Tag: colleen hoover

Book Review: Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher

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Rating: ★★★☆ (3.5)
Audience: Contemporary Mystery Romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher
Publisher: Canary Street Press
Release Date: February 28th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Never stop…Never forget…Just remember.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Starts with Us joins forces with the New York Times bestselling author of The Wives. Together, they have created a gripping, twisty, romantic mystery unlike any other.

Charlie Wynwood and Silas Nash have been best friends since they could walk. They’ve been in love since the age of fourteen. But as of this morning…they are complete strangers. Their first kiss, their first fight, the moment they fell in love…every memory has vanished. Now Charlie and Silas must work together to uncover the truth about what happened to them and why.

But the more they learn about the couple they used to be…the more they question why they were ever together to begin with. Forgetting is terrifying, but remembering may be worse.

HMM.

This is a book broken into three parts that makes me review feel like three parts.

I really enjoyed part one. It was interesting. I liked the suspense and the drama of it all. I felt on board with Charlie and Silas’s story and was very dang curious about what had happened. Since this wasn’t a sci-fi or fantasy novel what magical realism was playing a part?!

Part two started to slow things down and was a bit repetitive. We know they’ve lost a lot of their memory and things are a bit up and down. There’s some good romantic moments looking at journals and memories I enjoyed.

Then part three brought it all together, but still left me feeling unsatisfied. I wasn’t quite on board with the big reveal of what happened and why. I think it was supposed to make me feel uber romantic, and it did to a point, but I think I was expected more drama as well. There were some story lines that I didn’t find wrapped up well and now that I’m sitting here I’m poking more and more holes into the book.

Oh well, another book off my CoHo back list!

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romantic Suspense
  • Language: a little strong
  • Romance: closed door
  • Violence: moderate
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: memory loss, amnesia, kidnapping, incarcerated father, gaslighting parent

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Book Review: It Starts With Us (It Ends With Us #2) by Colleen Hoover

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Adult Romance
Length: 336 pages
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: October 18th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Before It Ends with Us, it started with Atlas. Colleen Hoover tells fan favorite 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 coparenting 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).

EVERYTHING I WANTED.

I had no idea (since I didn’t read the synopsis) of what I was getting into when I binged this BUT I knew that I needed the story Atlas and Lily deserved. AND GOSH DANG IT HAPPENED.

I LOVE that they were the focus. The story was about them. Moving towards the place they’ve always wanted to be, together. My heart melted and I was a giddy mess every dang time Atlas was on page. One of the best heroes I’ve ever come across. The support, care, love, endearing nature, I LOVE HIM SO MUCH.

And I love the strength of Lily. Making hard decision after hard decision just trying to get to the best situation she could. These characters come across incredibly real and human and squeezes my heart all the more.

And the supportive friends?! Good heavens. Unsung heroes of this book too. I loved them all and the pivotal roles they played in creating a future worth fighting for.

IT WAS EVERYTHING I COULD HAVE HOPED FOR.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: multiple brief open
  • Violence: med
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: child abuse, homelessness, divorce/custody battles, domestic abuse, vandalism

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Book Review: Hopeless (Hopeless #1) by Colleen Hoover

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Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: New Adult Romance
Length: 417 pages
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Self-published
Release Date: December 18th, 2012
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling author of SLAMMED and POINT OF RETREAT.

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 one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past 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. 

SHATTERED.

Wow does this book absolutely break my heart. It’s a CoHo book. I KNOW something is always coming. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting to see what moment is going to break me. And as expected, once I realized what was happening, alllll of my emotions flared.

I love how Hoover’s books are romances, BUT so much more. SO MUCH more. There’s deeper story. Deeper conversations and thought. They’re nuanced and tend to be traumatic. And I keep coming back for more. I love the journey I’m taken on every time. I adored Dean Holder. Absolutely smitten with that bad boy with a soft and supportive heart. Sky was indominable beyond belief. Going through some of the worst things a child can and to rise again. The strength of many of the characters of this story defied comprehension.

There’s an immersive plot where usually by chapter one I am HOOKED. This was no different. I love working through her backlist of stories because now that I’m on my 15th (maybe more?) of her books, they all have something unique to bring to her collection.

Overall audience notes:

  • NA Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: kisses to brief open door scenes
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: sexual assault and rape (multiple times) of multiple children, kidnapping, on page suicide (by gun), off page suicide mention, PTSD

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Book Review: Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 335 pages
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Montlake
Release Date: January 18th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A troubled young mother yearns for a shot at redemption in this heartbreaking yet hopeful story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover.

After serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, Kenna Rowan returns to the town where it all went wrong, hoping to reunite with her four-year-old daughter. But the bridges Kenna burned are proving impossible to rebuild. Everyone in her daughter’s life is determined to shut Kenna out, no matter how hard she works to prove herself.

The only person who hasn’t closed the door on her completely is Ledger Ward, a local bar owner and one of the few remaining links to Kenna’s daughter. But if anyone were to discover how Ledger is slowly becoming an important part of Kenna’s life, both would risk losing the trust of everyone important to them.

The two form a connection despite the pressure surrounding them, but as their romance grows, so does the risk. Kenna must find a way to absolve the mistakes of her past in order to build a future out of hope and healing.

COHO HAS DONE IT AGAIN.

Not even surprised I loved this. LOVED IT. The hype is completely warranted and this is the type of classic Hoover read that I have to emotionally prepare for knowing it’s going to destroy me before stitching my heart back together.

I loved that this was way and beyond more than a romance. There were many types of love that played a part in Kenna and Ledger’s story. The major theme of getting a second chance had me in tears. Seeing Kenna come from so low and truly trying to do her best to get an opportunity to meet her daughter made for a heart squeezing read.

“Now that I’ve forgiven myself, the reminders of him only make me smile.”

Exploring different types of forgiveness and making the best choices in an horrible situation creating a memorable story. I love the gray areas Hoover explores and that each person’s path is not direct or like any others.

The romance was of course, fabulous. ALL THE ANGST. And Ledger is just a bar above the rest y’all. Plenty of chemistry, raw discussions and passion fueled moments. You’ll be hoping for the best for everyone involved by the end. This is now going to be ranking as one of my top CoHo books.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: multiple brief to longer open door
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: suicidal thoughts, detailed scene of losing a loved one by a car accident, under the influence car wreck (alcohol and drugs), grief and depression depiction, child neglect, parent incarceration

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