redheadbookgirl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
READ IF YOU LIKE:
โค๏ธโ๐ฉน Stories of hope + healing
โณ Alternating timelines/flashbacks
โ๐ผ Academic settings
๐ช๏ธ Romances with a big twist
๐ฉ๐ผโ๐ YA vibes/school age charactersย
๐๐ผ Emotional + MOVING stories
๐ FIRST RELATIONSHIP romanceย
๐ก Small town settings
โ๏ธ THOUGHTS:
This is a seriously under-rated CoHo read.. I can't believe its taken me this long to read it! I was NOT expecting the heart-shattering story that this unravelled into, and it broke my heart. This book is filled with love, sadness, dispair, hope and just about every other emotion imaginable. It's a story of love, survival and strength.
โ๐โ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐.โ
Sky and Holder were real, likeable, relatable characters, and I felt every single emotion they experienced throughout the plot. I LOVED Sky. She was blunt, sarcastic and strong: she was real. Holder was.. well he was Holder. He captured my heart with the way he supported Sky without question.ย
โ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ค ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ, ๐๐ค๐ฒ. ๐๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ.โ
The chemistry between the two, and the intensity and passion of their partnership as it developed felt believable, as they supported one another through a shared journey of horrifying revelations, deeply buried memories, trauma and finally healing.
โ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐๐ซ. ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐. ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ. ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ซ.โ
This was a heart-wrenching, beautiful, devestating and uplifting story of surviving. I'd recommend reading this but do check the content first, as there's some pretty dark topics discussed.
โค๏ธโ๐ฉน Stories of hope + healing
โณ Alternating timelines/flashbacks
โ๐ผ Academic settings
๐ช๏ธ Romances with a big twist
๐ฉ๐ผโ๐ YA vibes/school age charactersย
๐๐ผ Emotional + MOVING stories
๐ FIRST RELATIONSHIP romanceย
๐ก Small town settings
โ๏ธ THOUGHTS:
This is a seriously under-rated CoHo read.. I can't believe its taken me this long to read it! I was NOT expecting the heart-shattering story that this unravelled into, and it broke my heart. This book is filled with love, sadness, dispair, hope and just about every other emotion imaginable. It's a story of love, survival and strength.
โ๐โ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐.โ
Sky and Holder were real, likeable, relatable characters, and I felt every single emotion they experienced throughout the plot. I LOVED Sky. She was blunt, sarcastic and strong: she was real. Holder was.. well he was Holder. He captured my heart with the way he supported Sky without question.ย
โ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ค ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ, ๐๐ค๐ฒ. ๐๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ.โ
The chemistry between the two, and the intensity and passion of their partnership as it developed felt believable, as they supported one another through a shared journey of horrifying revelations, deeply buried memories, trauma and finally healing.
โ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐๐ซ. ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐. ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ. ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ๐ซ.โ
This was a heart-wrenching, beautiful, devestating and uplifting story of surviving. I'd recommend reading this but do check the content first, as there's some pretty dark topics discussed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
graham_faith's review against another edition
dark
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Kidnapping
keishac13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Suicide, Death, Death of parent, Blood, Gore, and Grief
joelina29's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The typical perfect Coleen hoover book. You love the characters right away, you feel connected, itโs thrilling, you want to know what happens. All those little hints that make sense at the end. I love it just how I love every book of her I read until now.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual violence
cortlandhilla's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I honestly thought that Holden was going to be the bad guy. In some ways he was, but not like your typical narcissist who plays the girl to make her fall in love with him. Now, do I agree that he hid all that information from Sky (Hope)? No. But I can see why. Also, itโs a book lol. Colleen Hoover can make any character do what she wants for any reason.ย
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Gun violence, Injury/injury detail, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Alcoholism, Blood, Abandonment, Addiction, and Violence
readsbyhope's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Suicide, Sexual content, Rape, and Grief
hiraeth_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
i don't even know where to start with this book. one thing is sure and that is that i need a break from colleen hoover books, i can't do it anymore.
i honestly don't even want to go into it because it's mostly the usual stuff wrong with her books - problematic display of relationships and mental illnesses, toxic masculinity, token non-straight characters, her trying to be funny but failing, the mc being not like other girls etc. i know it's one of her earlier works but it's honestly scary how she hasn't changed/learned from some things. and can you imagine this being marketed as a young adult novel?? with very triggering sexual content, abuse, suicide etc.?? reading this was a roller coaster of being weirded out, cringing, rolling my eyes and just getting angry. especially the last quarter is just pure trauma porn and i almost dnf'ed it. wtf colleen.
