It's more of a 4,5 stars. I really enjoyed this book, and I loved the characters. I will be writing a review on my blog soon, and will add the link to it, when it's up.

This ARC was graciously provided to me by Netgalley and Dundurn for an honest review.

The Blurb focuses on Hope but it’s really a dual story and POV about two siblings, Hope and her brother Eric. I could not put this book down and was up until 3:30am reading it. That being said I found it a pretty sad and heart wrenching read. I liked how the Author seemed to really know her stuff concerning drug addiction and the angst of teen age girls. I’m not a big reader of heartbreaking books and tend to avoid them but I was drawn to this story and glad I picked it up. I would not recommend this book to anyone under 18 years of age because of the drug abuse, language and sexual content and may need a warning for those who have been sexually abused.

This book was beautiful, sad, tragic. At first I didn't really now what to think of the book. I thought it would be another great theme for a book wasted in a terrible plot. But it actually resulted be amazing. It was sad, it was real, it was raw and it was true. All of it. Actually, it was hurtful. I couldn't bring myself to read it in one sitting. I had to read pieces of it little by little, because something inside felt quite uncomfortable and sad. It was poisonous, you could say. But it was worth. All the sad and the fights and the terrible things. One thing is that maybe the ending was a little too wrapped up in the end. I mean, it wasn't. But because of the way the book was, all sad and depressing, the ending was a little too happy. But I'm not sure if it was a bad decision. Either way, the writing of this author is absolutely beautiful. I would love to hear more of her.

4/5 Stars

This is the first Colleen Nelson book I have read and it definitely will not be the last. I loved the way that the story started as the introduction of the main characters was done really well. The way the characters spoke at the beginning, particularly Hope, really made for an interesting start. 

I enjoyed Colleen’s writing style and the character development of the main characters. Hope and her brother’s complex personalities and life choices were so beautifully and heartbreakingly expressed in such a real way. Hopes use of her love for poetry to express how she feels was something I had never come across in a book I’ve read before, and I loved it.

For a YA read I found some of this book to have a darker feel to it and that might not be for everyone. There are multiple issues that are addressed in this book and Colleen wrote about them in such a realistic, educational and candid way. Overall, I enjoyed reading Finding Hope, it was a heart-warming, honest and well written novel.

REVIEW: This book will be popular with mature readers who loved Beatrice Sparks's Go Ask Alice and Ellen Hopkins's Crank series. Hope and Eric's alternating chapters are believable and heartbreaking. I really liked that Eric's chapters give us a glimpse into Eric's thoughts and behaviors while he is high on meth and while he desperately seeks his next fix.

I loved both Hope and Eric, and I felt for both of them. Eric's addiction stems from a life-changing event, and Hope's naivete makes her vulnerable to some of the most disgusting cyberbullying I've seen. Unlike many YA stories of addiction, the parents are not the cause of the problems, but they do unwittingly help enable them. The dad really made me mad in his hard-nosed stand, and the mom wrings her hands and worries but doesn't really know how to help. I kept wondering why no one tried to get family counseling or, instead of kicking Eric out, put him into a treatment facility. I get that he is 18 now and an adult, but Eric's addiction started when he was 16. Why did no one think of getting him treatment then? Or at least some family counseling for Hope and the parents after they kicked Eric out?

I also love how, though the story is dark and incredibly sad, it stays true to its title. It's dark, but it's not all gloom and doom. For teens in Hope's situation, with a drug-addicted sibling, Finding Hope just might help them see that they are not alone and that there can be a happy ending if they search out professional help.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Don't miss it. The themes--drug abuse, sexual abuse, bullying, suicide--are very mature, so I do not recommend this title for middle school.

STATUS IN MY LIBRARY: Even though I have high school students, this title has some very mature (but powerful) themes and scenes. If I were in the USA, I would get it for my high school library. But in my current international school in China, I'm conflicted about getting it. We just have different (read: more innocent) students than I had in the USA. I'll have to think about this one.

