CHASING HOPE ~ A STORY THAT STAYS WITH YOU

BOOK TITLE: CHASING HOPE

AUTHOR OF BOOK: Joy Lynn Goddard with Daniel Pike

GENRE: Women's Fiction

ISBN: 97810677110-0-9

PAGE COUNT: 326

AMAZON or FAVE LINK to BUY BOOK:  

https://www.amazon.ca/Chasing-Hope-Joy-Lynn-Goddard/dp/1067711007

REVIEWER: Jodi Cooper, Originally for Amazon 

X PERMISSION GRANTED TO SHARE REVIEW: 

FULL REVIEW 

5 out of 5 stars

A Story That Stays With You

Reviewed in Canada on September 3, 2026

Format: Paperback

While reading Chasing Hope, I kept thinking about how family is often the people we choose, not just the families we are born into. They are the people who love us, support us, show up for us, and to whom we give back in return. Finding this kind of family is precious and worth cherishing. I was also moved by the book’s portrayal of resilience. It reminded me that strength isn’t about overcoming hardship on our own. Sometimes it means accepting help, continuing to love, and finding reasons to hope when life feels overwhelming. I especially appreciated the message that our difficult experiences can become a reason to extend compassion to others and help create something better in the world around us.

This story left me with a renewed appreciation for how much one person’s kindness can matter in another person’s life, and how our paths can come together in unexpected ways and make us stronger together. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a heartfelt story about family, resilience, compassion, and hope.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joy Lynn Goddard and her husband, Daniel Pike, write adult fiction that blends mystery, romance, and suspense. Their first novel, Moonshadow, won a Book Excellence Award, a Reader Ready Award (Recommended Read), and a Canada Book Award. Their second novel, The Keepers, also won a Canada Book Award. In addition to their novels, they wrote a screenplay adapted from their novel A Good Mother and a collection of humorous short stories about the real estate industry, Buyers, Liars, Sellers and Yellers.

Although Joy is well known for her award-winning young adult and middle-grade fiction, with her books in schools across Canada, her novels with Daniel have found readers around the world. Joy and Dan divide their time between Guelph and Belleville, Ontario, where they enjoy spending time with their growing family when they are not working on their next book.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER: Jodi Cooper is an educator, art therapist, and filmmaker living in Eastern Ontario with her husband and two dogs. When she’s not working, she can usually be found reading, working on a creative project, travelling, or enjoying a coffee and good conversation. She’s endlessly curious and especially drawn to stories that explore creativity, connection, and what it means to be human.

MORE ABOUT #THENEWBOOKREVIEW ASSOCIATE, LOIS W. STERN

Lois W. Stern is the creator of Tales2Inspire®, an Authors Helping Authors project/contest with no entrance fees, a labor of love to help aspiring writers on their paths to discovery. Now in its thirteenth year, Stern has published twelve Tales2Inspire® treasured Tales2Inspire Gem Collection anthologies, each with a different Gemstone emblazoned on its cover, to match the theme of the stories within that particular collection. Learn more about this fascinating project, and the woman who created it, in two quick films at https://www.tales2Inspire.com/BIO.

Stern is a multi award winning author herself, whose work has been featured in the New York Times, Newsday, Long Island Press, Barnard Magazine, on Local Access TV and in live presentations in varied venues. As an Associate at the award winning blog, TheNewBookReviewBlogSpot, Stern serves as an outreach, helping other authors brand themselves as authors of talent.

MORE ABOUT #THENEWBOOKREVIEW BLOG:

The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish the reviews of books they want to share with others; that includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. NewBookReview associate Lois W. Stern is the silver circle associate in charge of review submissions and the one who keeps services offered on this blog to authors free with her AuthorsHelpingAuthors projects. Please see submission guidelines in Lois W. Stern’s silver circle icons in the right column of this blog, in a tab at the top of this blog's home page, or go directly to the submission guidelines at https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews. (WARNING some cell phones cut off the right column of this blog, so try it using your desktop!) Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author and veteran educator. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine (the link is also found in the right column!) handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com and #FrugalSmartTuned-InEditor.blogspot.com. Learn more about the team using our frequent hashtags: #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing and Carolyn’s website, HowToDoItFrugally https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews.

