Welcome to the Blog Tour for Restoring Hope by Philippa Cleall, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: Restoring Hope
Series: Restored from Ashes #1
Author: Philippa Cleall
Publisher: Ark House Press
Release Date: October 31, 2025
Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction
Can she find safety and belonging, before the past finds her?
After escaping an abusive marriage, Hope Elkins returns to the quiet town of Wombat Valley to reopen her late grandmother’s café, The Hearth—not to chase a dream, but to rebuild her life.
Drawn in by the scent of wood-fired pizza and the warmth of old and new faces, Hope begins to find more than comfort within the café’s walls. As The Hearth fills with stories and second chances, she forms unlikely bonds with others—Ruby, a fiercely guarded teen; Nova, a young mother on the run; and Joe, the gentle local vet carrying grief of his own.
With the support of her new community, Hope begins to heal and is gently drawn back to the faith she thought she’d left behind. But when a charming, dangerous figure from her past resurfaces, she must decide whether to stand firm in the life she’s begun to rebuild, or risk losing it all.
Restoring Hope is a tender, uplifting story of resilience, rediscovery, and the quiet strength found in faith, friendship, and a place to belong
MY THOUGHTS ON RESTORING HOPE:
I’m not entirely sure how to review this one. So, I’ll begin with a quote that I loved. There were several quotable moments that were beautifully stated, but this one really caught my attention.
“‘I think that beginnings come in all kinds of ways. Some are gentle. Some feel like survival. Some were never asked for.” She paused then added, “But even the hard ones … sometimes they open a door we couldn’t see before.'”
It’s amazing how God works like that in our lives, and the author beautifully states it in a way that even those not convinced of God can accept the truth and move forward. And in this, the author excels. There are so many times the questions and hurts of the characters (and believe me, there are plenty of both in this book) are answered by the faithful in ways that don’t seem like empty platitudes. Because even if they are not empty platitudes, to one who isn’t sure or hasn’t experienced it for themselves, they feel like they are. And more than answers, often, the faithful believers simply sit with the hurting and let them hurt and talk through their decisions and circumstances. There can be worth in that too when we seriously are seeking answers and not just clinging to our hurts and rehashing them to hold onto them.
And the support the pastor’s wife, Eve, offers is unconditional. I can only believe the author is writing her from a place of understanding that some of the choices the other characters may be choices between sin and not sin. But as the people she’s supporting aren’t in relationship with or are questioning relationship with God, whether a choice is sinful or not isn’t really relevant because they don’t have personal faith yet. Instead, Eve takes the approach of how each decision will affect their lives going forward, how previous choices have affected them at that point, and tried to quietly, gently lead them into “good” and “helpful” choices over those that may bring more hurt later. And she doesn’t leave them with the idea they have to choose the right path to have her walk with them through the aftermath. While she may not agree, she will be there for them as people no matter the choice. But while the author does a great job of putting us in the heads of all of the other characters, I’m left wondering if my version of what Eve is doing is what the author intended. I wish she’d given me more about how Eve viewed some of the different situations and choices, because we can view something as sinful and still act in the loving and supporting way Eve so regularly does, making our spaces safe for those who may have made mistakes and may do it again, just like we do.
Another area I wish was explored more was the opposite side of things. We see those going through hurts and abuses. We see their issues with churches that turn a blind eye to or simply don’t know how to react when a he said/she said situation is happening in their pews. We see through these ladies’ stories the extra weight that causes and the doubt. And the author makes us ache for them. But I’ve seen the opposite happen as well. Instead of the woman is the victim and the man is the perpetrator, I’ve seen good men and women’s reputations ruined by some who cry foul when there is no foul. It’s a tough call and leaves those in the pews wondering where truth lies, but in the end, as the author so clearly shows, the actions in the end will speak louder than the words. And as much as this happens too, this book may not have been the place for that discussion. Though, as I said, the author does remind us to look at the fruit, not just the words. That goes for everyone in a situation.
While there were things I would have loved to explore, the author has opened the door for churches and the people in them to tough conversations. She has reminded us that love acts, then speaks, and what unconditional means. Letting those who have not been there experience, for a moment, the hurts and questions and fears of people in these circumstances will, hopefully, enable all of us to leave the story with more mercy, patience, and grace than we did going into it.
Based on the story alone, I would give this one, even with my wishes for more exploration of certain aspects, five stars. However, as beautifully written as certain lines are and as needed as the story is for opening hard conversations, I have to give it four stars. There are many characters in the book, and we see into all of their heads. Sometimes without warning. There is a lot of head hopping without scene or chapter breaks, without clearly identifying until later in the scene whose head we are in, and at times without staying in that new head for more than a line or two before jumping back to the previous person or a new one. This slowed down my reading and kept me from fully engaging with each character in the scene that I was supposed to be connecting with.
Still, a worthy story that I hope will help us all deal with those who are hurting with compassion and gently lead them to the God who restores.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Author’s Website | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub
More in This Series
About the Author
Philippa Cleall is a Children’s and Family Counsellor and volunteer Court Chaplain on the south coast of NSW, in Australia. She has a heart for seeing communities become more trauma informed so they can care for those hurting with greater wisdom, compassion, grace, and truth.
Connect with Philippa by visiting philippacleall.com.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a $25 B&N gift card + a ‘Kangaroo Valley’ souvenir prize pack from Australia!
(1) additional winner will also receive a ‘Kangaroo Valley’ souvenir prize pack!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight August 31, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on September 7, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only for gift card. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
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