Karla J. Nellenbach

I'm kind of picky about my reads, but I do pay homage to books I enjoy, and A Sliver of Hope deserves a note of appreciation. This is an well-written story.

17-year old Hannah is struggling to understand, and cope with, the suicide of her twin sister, Hope. The majority of the story is written as inner monologue. At first, I was a bit put off by spending so much time in Hannah's head, but once I got used to the journal-type chapters, the story flowed smoothly. The characters are really so well-developed that the relationships between them are tangible. I enjoyed Hannah's bubbly friend, Glory and her big brother, Doug. The re-budding relationship between Hannah and her old boyfriend, Julian was a nice blend of sweet romance and realistic desire.

The only thing that didn't gel for me was the reason for Hope's suicide. The loose explanation given for the act didn't come off as enough to warrant a young girl with so much promise to kill herself - at least without anyone having a clue that she was depressed. That said, I loved the ending. The dedication to Hope (sea of pink) was moving, as was the last scene where Hannah signs off at the gravesite. Touching prose brings the whole story full circle. Fabulous how the author worked the title into the storyline!… (mehr)

In A SLIVER OF HOPE, Karla J. Nellenbach gives the YA reader a strong story of the loss and pain of suicide. When high school senior Hannah finds her twin sister dead on April Fool's Day, she and her family are left with the heart wrenching challenge of trying to make sense of this unexpected suicide. Such is this nature of suicide. A problem of epidemic levels in America today, suicide is the tenth highest cause of death in the United States. Homicide is #15.

"Nearly 1 in 6 high school students has seriously considered suicide, and 1 in 12 has attempted it, according to the semi-annual survey on youth risk behavior published Thursday [June 2012] by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/1-12-teens-attempted-suicide-report-article-1.1092622)

A SLIVER OF HOPE is written in the form of a diary as Hannah addresses her dead sister throughout her struggle to understand and heal from the tragedy. This first person narrative effectively leads the young female reader through Hannah's healing process.

My only complaint about the book is perfect Julian. He's just too perfect. But then isn't that what every teenage girl wants? A prince in shining armor to shield her from pain? I understand the need to pull young readers in with a bit of romance, but I would have been preferred to see young Hannah find strength within herself instead of in the arms of perfect Julian. Still, I recommend A SLIVER OF HOPE for all high school readers in today's crazy world.
… (mehr)

A disappointing read, managing to be both cliched and slightly preachy. The characters and dialogue never rang true for me, nor did their struggles with the central character's illness. At times it seemed like the worst type of 'issues' book aimed at teenagers, covering early death, suicidal thoughts, homosexuality and the breakdown of friendships. What made me particularly uncomfortable however, was the portrayal of a gay romance wherein physical violence is an accepted part of love and not abuse. Although there were some nice bits of writing, the overall tone and characterisation just didn't work for me, and I don't think it's acceptable to have a group of teenagers think that beating up your boyfriend is okay.… (mehr)

Reading the summary you know that this book is going to have a sad ending. I'm not giving anything, away we just know how it's going to end. For a long time I tried to stay away from these kinds of books, but recently I found myself connecting with them. Life can be sad, but that doesn't mean it can't be beautiful at the same time. Personally my grandmother passed away form cancer and she was nothing like Mia. I always wonder why she didn't have a fear of dying, it wasn't her personality. As much as I hate to say this, it was refreshing to see the other side of facing death in someone that wasn't just going to accept it.

This book had all of my emotions in a tumbler and every now and then one would get thrown out and that's what I would feel. I absolutely loved the characters. They were written beautifully and they felt very real to me. This was the first time I really rooted for a couple to get together. And a little part of me wished that I had her friends in high school. Not that my friends weren't awesome, but these characters would have made high school so much better.

This book captured my heart and I'm still not sure it's completely let it go. If you're looking fora heart-wrenching book and need a good excuse to cry, this is your book.… (mehr)