Lois W. Stern is the creator of Tales2Inspire®, an Authors Helping Authors project/contest with no entrance fees, a labor of love to help aspiring writers on their paths to discovery. Now in its thirteenth year, Stern has published twelve Tales2Inspire® treasured Tales2Inspire Gem Collection anthologies, each with a different Gemstone emblazoned on its cover, to match the theme of the stories within that particular collection. Learn more about this fascinating project, and the woman who created it, in two quick films at https://www.tales2Inspire.com/BIO.

Stern is a multi award winning author herself, whose work has been featured in the New York Times, Newsday, Long Island Press, Barnard Magazine, on Local Access TV and in live presentations in varied venues. As an Associate at the award winning blog, TheNewBookReviewBlogSpot, Stern serves as an outreach, helping other authors brand themselves as authors of talent.

Freebies at: www.tales2inspire.com/gifts

MORE ABOUT #THENEWBOOKREVIEW BLOG MORE ABOUT #THENEWBOOKREVIEW BLOG The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish the reviews of books they want to share with others; that includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. NewBookReview associate Lois W. Stern is the silver circle associate in charge of review submissions and the one who keeps services offered on this blog to authors free with her AuthorsHelpingAuthors projects. Please see submission guidelines in Lois W. Stern’s silver circle icons in the right column of this blog, in a tab at the top of this blog's home page, or go directly to the submission guidelines at https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews. (WARNING some cell phones cut off the right column of this blog, so try it using your desktop!) Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author and veteran educator. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine (the link is also found in the right column!) handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com and #FrugalSmartTuned-InEditor.blogspot.com. Learn more about the team using our frequent hashtags: #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing and Carolyn’s website, HowToDoItFrugally https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews.

Lois W. Stern is the creator of Tales2Inspire®, an Authors Helping Authors project/contest with no entrance fees, a labor of love to help aspiring writers on their paths to discovery. Now in its thirteenth year, Stern has published twelve Tales2Inspire® treasured Tales2Inspire Gem Collection anthologies, each with a different Gemstone emblazoned on its cover, to match the theme of the stories within that particular collection. Learn more about this fascinating project, and the woman who created it, in two quick films at https://www.tales2Inspire.com/BIO.

Stern is a multi award winning author herself, whose work has been featured in the New York Times, Newsday, Long Island Press, Barnard Magazine, on Local Access TV and in live presentations in varied venues. As an Associate at the award winning blog, TheNewBookReviewBlogSpot, Stern serves as an outreach, helping other authors brand themselves as authors of talent.

Freebies at: www.tales2inspire.com/gifts

A GEM OF A REVIEW: JORGE BARBOZA MAKES THIS BOOK SHINE!

BOOK TITLE: TALES2INSPIRE ~ THE DIAMOND COLLECTION - SEREIS VI

AUTHORS OF BOOK: 28 Contest Winning Authors

GENRE: Anthology, Memoir

ISBN: 979-8271640995

SERIES: #6

PAGE COUNT: 237 pages

PUBLISHER: Amazon.com

AMAZON BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Tales2Inspire-Diamond-Collection-VI/dp/B0FZR84VNN/ref=sr_1_2?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.NVaKQz9oMj0alqVvFJKim-ViK8z1jTpkmOesPhU2Wk5K5ZRJXEwAfz7hwm5RgJc-H7OU4nlMlQHwlkbCJB64xoSfn7Yz02aCtA7YQ4mvp0cpVjmyY23s7yMY3IEbdrwDZlUZl6tHX7aScjItPTht4upX9kGSxEvhS6ZZy5lxx_05CXLOPFejQKgPfshx-UiaCLe7cFzVfXPgCdoL_Esz3OCfRaEir2gweCs1z4VRKmI.fW-dZMC6jbY7whkDA5GHHFdhaTxPJTRViZYul70Crto&dib_tag=se&keywords=Tales2Inspire+Collection&qid=1780398638&s=books&sr=1-2

REVIEWER’S NAME: Jorge Barboza 

PERMISSION TO REPRINT: X Yes

THE REVIEW ITSELF:

Tales2Inspire: The Diamond Collection – Series VI is exactly what its title promises — a sparkling gathering of real lives, real courage, and real heart. This collection reminded me why true stories often outshine fiction: no novelist could invent the journey of three friends driving a rebuilt Model T Ford from Venezuela to Michigan, or the quiet magic of a horse healing a grieving child, or an educator stitching entire worlds into puppets to light up classrooms across the globe.

