Chasing Hope

A Mother's Story of Loss, Heartbreak and the Miracle of Hope

By: Amy Daws

Narrated by: Emily Beresford

Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's Summary

At 33 weeks pregnant, Amy is certain something bad will soon happen; it had happened too many times before. Deep down she fears it's only a matter of time before the baby she's carrying will die. Despite the fact that Amy had been repeatedly slapped in the face with multiple miscarriages, she still can't seem to quiet that tiny voice in the back of her head that's screaming at her to not give up hope.

Follow Amy's true story as she stumbles through her journey with humor and warmth, all while dealing with the neuroses that came along with getting her hopes shattered time and time again. All she has to do is close her eyes and she's lurched back to the memories of her losses: on the floor in her bathroom, in the hospital, and even at her place of work. No one knows what the internal mind of a woman who'd lost five babies and suffered so many let downs goes through. Can hope ever truly survive memories such as these?

©2014 Amy Daws (P)2015 Amy Daws

such a special story of heartbreak and joy!

Wow!! First off, Thank You Amy for sharing your story with us! Very emotional and I cried tears of joy as you finally received your precious gift of life after so much heartbreak. The narrator did an amazing job! I have read other books from Amy and stumbled across this one. I was routing for Amy and Kevin thoughout this whole book. I felt the heartache each and every time as the book went on. Then, my heart felt so full as they finally got their little miracle. Again, thank you for allowing us into that part of your life!

Truly Touching

What made the experience of listening to Chasing Hope the most enjoyable?

The story, I haven't been this wrapped up in a non-fiction in years. Amy Daws' gave such an honest look into pregnancy loss and infertility; I went into the story knowing a piece of it, so it made it easier to listen to as my heart broke. It's raw, beautiful, and heartbreaking. Somehow, by the end, I had hope for a better outcome when I eventually make that journey again.

What other book might you compare Chasing Hope to and why?

I couldn't compare it to any other book I've read.

Which scene was your favorite?

I can't say I would have a favorite scene, besides the last few chapters. I can relate to a lot of the book though.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES! I normally stay at my gym for an hour and I stayed for two just to listen to the story. I finished it the first chance I had the next morning.

Heartwrenching NOT Chic Lit

What did you like best about Chasing Hope? What did you like least?

This is one woman's husband and extended family and friends pursuit to become pregnant and delivering a healthy baby. After having 3 or 4 miscarriages and being pregnant a total of 38 weeks - if you added up the time she was pregnant but unable to deliver – it pulls at heartstrings and makes one wonder why.

There's some pretty graphic descriptions, none for dramatic effect. They just describe some of the medical things required when one miscarries or has the stillborn child.

I'm not sure I would recommend this to anyone who has experience nonviable pregnancies. I think it would be rather depressing for anyone trying to become pregnant or has lost a child.

Although this was written from the heroines/mother's point of view, it was disappointing to hear how she didn't understand that this hurt her husband, as well. She didn't really observe her husband, any would be grandparents and those around her – but the way the author describes the treatment of her husband did bother me.

An interesting account. I'll say no more as it would possibly become spoilers.

The narrator was really good. Although this probably wasn't a very challenging book to read (as far as different voices) it was a solid performance. However at the beginning of each chapter the author gave a few lines to thoughts of others and shared from their point of view. The narrator did a good job giving them their voice.

Note: Descriptions of how babies are made, graphic medical detail and strong language.

Credit worthy/$: I was given the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for the review you are reading right now. This is hard because my recommendation is weighed heavily because I don't know what audience this would be appropriate for.

If you found this review helpful please take a moment and select yes below this paragraph. Thank you!

Heartbreaking

If you could sum up Chasing Hope in three words, what would they be?

Heartbreaking
Hope
Brave

What was one of the most memorable moments of Chasing Hope?

When Amy finally got her long awaited baby girl

Which character – as performed by Emily Beresford – was your favourite?

Amy

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes totally!

Any additional comments?

Its a very rare occurrence when a book actually makes me have to stop and sit down to process everything in my head. Chasing Hope brought out so many different emotions and completely floored me!

When I found out that this was a true story I was a little apprehensive. As a mother of three girls, I have luckily never had to go through anything remotely similar, however, the heart-wrenching story of Amy's struggles, really made me realise how lucky I truly am, and how grateful I am for my girls.

This story is so raw and honest, that you really feel as if you are there experiencing it with Amy. Everything she went through, I found myself in bits multiple times and honestly I wondered at times if I could carry on with the story. I needed to finish though, not to get to the end of the story but because I felt I needed to for Amy, who has written such an honest account of everything she went through, and I respect her so much for being able to share it all. What Amy and Kevin went through, I wouldn't want anyone to ever have to go through.

Amy went through such a hard journey and she is such an incredibly brave woman, to not only go through it once but to relive it through telling the story, and sharing it. This is truly the hardest review I have ever had to write as I don't think anything I can say would do this story justice.

I will be attending a signing in June were Amy is an attending author and I cannot wait to meet her!