Colleen Hoover - November 9

 

Colleen Hoover - November 9 

3.5⭐

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance

Pages: 310

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK 

Date Published:  10th November 2015

 

Book Blurb: 

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

Can Ben’s relationship with Fallon—and simultaneously his novel—be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?

My Review: 

I had such high hopes for this book, but it was such a disappointment. Unrealistic scenario, with two-dimensional characters, instant romance and love, a predictable twist and just such a messy and toxic storyline/relationship between the two main characters. This book had so much potential with the storyline being that Fallon and Ben meet every year on the same day, November 9, but don’t talk or communicate any other time, that could have been explored so much better, but in this case, just fell flat.

The book follows Fallon, who on a day that she is ready to leave Los Angeles she meets Ben. She is instantly attracted to him and so is he. However, after spending all day together they make a pact that they are going to meet each other on the same day, November 9, for the next 5 years to see where their relationship might go. One rule though, they can’t be in contact with one another at all on any other day of the year. Throughout the book, we follow both of their stories, as they meet each other one day a year, as they grow up and as their relationship progresses…

The only thing that I liked about this book was that it linked to Ugly Love and that readers got to see some of the characters from it. Oh, and of course Hoovers writing, which I adore. However, other than that, I didn’t really like this book and in my opinion is too overrated.

Now about the negatives. Firstly, the plot twist was just really meh and predictable. It just didn’t shock me as much as all the other twists in other Hoover books. Also, the twist for me was predictable and let’s face it already has been done in a few of her books.

Secondly, I didn’t really care about the characters or their love story. Mainly because both, Fallon and Ben just felt two dimensional and over the years since they meet on November 9, I didn’t feel any character growth from both of them. Like they were acting childish, being toxic to each other, and not communicating enough. Some of the misunderstandings that they had, could have been solved in like 5 minutes if they just communicated and talked to each other in depth.

Thirdly, I just didn’t like Ben. Without spoiling, I felt that he was super toxic and that many (if not all) things he did throughout the book were not romantic. Yes, he might be a cute and flawed character who is searching for redemption, but there are so many red flags about him (e.g. The panties incident, being controlling, etc.).

Overall: Toxic love story with the main male character having a mountain of red flags. Predictable twist, two-dimensional characters, unrealistic plotline…As always, I loved the writing, but this book in my opinion was the worst Hoover book I have read so far. 

About the Author:

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two novels and novellas. Hoover’s novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance categories, as well as psychological thrillers. 

Colleen Hoover is published by Montlake Romance, Grand Central Publishing and Atria Books. Colleen also has several indie titles, including Heart Bones.

In 2015, Colleen’s novel CONFESS won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance. That was followed up in 2016 with her latest title, It Ends With Us, also winning the Choice Award for Best Romance. In 2017, her title WITHOUT MERIT won best romance.

Colleen founded The Bookworm Box, a charity subscription service and bookstore, with her family in 2015. The Bookworm Box is a subscription service that provides readers with an exciting opportunity to receive signed novels in the mail each month from authors all over the world. All profits from the subscription service are donated to various charities each month. To date, The Bookworm Box has donated over $1,000,000 to help those in need.

https://www.colleenhoover.com/about-coho/

Colleen Hoover - Losing Hope (Hopeless #2)

Colleen Hoover - Losing Hope (Hopeless #2) 

4⭐

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Young Adult

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK 

Date Published:  8th July 2013

 

Book Blurb: 

In the follow-up to Colleen Hoover’s #1 New York Times bestseller Hopeless, the charming and irresistible Dean Holder tells the passionate story that has melted thousands of hearts.

In Hopeless, Sky left no secret unearthed, no feeling unshared, and no memory forgotten, but Holder’s past remained a mystery.

Still haunted by the little girl he let walk away, Holder has spent his entire life searching for her in an attempt to finally rid himself of the crushing guilt he has felt for years. But he could not have anticipated that the moment they reconnect, even greater remorse would overwhelm him…

Sometimes in life, if we wish to move forward, we must first dig deep into our past and make amends. In Losing Hope, bestselling author Colleen Hoover reveals what was going on inside Holder’s head during all those hopeless moments—and whether he can gain the peace he desperately needs.