What makes this anthology special is the community behind it. These are stories that earned their place — voted on, championed, and celebrated by fellow writers who recognized something worth sharing. That process shows in the quality. Every piece feels purposeful, every voice distinct.

By Jorge Barboza, originally for Amazon.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

When offered a retirement incentive too good to pass up, I ended my professional career as the reading/writing coordinator for the Department of Special Education in a prominent Long Island school district. But I had loved my work and worried about what i would do to fill my days ahead with equal fulfillment.  So after those twenty-one years as an active educator, I continued to pursue my love of writing, soon becoming co-editor of a popular Long Island web-zine. As I created and authored my column, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives, I solidified my special niche of investigative journalism, putting those same talents to work while writing Sex, Lies and Cosmetic Surgery. I secured a contract with a NY literary agent, who was sure this book would take off and fly. But to our utter dismay, it was rejected, with the explanation,  "She doesn't have enough of an author platform"  (Honestly, I didn't even know the meaning of that term at the time.) But then I began to think, "There must be tons of talented writers out there who haven't been given a chance. Why don't I create an "Authors Helping Authors" project. With that brainstorm in mind,  I initiated Tales2Inspire® in 2012, never dreaming it would grow in such strength and numbers as it has.

I work with a passion to deliver exactly what I envisioned and am thrilled to be able to help other talented writers build stronger author platforms. I continually strive to find new and innovative ways to strengthen their opportunities for discovery. 

Tales2Inspire® has opened a whole new chapter in my life, and hopefully in the lives of many others.

Website: https://www.tales2inspire.com

E-MAIL: tales2inspire2@gmail.com

 

ABOUT THE REVIEWER:

Jorge Barboza is a writer born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, on September 7th, 1981. He has a deep appreciation for his country's culture and Latin American history, which inspires his writing. His stories often focus on real-life accounts of ordinary individuals who achieve remarkable accomplishments, but he also enjoys dabbling in thrillers. In 2007, Jorge was fortunate enough to win a Latin Grammy as a producer for the best music video, which paved the way for him to move to the USA in 2008. Since then, he has received some recognition for his screenwriting, having been named a finalist and semifinalist in festivals such as Hollyshorts and Raindance.

MORE ABOUT #TheNewBookReview Associate, Lois W. Stern

Lois W. Stern is an Associate & Review Coordinator for TheNewBookReview. She is also the creator of Tales2Inspire®, an #AuthorsHelpingAuthors project/contest to help aspiring writers on their paths to discovery. And best of all, it’s Free. Lois has now published twelve Tales2Inspire® treasured Tales2Inspire Jewel Collection anthologies and six Tales2Inspire 2-in-1 Diamond Collection anthologies. She is a multi award winning author whose work has been featured in the New York Times, Newsday, Long Island Press, Barnard Magazine, on Local Access TV and in live presentations in varied venues. As TheNewBookReview review coordinator, Lois serves as an outreach to help other authors brand themselves as authors of talent. 

 Get a FREE Tales2Inspire book at: www.tales2inspire.com/gifts       

Learn more about my FREE "Authors helping Authors" Contest HERE.

MORE ABOUT #THENEWBOOKREVIEW BLOG 

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in Lois W. Stern’s silver circle icon in the right column of this blog, in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews Authors and publishers will want to access use Lois W. Stern's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors services. All are free and listed in her silver-circle icons in the right column. WARNING some cell phones cut off the right column of the blog, so try it using your desktop!) Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author and veteran educator, she also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing HowToDoItFrugally https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews.

ENTER YOUR FAVE MARKETING TIP HERE

Hi, it's Carolyn Howard-Johnson here, creator of the blogs: #NewBookReview and #SharingWithWriters.  

MY INVITATION TO OUR SHARINGWITHWRITERS FANS

Do you have a successful marketing tip to share with your fellow authors, publicists, readers and book marketers?  Just send it to me at carolynhjohnson@icloud.com with the words "My fave marketing tip" in the subject line, and include a great creditline/introduction to your author self and your most recent book or project with links to learn more. (My super associate Lois W. St at  #SharingwithWriters blog and #TheNewBookReview blog. Lois suggests using the format below to make it ever-so-easy.)  We will publish your tip and give a special award to the one which receives the greatest number of views that month.  

