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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
Spoilers....
While the writing in Hopeless by Colleen Hoover was detailed and created characters that I wanted to like and follow, my biggest problem with this book was the storyline. The story took on themes that were not mentioned in the synopsis that I found too heavy and not entertaining (i.e. child sexual abuse, kidnapping) because I did not expect it. I also found that the way the characters handled the situation (boy knows girl is his neighbor who was kidnapped and then how they handled their relationship after he met with her father, the perpetrator of the sexual abuse). As someone who works with children who have survived abuse, this story completely skips over some of the main consequences and uses it only as a tool to create suspense. There are also multiple triggers that individuals might experience and readers should be aware of them before starting this book.
While the writing in Hopeless by Colleen Hoover was detailed and created characters that I wanted to like and follow, my biggest problem with this book was the storyline. The story took on themes that were not mentioned in the synopsis that I found too heavy and not entertaining (i.e. child sexual abuse, kidnapping) because I did not expect it. I also found that the way the characters handled the situation (boy knows girl is his neighbor who was kidnapped and then how they handled their relationship after he met with her father, the perpetrator of the sexual abuse). As someone who works with children who have survived abuse, this story completely skips over some of the main consequences and uses it only as a tool to create suspense. There are also multiple triggers that individuals might experience and readers should be aware of them before starting this book.
colleen ate on this one. i loved how there was a good plot with some romance sprinkled in. karen was a queen.
There are so many things I appreciate about this book and Colleen Hoover’s writing. And there are a few things that rub me the wrong way.
First, the positives. Hoover does a great job capturing the psychological experiences of her characters traumatic experiences. The majority of the flashbacks in this book are quite powerfully written. I appreciate her ability to convey the mental torment without being graphic. She respects her characters experiences. I also love her ability to weave the details of the story together and her ability to build the mystery. For the most part I love Sky and Holder. I ached for her grief and the sheer terror when she starts to remember details from her past. I could feel how alone she felt at times which was incredibly heartbreaking. And Holder’s storyline was equally compelling. There were a couple times when he seemed a little much but overall I thought he was great.
My two biggest complaints about this book is 1. There is so much “telling.” Lots of paragraphs of flat out telling us how she was feeling or doing that really took me out of those sections. Which is a shame because Colleen Hoover is very skilled at “showing” so I just wish those sections would have been reworked a bit. 2. I’m on my third Hoover novel now and so far I have disliked the timing and tone of every love scene in each of those novels. I was really irritated in Hopeless because it just felt so wrong given the context. I wish that would have been saved for another time.
That said I found the storyline compelling and I loved the characters so it was still a valuable read.
First, the positives. Hoover does a great job capturing the psychological experiences of her characters traumatic experiences. The majority of the flashbacks in this book are quite powerfully written. I appreciate her ability to convey the mental torment without being graphic. She respects her characters experiences. I also love her ability to weave the details of the story together and her ability to build the mystery. For the most part I love Sky and Holder. I ached for her grief and the sheer terror when she starts to remember details from her past. I could feel how alone she felt at times which was incredibly heartbreaking. And Holder’s storyline was equally compelling. There were a couple times when he seemed a little much but overall I thought he was great.
My two biggest complaints about this book is 1. There is so much “telling.” Lots of paragraphs of flat out telling us how she was feeling or doing that really took me out of those sections. Which is a shame because Colleen Hoover is very skilled at “showing” so I just wish those sections would have been reworked a bit. 2. I’m on my third Hoover novel now and so far I have disliked the timing and tone of every love scene in each of those novels. I was really irritated in Hopeless because it just felt so wrong given the context. I wish that would have been saved for another time.
That said I found the storyline compelling and I loved the characters so it was still a valuable read.
This book is NOT for everyone. I should have known by her other books that this would not just be a simple love story. Before you read, PLEASE CHECK THE TRIGGER WARNINGS. This book touches -and goes into detail- on several heavy topics but was ultimately a very good book and I think it was an unexpectedly healing read for me. I loved this book despite some of the “cringy” parts which there are a few. This is one of those books that has one twist after another after another. I couldn’t stop reading it!
My whole perception of the books title utterly changes during the novel. Colleen Hoover is a genius. Now,gimme Holder.
I started this back in July 2015 and had to put it down because I guessed a few major plot points (I was right). I picked it up a few days ago (October 2016) after several failed attempts and have finally finished it.
I have a lot of conflicting emotions. I have a lot of problems with this book. But on the other hand, I actually did enjoy some of it -- I stayed up until 4am to finish it.
I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. It was a little predictable, but also had a few surprises. It was good but not amazing.
I have a lot of conflicting emotions. I have a lot of problems with this book. But on the other hand, I actually did enjoy some of it -- I stayed up until 4am to finish it.
I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. It was a little predictable, but also had a few surprises. It was good but not amazing.
Un libro que no está mal, pero para mi gusto es demasiado dramatismo... Colleen Hoover nos tiene acostumbrados a mejores historias, por supuesto, aunque esta es amena y entretenida.
I loved the twist of it all and was surprisingly shocked that she chose the path she wanted. I loved both Sky and Holder and see how much they truly intertwined. I guessed from the first flashback that they knew each other more than they thought so I was just waiting for them to catch up with me. Can't wait for the next one!
I'd like to give this four and a half stars. The unexpected kept coming at you and that was awesome. I admit I scanned past some of the physical scenes as I felt there were too many....I got the point. But she is a great author and this was a fantastic read!