Hopeless Review

Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
Series: Hopeless #1
Published by Atria Books on May 7, 2013
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Goodreads

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies.

In this #1 New York Times bestselling novel by Colleen Hoover, author of Slammed and Point of Retreat, Sky meets Dean Holder, a guy with a reputation that rivals her own. Holder has the ability to invoke feelings in Sky she's never had before. In just one encounter he leaves her terrified yet captivated and something about him brings up a rush of memories from the past that she’s worked so hard to bury away.

Sky knows Holder is nothing but trouble and tries to keep him at a distance, but he is adamant about learning everything he can about her. Sky finally caves to his unwavering pursuit, but she soon finds out that Holder isn't the person he's been claiming to be. When the secrets he's been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky's life changes forever.

 

Check out this video to catch a view of who Colleen Hoover herself declares is the perfect Dean Holder lookalike! His name is Griffin Peterson. 

   Rose’s Review       

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird, evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book-” (so says Hazel Grace from John Green’s book, The Fault In Our Stars); this is how I feel about Hopeless.  If you have not read this book, stop everything you are doing now and read it already! 

I first heard of Hopeless via facebook when one of my favorite authors, Tammara Webber (Easy, Between the Lines Series), posted what she was currently reading. I had never read anything by Colleen Hoover prior to that (I know, it was a sad and dark time in my life to which I never wish to return) and so it became the first book I ever purchased on my brand spanking new Kindle Paperwhite.  I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN!  Okay, so obviously I do not give out 5 star reviews very often and this one got 5 stars from both me and my co-blogger, Julie, so you have to expect that it is a good book. (It is also the inspiration for this blog’s name.  At an interview with ABC’s Nightline that I was privileged to be a part of  < click HERE for the link to that post>, Ms. Hoover read my favorite excerpt from Hopeless and it was the part on how sometimes in life, you just need a chapter break. Hence the blog name.) Not only was the story incredible and the characters unforgettable, but the writing was amazing!  Colleen Hoover was able to craft her book (I would say write, but she truly is a master at her craft) in such a way that I never knew what was going to happen next, and even if I could guess, I never expected it the way it actually DOES happen.  The characters in this book delighted me.  I wanted to know more about all of them and none of them were one dimensional.  My emotions ran the gamut with this book.  I laughed out loud, sighed deeply, and cried an ocean.  Sky’s past is revealed slowly in such a way that the pieces fall into place perfectly, but never predictably.  Holder is totally confusing, but dead sexy shirtless, according to Sky.  So sexy she passes out, – like for real passes out. Sky is frustrated beyond belief by Holder’s intensity and seemingly sudden mood changes. He comes off as “too intense. And moody. And a little bit scary.” Sky is dismayed to find she’s “finally introduced to the one guy that [she] finds attractive, and he’s a high school dropout with the word hopeless tattooed on himself.”  But if Ms. Hoover teaches us one thing, and in fact she quite often teaches us a good many things in her novels, it is that appearances can be deceiving and you can’t believe everything you hear from other people.  Sky is constantly challenged throughout the book to make her own assessments about the truth and nothing is ever black and white. And does this reader get her HEA? Well, I do not want this review to contain any spoilers, so I cannot answer that, but I will say that Sky does not get her HEA exactly, but what she does get is exactly what she needs.  All she needs, in fact.  And I was totally happy with that.

    Julie’s Review      

As you can see from the above review, Rose lurved this book. She told me this book is amazeballs good. And I had to know what amazeballs was like. So I bought it and read it. No, more like devoured. Inhaled? Hyperventilated this book into my brain? Maybe that’s more accurate of a description.  Now I know the definition of amazeballs.

          Amazeballs
          adjective
          OMG this was one of the best books I have ever read!

This book was so emotional and intense, and honest. I didn’t know what to make of Sky at first, because of her strange home life (she’s home-schooled and not allowed to have technology – like no computer, phone, etc) and her detachment from emotions (she lets all these guys make out with her and doesn’t feel anything – at all). Then we meet Dean Holder (who is my second love named Dean {I’m a Supernatural fan}) who is a high school drop out with a bad rep and a tattoo that reads “hopeless”, which must be based on a desperate time in his life. The way he acts when he first runs into Sky is just strange, and a bit creepy at first.

So we the readers (or inhalers) get to watch these two somewhat awkward characters get to know each other and fall in “live” {read the book, you’ll know what that means}. And their love story is so beautiful, and passionate, and it draws you in. Their “firsts” are endearing and their banter is really quite funny. Holder’s ego-deflating messages seriously crack me up.

Then the story gets even more profound when we start learning about the secrets everyone is hiding. The story takes some turns that I did not see coming. At all. And at every twist and turn when you think it can’t possibly get any more difficult to be Sky and Holder, Colleen Hoover punches you in the gut with some more heart-wrenching plot developments.

I loved the way this book was written and the way the story line flowed. The writing was beautiful and powerful. The plot development and pacing were perfect with the build up of Sky and Holder’s relationship, seeking the truth, and final realizations about everything and the impact it all had. It took me a while to catch my breath and look around me to realize the world around me hadn’t changed a bit. Because I felt like I just went through some major transformation. When I was done reading I felt like I needed therapy {or at least a hug} after that extraordinary ride.

Now that you’ve read our reviews, you see for yourself that you absolutely must read this now. So, don’t forget we’re doing a giveaway for a paperback copy of Hopeless. You’re welcome.

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