do not recommend. ๐
i honestly don't even want to go into it because it's mostly the usual stuff wrong with her books - problematic display of relationships and mental illnesses, toxic masculinity, token non-straight characters, her trying to be funny but failing, the mc being not like other girls etc. i know it's one of her earlier works but it's honestly scary how she hasn't changed/learned from some things. and can you imagine this being marketed as a young adult novel?? with very triggering sexual content, abuse, suicide etc.?? reading this was a roller coaster of being weirded out, cringing, rolling my eyes and just getting angry. especially the last quarter is just pure trauma porn and i almost dnf'ed it. wtf colleen.
do not recommend. ๐
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Body horror
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Incest, Injury/injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Rape, Kidnapping, Grief, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Sexism, and Suicide
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Misogyny, Addiction, and Alcoholism
a_alves00's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Kidnapping, Rape, and Sexual content
xlaraxk's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
I wanted to read one of Colleen Hoover's book to see what the hype is all about. Unfortunately, I really cannot understand why people would want to read this. This book has just so many issues and was just not sexy or romantic at any point.
The writing: The writing in this book was so bland. Nothing about it was clever or original or showed linguistic talent. Any AO3 or Wattpad writer could do better than this. CoHo really tries to hammer the youthfulness of the characters home by constantly using the phrase "xy sucks ass", "this sucks ass", "he sucks ass" etc. To introduce direct speech she constantly uses "he/she says" so it gets repetitive easily. The comparisons she makes are also strange and could even be considered offensive (e.g." He looked at me like I just said I have a penis").ย All in all, the writing was not the worst thing I ever read but just straight up boring - something you will have read a hundred times by now.
The characters: Again, just bland. I could not tell you anything about the main character Sky or Holder in regards to their personality. They all have one character trait only - Holder is "misunderstood", Sky likes to read and that's about it. I do not even understandย why they liked each other in the first place. Her mum's only distinctive traits is that she's a vegan and that she does not like technology, nothing more.
The problematic aspects: Oh, there are so many.ย
The writing: The writing in this book was so bland. Nothing about it was clever or original or showed linguistic talent. Any AO3 or Wattpad writer could do better than this. CoHo really tries to hammer the youthfulness of the characters home by constantly using the phrase "xy sucks ass", "this sucks ass", "he sucks ass" etc. To introduce direct speech she constantly uses "he/she says" so it gets repetitive easily. The comparisons she makes are also strange and could even be considered offensive (e.g." He looked at me like I just said I have a penis").ย All in all, the writing was not the worst thing I ever read but just straight up boring - something you will have read a hundred times by now.
The characters: Again, just bland. I could not tell you anything about the main character Sky or Holder in regards to their personality. They all have one character trait only - Holder is "misunderstood", Sky likes to read and that's about it. I do not even understandย why they liked each other in the first place
Spoiler
apart from knowing each other from childhoodThe problematic aspects: Oh, there are so many.ย
- This book depicts queer, especially gay people, so stereotypically. Colleen Hoover wants to tell us how much of an ally both Holder and Sky are yet to fail to see Sky's friend as anything more than his personality. We've all seen some rendition of "the extroverted quirky gay best friend" in a book or a film - again, nothing original about it.ย I'm really sick of seeing this stereotype being brought up over and over again.
- Sky has so much internalised misogyny. Her only issue seems to constantly tell the read that she, in fact, is not a slut. The "slut" topic plays a big part in the beginning of the book and then weirdly is never brought up again later. But in any case, she tries to "not be like other girls" by calling other girls either a slut, stupid or manipulative.ย
- Holder does not know about consent. There are some scenes where Sky is clearly uncomfortable with their physical intimacy (at one point she even tells him no "forcefully") but he keeps on pressuring her. He's emotionally manipulative and that's not romantic or cute in any way.ย
- Just the plot in general. There is some serious trauma going on but it is "fixed" by a romantic relationship. That's just not what you should convey to a young audience. If you really want to read this book, please make sure to take a look at the trigger warnings.ย
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Suicide, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, and Sexual violence
Minor: Transphobia
sydnicrisalli's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
i cannot give this book 5 stars enough. i feel like it is such an underrated colleen hoover book and it aggravates me. the book starts out kind of slow, it takes it a little while to get to the good stuff, but once everything started to unfold, it had my jaw on the floor. such a good bookย
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Suicide, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, and Vomit