My Review: 

I liked this book way more than I liked Hopeless. There was much less shock factor than in Hopeless, as in this book one of the twists can be seen from the very beginning of the story, which then in turn made the second twist less gruesome to me. I also just preferred the pace of this book more, as it read very easily and quickly, and I think that the letters were a perfect way to make the twists less shocking than they were in Hopeless. Oh, and I felt that Holder’s POV was much more genuine and we as readers get to know him better in this book than in Hopeless, as in Hopeless at times it felt like he was portrayed to be rather stalkerish and creepy. However, it is essentially the same story as Hopeless but from Holder’s POV, with less shock value.

I think that this book could have been incorporated into Hopeless, basically making Hopeless a dual POV. It would have worked so much better that way, as even though I enjoyed Losing Hope, most of it was just a repetition of Hopeless, with only a very few new chapters adding to the story and providing the story from Holder’s POV. However, I still think it is worth reading if you want to learn more about Holder and carry on with the rest of the Hopeless series (basically for the rest of the books to make sense).

What I liked in this book was the introduction of Daniel in the story. He seemed like a great side character and having him in Losing Hope put a solid foundation for Finding Cinderella, where we learn his story in more depth. I also liked the fact that we get to learn more about Holder’s sister and family, something that wasn’t covered much in Hopeless.

Overall: A great quick and easy read, with as always, beautiful writing by Colleen Hoover. Recommend if you want to carry on with the series or just want a quick, yet emotional read. This book was much better than the first in the series, but Losing Hope is essentially the same as Hopeless just from the hero’s POV, with more information and insights into the story. 

About the Author:

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two novels and novellas. Hoover’s novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance categories, as well as psychological thrillers. 

Colleen Hoover is published by Montlake Romance, Grand Central Publishing and Atria Books. Colleen also has several indie titles, including Heart Bones.

In 2015, Colleen’s novel CONFESS won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance. That was followed up in 2016 with her latest title, It Ends With Us, also winning the Choice Award for Best Romance. In 2017, her title WITHOUT MERIT won best romance.

Colleen founded The Bookworm Box, a charity subscription service and bookstore, with her family in 2015. The Bookworm Box is a subscription service that provides readers with an exciting opportunity to receive signed novels in the mail each month from authors all over the world. All profits from the subscription service are donated to various charities each month. To date, The Bookworm Box has donated over $1,000,000 to help those in need.

https://www.colleenhoover.com/about-coho/

Colleen Hoover -Finding Cinderella (Hopeless #2.5)

Colleen Hoover -Finding Cinderella (Hopeless #2.5)

4⭐

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Young Adult, Novella, Short Story

Pages: 176

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK 

Date Published:  14th October 2013

 

Book Blurb: 

A chance encounter in the dark leads eighteen-year-old Daniel and the girl who stumbles across him to profess their love for each other. But this love has conditions: they agree it will last only one hour, and it will be only make-believe.

When their hour is up and the girl rushes off like Cinderella, Daniel tries to convince himself that what happened between them seemed perfect only because they were pretending it was. Moments like that happen only in fairy tales.

One year and one bad relationship later, his disbelief in love-at-first-sight is stripped away the day he meets Six: a girl with a strange name and an even stranger personality. Unfortunately for Daniel, finding true love doesn"t guarantee a happily ever after... it only further threatens it.

Will an unbearable secret from the past jeopardize Daniel and Six's only chance at saving each other?

My Review: 

Finding Cinderella is a short novella about the two side characters of the Hopeless series, Six and Daniel. Basically, this short story is their Cinderella-inspired love at first sight story.

The novella was very short, quick and easy to read. It was quite entertaining, especially as both Six and Daniel have a great sense of humour and some funny situations made me laugh out loud. For me, it was more of a comfort read in between other books.

Although, this is Hoover we are talking about, so even if it is a novella, still expect the unexpected. Yes, there is quite an interesting and surprising twist at the end of the novella. However, since I read All Your Perfects before reading the Hopeless series, I saw this twist coming, but if you haven’t read All Your Perfects before, you might be in for a shock.

