Review of A Miracle on Hope Street by Emma Heatherington

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Remember the true meaning of Christmas with this heartfelt and beautiful novel from bestselling author Emma Heatherington.

Can a single act of kindness change a life forever?

To many people, Ruth Ryans has everything: the perfect job, a beautiful home and a loving family. But as Christmas approaches, Ruth feels lonelier than ever.

Then Ruth meets Michael. A man who she showed kindness to during his darkest moment. That one single act, his miracle, helped change his life forever.

Ruth decides to make this Christmas the most perfect one ever, opening up her home to those who need her help – the lonely, the lost and the ignored.

Actions speak louder than words and Ruth Ryans’ kindness will create little miracles for everyone … including her own battered heart.

Available on Amazon.

I hoped that this book would tug at the heartstrings and I am happy to say that it certainly did. It brought tears of sadness, happiness, smiles and laughter. It’s a story full of Christmas spirit and one that I enjoyed a lot.

The characters, for the most part, are very rich and wonderfully developed, particularly our protagonist, Ruth. Ruth is warm and giving. Ever heard the saying that doctors are the worst patients? Well Ruth would fit that bill, as an advice columnist who won’t follow good advice!  She spirals into depression while trying to keep up the façade of the happy, busy bee persona. It doesn’t take much to see through it though, and she’s lucky enough to have a few people in her life that can see what’s really happening and call her on it. The emotions the reader can feel through Ruth are intense at times and wholly wonderful.  Ruth’s despair, her confusion over how to deal with her mother and her desire to overcome it all is beautifully shown to the reader.  A couple of times, her reactions to situations seemed a bit much but were actually very realistic given her circumstances.

Michael acts as Ruth’s guardian angel in her hour of need, which is fitting as she was his in his time of need.  Although the worst is behind him, he still has obstacles to overcome in his journey to recover from past mistakes.  How he and Ruth help each other while building a warm friendship, which turns into something more, is a delight to read.

The Spirit of Christmas shines through in this story.  It’s the story of how several people from very different walks and stages of life, all suffer from a profound loneliness at this time of year.  Each character we meet shares their struggles with Ruth, and Ruth tries to find some small way to make the pain a little lighter.  The true meaning of giving is explored and makes A Miracle on Hope Streetan ideal Christmas read.

The author writes from multiple perspectives and does it well. As the main character, Ruth’s chapters are written in the first person. When the POV changes to one of the secondary characters, the author uses the third person and this is marked by a chapter change. It’s very clear and easy to follow and added a lovely touch to the narrative.

Overall, I’m very happy to have added this story to my Christmas reads and I think many of you will enjoy it too.

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I give this book 4.5 out of 5 hopeful espresso shots!

 

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and publisher Harper Impulse for the chance to read this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.

 

There’s also a UK cover for this book:

I like them both.  Which one do you prefer?

Happy Friday!!!