a really uplifting book. Hopeful story that leaves you feeling good and the characters feel like they become your friends. Just an enjoyable read.

Bring on the popcorn and the hot tamales because this is one of those books that makes you just want to sit back in a comfy chair with your favorite snack (or Asher's, hence the aforementioned popcorn & hot tamales) and just let time pass by while you read.

I love Tammy L. Gray's books; I've read every one. Once again, she's hit the nail on the head--NO ONE is perfect. We've all got our faults, our baggage that weighs us down and steals our hope. Robs us of joy. Threatens to burden us for a lifetime. And it's refreshing to read about characters that are true-to-life and truly flawed, just like the rest of us. Maybe it's a mistake made in a relationship--moving too far, too fast. Maybe it's being a rotten, embittered youth with a crappy attitude, an ax to grind and the reputation to match. No matter your past, the hope of redemption exists for us all.

"You can't have a future until you accept the past. That doesn't mean you have to live the way you used to, but it does mean you can't deny what made you who you are. You made mistakes. Own them and move on."

^^That was my takeaway.

All of the Katies of the world need an Asher to remind them that in spite of the ugliness of our burdens & mistakes--both past & present--there is still beauty to be found within. We've just got to OWN IT (the ugly) and MOVE ON (to what God has in store in spite of it). A little chemistry doesn't hurt, either. After all, the truth sounds a little better when it's coming from the hot web designer-by-day, carpenter-by-night next door. Amiright?!

So, like I said... get yourself a bowl of popcorn & hot tamales and settle in for a sweet romance with some truth to it. It'll leave you smiling!

In My Hope Next Door, Katie Stone, former bad girl, moves home after 4 years, and finding Christ. Her new, unexpected friend is Pastor's kid Asher Powell. This is an amazing story of healing, grace, restoration, and how God can use anyone who is willing to let Him. Asher is a beautiful depiction of Christ. Even though it may be fiction, this story can teach amazing truths for life. It's always worth it to do the right thing, no matter how hard it may seem. An unexpected romance blossoms, but with obstacles to overcome.

I have to say My Hope Next Door was not really what I expected, but it was so much more. I have read all of Tammy L. Gray’s books and I find myself reading them again and again because, of the strong messages driving her stories. My Hope Next Door is no exception. Tammy has a way with words that makes her characters real and vulnerable. These seem to have hit me quite close to home. We are all fallen and with that comes hurt and heartache. We have all done things that we wish we could go back and rewrite in our history. However, we are only given one life to live and no magic eraser.

In My Hope Next Door, you have two characters who we could all pick out of our local high school graduating class. You have the notorious “bad girl” and the “preacher’s kid”. They wouldn’t seem to go together like fire and dynamite. However, when Katie Stone, the small town troublemaker, meets Asher Powell, the local pastor’s son, things combust in a mighty way.

Events are set in motion when Katie answers the call from her father to return home after her mother is diagnosed with a life changing disease. She is forced to confront her past after disappearing without a trace four years earlier. Her entire life has seemingly been a series of bad choices chasing highs that made the rumors fly and kept her bouncing from one disastrous boyfriend to another. That is until one day when she finds grace and then, an unexpected friend in her parent’s next door neighbor.

Asher’s life looks much different from where he was even one year ago. On the exterior, he seemingly has everything going for him. He was raise in a good Christian home, went to college, has a job he loves, bought his dream home, and has made a hobby of fixing the old place up despite the crotchety neighbors who can’t seem to mow their lawn. However, after a few seemingly harmless decisions, he feels like an outsider driven by bitterness toward the church he used to call “family”.

Throughout the unlikely love story, Tammy delivers the message that no matter what you have done there is always hope and a chance at healing. I was so taken by the story the first time I read it through (I have now read it two more times and plan on many more:). This is not just writing a book but, is real life. Thank you for sharing a story that is so much more than two opposites who attract and for reminding us there is hope and it’s for everyone.

**Note: I did receive an advanced copy of the book in return for my honest review.**

This book was far from what I typically read. A little out of my comfort zone but still I really enjoyed it.