This story gives us a depth glimpse into both Six and Daniel, as well as their new relationship and newfound love. It is their love story, with all the good bits, the bad, the secrets and the shocking revelations.

Overall: Very cosy, quick and easy novella. Full of laugh-out-loud moments, some secrets, humour, and some shocking revelations all wrapped up in Hoover’s brilliant writing. I truly recommend this little novella if you love instant love and romance, because it is like a true-life Cinderella story set in high school with a Princess and Prince Charming being two weird, funny and at times odd, yet lovable young adults. 

About the Author:

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two novels and novellas. Hoover’s novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance categories, as well as psychological thrillers. 

Colleen Hoover is published by Montlake Romance, Grand Central Publishing and Atria Books. Colleen also has several indie titles, including Heart Bones.

In 2015, Colleen’s novel CONFESS won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance. That was followed up in 2016 with her latest title, It Ends With Us, also winning the Choice Award for Best Romance. In 2017, her title WITHOUT MERIT won best romance.

Colleen founded The Bookworm Box, a charity subscription service and bookstore, with her family in 2015. The Bookworm Box is a subscription service that provides readers with an exciting opportunity to receive signed novels in the mail each month from authors all over the world. All profits from the subscription service are donated to various charities each month. To date, The Bookworm Box has donated over $1,000,000 to help those in need.

https://www.colleenhoover.com/about-coho/

Colleen Hoover - Finding Perfect (Hopeless #2.6)

Colleen Hoover - Finding Perfect (Hopeless #2.6)

5⭐

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Young Adult, Novella, Short Story

Pages: 128

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK 

Date Published:  30th November 2019

 

Book Blurb: 

Finding Perfect is a novella that brings back some of Colleen’s most beloved characters. Told from the point of view of Daniel from Finding Cinderella, readers will finally get the conclusion they’ve been hoping for.

For the best reading experience, make sure you’ve read all four books that come together to make up this heartwarming story: Hopeless, Losing Hope, Finding Cinderella, and All Your Perfects.

My Review: 

Super short yet super cute and feel-good novella mainly about Daniel and Six, but features all the other characters from Hopeless and All Your Perfects. This novella for me seemed like a perfect way to summarise the series and link it all to All Your Perfects.

This short story is from Daniel’s POV and follows him and Six during their first Thanksgiving and Christmas after starting college. After spending Thanksgiving with Sky and Holder at home, Daniel and Six take a trip to meet someone they both wanted to meet for months, and alongside that, they meet Graham and Quinn, which are the two main characters in All Your Perfects.

Without spoiling the story, I just loved how Daniel’s and Six’s story was so beautifully connected to Graham’s and Quinn’s and how they are now wholesomely in each other’s lives. Also, we finally learn the connection between the Hopeless series and All Your Perfects, which in my mind was one of the most amazing connections ever, that made both stories just so heart-warming and adorable.

I also loved the writing, as even though the novella itself is super short, the number of things and information that was given to us in this story allowed readers to gain so much more depth from all the beloved characters throughout the series. It also talked about important subjects, had so many heart-warming and heart-breaking moments, etc. Honestly, I don’t know how someone can pack so much in such a short novella, but Hoover managed to do it beautifully.

Overall: Loved this short novella so much. I just wished it was longer! As I needed much more of both, Six and Daniel. I loved how this book and the Hopeless series tied up into All Your Perfects too. Honestly, such a cosy, beautiful and heart-warming novella and end to a series. Brilliant!

 

About the Author:

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two novels and novellas. Hoover’s novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance categories, as well as psychological thrillers. 

Colleen Hoover is published by Montlake Romance, Grand Central Publishing and Atria Books. Colleen also has several indie titles, including Heart Bones.

In 2015, Colleen’s novel CONFESS won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance. That was followed up in 2016 with her latest title, It Ends With Us, also winning the Choice Award for Best Romance. In 2017, her title WITHOUT MERIT won best romance.

