I also loved the relationship between her and her parents, not because it was an amazing relationship but because it wasn't always, I love that her mom is written with faults and issues of her own, as a parent it is always a struggle to know whether your decisions are right or wrong, whether to hover, whether to let go a little. This book and the feelings it gave me are lingering, it definitely touched me and I will be looking into more of Alice Hoffman's books. Thank you NetGalley, Alice Hoffman and Simon & Schuster for an amazing journey!

I received an advanced copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Once I started reading this book, I tore through it in just two days. It sucks you in immediately, and the writing is simple, but just hypnotizing enough to keep you turning the (virtual) pages.

Although this story is about many things, the story that resonated with me the most is the relationship between Shelby and her mother. It brought me to tears many times, and although Sue might not have been the most well developed character, I didn't even care.

I did really love this book and would recommend it to anyone, but I do have a small qualm about Shelby. Contrary to what the beginning of the book would lead you to believe, she was a little too pure and genuine and "perfect" for much of the book. I was expecting her to do more things wrong or for her past to haunt her more. But again, small qualm.

My second Alice Hoffman novel was quite different from the first one I read, The Marriage of Opposites, proof that Hoffman is such a versatile and very skilled writer.

I was taken with this novel from the very first pages. The main character and the secondary ones are very well drawn. The story makes you think about how easy your nice, contempt little life can turn upside down. Guilt, depression and loneliness are major themes in this novel. I found myself sobbing a couple of times.

Faithful is full of feelings and full of heart.

Highly recommended.

This is a highly engaging novel that tells the story of a young woman who's life is changed one terrible evening in a car crash. She walks away with hardly a scratch, but her best friend is left in a long-term coma. Each chapter represents a turning point in her life. The characters are believable and endearing. I very much enjoyed it.

I’m not going to lie, I didn’t love the first chapter. Everything was awful, and there were some triggers (rape and suicide) that made me think this book was not for me. But I kept going: I can’t abandon books with miserable main characters, it would make me feel terrible. The following chapters started to reveal some pretty great secondary characters: my favourites were Jasmine and the twins, and another one that’s a complete spoiler, but OMG. I was wonderfully surprised when the mysterious postcard sender was discovered. The author didn’t fall into a cliché, and it was great!
Today, I spent my afternoon reading the second half of the book, crying at everything while eating ice cream. I needed to reach the end of Shelby’s story, and see if everything finally worked out for her. Her story was terribly sad, and I loved reading her transition from a messed up kid to a strong and caring woman. “Faithful” was not the kind of book I would normally pick up, but I’m glad I did.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

At 17, Shelby Richmond is driving on an icy February night when she loses control of her car. She escapes with comparatively minor injuries, but her best friend Helene is left in a coma she will never come out of. Shelby cannot forgive herself for what happened and drops the plans she had for her life to hibernate in her parents’ basement, leaving only to wander the streets at night and smoke weed with her dealer, Ben. Someone keeps sending her mysterious postcards, though, to encourage her.

I loved this book. Alice Hoffman is such a talented storyteller; she is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. The emotions in this book are so real and raw. If it wasn’t obvious from the book’s description, there are some dark themes to this book (including rape, drugs, and depression), so if those are triggers for you, you might want to stay away from the book.

Shelby is the main character in this book. When Shelby's best friend dies in an automobile accident, Shelby blames herself and she becomes a shadow of what she once was suffering from remorse and guilt over her friend's death. She goes through a very bad time filled with depression and failure. Her life takes a turn when she meets someone that makes her feel worthwhile again. She begins to feel alive again. There is magic in this book as there always is when you read one of Alice Hoffman's books. This is a great book to read for a book club selection. I highly recommend this book!

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