BOOK REVIEW: Unyielding Hope by by Janette Oke & Laurel Oke Logan

I was first introduced to Janette Oke through When Calls the Heart, the #1 show on The Hallmark Channel. I found this show when I was looking for something fun I could watch that would be safe for my kids to see as well. We were all hooked from there. While I haven’t read any Janette Oke books, I know she is a prolific author and wrote the books the television series is based upon.

I met Janette this past October at a Hearties Family Reunion. My husband and I attended a gathering for the show When Calls the Heart (I know, husband of the year, right?) She was speaking about her path into writing and she was so inspiring. She talked about how she felt God called her to be at home and then called her into writing at his timing. She talked about setting aside desires for a season while in a pattern of waiting. It spoke to my heart. Sometimes as moms we want to rush the ending, but we need to let the story unfold first.

This past year The Hallmark Channel released a new spinoff series to When Calls the Heart called When Hope Calls. This beautiful story is set around two sisters who have found each other, after being separated as orphans. The book Unyielding Hope is based on this television series.

As a background to my review, I have watched the entire season of When Hope Calls so when picking up this book I was coming at it as a person who somewhat knew the storyline and the characters. You do not need to have seen When Hope Calls to enjoy this book. I picked up this book to review as well as to pass some time during this Quarantine Life we find ourselves in. Right now I knew I needed a story that could help me escape.

This book did just that.

Overall the plot follows the plot of the show. Two sisters are reunited and set up an orphanage. The story of the book follows these sisters helping orphans find their forever homes. It is absolutely heartfelt and beautiful. What I loved about the book is that you get to go much deeper into the backstory of the time. Not all the characters are the same as the television show and I really enjoyed getting to know the children in the story, understanding the heartache they all went through and the beauty of faith woven throughout. The concept of faith was stronger in the book then in the television show, which was not a surprise to me as they have more liberty to dig deeper. I really enjoyed that both sisters have a different perspective of faith as the grapple with the lives they have led and the role that a Creator & Savior plays in both their lives.

I found the personalities of the sisters, Grace & Lillion to be different in the books than the shows. I like both separately but that was interesting for me in my mind to try to separate them. This is a book full of heart and once you get started you won’t want to put it down.

Unyielding Hope comes out on May 5th, 2020 and I highly recommend you pre-order your copy. It is must read for Quarantine Life. If you are a fan of When Calls the Heart of When Hope Calls this is a must own for your collection. You will find yourself pulled into the historical time period of these two sisters, your heart will ache for each of the characters as you get to know them and your faith will be built up as you watch them struggle and ultimately lean into their faith during difficult times. Do yourself a favor and put this on your reading list! It will help you unwind and unplug.

I’m already looking forward to book 2!