Colleen founded The Bookworm Box, a charity subscription service and bookstore, with her family in 2015. The Bookworm Box is a subscription service that provides readers with an exciting opportunity to receive signed novels in the mail each month from authors all over the world. All profits from the subscription service are donated to various charities each month. To date, The Bookworm Box has donated over $1,000,000 to help those in need.

https://www.colleenhoover.com/about-coho/

Colleen Hoover- Hopeless (Hopeless #1)

Colleen Hoover - Hopeless (Hopeless #1) 

3.5⭐

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Young Adult

Pages: 408

Format: Paperback 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK 

Date Published:  18th December 2012

 

Book Blurb: 

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.
 

My Review: 

I usually love CoHo books, especially the twists and how her stories are built and carefully crafted but Hopeless was just a bit too much for me. This book had too many subjects and traumas explored all in one, and it was too much…Besides the multitude of subjects explored in this book, it was way too long and quite slow, especially in the first half. I just felt it wanted to be everything, a romance, a YA book, a book about traumas, but ended up with too much to chew. However, I still very much enjoyed CoHo’s writing, as it is still brilliant how she managed to explore her characters and come up with these crazy yet unexpected twists.

The book follows Sky who on her first day in public school, after being home-schooled for all of her life, meets a mysterious, damaged but very attractive Holder. Holder is also straight away attracted to Sky since she reminds him of Hope. Holder and Sky both realise that they are not only attracted to each other but are also both equally damaged and complex. Thus, slowly throughout the book they are opening each other’s hearts, even if that might unlock secrets, horrible pain, devastating traumas and pasts that none of them wants to remember. Although they are both unlocking those hurtful memories, especially the ones about Sky and her past, their love and commitment to each other are stronger than anything.

I didn’t like that this book was so slow-paced. I am used to Hoover’s books being the all-quick pace and quicker romances. This, however, was a slow-burn romance and the plot also moved quite slowly, until the very last 100 pages where everything hit the fan.

As I mentioned before, this book was quite long and covered soo much. It talked about and explored different traumas that both Holder and Sky had throughout their childhood, it portrayed their romance and connection, and looked at the family’s relationships and traumas, too. For me (without spoiling this book) it just felt that CoHo wanted to pack too much into this book and failed to do it. Also, the twist that usually makes me so surprised and even more gripped to Hoover’s books, this time made me disgusted and so sad for the main characters. The twist and all the subjects explored in this book…it was rather hard to take it all at once.

I really liked both main characters, and I think Hoover did an excellent job portraying them both, including their flaws, traumas, damage, and then subsequently love and healing. I also really liked the side characters, as they also were very well-written and definitely add substance to the story line.

Overall: Again, excellent writing and excellent portrayal of a variety of damaged, young, loving and yet rather complex characters. However, this time the subjects explored in this book were a bit too much for me. I believe if Hoover chose to explore one of the subjects in this book or at least two, it would have made this book less traumatic, devastating and triggering to read. Additionally, the pacing of this book was quite slow, which I am not used to in Hoover’s writing, and which made this book quite repetitive and hard to read. I am still going to be reading the rest of the Hopeless series, as I want to see if the book from Holder's POV is a better and easier read. 

About the Author:

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two novels and novellas. Hoover’s novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance categories, as well as psychological thrillers. 

Colleen Hoover is published by Montlake Romance, Grand Central Publishing and Atria Books. Colleen also has several indie titles, including Heart Bones.

In 2015, Colleen’s novel CONFESS won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance. That was followed up in 2016 with her latest title, It Ends With Us, also winning the Choice Award for Best Romance. In 2017, her title WITHOUT MERIT won best romance.

Colleen founded The Bookworm Box, a charity subscription service and bookstore, with her family in 2015. The Bookworm Box is a subscription service that provides readers with an exciting opportunity to receive signed novels in the mail each month from authors all over the world. All profits from the subscription service are donated to various charities each month. To date, The Bookworm Box has donated over $1,000,000 to help those in need.

https://www.colleenhoover.com/about-coho/

Colleen Hoover- Heart Bones

Colleen Hoover - Heart Bones 

5⭐

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Young Adult

Pages: 360

Format: Hardback 

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK 

Date Published:  31st January 2023

 

Book Blurb: 

Moving, passionate, and unforgettable, this novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover follows two young adults from completely different backgrounds embarking on a tentative romance, unaware of what the future holds.

