Book Review - Hope's Journey

I love this from the beautiful front cover: A life-changing mistake. A soul-changing journey. From the back blurb:
A couple since their sophomore year, Sydney and Alex are looking forward to graduation and a bright future together. Sydney is a straight-A student trying to decide between college shcolarships, and Alex is a quiet jock preparing to serve a mission. Both active members of the LDS Church, their hopes and dreams painfully fade when they learn that Sydney is pregnant. The very foundations of their faith are shaken, as is their relationship. Separately, they venture through confusion, self-doubt, and failure as they learn the value of forgiveness and try to piece their broken lives back together.

  We've all made mistakes of differing magnitudes. This story took me into a situation no one wants to be in but curiosity and good, realistic writing compelled me to learn how it would be handled. I not only enjoyed reading Stephanie Connelley Worlton's book, I consider it an important read for teens, their parents, and leaders of youth. Clues are given about self-worth and spending time alone in relationships, extending our awareness to prevent such situations and of the way we treat those in such difficulties. It was interesting that the same reasons the couple fell into trouble were the things that also drove a wedge between them.
  I loved the realism, bantering dialogue, the perspectives of both main characters, lessons learned, and Sydney's journey in particular. There is so much to be gained by reading this interesting, heartrending yet hopeful book. For me, it drove home the importance of instilling self-worth into the youth. You can read the first chapter, reviews, or order Hope's Journey on Worlton's blog: http://www.stephanieworlton.blogspot.com/  She also has some giveaways to check out!