Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Reminders of Him

Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover

33 reviews

nebraskanwriter's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

I just don’t think Colleen Hoover is for me.

My uncle died in a rollover accident on a gravel road, just like how Scotty died. So it was really hard for me to have empathy and sympathy for Kenna. I didn’t feel bad for her, even though Hoover wants you to feel bad for her. Kenna lies, she deceives, she makes out with Ledger even when she knows who he is (Scotty’s best friend) but he doesn’t know who she is (the reason his best friend isn’t alive).

This book was just a little bit too twisted, little bit too toxic, it was just too much. Such a heavy subject and I feel like it wasn’t handled well at all.

Grief is a sad, awful thing. I witnessed that first hand when my uncle died and what it did to my grandparents, to my whole family. How they couldn’t even say his name, how the very mention of him for over a year after his death, my grandma’s eyes would still well up in tears. Grief is heavy, but the way it was handled in this story just felt very shallow. Not enough depth.

I just feel like everything is minimized. These big awful feelings that take up so much room in your heart are minimized for us to pity Kenna. Which I didn’t, I couldn’t.

But Ledger does. Immediatley he is infatuated with her. Even when he finds out her true identity, that she is the reason his best friend is dead, he’s still obsessed with her.

Both Kenna and Ledger are both unnecessarily and unhealthily jealous when any single guy or girl talks to the other. You’ve literally known her not even a week and you both are already so possessive of each other. It was so unhealthy, especially when Kenna has literally just gotten out of prison and is in a super fragile state of mind as she grapples with seeing her daughter for the first time in 5 years and being in her old hometown, trying to regain some normalcy that was taken away from her when she went to prison. But no, instead of all that, you guys are making out and getting mad when another one of you even talks to someone of the opposite gender. And you’ve only known each other a couple days. And Ledger you were literally engaged two seconds ago, you were supposed to get married the week after you met Kenna.

I just didn’t like it. Kenna and Ledger’s relationship isn’t even a relationship. All they have is sex and Scotty in common, that’s it.

This book just struck a nerve, a personal one, with me. I think this’ll be my last Colleen Hoover book, I just don’t enjoy them like everyone else seems to.

How she surrounds her stories around very serious topics and tries to turn them into romances, it just isn’t for me.

Content Warnings

katierose_reads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

The story follows Kenna who, just released from 5 years in prison, is looking to forge a connection with the daughter she never got to hold. (She was born whilst Kenna was incarcerated).

This was my first Colleen Hoover and I truly had no idea what to expect. People always rave about her books and I was worried that her work wouldn’t live up to the hype that surrounded it, so I was actively avoiding them in order to not be disappointed.

However, an Instagram book club that I am a part of chose this book as their February pick, so I thought, it’s now or never!

And boy oh boy, I was not prepared.

Whilst I initially felt that the connection between Kenna and Ledger was bit too fast moving/on the cusp of ‘insta-lovey’ for me. The development of their relationship after that initial connection and the world building throughout this novel, more than made up for that.

The way Colleen Hoover explores forgiveness in this book is phenomenal. From watching Kenna trying and failing to forgive herself, to the paternal grandparents of her daughter who feel that their forgiveness would be a betrayal.

Alongside this, the exploration of the grey areas in human behaviour is what makes this story and it’s characters feel so authentic. It’s also makes this book an incredibly emotional and somewhat difficult (but in a good way) to read. At least it was for me.

I found myself pausing after paragraphs in which Kenna analyses her circumstances or crumbles under the pressure of her heartbreak, simply because the writing was so emotive and the character’s so enthralling that I felt what she felt.

It was simultaneously exhausting and brilliant.

The pacing felt natural. Not rushing to any solutions, but taking the time to explore each character’s emotional journey working through their monumental trauma.

People always say that Colleen Hoover makes them cry and I am happy to say that I too am one of those people.

Please read this book.

However, do check for CWs on Storygraph as it does deal with some very heavy topics.

I’ve included two quotes below. One which I thought was beautifully written and had a phenomenal message. The other, is a spoiler free quote that made me cry. If you’ve read the book you’ll understand why.

“...moments like these remind me that happiness isn’t some permanent thing we’re all trying to achieve in life, it’s merely a thing that shows up every now and then, sometimes in tiny doses that are just substantial enough to keep us going.”

“Wish me luck Scotty.”

Content Warnings

spazk27's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Five years ago, Kenna made a terrible mistake and is sentenced to prison. Upon release she returns to town in hopes of reuniting with her four year old daughter. Some mistakes aren't easily forgiven. While Kenna tries to earn a spot in her daughter's life, she meets a local bar owner. She quickly learns of his connection to her past and their lives become intertwined. A story of tragedy, loss, and the love for a child that keeps everyone going. Very interesting story that reminds you not to be so quick to judge. Everyone handles grief in different ways. The one person you hate may turn out to be much different than you perceived.
I read this super fast. I like the storyline but parts are a little too unbelievable. But that's part of the appeal as well. Forbidden love. Love at first sight. All of that plays in here.
Super emotional at times. I cried like a baby at a particularly devastating point in the story. I loved Ledger and his parents. I loved Lady Diana, Ivy, Amy. There were just so many good characters but I would have loved to know them more. Mrs Hoover isn't one to give too many details in her books and I think that's so you can form your own opinion. This could be set anywhere. The bar and grocery store sound so familiar I can see it perfectly. Yet, there is so little time spent describing them. I don't know how that happens, but I love it.

Content Warnings

mallory10100's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful relaxing sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

oh my god this was amazing

Content Warnings

slowreaderlmao's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I don't have a single complaint. I can't find one. I think what I will say up front is that if you're someone who has never connected with a CoHo book before, you probably won't like this one, but if you have, then good news: it's so good.

Kenna's life is changed forever when she serves 5 years in prison for a car accident that killed her boyfriend. When she gets out, her mission is to connect with the daughter she never got to know, but a lot is standing in her way. Meanwhile, there's a hot bartender she starts getting to know, sparks fly and all that, you know?

I was worried at times that the romance in the book would take away from the main goal of Kenna: to finally get to be in her daughter's life, but it didn't. Her daughter was the center of the entire thing. Yes, this is a love story and technically a romance, but I think it's very much a story about family, too. Found family born out of tragedy, and it's really damn beautiful.

Content Warnings

alexafuson's review against another edition

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hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Colleen Hoover is known for super emotional romance novels, and this one is no exception. Although the themes in this novel were not as dark as those in “It Ends With Us” and there was no content that requires trigger warnings like her other novels, “Reminders of Him” offered a great social commentary on female imprisonment that is unlike anything I’ve seen in another fiction piece. I was touched by Kenna’s drive for self-improvement and even more touched by her determination to do what was best for her daughter, even if that meant she would never meet her daughter.

Content Warnings

oliveannabell's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

this was a solid book. i loved the characters and the tension and the pure joy and sadness that happened all at once. you really feel for kenna, and i think coho did a great job of really illustrating how she feels. i felt like not a lot happened, and it was a bit repetitive. it was as though coho was trying to find different ways to say the same thing a lot of time. i still enjoyed this and would recommend!

Content Warnings

meganoetting's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

mrsschreave's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

amazing. phenomenal.

Content Warnings

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