After a childhood filled with poverty and neglect, Beyah Grim finally has her hard-earned ticket out of Kentucky with a full ride to Penn State. But two months before she’s finally free to change her life for the better, an unexpected death leaves her homeless and forced to spend the remainder of her summer in Texas with a father she barely knows.

Devastated and anxious for the summer to go by quickly, Beyah has no time or patience for Samson, the wealthy, brooding guy next door. Yet, the connection between them is too intense to ignore. But with their upcoming futures sending them to opposite ends of the country, the two decide to maintain only a casual summer fling. Too bad neither has any idea that a rip current is about to drag both their hearts out to sea.
 

My Review: 

This is definitely one of the most underrated Colleen Hoover books! I loved it so much! It is raw, yet somewhat beautiful and gives so much hope. It also explores the transition between being a teen and becoming a young adult. It looks deeply into finding yourself and growing up, as well as building relationships, and taking those first steps into scary adulthood. This book made me feel all the emotions and captivated me from the very first page. Loved this book!

The story follows Beyah whose mother suddenly dies and now Beyah is forced to move to the only place she can- her father's. She barely knows him, as she grew up with an addicted mother, always hungry and in extreme poverty. However, Beyah wants to be different, she wants to leave her past behind and start fresh, which she can do after summer when she goes to university, but until then she needs to spend  the whole summer with her father in his beach house. At her father's, she meets a stranger, a rich boy Samson, to who she is suddenly drawn. She knows he is as damaged as her but she needs to figure out how. With that of course comes risks, she is risking exposing her secrets to him or even worse, falling in love with him…but maybe he is the one who can help her heal and she is the one who can help him too?

Beyah’s life and upbringing were not easy. She basically had to look after herself and look after her addict mother for nearly all of her childhood and teenage years. This makes Beyah very closed off, mistrusting and damaged. However, during the summer that she spends in her father’s beach house and with people like Sara, Marcos and Samson, she slowly starts to heal and open up to people. I liked her character, especially her growth and healing during this book. She and Samson are so alike, both having their own secrets and their own demons, but also, they help each other so much. Also, the way Beyah fights for what is right after the plot twists and at the end of the book makes her such a strong and mature person for her age.

The setting of this book is also stunning. The beach houses, summer, and friendships…as well as each of the characters finding themselves during summer between school and the university was all so interesting to read. That, and the fact that this book is so beautifully written. I mean, I already loved Hoover’s writing but this book solidified that. Also, it seems that I like her more underrated books than the popular ones.

Overall: Captivating and beautiful book is about two broken people who meet each other by the ocean and help each other to fight their demons and overcome each other’s fears. The gentle love, respect and understanding between the two main characters in this book make it a moving love story. Beautiful writing, amazing scenery, damaged characters and a lot of finding yourself. Loved this!

About the Author:

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two novels and novellas. Hoover’s novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance categories, as well as psychological thrillers. 

Colleen Hoover is published by Montlake Romance, Grand Central Publishing and Atria Books. Colleen also has several indie titles, including Heart Bones.

In 2015, Colleen’s novel CONFESS won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance. That was followed up in 2016 with her latest title, It Ends With Us, also winning the Choice Award for Best Romance. In 2017, her title WITHOUT MERIT won best romance.

Colleen founded The Bookworm Box, a charity subscription service and bookstore, with her family in 2015. The Bookworm Box is a subscription service that provides readers with an exciting opportunity to receive signed novels in the mail each month from authors all over the world. All profits from the subscription service are donated to various charities each month. To date, The Bookworm Box has donated over $1,000,000 to help those in need.

https://www.colleenhoover.com/about-coho/

Colleen Hoover - Ka Praleidau, Kol Miegojai (All Your Perfects - Lithuanian Edition)

Colleen Hoover - Ka Praleidau, Kol Miegojai (All Your Perfects - Lithuanian Edition) 

4.5⭐

Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction 

Original Title: All Your Perfects

Original Language: English 

Translated by: Mykole Lukosiene 

Pages: 304

Format: Hardcover

Publisher: Baltos Lankos

Date Published: 17th July 2018

Book Blurb: 

Quinn and Graham’s perfect love is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes, and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing them apart. The one thing that could save them might also be the very thing that pushes their marriage beyond the point of repair.