READALIKES: Crank series (Hopkins); Go Ask Alice (Sparks); The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Chbosky)

RATING BREAKDOWN:

    Overall: 5/5     Creativity: 5/5     Characters: 5/5     Engrossing: 5/5     Writing: 5/5     Appeal to teens: 4/5--very mature content     Appropriate length to tell the story: 5/5

CONTENT:
    Language: moderate--includes 30+ F-bombs; sh**
    Sexuality: high--sexual abuse (described in some detail); sexting nude photos     Violence: moderate--Eric is violent while he is high--punches innocent people, commits burglary     Drugs/Alcohol: high--it's about a meth addict, and he gets high many times in the story. Also alcohol drinking in dorms.

I read this book in two hours last night. Based on a brother and sister, you read about the struggle of a meth addict and a girl trying to fit into a prep school. I really enjoyed this book.  This is a great book if you want something to get lost in for a few hours.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Colleen Nelson for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions herein are of my own. They may differ from person to person. My opinion is not swayed by the people who gave me the book. I was given this in exchange for an honest review only.

Colleen Nelson definitely has a way of pulling you in by the collar of your shirt within the first two pages of this book. I was sucked in so fast by the lyrical way she writes and the beautiful and heart-breaking topics she writes about. My heart immediately went out to hope, and although I was angry, very angry at her brother on occasions: I understood.

I love an author who can make me simultaneously love and hate a character at the same time. I love authors who develop characters well enough to get you on their side and root for them to accomplish whatever they set their mind on. Nelson has developed two very deep characters for this book, and they're going to stick with me for the rest of my life.

I see drug use on a day to day basis where I live. I do not come from a pretty town. There is always a reason people turn to drugs, and sometimes it's less obvious like Hope's brother's situation was. I wanted to hug him and shake him and tell him I love him as well as scream at him at the same time. In ways I felt like Hope. Reaching out for my fiction brother in hopes that he'd come back to me.

If you want a riveting, heart-wrenching story, this is the one for you. You will not be disappointed at all with this book.

This book is written from two different points of views. The first perspective is from Hope, fifteen years old teenage girl and the second perspective is from her older brother Eric, who is a drug addict.
Hope is young girl struggling with family problems. She lives in small town, where everybody knows each other. Her parents kicked her brother Eric out of the house because he can't quit drugs. She still wants to help him desperately and provides him food and money. Eric is ok with that, because in that way he isn't worried where he'll find money for drugs. But with the start of new school year, Hope starts to attend school in a bigger city. She knows that this is her only chance to leave her life behind, and starts with new life (without a burden of Eric's addiction) and make some friends.  At first everything goes well, she has a great roommate and she makes friends with a group of "popular" girls. But one day she refuses to do something that they want and she becomes their target. In the same time, her brother appears in front of her school and she doesn't know what to do. The only bright spot in her life is her online boyfriend Devon who she never meet. 

I liked this book. It was interesting and I really loved the poems that Hope writes. I think that Eric's perspective is really well written. He acts like "a real" drug addict - he doesn't care about other people, their feelings or how his actions will affect them. At the end he doesn't care for Hope either, he just wants her money. And I liked this. I mean... I felt bad for him, for reasons why he started using drugs, but his character was really interesting and real.
Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Hope. Ok, she's young. But she's extremely naive. At the beginning of the book, I tried to understand her. I get that she loves her brother and this was a reason why she was giving him money (but, c'mon which drug addict buys food?). But her actions in school was something that I still can't understand. But at least she showed some courage at the end of the book and I like her a little bit more because of that.
But a character that bothered me the most was their mom. She was just someone in the background, doing nothing. And I felt bad for her, for her inactivity and for her family. Sending your kids away and pretending that this will solve problems is not a solution.

This book is dealing with some difficult topics, like addiction, sexual abuse and (internet) harassment. It's definitely not an easy read. And I think that author made a good job to combine everything together.

I enjoyed this book. The author did a great job conveying the relationship dynamics between an addict and their family members.  I was glad that there was no sugar coating the dark realities Eric faced as an addict.  I also liked how the author delve into why Eric started using meth. Victims of sexual assault feel ashamed, (like Eric) of what was done to them, and often turn to drugs to numb this pain. Eric was such a strong example of this. It really resonated with me, and I felt sorry for him, but at the same time I felt sorry for Hope. 

