Review: Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

HOPELESS
Author: Colleen Hoover
Series: Hopeless #1
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: October 8th 2013

Book Length: 408 pages
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
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Sky Davis is starting sixth form having always been home-schooled, and wants to keep a low profile. But then she runs into Dean Holder - messy brown hair, smouldering blue eyes, and a temper straight out of Fight Club, someone who Sky is determined to avoid.

There is something about Holder that sparks memories of Sky's troubled past, those which she would rather stay buried. Little does she know that the mysterious Dean Holder is harbouring secrets of his own . . .

When the truth unravels, Sky must piece her life back together and learn to trust again. Only by facing the revelations together can the two of them begin to heal their emotional scars and find a way to live without boundaries.

~ Review ~

No Internet, no TV, no cell phone, no source of technology, not knowing what LOL means, no Netflix? This is pretty much every teenager’s and my personal worst nightmare but for Sky, this is ordinary, everyday life. Living with her mom the technophobe-- Sky has also been homeschooled her whole life, her only contact with the outside world is her best friend and next door neighbor Six. However this year is going to be different, Sky has finally convinced her mother to let her attend school.

Sky immediately has a bad reputation among her fellow students as a ‘slut’ and a ‘whore’ for constantly hooking up with guys. Unlike other protagonists Sky doesn’t sulk or cry, childish pranks and name-calling don’t bother her in the slightest, which was refreshing to read about. Sky knows she isn’t a ‘slut’ or a ‘whore’ so with her thick skin she simply ignores them. What wasn’t so different about Sky was her relationship with guys. I’ve read many a book where the female MC doesn’t ‘feeling anything’ when kissing guys and then everything changes when she meets ‘the one’. For me this automatically has an insta-love feel to it, which I’m not a fan of and this is what happens when Sky meets Dean Holder.

This book has received mixed reviews based on the relationship between Sky and Dean. Sky meets Dean at the local supermarket and when she leaves Dean follows, Dean then proceeds to pester Sky over her name and refuses to let her drive away. Sky then provides her name but Dean doesn’t believe her so she shows him her driving license, which he then memorises all of her details such as her address. When they meet later on, Holder then tells Sky exactly how many miles they live apart. Now to me this is a little creepy and just because Holder is hot doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen to your instincts about strange guys. Sky for the most part does seem unnerved by this behaviour but still proceeds to give him the benefit of the doubt.

My take on their relationship – This unusual meeting between the two characters and Holder’s stalkerish behaviour is explained later on in the book but for me first impressions tend to last so I was never able to fully connect with the characters and become invested in their relationship. For that this book was good but not great. It was also far too cheesy at times for me, so that again led to my lack of ship with Sky and Holder.

Romance aside, the actual story and the journey it takes you on, as a reader was phenomenal. It’s filled with heartbreak, despair and was honestly a little hard to read at times, bringing to life these terrifying and traumatic memories that hit you hard. This book had a incredible way of showing that no matter what you go through, there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel and to truly push yourself to want and deserve better, to not fall apart and to always have hope.

Overall my rating is all about the storyline and the impressive character development during dark times, I would definitely recommend this to those who enjoy a darker read that touches on some tough topics but is ultimately a heartwarming story of hope that will stay will you long after reading.