All Your Perfects is a profound novel about a damaged couple whose potential future hinges on promises made in the past. This is a heartbreaking page-turner that asks: Can a resounding love with a perfect beginning survive a lifetime between two imperfect people?

My Review: 

This book was hard to read…Emotionally more than anything. It explores such a heavy topic that is still not talked much about in our society but affects so many. I really respect the author she took this taboo topic and explored it in her writing. Again, the writing was brilliant, as usual with Hoover books and she managed to capture all the right emotions at all the right times.

The book follows Quinn and Graham, who are soulmates, or so Quinn thought. After a few amazing years of being together, their marriage is slowly but surely falling apart. Both of them are also growing apart. Quinn can’t seem to get pregnant and the idea of this amazing little family that they have planned for years is slowly sinking. Both of them now have one choice to make, to try and build their marriage back up or give up and leave each other…

I loved that this book was written in alternating timelines, past and present. In the past chapters, we see the main characters Graham and Quinn falling in love, getting married, planning their future, and experiencing all the perfect moments together. In the present chapters, however, we see Graham and Quinn going through infertility, miscarriage, crumbling down marriage and loss of communication between each other. Both timelines give so much to the story, as well as shows how the marriage and their love changed over the years and why.

A big part of this book explores the topic of infertility and how it affects the main character Quinn day in and day out through her 7-year-long marriage but it also displays the reality of how going through something like that can change both wife and husband, and can affect love the marriage has. It also shows how something like fertility can have a devastating effect even on the strongest of marriages and loves.

Quinn goes through so much in this book and I felt so much for her. She lost all the options available to her to have a child and on top of that, she is constantly under pressure about having children from her family and friends. As much as I felt for her character, I also felt that if she communicated with Graham from the very beginning instead of blaming herself and assuming what he thinks of her not being able to get pregnant, they could have shared the burden and minimised the hurt. In my opinion, if he was/is the love of her life then communication is the key with that person, since no matter what that person will stay with you and love you.

I can’t comment on Graham’s character as much, mainly because there was not much of him or not much from his POV to allow me to fully get a sense of who he is. From what I read I felt that he was loving and caring but just found it really hard to communicate with Quinn, especially as she was pushing him away most of the time. I didn’t hate him but I didn’t really like him either. I also felt that this book was more Quinn’s side of the story, her grief and her going through a range of emotions and horrible pain.

I also really liked that Hoover didn’t shy away from discussing pressures for women to start a family and have children. I felt that this is not talked about much in any media, especially in books, so it was a positive thing to see being discussed in a book.

Overall: I enjoyed this book, although it was definitely not an easy read, what I liked was the discussion about fertility, expectations for females to have families and children, and pressures from others. It also displayed that love or being soulmates is not everything in life and marriage, especially in the face of adversity. 

About the Author:

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two novels and novellas. Hoover’s novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance categories, as well as psychological thrillers. 

Colleen Hoover is published by Montlake Romance, Grand Central Publishing and Atria Books. Colleen also has several indie titles, including Heart Bones.

In 2015, Colleen’s novel CONFESS won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance. That was followed up in 2016 with her latest title, It Ends With Us, also winning the Choice Award for Best Romance. In 2017, her title WITHOUT MERIT won best romance.

Colleen founded The Bookworm Box, a charity subscription service and bookstore, with her family in 2015. The Bookworm Box is a subscription service that provides readers with an exciting opportunity to receive signed novels in the mail each month from authors all over the world. All profits from the subscription service are donated to various charities each month. To date, The Bookworm Box has donated over $1,000,000 to help those in need.

https://www.colleenhoover.com/about-coho/

Colleen Hoover - Verity

Colleen Hoover - Verity 

5⭐

Genre: Thriller, Romance, Mystery, Contemporary Fiction, Fiction 

Pages: 368

Format: Hardback 

Publisher: Sphere  

Date Published: 27th September 2022 

 

Book Blurb: 

Whose truth is the lie?  Stay up all night reading the sensational psychological thriller that has readers obsessed, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Ends With Us.

