Book Review: Losing Hope

Losing Hope (Hopeless #2)

By:  Colleen Hoover

Published By:  Atria Books

Publication Date:  July 8th, 2013 (Kindle/Ebook)

October 15th, 2013 (paperback)

Page Count:  336 pages

Buy it at:  Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound
Source: Netgalley Kindly Provided by the Publisher

  Audience:  New Adult Contemporary

Recommended for ages 17+

Absolutely a must-read!!  If you were wondering if this was just going to be a simple retelling of the same story through Holder’s eyes, you would be pleasantly surprised by just how different it felt around the same story we loved through Sky’s eyes.

I already ADORED Holder in Hopeless, but we REALLY got to know his side of the story so much better in Losing Hope – no surprise there.  We pretty much extrapolated his issues through Sky’s point of view in the previous book, but we really got to know all that Holder had to contend with in his own story…his inner demons, struggles with debilitating guilt and his own grieving process in losing his childhood best friend and his sister.  He was not perfect…he made mistakes/errors in judgement…of which the subtle hypocrisy wasn’t lost on me.  His heart-felt and painfully honest letters to Lesslie were heart-breaking but also provided a lot of insight into his character.  He really had no idea at the time just how therapeutic those letters were, but they literally helped him work through his issues and it was inspiring to witness as the story unfolded.

Sky referred to Holder as intense…and that he was…with a capital I.  Wise beyond his young years when he was little, just served as the foundation for his maturity as a young man.  This expressive boy felt real.  Extremely intuitive towards Sky, he intimately and instinctively knew what she needed, even when he thought he didn’t have a clue and literally felt like he was winging it.  Seeing how Holder saw Sky was both swoon-worthy and awe-inspiring.  If I had a teenage daughter, part of me would be thrilled to have Holder in her life, while the other part might be terrified.  You’ll see what I mean when you read this!

I’ve said this before in my review for Hopeless, that if there were ever two people destined to find each other again…it would be Sky and Holder.  There were definitely forces at work in bringing these two people back-together…and it felt magical even though this was not a story told through a fantastical backdrop.  In fact, the subject matter was utterly sobering.  But conversely, it was not a depressing story at all.  It WAS heart-breaking but it also had some awesomely uplifting and inspiring moments…and just the right about of lighter conversation peppered throughout to not make you feel totally drowned in heavy story-telling.

Even though I knew the outcome, there was enough new material introduced that it meshed perfectly with the original book from Sky’s perspective.  And that is so appropriate because these two characters meshed incredibly well.  Not just in the chemistry department (and let there be no doubt that these two had truckloads of chemistry between them)…but there was just no question that these two were meant for each other in every sense of the term.  They were well beyond being clichéd.

A few little ah-ha moments too that we were not privy to in Sky’s version of the story, were just the perfect touches.  Some of the side characters also served to fill in some blanks from the original story as well.  Daniel was hilarious, Grayson was even more of a slime-ball...and I still adored Breckin!

Colleen Hoover exceeded my expectations in a huge way in Losing Hope.  She did NOT make this a monotonous retelling…it really felt like a different story and just familiar enough that it didn’t take away from its intensity and discovery.  As with Hopeless, I was so wrapped up in the story of these two, I didn’t want to put it down…but unfortunately had to at times…but you can bet I squeezed in some reading time at every opportunity because it was all-encompassing, and I simply did not want to leave them.

This story will stick with me for a while, and I bet it will for you too!

I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this story, and I will definitely be purchasing the paperback for my bookshelf upon its release...who could pass up THAT cover??

My review for Hopeless can be found here.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In Hopeless, Sky left no secret unearthed, no feeling unshared, and no memory forgotten, but Holder’s past remained a mystery.

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.