We are unbelievably excited to share that Ethan Joella‘s beautifully life-affirming novel, A Little Hope, is finally published in the UK (Muswell Press). An emotionally powerful debut that celebrates the grace in everyday life, A Little Hope follows the residents of a small town in Connecticut as they face everyday fears and desires – a lost love, a betrayal, a stalled career, an illness – pulling at the heartstrings and offering hope.

Ethan’s masterful novel originally launched in the US in November 2021, where its message of community and togetherness resonated particularly powerfully in the post-pandemic climate. We were over the moon when A Little Hope was chosen as a #ReadWithJenna November Bonus pick, and Ethan did an amazing Instagram live with Jenna Bush Hager – watch an extract of this here!

Across the pond, A Little Hope was not only reviewed by the New York Times, who hailed it as a “poignant and quietly powerful debut novel”, but it was also shortlisted for the Center for Fiction’s 2021 First Novel Prize. In the run-up to A Little Hope‘s UK publication, the novel was reviewed by the Daily Mail, who praised its “skill and delicacy”, and Ethan wrote a wonderful guest blog post for Literary Sofa, in which he discussed how his own personal grief shaped this debut.

A Little Hope has been met with nothing but amazing reviews so far:

‘Poignant and quietly powerful…Joella is particularly deft at deconstructing quiet moments in small-town life and amplifying their significance‘ New York Times Book Review

‘Wonderfully observed and immensely touching, A Little Hope is a beautiful portrait of the poignant moments in life that change us, move us, and connect us, written in deft and powerful prose. A true gem of a novel that I won’t soon forget.’

Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push

‘The residents of a small Connecticut city navigate grief and hope in Joella’s tender debut, a series of vignettes marked by a sense of connection and community…Throughout, the overlapping story lines keep readers turning the pages.’ Publisher’s Weekly

‘Ethan Joella has written a powerful and compelling novel about people whose lives are on the cusp of collapse in this richly textured story of hope and love. A Little Hope is an absorbing, propulsive, and elegantly written debut. I absolutely loved it.’ Brandon Hobson, National Book Award finalist and author of The Removed

‘We all need A Little Hope in our lives right now. Ethan’s debut is very special, a compelling, emotional story that brims with humanity, compassion, and the moments that make life worth living even in the darkest times.’ Emma Stonex, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lamplighters

‘A mosaic of intersecting vignettes…an ensemble narrative simmering with everyday drama and heartache.’ Daily Mail

‘A novel about the lives we live, the loves we have and the connections we make, A Little Hope is an unforgettable novel that will break your heart and put it back together again piece by piece.’ Clare Reynolds

‘Joella captures the rhythms of life in Wharton and is skilled at identifying both shifts in the weather and events that mark the passage of time in moments so subtle as to be almost undetectable. Readers who enjoy fiction that reflects the struggles and joys of their daily lives will find much that will resonate here.’ Kirkus

‘Forgiveness and redemption are the soul of this novel, but it’s the love you will remember long after you put it down’ Adrianna Trigiani, author of The Shoemakers Wife

Welcome to Wharton, Connecticut…

In the small city of Wharton, Connecticut, lives are beginning to unravel. A husband betrays his wife. A son struggles with addiction. A widow misses her late spouse. At the heart of these interlinking stories is one couple: Freddie and Greg Tyler.

Greg has just been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a brutal form of cancer. He intends to handle this the way he has faced everything else: through grit and determination. But can Greg successfully overcome his illness? How will Freddie and their daughter cope if he doesn’t? How do the other residents of Wharton learn to live with loss, and find happiness again?

An emotionally powerful debut that immerses the reader into a community of friends, family, and neighbours, A Little Hope celebrates the importance of small moments of connection and the ways that love and forgiveness can help us survive even the most difficult of life’s challenges.

Congratulations on this special day, Ethan! Readers in the UK can buy their copies of A Little Hope here.