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.
 
Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity’s notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn’t expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of the night her family was forever altered.
 
Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents could devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen’s feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife’s words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue loving her.

My Review: 

Hoover’s writing never ceases to amaze me. I thought Layla blew my mind…Oh, how wrong I was! Verity was just brilliant! It is definitely there at the top of my favourite CoHo books together with Layla! Verity is a dark, disturbing, creepy story full of tension and suspense. It kept me gripped from page one and didn’t let me go until the end…and even after that. The twist at the end was so clever and shocking…leaving the reader wanting more answers…I was also lucky to read the extra chapter straight away, but after it, I was left with more questions than answers (in a good way). For those who read the book without any spoilers, I would say I am definitely Team Manuscript...

The story follows Lowen, who is a struggling author and is living alone after her mother passed away recently. Lowen is struggling financially too, so when she is asked by Jeremy Crawford, the husband of famous author Verity Crawford, to write the rest of the series that Verity started, she jumps on the opportunity to earn extra money. Lowen has to write the last three books in the series and thus has to come and live in Crawford’s house to collect all the relevant manuscripts and paperwork from Verity’s office. Verity herself cannot help her as she is recovering from an accident, thus is in a vegetative state and does not communicate. During her stay in Crawford’s house, Lowen notices that weird things are happening, and she starts seeing Verity everywhere during the night or when she is alone in the house.  On top of that, she finds a shocking manuscript of Verity’s autobiography, where Verity writes all truth about herself, her husband and her twin daughters….The more Lowen uncovers about Verity’s past the more she wants to expose the truth but also the longer she stays with Crawford’s the more she starts falling for Verity’s husband Jeremy…

It is so hard to review this book without spoiling anything, and I think the best is to go into this book knowing as little as possible (but do check your trigger warnings beforehand, as there are many in this book) but honestly, it is so good. It had everything, the tension, the lies, the suspense and the shock factor all weaved into one story. All the characters in this book are also very flawed and morally questionable, especially of course Verity but the more I read the more I realised that other characters in this book might be just as bad as Verity, even if it's in different ways. There were times when I had a love-hate relationship with all of the characters in this book.

Overall: Again, CoHo’s writing was superb.  The plot, suspense, tension and character development are done brilliantly, too. Also, the shock factor and the twist at the end just was a cherry on top. I devoured this book in a day and honestly was left gobsmacked after I finished. It took me a few hours to stop questioning the entire universe after and a few days before I could pick up another book. Really really recommend this book if you want a very suspenseful yet great thriller to read that will give you a book hangover for a few days. Definitely, one of my favourite CoHo books and I cannot recommend it enough to people. 

About the Author:

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two novels and novellas. Hoover’s novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance categories, as well as psychological thrillers. 

Colleen Hoover is published by Montlake Romance, Grand Central Publishing and Atria Books. Colleen also has several indie titles, including Heart Bones.

In 2015, Colleen’s novel CONFESS won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance. That was followed up in 2016 with her latest title, It Ends With Us, also winning the Choice Award for Best Romance. In 2017, her title WITHOUT MERIT won best romance.

Colleen founded The Bookworm Box, a charity subscription service and bookstore, with her family in 2015. The Bookworm Box is a subscription service that provides readers with an exciting opportunity to receive signed novels in the mail each month from authors all over the world. All profits from the subscription service are donated to various charities each month. To date, The Bookworm Box has donated over $1,000,000 to help those in need.

https://www.colleenhoover.com/about-coho/

Colleen Hoover - It Starts With Us (It Ends With Us #2)

Colleen Hoover - It Starts With Us (It Ends With Us #2)

4.5⭐

Genre: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance

Pages: 224

Format: Hardback

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Date Published: 18th October 2022

 

Book Blurb: 

Before It Ends with Us, it started with Atlas. Colleen Hoover tells fan favourite Atlas’s side of the story and shares what comes next in this long-anticipated sequel to the “glorious and touching” (USA TODAY) #1 New York Times bestseller It Ends with Us.

Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil co-parenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. After nearly two years separated, she is elated that for once, time is on their side, and she immediately says yes when Atlas asks her on a date.

