And Then Hope Happened by Carmen Taylor-Acevedo

And Then Hope Happened by Carmen Taylor-Acevedo

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Reading this story was a bit personal for me. I was contacted by the author to read and review her work, and when I read the synopsis of her book, I definitely wanted to read her book.

I was a victim of domestic violence when I was married to my ex-husband. We were married 4 years before I left him, but on paper, the marriage didn’t end until a total of 8 years.

So a bit of backstory…

Within 6 months of us being married, I was physically assaulted by my husband. He broke a mirror in our bedroom when I questioned his whereabouts. I then retreated to our office, and blocked the door. He then barged into the room, and knocked me down. Pulling and ripping my clothes off my back. He then punched me, raked his nails across my skin, and dragged me down the hallway. He threw my phone against the wall because he thought I was calling the police. I was. Or at least trying to. Eventually, he retrieved his phone, and left the house. I immediately found my phone where he threw it, and called the police. They came to my house and documented the bruises, the scratches, the swelling, the punches, and asked if I wanted to press charges. I didn’t know what to do. I had only been married 6 months! So after talking to the police and some of my close friends I filed for a personal protection order in the interim. I went to court on this matter, and it got cancelled when he showed up crying about how sorry he was and how he was in therapy for his anger. All of it was a lie. The personal protection order was cancelled and I was told to go back home because he was trying to be better. That was the first incident. There were plenty more. I eventually was able to leave him, but not without resorting to drastic measures.

However, this story pulled me in and had me reliving the trauma I escaped from. Though I brought that on myself, knowing I was reading about domestic violence, I felt compelled to read this book.

This story is about Faith and Hope; two women who faced domestic violence issues while married to their husbands. Hope, was beaten by her husband, raped, and left fending for herself, trying to figure out what to do with a pregnancy that was the result of the rape. Having to make a hard decision, she moved on with her life eventually, and became the owner of a battered women’s shelter who took in women and children who were victims of domestic violence. Now, Hope is teaching, exemplifying what it means to live life with a purpose, and overcoming and adapting and being fearless.

Faith, a young married woman, comes to the shelter in hopes of escaping her life of domestic violence from her husband. Thinking that she has found shelter, she soon comes to realize that her husband has not given up on trying to control her and unalive her because she’s been “disobedient.” She meets Hope and connects with her on a whole new level, and is now trying to live the life she’s always wanted. However, tragedy strikes, and we see how Faith is left picking up the pieces again after another abusive attack from her husband. During the recovery period, Faith and Hope bond and Hope is able to share how she was able to make a life after domestic violence, and is stepping into Faith’s life to be a support for her as she is trying to figure out what to do next.

This book also shares how these two women rely on God and family to get through this tragic event. Hope and Faith bond over some surprising news, and learns how to live life without fear because they remember to trust God and lean on Him for everything.

I really enjoyed the premise of the story, and how these women were able to overcome the odds and push out of the domestic violence they were victim to, and life their life without fear. I loved how God was always apart of their journey and how they leaned on him and others to get through this horrible experience. I think many women who have suffered at the hands of someone and have been abused, should always seek safety, resources, and trusted individuals to get you to a place where you can live in a safe place. It’s not easy in the least bit, understandably so because there are so many hinderances to escaping this hellish life. There is a mindset shift that needs to take place, and there is financial support that needs to be available in order to make this a success. People spout off all the time, “you should just leave” or “why don’t you just pack your stuff and go!,” but it’s not as simple as that.

I was married to my husband for 4 years until I was able to leave him, and remember the first incident happened 6 months into my marriage. So I had to wait until I had the right resources, support, and options to be able to just “pick up and go.” I was also a mom, so I had my daughter to think about. Telling someone, “you should just leave” is not helping them. If you know someone who is experiencing domestic violence, they already have trust issues, and they most likely are not in a financial position to just move into something else on their own. These women need tangible resources in order to pack and go. They need a village of support, and they need to be able to trust someone in order for this to happen.

Overall, I think the story had great potential and allowed me to see some parts of domestic violence that was from a bird’s eye view and greatly helped me to see all sides and angles of how people deal with this experience.

Now, while I enjoyed the overarching story and how God played a major part in this story, the technical aspects about the book almost ruined it for me.

The editing of this book was subpar and very poor. Not sure if the author used an editing service or had someone proofread her book, but it seemed that the editing was not a priority here prior to publishing. The author disclosed that her book was in major retail locations, for which I was thrilled in seeing, especially from a self-published author, but I cringed so many times reading this book with poor editing. The editing in itself almost ruined this book for me.

The transitions between chapters and POVs were poor. Most of the time I had no idea who was talking or whose POV it was until further into the second or third page into the chapter. While in the chapter itself, the author got confused and forgot which character was talking, and so that became confusing and irritating to deal with as well.

There was also soooo much internal dialogue that it really turned me off from reading this book for a whole week. In addition to the excessive use of internal dialogue, the dialogue between characters were also equally as bad. There were also unrealistic scenarios, telepathic plots, unimaginative storylines, and just plain bad writing. I know that the author is self-published and has her book in major retailers, but it doesn’t forgive the fact that the writing wasn’t engaging or the storylines were all over the place. Many times, the math wasn’t mathin’ in these chapters, and I had to force myself many times just to keep going.

I definitely understand how important it is to have books out there to share these types of experiences (fictional and nonfictional) and how these women got out from under abusive partners, but it is really empowering when the situations that are depicted are more realistic than fantasy. Women who pick up books like this could be seeking how to get away from someone, and if the book (although fiction) is giving unrealistic examples of how to get away from someone, that could really hurt a victim who could be using this book as a blueprint on how to escape an abusive relationship.

I really wanted a more polished book/story due to the content of the work, but that didn’t really happen for me. There were also some contradictions in this book that were really glaring through, and I just couldn’t ignore them, and it diminished my outlook on this book in a drastic way.

Nevertheless, having books that speak out about domestic violence is needed. I will never not say that, but I caution those who speak on it because it is really a sensitive and delicate topic, and it should be done in a manner that helps and not hurts, one that educates and not lead people on in a harmful way.

However, with all that being said, I still say thank you to the author for sharing her story with me, and opening my eyes to her work. I wish you all the best in your endeavors in writing! All of the opinions are of my own, and I did not receive this book in exchange for a review/opinion of her work. I purchased this book with my own money and have shared my honest thoughts on this book.



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