Hope seemed so innocent, and naïve. This was only further proven when she began an online relationship with "Darren". It started to become painful to read as her relationship with him progress, when the reader knew so early on that she was being played by the Ravens clique. She so deeply wanted to connect with someone, so that when Darren came along she jumped on it, not even thinking twice. 

But boy was I happy and relieved when Hope took charge of the situation, and went to Ms. Harrison about being set up by Lizzie. 

I like that this book was real, and was simple, and down to earth. It worked for me.

Wowza this book is small in terms of pages but HUGE in terms of subject matter.This book is not a light YA read, it is HEAVY with troubling issues.  This book deals with sexual abuse, bullying, mean pranks and drug addiction.

In Finding Hope, Colleen Nelson tells the story of two siblings: Hope and Eric. The book is told through both of their points of view. This really worked for me. I liked how we learn about each characters thoughts and emotions. Their story unravels at a good pace using this technique. Their POV chapters show how they relate to not only to each other but also how they relate to those around them. The POV chapters also give the reader a glimpse into a drug addicts mind and also into the mind of their loved ones. I found that Eric's POV chapters were the most moving due in part, to them being more troubling and heartbreaking.

Hope is a young girl who is accepted into Ravenhurst, a private boarding school that she views as a ticket out of her small town. It is also her Mother's dream for her. She is an avid poetry writer, who uses poetry as an outlet for her innermost thoughts and feelings. In her public school, she felt like an outside who never fit in. At Ravenhurst, she jumps at the chance at acceptance, even if that acceptance is by the "mean" girls at the school. 

Eric, once a talented Hockey player is a Meth Addict always looking for the next score. He wasn't always an addict. He was once a good looking talented teenager with a talent for playing Hockey. What could have possibly happened to change his life so drastically. It doesn't take long to figure out as the Author gives us hints and clues along the way thorough Eric's point of view.

This book was very good and I really enjoyed the poetry. I loved how it added to the story. It was a very good reflection on Hope's feeling and emotions. The ending did not feel rushed and it was nice to see that both characters found some "hope" at the end.

A quick but intense read that really delved into the psyche of an abused teenager turned drug addict and how it affects his teenage sister. Eric turns to drugs and becomes addicted to meth to deal with the pain of an abusive experience. It was startling how entranced I was with this character. It relayed a strong message of what drug addiction is like. They know it's bad and they are aware of how horrible they are, but they just CANT stop. Then there is Hope, a teenager just looking for a new start where she isn't associated with her "meth head" brother. Leaving him behind, she attends a boarding school three hours away. Looking in the wrong places for friends, she gets tricked in the worst way and has to deal with the effects of that situation while dealing with her brother popping up looking for money for his next high. This was a haunting read that kept me riveted all day as I couldn't wait to see what happened next.

I really loved this book!  Quite different in its own way and that's what I loved about it! :)
The book has dual POV.  It is about two siblings talking about each others problem and how they try to help each other out of it :')

I really loved it but still only 4 stars because I didn't like Hope's mother's character. I found her to be weak and I could really connect to her or feel anything for her.

The best part, I think, was Eric's character. I loved his POV and I loved the way his character was written. I could actually feel bad for him and Hope because his narration was really good.

And honesty, I missed my brother while reading this book. He is quite far away in college at the other end of my country :)

The review is on my blog too : http://scribblewithme.blogspot.in/2015/11/bookreview-finding-hope-by-colleen.html

Colleen Nelson has penned a powerful novel that literally aches.  Told in simple, sparsely written prose, interspersed with poetry, "Finding Hope" explores a range of pertinent issues for today's young adults.  Crystal meth, as a drug reaching epidemic proportions in many countries, is an issue that few authors have been brave enough to explore.  Nelson does it with immense sensitivity, addressing some of the reasons for addiction and the impact the drug has upon the families of its victims.  Similarly, Nelson addresses other issues that many young people will find of interest, including the desire to belong, cyber-bullying and sexting.  Her exploration of sexual abuse and the ramifications of this for the victims is also tackled with great mastery.     Eric and Hope, have been crafted thoughtfully, each made all the more poignant and striking by their vulnerabilities. 
"Finding Hope" is one of those novels which will no doubt leave an impression upon all who read it.  A moving and powerful tale that lays bare with absolute honesty the evil that is crystal meth.