But her excitement is quickly hampered by the knowledge that, though they are no longer married, Ryle is still very much a part of her life—and Atlas Corrigan is the one man he will hate being in his ex-wife and daughter’s life.

Switching between the perspectives of Lily and Atlas, It Starts with Us picks up right where the epilogue for the “gripping, pulse-pounding” (Sarah Pekkanen, author of Perfect Neighbors) bestselling phenomenon It Ends with Us left off. Revealing more about Atlas’s past and following Lily as she embraces a second chance at true love while navigating a jealous ex-husband, it proves that “no one delivers an emotional read like Colleen Hoover” (Anna Todd, New York Times bestselling author).

My Review: 

I enjoyed It Ends with Us and although it wasn’t my favorite from Colleen Hoover, I was really excited about the sequel, as I wanted to know what is going to happen with Lily, Atlas, and Ryle. I honestly think It Starts with Us was the first book that I ever read so quickly. I devoured it in a few hours because as you know I really love Hoover’s writing and I really needed to know the fate of all the characters as It Ends with Us left it all quite open.

The book continues right where It Ends with Us left off…When Atlas runs into Lily and her daughter in the park and when he professes that he is ready to have Lily in his life and fight for her. This story is from both Lily’s and Atlas’s points of view and during Atlas’s POV chapters, we got to learn more about years when Atlas wasn’t in Lily’s life, about his family, and see him more in-depth as a character. In Lily’s POV chapters we got to explore her day-to-day life of being a co-parent with Ryle, running her business, and trying to mend her heart from the divorce with Ryle, as well as see how her relationship and friendship with Atlas grows.

I really enjoyed It Starts with Us. It was less drama and surprises in this book than I used to in CoHo’s books but it was interesting and easy to read. I loved it more than the prequel but there was something that was still missing from it to be that crème de la crème. There were parts in this book that felt super rushed and the book itself felt quite short in terms of the plotline. Also, the ending…It just felt rushed and not really fully explained. I wanted to know more about Ryle and if he agreed to Lily’s terms about Emerson and I wanted to see Allysa’s and Atlas’s relationship grow, as well as a few other little things like what happened between the last two chapters as it was a quite big time jump between them. Also, I felt that Lily in this book was a bit different, at times I missed the strong Lily that was in It Ends with Us. In this book, it seemed she was also softer and more lenient to Ryle, which surprised me the most, especially after what he is done to her.

What I liked was that there was more Atlas and that the reader got a chance to know him better, as he was in the first book but most of what was written about him was from Lily’s POV. I also liked how Ryle was in this book, although not as much but it made the whole situation of co-parenting and Lily moving on from the abusive relationship with him more real. It gave that natural continuation of the story from the first book and didn’t just jump exclusively into Lily’s relationship with Atlas. Putting Ryle in this book really, showed that Ryle is not a good guy and he is and going to be an abuser until he seeks help about it. Also, it highlights that It Ends with Us was not a dark romance, it was a book about abusive relationships and breaking that cycle of abuse once and for all.

Overall: I loved this book more than I did It Ends with Us but it was still not the best from Coleen Hoover. There was that wow factor missing and parts of the book felt rushed. Although, as always, I loved the writing and I am glad I got to know Atlas's character more and learn about what happened to Lily and Atlas after It Ends with Us. 

About the Author:

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two novels and novellas. Hoover’s novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance categories, as well as psychological thrillers. 

Colleen Hoover is published by Montlake Romance, Grand Central Publishing and Atria Books. Colleen also has several indie titles, including Heart Bones.

In 2015, Colleen’s novel CONFESS won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance. That was followed up in 2016 with her latest title, It Ends With Us, also winning the Choice Award for Best Romance. In 2017, her title WITHOUT MERIT won best romance.

Colleen founded The Bookworm Box, a charity subscription service and bookstore, with her family in 2015. The Bookworm Box is a subscription service that provides readers with an exciting opportunity to receive signed novels in the mail each month from authors all over the world. All profits from the subscription service are donated to various charities each month. To date, The Bookworm Box has donated over $1,000,000 to help those in need.

https://www.colleenhoover.com/about-coho/