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lusheeta_toel's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
An interesting concept, and I read through it relatively fast so it was something I enjoyed in a way. But the relationship dynamic was a bit disturbing- it felt like it romanticized and normalized behaviors and dynamics that shouldn't be. The twists and turns shocked me..
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Grief
Minor: Cancer
jenncharlene713's review
1.0
I truthfully hate giving books anything less than 3 stars because authors put so much effort and thought into these books but I cannot give this book a good rating. I read this because a good friend of mine told me to give CoHo another chance. I realize now she is not an author I enjoy reading. I will never bash on someone for reading her books though, to each their own.
I think Ben is a horrible main male character. He is disgusting and does not deserve to get a good ending. Fallon is also so bland. Understandably these are young characters but they have only known each other a maximum of 36 hours. Yet they love each other?? They’re getting married?!?!?
The idea of the book is great but it feels like the characters never got to know each other even when they saw each other. I also heard there originally was a SA scene?? And I got the vibes still during the club scene where Fallon says something like “he’s using this to his advantage” knowing she’s drunk and they’re alone. She’s written as she likes it but has these little thoughts of hating it and wanting it to stop. And I don’t believe the whole reading the manuscript just makes her forgive him so quickly.
I think Ben is a horrible main male character. He is disgusting and does not deserve to get a good ending. Fallon is also so bland. Understandably these are young characters but they have only known each other a maximum of 36 hours. Yet they love each other?? They’re getting married?!?!?
The idea of the book is great but it feels like the characters never got to know each other even when they saw each other. I also heard there originally was a SA scene?? And I got the vibes still during the club scene where Fallon says something like “he’s using this to his advantage” knowing she’s drunk and they’re alone. She’s written as she likes it but has these little thoughts of hating it and wanting it to stop. And I don’t believe the whole reading the manuscript just makes her forgive him so quickly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Stalking
ashleysager's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Really not that great but also was really enticing. I wanted to know how things turned out, but the plot twist was really upsetting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, Mental illness, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gun violence, and Alcohol
sarahc1's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Sexual assault, and Sexism
smileydmd's review
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I was done with this book at about page 25. It never got better and I was thoroughly frustrated by the end. Thank goodness I borrowed this from the library and didn't spend any of my own money on it.
I wanted to give this book the benefit of the doubt and read it for myself, but I had a feeling going into it that I wasn't going to like this after reading other reviews, and after reading the book for myself, boy was I correct.
I had many issues with this book, most of which have been outlined in a detailed review by Whitney Atkinson. A lot of it is Ben's behavior, which is not acceptable in any way, shape, or form.
I wanted to give this book the benefit of the doubt and read it for myself, but I had a feeling going into it that I wasn't going to like this after reading other reviews, and after reading the book for myself, boy was I correct.
I had many issues with this book, most of which have been outlined in a detailed review by Whitney Atkinson. A lot of it is Ben's behavior, which is not acceptable in any way, shape, or form.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Cancer
marisa_egg's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
The .25 is because Fallon is amazing. Ben is the worst thing to every exist
The sexual assault scene in the bar made me hate him, this book, and made it nearly impossible to finish. She says no several times to him and he keeps going. They then just brush past this?? What the hell! Genuinely fucked up that Colleen Hoover doesn’t address how he assaulted her and just plays it off as she loves him back so it’s fine. Great book if you want to cry over how genuinely fucked up the things he does are. She has no confidence and forgives him/takes the blame for things in the end… what in the manipulative hell?!? Horrible book overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
magmun's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
This was one of the worst books I’ve ever read and it featured the worst characters imaginable. Both main characters are walking red flags, but the male love interest Ben is a psychopathic stalker when you remove the authors rose colored glasses. The romance is uncomfortable and the choice to only show one day every year with the characters makes them feel empty and undeveloped. It would have been nice to see the characters actually change and live their lives instead of just hearing them talk about it. Colleen Hoover needs to learn what consent is and clearly struggles with pacing and story structure. The ending is rushed and the payoff is non-existent as the main conflict between the love interests doesn’t happen until the last 15% of the book making the resolution feel half assed and disappointing. Also, having Ben write the book November 9 within the book makes for insanely self congratulatory statements from Colleen. Characters go on and on about how good of an idea the book is and how great the love story is. It was an insanely cringy self-insert/ circle jerk moment for Colleen that made me roll my eyes and sigh. Maybe she knew how bad the book was and needed to preemptively give herself good fake reviews.
