Review for Wings of Hope by Hillary E. Peak

Wings of Hope
By Hillary E. Peak
Published by CreateSpace
Review Copy from author (thanks!)
226 pages

"The bond of a father and daughter is special. When Jules father asks her to come be stay with him because he's terminally ill, she goes for the remarkable opportunity to really know her father. She never dreamed he had liberated a concentration camp, dealt cards to Bugsy Siegel or saved the life of a Black Panther. Wings of Hope takes you on a road trip through the memories of a man making peace with his life through his conversations with his daughter. Teaching her that death is sometimes the most heartbreakingly beautiful part of life. Hope is the last gift of a father to his daughter--the power to reach for her dreams."-Goodreads

A truly magical, heart-wrenching, and captivating story of a father and daughter. Wings of Hope is an emotional contemporary that touches the heart.

Jules's father is dying. From a brain tumor, the doctors say, only having three months to live. Jules is a young adult, I guess about college age, and since she is that age, I had a hard time connecting to the story. Her story. Her actions and thoughts were sometimes so random or confusing but in the end she was a great daughter. Jules really cared for her father and loved him. Her father, Solomon, he was awesome. His life stories were very interesting and pleasant to read about. He had led a very interesting life and it was heart-wrenching to have him face death.

The plot, I admit, was slow but I enjoyed reading about the places where they went. You see the Eiffel Tower on the cover? Yup, they went to Paris! The descriptions were awesome of the city and the sights. There was a nice amount of details to convey a picture in your mind. The message in this book was amazingly portrayed. For me that message was to follow your dreams; it is better to have failed then never try at all. That is what Jules father is always encouraging her to do throughout the novel, and she takes his advice in the end. There was one part of the plot that really - really - bugged me. That was the romance between Jules and her french-man. I won't try to explain it but it is the clearest definition of insta-love. Insta-insta-love. *cue eye-rolling* That whole relationship had eye-rolls. Anyways, the writing was ok, a bit choppy, but overall the details created great mental pictures.

I would suggest this to those who enjoy contemporary, relationship-based (specifically father-daughter), and a road trip style book! I whole-heartily appreciate the author for allowing me a copy to read - thank you! A beautiful story that matched the beautiful cover!

Excerpt:

Daughter,
I've had some bad news - it seems I have an inoperable brain tumor. I've been seeing six specialists. They all had the same thing to say, "You're dying." So, it seems I'm dying. They are saying I have three months to live.
This is hard for me to ask but I would like you to come and stay with me to the end. There are things I've always wanted to tell, but never got around to it. Seems if I don't do it now, I'm never going to have the chance.
I've spent my lifetime trying to make my mark on the world, but as I look back now, I missed out on you.
I know it is a lot to ask, but please, come.
Love, Dad