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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Omg... i cant even explain how amazing this book is... it just freaking turned my life around. The twists that she put in here are just so crazy you wont even believe it. At first i just think its run of the mill teenage drama, but it goes so much farther than that. Can someone please tell this woman that she's a genius.... im not even done with the book, maybe 50-60 pages left, but i dont care. She did it again,Hoover is like one of the best teen authors right now... please just everyone read this book. Seriously you wont be dissappointed. Omg...
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Accidentally spoiled the twist for myself and no longer feel motivated to keep reading. Lost interest, sadly.
This book surprised me. The way I'd interpreted the synopsis made me believe that it was going to be a predictable, typical "been there, done that" new adult book - but I was absolutely blown away by what this actually ended up being. I was so nervous about it being typical and cliched that I had put off reading it for some time, but I was in the middle of books and stuck for what to read next, so I impulsively decided to pick this up and I'm infinitely glad that I did.
When I initially started the book I thought it was going to be a two star read, but as the novel progressed I began to see the CoHo formula coming into play where the first part of the book is primarily setting the scene, building the characters etc., and allowing the reader to build a relationship with the characters as opposed to just running off into the wind and kicking plot twists at us immediately. I, personally, am a huge fan of that. I love getting to know the characters before significant events start to occur because it gives the reader a certain kind of empathy that they wouldn't have had without that character building. Despite how the book started off as somewhat sluggish, it really picked up momentum. When I say it picked up momentum, it actually blew everything out of the water.
This story really packs a punch - there are a lot of plot twists tucked in but I didn't feel like they were coming at me thick and fast. They left enough of a gap so that I didn't get whiplash from being thrown from one event to another, but not too much of a gap that I was wondering when the next thing was going to happen. Once the drama started it didn't stop; the filler dialogue/monologue elements were finished and it was all story, plot and intensity. It was fantastic. For me, personally, this is the perfect kind of book for me to read. It evoked emotion, sucked me in, and made me want more. And, to top it off, I loved the characters. I also didn't manage to guess what was going to happen - I had inklings and small moments of "I wonder...", but nothing really hit me until everything was confirmed. CoHo really does manage to cleverly weave a story together. She throws hints here and there and only when you find out the truth do those hints make sense - and for that reason I think I might have to re-read this one knowing what I know now.
This book does need to come with some serious trigger warnings though. The subject matter is extremely heavy, but whilst it's heavy and at times difficult emotion-wise to read about, it is brilliantly done. Of course, I speak from personal experience in regards to the representation shown throughout this book and I personally find it to be brilliant, but you may have an opposing opinion. I think this book is highly subjective in its portrayal of the following triggers (marked as spoilers just so people can choose whether or not to read the words themselves):, but I think that the subjects discussed were handled eloquently, were written delicately and didn't read to have being added to the story for the sole purpose to pad out the plot.
I loved the: characters, writing, plot-building, back stories, depth of past, honesty, raw emotion, portrayal of family, portrayal of love and its representation. (There are probably more things too to be fair, but I'm a little scattered after trying to process the book).
I found this book to be fantastic - it was a thoroughly enjoyable read, as have the majority of CoHo's books. I'm pleased that I loved this one because I've had a rocky relationship with her books in that I like a few, despise a couple, and I always feel a little wary when starting another endeavour. But woohoo! This one was great, and I definitely intend to re-read it and some point in the future. It was a gripping, enthralling read with an adorable couple. It truly presents the importance of love, loyalty and openness and demonstrates the fact that you don't have to be related by blood to be true family. This honestly blew my expectations out of the water, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I can't rate it five stars for the fact that it was a bit slow to start with, but I know why that happened now - so my rating settles at 4.5*.
When I initially started the book I thought it was going to be a two star read, but as the novel progressed I began to see the CoHo formula coming into play where the first part of the book is primarily setting the scene, building the characters etc., and allowing the reader to build a relationship with the characters as opposed to just running off into the wind and kicking plot twists at us immediately. I, personally, am a huge fan of that. I love getting to know the characters before significant events start to occur because it gives the reader a certain kind of empathy that they wouldn't have had without that character building. Despite how the book started off as somewhat sluggish, it really picked up momentum. When I say it picked up momentum, it actually blew everything out of the water.
This story really packs a punch - there are a lot of plot twists tucked in but I didn't feel like they were coming at me thick and fast. They left enough of a gap so that I didn't get whiplash from being thrown from one event to another, but not too much of a gap that I was wondering when the next thing was going to happen. Once the drama started it didn't stop; the filler dialogue/monologue elements were finished and it was all story, plot and intensity. It was fantastic. For me, personally, this is the perfect kind of book for me to read. It evoked emotion, sucked me in, and made me want more. And, to top it off, I loved the characters. I also didn't manage to guess what was going to happen - I had inklings and small moments of "I wonder...", but nothing really hit me until everything was confirmed. CoHo really does manage to cleverly weave a story together. She throws hints here and there and only when you find out the truth do those hints make sense - and for that reason I think I might have to re-read this one knowing what I know now.
This book does need to come with some serious trigger warnings though. The subject matter is extremely heavy, but whilst it's heavy and at times difficult emotion-wise to read about, it is brilliantly done. Of course, I speak from personal experience in regards to the representation shown throughout this book and I personally find it to be brilliant, but you may have an opposing opinion. I think this book is highly subjective in its portrayal of the following triggers (marked as spoilers just so people can choose whether or not to read the words themselves):
Spoiler
sexual assault, abuse, mental abuse, physical abuse, suicide, blood, gore, guns and immense family issues.I loved the: characters, writing, plot-building, back stories, depth of past, honesty, raw emotion, portrayal of family, portrayal of love and its representation. (There are probably more things too to be fair, but I'm a little scattered after trying to process the book).
I found this book to be fantastic - it was a thoroughly enjoyable read, as have the majority of CoHo's books. I'm pleased that I loved this one because I've had a rocky relationship with her books in that I like a few, despise a couple, and I always feel a little wary when starting another endeavour. But woohoo! This one was great, and I definitely intend to re-read it and some point in the future. It was a gripping, enthralling read with an adorable couple. It truly presents the importance of love, loyalty and openness and demonstrates the fact that you don't have to be related by blood to be true family. This honestly blew my expectations out of the water, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I can't rate it five stars for the fact that it was a bit slow to start with, but I know why that happened now - so my rating settles at 4.5*.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow...was this book riveting, surprising, emotionally charged. Simply wowed me. While I warn you, this book addresses intense issues and is NOT for the faint-of-heart, it is a love story quite like no other...This was my first [a:Colleen Hoover|5430144|Colleen Hoover|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1333056335p2/5430144.jpg] novel and it only prompted me to seek more... I cannot wait to read [b:Losing Hope|17571797|Losing Hope (Hopeless, #2)|Colleen Hoover|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1368348584s/17571797.jpg|24075414] when it releases on July 9, 2013.
Warning-this book has child sexual abuse in it. I didn’t know anything about this series when it came available on Libby but figured I’d have a quick read in between some other heavier books.
I don’t think I like CoHo books anymore
I don’t think I like CoHo books anymore
Loved this book and how many emotions it made me feel whilst reading happy,sad angry annoyed bit it was a fantastic read and would definately recommend it
ooooohhhh i really liked this one. very heartbreaking but so beautiful at the same time. ugh.