Book Discussion: Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover

Title: Losing Hope (Hopeless #2)
Author: Colleen Hoover
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads

In the follow-up to Colleen Hoover’s #1 New York Times bestseller Hopeless, the charming and irresistible Dean Holder tells the passionate story that has melted thousands of hearts.

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.

Review by Nara

A book discussion is a review where any aspect of the book can be talked about. Therefore, there are spoilers. Seriously, only read the spoiler section if you've only read the book, there are MAJOR spoilers there. The spoiler section is pretty short in this one though.

Losing Hope was so, so, so good. I think it was actually better than Hopeless- for me, there was one big reason for this- THE LETTERS. THE LETTERS WERE AMAZING. Basically, (since this is the non-spoiler section I should probably explain what the letters are), throughout the book, Holder writes letters to his deceased twin sister, Les, in a notebook that he found in his room after her death. And seriously, every time Colleen Hoover writes in a different medium- letters, diary entries, poetry- FREAKING MAGIC HAPPENS. Her writing is just so beautiful.

But I didn't. And I don't. So I'm sorry, Les. I'm sorry I let you go on pretending that you were okay when obviously you were so far from it.

Because we see things from Holder's point of view, there isn't that sense of confusion or wariness that we get from Sky in Hopeless. Instead, it just hits you. Holy crap. EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE. Holder was good in Hopeless; in Losing Hope, he is freaking amazing. While Losing Hope is considered to be Hopeless from Holder's point of view, I actually think it almost wasn't. Holder definitely had his own story to tell, and while I wouldn't recommend reading Losing Hope before reading Hopeless (there's too much assumed knowledge), Losing Hope could almost be a standalone.

Spoiler time!

Click me to read spoilers

Oh my God, when Holder walked in and saw Les dead, that was the most heartbreaking scene...and this line:

She doesn't even tell me it'll be okay when every single ounce of whatever was left inside my chest is propelled out of me the moment I realize that the very best part of me is dead.

I know that you see it in Hopeless, but that doesn't make how Holder blames himself for everything any less saddening. And then when he discovers that final goodbye letter from Les, and there's this line:

All those nights you held me and just let me cry...you have no idea how many times you've already saved me. 

THE TEARS. Well, the metaphorical tears. I don't really cry when reading books.

And in terms of the letters, I love how he starts off signing his letters off with H, and the very last one is signed Dean :') And the letter to everyone-dead-but-Les:

I've loved Hope since we were kids.But tonight?Tonight I fell in love with Sky

At the very start, when Grayson and Jaxon walk off looking for Six and Sky, and Holder's all

I'm relieved at their decision to leave the party in search of whatever girls and pathetic enough to entertain them.

OH THE IRONY.

Daniel was actually a really interesting character. I'd heard a looooot of people loved Daniel (this was before I read the book) so I was curious as to who this person is. And he is definitely awesome. He's so uninhibited and hilarious! I seriously can't wait for the short story from his point of view. Also, the girl- Cinderella- that was SIX right? Surely it was Six! (I can't remember, but maybe it was mentioned in Hopeless that "Cinderella" is Six, and my subconscious mind somehow remembered it. If so, good job, memory.)

I smile, even though I have no idea what he means by sawdust and sunshine

IS THAT WHAT I THINK IT IS?? Is that a reference to The Sea of Tranquility? Please let it be a reference to The Sea of Tranquility!

Losing Hope really is an amazing book. Anyone who has read Hopeless should definitely read it, and anyone who hasn't read Hopeless, what the heck are you doing? Go read it!

Incredible

Ratings
Overall: 9/10
Plot: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 3/5