Saturday, April 8, 2023

About the Book

Book: A Country of Their Own

Author: Hope Bolinger

Genre: YA Contemporary Romance

Release date: April 4, 2023

THE NOTEBOOK meets SEVENTEEN AGAIN

Priscilla is an old soul. Carter can’t wait to leave Florida, a haven for the elderly.

Together they’re forced to do community service at a retirement home. But all the residents look like teenagers. Are they meant to bring together the lovable residents Scarlett and Paul—who are actually 80 years old? Or is it too late for them to find love?

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Hope Bolinger is a Managing & Acquisitions Editor at End Game Press and the Founder of Generation Hope Books.

More than 1400 of her works have been featured in various publications ranging from Writer’s Digest to Keys for Kids to HOOKED to Crosswalk.com.

She has worked for various publishing companies, magazines, newspapers, and literary agencies and has edited the work of authors such as Jerry B. Jenkins and Michelle Medlock Adams.

Twenty-one of her books are under contract or out now with traditional publishers, and she hopes more of her stories will find a home soon. She has also contributed to twelve other books.

More from Hope

Can you write a book based on a photo series.

I did. I stumbled across this photo series in my college days and it never let me go: https://digitalsynopsis.com/design/reflections-of-the-past-tom-hussey/

It made me think about how all people, young and old, are young at heart and wise beyond their years. In the publishing industry, I have experienced a great deal of ageism. You can seldom go to a conference without someone telling you something along the lines of, “Wow. I had no idea that you were so wise. I assumed because you are young that you know nothing.”

And I know that many of my fellow writers who are older have experienced ageism to the same degrees.

So I wanted to write a book that would level the playing field.

I wanted to have two teen main characters who end up good friends with two characters who are well into their 80s—who simply look like teens thanks to the funhouse mirror effects of Country Acres (a retirement home in which the 80-year-old characters are residents).

What made the book hit even closer to home was that I wrote it right after my grandma passed away—and right as the COVID shutdown took effect in 2020.

Grandma had played a huge role in my writing. She and I read my first book together. She owned a bookstore in which, when I was eight, I helped her to run the cash register. And she always supported me in my publishing dreams.

I am sad that she and Grandpa passed long before they could read this. But this book also encapsulates them. That my grandma tap danced well into her eighties, and that my grandpa would ride the waves on a boogie board.

We’re all young, we’re all wise … let’s listen to one another.

MY REVIEW

This book should have a warning label on it that says, “must purchase tissues with book.” I cried so much in this story that my eyes were red when I finished. It is a story that brings young and old together in a beautiful way. I loved Priscilla and her quirkiness. I love old movies and vintage clothes like her. Her respect for the elderly is nice and I loved how she wanted to be around them. There is something to be said for the older generation. They have many stories to tell and wisdom that the younger generation can learn from.

Carter is not sure he wants to be at the retirement center volunteering but once there he starts to really find himself being able to interact with the people. He and Priscilla have this unspoken attraction for each other that I found sweet. As they volunteer together they get to know each other better. Insecurities come out and I think they both found healing from their past.

The heroes of this story are Scarlett and Paul. Two older people who fall in love while at the retirement center is something to celebrate. Scarlett is someone I could spend hours talking to. She is full of life and wants others to find happiness. There is sadness in her but she doesn’t let it show much.

Paul is a romantic and is determined to get Scarlett’s attention. With the help of Carter they devise a plan to have Paul woo Scarlet. It was fun to read what ideas they come up with. Little do Carter and Priscilla know but there is something going on in the background to get them together.

I adored this story and how we witness second chances, forgiveness, new beginnings and helping a woman see her dream come true. There won’t be any dry eyes at the end of this story. The author has honored her grandmother in an emotional story that illustrates how we can learn from each other and find hope in difficult moments.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.