Within hours of meeting each other Ben is telling Fallon it is her fault for being insecure about her scars (which he gave her) and non-consensually undressing her and sexually harassing her. There are multiple scenes that feel like sexual assault as Fallon mentions again and again feeling uncomfortable about Ben’s actions and feeling like she can’t move or stop him. This is supposed to be “sexy” I guess but it feels like a Stockholm syndrome situation where Fallon is so starved of male attention she ignores her comfort and excuses his behavior. The choice of having Ben’s pov throughout the book without him ever mentioning the fire he caused that almost killed Fallon makes him look like a psychopath that is stalking and using this girl he is obsessed with. The ending is especially egregious as Fallon only finds out about Ben causing the fire in the last few chapters. She has her first reasonable reaction and is rightfully horrified but every other character in her life including her mom is on Ben’s side. Fallon forgives Ben and her awful father for some reason in the last couple pages of the book making for a unsatisfactory ending that brushes over all of the problems in their relationship.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexual assault
The sexual harassment/assault is portrayed as romantic and the main character doesn’t see it as assault however the language used is still very upsetting and possibly triggering. Basically consent isn’t given and the character mentions being uncomfortable and unable to move but she ends up being fine with it. The suicide is a minor character and is mentioned in flashbacks but could also be upsetting.kleinerdiktator's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
I don't know how anyone can actually root for Fallon and Ben to get together when he should rot in jail.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Alcoholism, Blood, Cancer, Death of parent, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Violence, Car accident, Addiction, Physical abuse, Body shaming, and Bullying
Ben emotionally manipulates Fallon several times without it being acknowledged in the book and instead rewards him for this behavior.pikaellie's review
I read this book about a month ago, and I've spent a lot of time thinking about it. Holy heck this book was not great. I like CoHo's writing style, for the most part, and that's the only reason that I would say that this book was alright. The romance in this story was gross. The ending was disappointing. I wish that more people would reread the first intimate scene between Ben and Fallon and realize that it was not okay. The entire relationship between these two was not okay. If I had read this book when I was eighteen, or worse, younger, I might have thought that the relationship between Ben and Fallon was okay and not... toxic. It is not a good model for a healthy relationship. Let me go over why:
1. Lies. SO MANY LIES. Ben did not Fallon ANYTHING that she should have known. She had to find out for herself the truth about his past, and in my opinion, she should have left him right then and there.
2. "He lied to me. He was the reason I was insecure about my body. He was the reason I couldn't act anymore. He was the reason that I suffered. But, he did tell me I was beautiful. He told me I shouldn't be insecure! Now I feel great. He's now the reason that I feel confident. I also don't blame him for what he did to me because he didn't mean to!! He was suffering too!! His suffering MUST come before my own so I'll forgive him, marry him" absolutely disgusting. My friend, who hadn't read the book, pointed out that one description of the book says that it ends in heartache. And I responded with, "it should have."
3. The sex scenes. YIKES. Ben crosses Fallon's boundaries many times, and it's awful. That is not what a healthy relationship looks like. He cheated on her, forced her to undress when she clearly isn't comfortable, makes her wear what he thinks will look pretty on her, forced her to reconcile with him because he didn't want to be the woman he CHEATED ON HER WITH, practically assaulted her in the nightclub because he claimed that she wanted him, no. No. No. That's not okay. If a man or woman does this, it's NOT OKAY. You cannot convince me that Ben was a good partner, and not a creep. FUCK that.
4. If you need a more detailed explanation, check out this reddit review. It spoils the book, but explains exactly why it sucked. https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/vjalms/why_november_9th_by_colleen_hoover_is_one_of_the/
I need someone to give me a legitimate reason to enjoy this book again, because I can't see it. The writing is fine, but the story was awful. Ben's "redemption" was awful. If I had known why his brother punched him during year 2, I would have fucking cheered him on.
1. Lies. SO MANY LIES. Ben did not Fallon ANYTHING that she should have known. She had to find out for herself the truth about his past, and in my opinion, she should have left him right then and there.
2.
3. The sex scenes. YIKES. Ben crosses Fallon's boundaries many times, and it's awful. That is not what a healthy relationship looks like.
4. If you need a more detailed explanation, check out this reddit review. It spoils the book, but explains exactly why it sucked. https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/vjalms/why_november_9th_by_colleen_hoover_is_one_of_the/
I need someone to give me a legitimate reason to enjoy this book again, because I can't see it. The writing is fine, but the story was awful. Ben's "redemption" was awful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual content
kileyglispie's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault