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A review by cath_reads_books
Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
I really think Colleen Hoover books might not be for me. I found this whole thing to be incredibly twisted and predictable, more so than just what was required by the plot.
It was obvious from the first meeting of Sky and Holden that he knew her from her childhood, from before she was “adopted.” It was obvious that Sky was Hope and that her father was abusive. As the story developed, it became obvious well before it was said that Karen was Sky’s/Hope’s aunt, who had also been abused by her father. The third abuse victim? Obviously Lesslie, who was so tortured by abuse she never disclosed that she took her own life.
What I greatly disliked throughout the whole thing is how romanticized and swept under the rug Holden’s manipulation of Sky/Hope was. Having violent outbursts and then not explaining them? Ghosting her for weeks only to show up and say “everything’s fine but I can’t tell you why I was gone”? Withholding information about Sky’s past and person from her even when she asks? The part where they both use each other for sex later in the book, so they can escape a traumatic experience for a moment? That’s not love; none of it is love. It’s a trauma bond, and what Holden was doing is manipulative and dishonest, even if he “had Sky’s/Hope’s best interest at heart”.
I understand that this book is trying to make some pretty heavy points about abuse, right versus wrong not being so black-and-white, and breaking harmful/toxic cycles. But in my opinion, having the main characters in a trauma-bonded relationship was not the way to illustrate that.
I do know this book is part of a series that I’ve committed to reading and it’s entirety this year, so I may come back and change my review later if some of this is addressed in further series installments.
What I greatly disliked throughout the whole thing is how romanticized and swept under the rug Holden’s manipulation of Sky/Hope was. Having violent outbursts and then not explaining them? Ghosting her for weeks only to show up and say “everything’s fine but I can’t tell you why I was gone”? Withholding information about Sky’s past and person from her even when she asks? The part where they both use each other for sex later in the book, so they can escape a traumatic experience for a moment? That’s not love; none of it is love. It’s a trauma bond, and what Holden was doing is manipulative and dishonest, even if he “had Sky’s/Hope’s best interest at heart”.
I understand that this book is trying to make some pretty heavy points about abuse, right versus wrong not being so black-and-white, and breaking harmful/toxic cycles. But in my opinion, having the main characters in a trauma-bonded relationship was not the way to illustrate that.
I do know this book is part of a series that I’ve committed to reading and it’s entirety this year, so I may come back and change my review later if some of this is addressed in further series installments.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, and Rape
Moderate: Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, and Suicide