A MESSAGE FROM MY ASSOCIATE, LOIS W. STERN

This is an opportunity to get more eyeballs focused on you, whether you are an author, publisher, editor or publicist. 

We all know that even the best of books won’t go far without some good marketing behind them, so how about sending Carolyn your FAVE marketing tip, using the form below. Carolyn and I will select one marketing tip each month as the WINNER OF THE MONTH, based on the number of views it gets, and post it on this blog and TheNewBookReview blog too. And that’s a big deal ‘cause it gives you one more opportunity to highlight your accomplishments as an Author, Editor, Publisher or Marketing guru. and i'll kick it off with one of my own, THE ZODIAC--which is related to my anthology series that make great birthday gifts for anyone who reads year round!

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR FAVE MARKETING TIP:

To make the submission process easier, first copy and paste the template below to help you gather all your data. Then we will post it for FREE at: https://SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com and--if suitable--at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, too! And of course, let you. know when it will be published by sending you a permalink to use for your own promotion to encourage your audience to come support you to help you win Lois’s award icon to give you even more fun bragging rights on any or all of your social media.  

 TEMPLATE for SUBMITTING a FAV MARKETING TIP

YOUR NAME: 

YOUR CREDENTIALS:: How you want to be known  

(Author, Publicist, Editor , Marketing guru . . .)

TITLE(S) OF BOOK(S) YOU SUCCESSFULLY MARKETED:

MARKETING TIP  ITSELF, of course!

IMAGES: Please include JPEG IMAGES of your choice, (i.e. Your logo, Your headshot, logo, badge, or photo related to writing--anything that helps define you and the book you marketed). Kindly send each with an identifying caption.

ABOUT YOU, THE MARKETING GURU: With Optional Biography/credit line. 

(Don’t be shy. This is your opportunity to let readers know of all your wonderful accomplishments.)

YOUR  FAVE LINKS: Include buy links for your books, of course.

YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS: ____________________________

Do you want this email to be included with your marketing tip?

 ___ Yes ___ NO

LAST CHECK: NITTY GRITTY BUT IMPORTANT PUBLISHING STUFF

YOUR SUBMISSION WILL INCLUDE:

Your name as submitter of this marketing tip.

Title of book you are marketing.

Actual marketing tip.

Permission to print your marketing tip. 

Photos of your choice in JPEG format. (Google loves them!)

Caption to identify each submitted photo.

Note #1: If you would like to quote a testimonial or blurb of twenty-five words or less at the end of your marketing tip, please feel free to do so. 

If you need help editing blurbs, read Carolyn’s “The Frugal Editor” using the Index to find appropriate entries. 

Send your best book marketing tip to Lois at Tales2inspire2@gmail.com, with "Best Marketing Tip" in the subject line.

Note #2: Watch for our new feature--a marketmatic free contest to select a winning marketing tip from among all those submitted each season--a veritable zodiac of winners!  

Yay! A way for us to extend one more lucky participant's exposure a bit farther, and give them a chance to tout another win! 

And, I (Lois) will  make an award-emblem for winners to use in their own campaigns... forever afterward.

Note #3: Did you have trouble choosing which marketing tip to submit? Not to fret, you can make a regular habit of sending them. But only one a month, and ONLY one in each submission email. 

We accept more than a single marketing tip from any given participant, spaced at 30 days or more apart. Please send each tip separately. 

ABOUT THENEWBOOKREVIEW ASSOCIATE:

Lois W. Stern is an Associate & Review Coordinator for TheNewBookReview. She is also the creator of Tales2Inspire®, an #AuthorsHelpingAuthors project/contest to help aspiring writers on their paths to discovery. And best of all, it’s Free. Lois has now published twelve Tales2Inspire® treasured Tales2Inspire Jewel Collection anthologies and six Tales2Inspire 2-in-1 Diamond Collection anthologies. As a multi award winning author, her work has been featured in the New York Times, Newsday, Long Island Press, Barnard Magazine, on Local Access TV and in live presentations in varied venues. As TheNewBookReview review coordinator, Lois serves as an outreach to help other authors brand themselves as authors of talent. 

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 

The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. 

Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors service  (also free) for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in the right column of #TheNewBookReview blog home page (a silver and gold badge and three silver-gray circles beneath it located in the right column. 

Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert. She is an award-winning author and veteran educator and contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books on this blog. 

Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing HowToDoItFrugally http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews.