Publication Date: December 19, 2012
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Hopelessly Beautiful!
"I’m the only one that can be held accountable for the way my life turns out."
"And once again in my new world full of heartache and lies, this hopeless boy somehow finds a way to make me smile."
Being a huge fan of Colleen Hoover, I can’t express how exciting it was to hear she was coming out with her newest novel Hopeless. Slammed and Point of Retreat have and will remain on my favorites shelf for quite some time. So I was truly eager to dive into this book, so I could meet her two new characters Sky and Holder. That was until, I heard about the subject matter that surrounds this novel. ~cringes~ It was then, that I quietly and gracefully shelved the book for a couple of months until I could work up the nerve to handle the journey Hoover had in store for me.
See, reading stories where there’s violence toward children is one of the biggest detractors in subject matter for me. For the most part, that hasn’t stopped me from reading powerful novels such as Living Dead Girl, Split, and If You Find Me to name a few. But it does take a ton of resolve and mental preparation for me to dive in because I don’t take these subjects lightly… of course. They truly affect my mood, break my heart, and leave me spent. Not the experience I tend to seek when hoping for an fictional escape. I feel it takes a talented author who can grapple with these subject matters and deliver something poignant and hopeful. So take your bow Colleen Hoover… you proved the power in your pen. You shared your story and took care of your readers along the way. ~applauds with admiration~
So about this book… In Hopeless, I had the pleasure of meeting Sky who has lived a socially void life being home schooled by her foster mom and sheltered from the influence of television, the internet and mobile devices. When she finally convinces her foster mom to allow her to enroll in school for her senior year, in the hopes of building her scholastic resume as leverage into a good college, what she realizes is the pain and disillusionment from the bullying she experiences. In addition to the difficulty she experiences in acclimating to her new life, she meets Holder, a very moody yet attractive guy that approaches her unexpectedly. Without spoiling the novel, these two begin to fall for one another and together they ignite the catalyst that exposes past secrets Sky is forced to face.
There were so many themes that Hoover meticulously weaved into her novel and all of them were handled with finesse. She was able to show the realities of bullying, the pain of deceit, the hope of forgiveness and the power of friendship and love. Where it came to the topic of kidnapping and sexual abuse, I have to say Hoover really thought this through. She offered just the right about of detail to give you a sense of what happened, but not too much as to leave you crawling into yourself and coming undone. The balance she provided was handled with realism yet sensitivity.
As for Sky and Holder, I can’t end this review without expressing how much I adored these two characters. They were a perfect pair, flaws and all. I really enjoyed the banter between the both of them. His non-positive affirmations were extremely endearing, if that makes any sense. Their backstory was heartbreaking but their future felt hopeful. Loved these two!!
As I’ve expressed before about this amazing author, I’m convinced Colleen Hoover has magic flowing from her pen. I love her writing. I adore her character development. And, after reading her newest novel Hopeless, I can add to my list by saying, I admire her way of handling sensitive subjects with such finesse and care. Well done Hoover! Well done!
And now for the exciting part!! I had the pleasure of recently meeting Colleen Hoover at a Los Angeles Author signing event, where I obtained an extra copy of this wonderful book. So if you'd like a chance to win this SIGNED copy of Hopeless by Colleen Hoover, be sure to fill out the rafflecopter below. Open internationally. Good luck!!
Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…My Thoughts
That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.
Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.
Hopelessly Beautiful!
"I’m the only one that can be held accountable for the way my life turns out."
"And once again in my new world full of heartache and lies, this hopeless boy somehow finds a way to make me smile."
Being a huge fan of Colleen Hoover, I can’t express how exciting it was to hear she was coming out with her newest novel Hopeless. Slammed and Point of Retreat have and will remain on my favorites shelf for quite some time. So I was truly eager to dive into this book, so I could meet her two new characters Sky and Holder. That was until, I heard about the subject matter that surrounds this novel. ~cringes~ It was then, that I quietly and gracefully shelved the book for a couple of months until I could work up the nerve to handle the journey Hoover had in store for me.
See, reading stories where there’s violence toward children is one of the biggest detractors in subject matter for me. For the most part, that hasn’t stopped me from reading powerful novels such as Living Dead Girl, Split, and If You Find Me to name a few. But it does take a ton of resolve and mental preparation for me to dive in because I don’t take these subjects lightly… of course. They truly affect my mood, break my heart, and leave me spent. Not the experience I tend to seek when hoping for an fictional escape. I feel it takes a talented author who can grapple with these subject matters and deliver something poignant and hopeful. So take your bow Colleen Hoover… you proved the power in your pen. You shared your story and took care of your readers along the way. ~applauds with admiration~
So about this book… In Hopeless, I had the pleasure of meeting Sky who has lived a socially void life being home schooled by her foster mom and sheltered from the influence of television, the internet and mobile devices. When she finally convinces her foster mom to allow her to enroll in school for her senior year, in the hopes of building her scholastic resume as leverage into a good college, what she realizes is the pain and disillusionment from the bullying she experiences. In addition to the difficulty she experiences in acclimating to her new life, she meets Holder, a very moody yet attractive guy that approaches her unexpectedly. Without spoiling the novel, these two begin to fall for one another and together they ignite the catalyst that exposes past secrets Sky is forced to face.
There were so many themes that Hoover meticulously weaved into her novel and all of them were handled with finesse. She was able to show the realities of bullying, the pain of deceit, the hope of forgiveness and the power of friendship and love. Where it came to the topic of kidnapping and sexual abuse, I have to say Hoover really thought this through. She offered just the right about of detail to give you a sense of what happened, but not too much as to leave you crawling into yourself and coming undone. The balance she provided was handled with realism yet sensitivity.
As for Sky and Holder, I can’t end this review without expressing how much I adored these two characters. They were a perfect pair, flaws and all. I really enjoyed the banter between the both of them. His non-positive affirmations were extremely endearing, if that makes any sense. Their backstory was heartbreaking but their future felt hopeful. Loved these two!!
As I’ve expressed before about this amazing author, I’m convinced Colleen Hoover has magic flowing from her pen. I love her writing. I adore her character development. And, after reading her newest novel Hopeless, I can add to my list by saying, I admire her way of handling sensitive subjects with such finesse and care. Well done Hoover! Well done!
4 Snowflakes
And now for the exciting part!! I had the pleasure of recently meeting Colleen Hoover at a Los Angeles Author signing event, where I obtained an extra copy of this wonderful book. So if you'd like a chance to win this SIGNED copy of Hopeless by Colleen Hoover, be sure to fill out the rafflecopter below. Open internationally. Good luck!!
Great review! :) I've read amazing things about Hopeless as well, and I'm hoping that I'd like it too. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI LOVED Hopeless and I'm so happy you did! Actually, every person who's read this book has loved it, eh? Sky and Holder really are exceptional and it's hard to not love them. Lovely review, Sarlene! :D
ReplyDeleteSarika @ The Readdicts
" She offered just the right about of detail to give you a sense of what happened, but not too much as to leave you crawling into yourself and coming undone. The balance she provided was handled with realism yet sensitivity."
ReplyDelete--> I must admit I too was a little scared to start reading this book back in December due to the theme but, I must say Colleen handled the issue quite well. I absolutely adored Sky and Holder:) Super stoked for Losing Hope! :) Thanks for the giveaway!
Loce Colleen Hoover and Hopeless is my Top 5 ever!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this giveaway!
*love :)
DeleteI've seen this book on almost every blog I visit and read a lot of great reviews on it. And I can't wait to read this!! This is an awesome giveaway! Thank you so much for having this giveaway!!
ReplyDeleteI've been hearing a lot of good things about this book! :)
ReplyDelete