Review: Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover

Losing Hope
Colleen Hoover
YA/NA romance + other stuff

Still haunted by the little girl he let walk away, Holder has spent his entire life searching for her in an attempt to finally rid himself of the crushing guilt he has felt for years. But he could not have anticipated that the moment they reconnect, even greater remorse would overwhelm him…

Sometimes in life, if we wish to move forward, we must first dig deep into our past and make amends. In Losing Hope, bestselling author Colleen Hoover reveals what was going on inside Holder’s head during all those hopeless moments—and whether he can gain the peace he desperately needs.

I have been salivating to read a Colleen Hoover book since forever and was overjoyed when I got a copy of Losing Hope from Netgalley. As you can see though, it took me this long to get to it- and man I'm glad I finally did. 

Losing Hope started out so STRONGLY, which was amazing. I'm used to being introduced to the characters and world slowly and gradually, but this novel began with a boom and really added to the emotional strength of the book. 

I haven't read Hopeless, which is Sky's story, and while I absolutely loved Losing Hope and you can read one independently of the other, I did feel that certain bits were missing or needed elaborating, and that's what tipped me off about the companion. Needless to say, IMMEDIATELY ADDED TO TBR. 

Oh my gosh, Holder and Sky each broke my heart with every secret unveiled. The big one is also the obvious one, but don't be fooled like I was- you think you know what's coming, but it's the details that made the plot. My favorite parts were Holder's letters to Les- they were windows into his real pain, and to me there's no beautiful relationship like that of a brother and sister. 

On that note, I was disappointed in that the story stayed focused on Holder and Hope. I understand that is was meant as a companion to Hopeless, but in order for a different POV to be successful in my opinion, it can't just be a repetition of the first one just with the others' thoughts- it needs to be his or her STORY. Therefore I was disappointed with  the book's neglect of Les. We don't know almost anything about her, and being Holder's twin and Sky's best friend and the victim of the same things and *minor spoiler* commits suicide right in the beginning *spoiler over* you'd think she'd warrant a respectable portion of the book. She's there but only because he writes her letters. There are virtually no memories or flashbacks of her at all. 

Likewise, I felt their friends Daniel, Amy, and Thomas should have had more impact on the book. And everyone's parents- they seemed to have good relationships with Holder, Les and Sky and knew a lot of what was going on and yet there's not enough interaction. I would have wanted to hear more about how Holder and his family dealt with the grief- it's a defining factor in his character.

Spoilers Ahead:

In the end of the book, Holder comes to terms with Les's suicide in a way that makes it seem like it was the only thing she could have done. It could be percieved as justifying it. I wasn't happy.

Done Spoiler.

As usual, when the review is long you know it was nice and complex and emotional. Highly recommended!! Rating:



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Love, 
Esty