Book Review: Colleen Hoover’s “Reminders of Him” & “November 9”

Hey guys! As I mentioned in my last blog post, I am slowly working my way through all the books I still need to review from last year. Today’s post is going to feature two books by Colleen Hoover. I know she’s a big author right now, with her books being featured all over book Tiktok and bestseller lists. Let’s get into the books!

Reminders of Him

I liked Reminders of Him but I didn’t love the book. The story is about Kenna, who is trying to reconnect with her daughter after spending the last five years in prison. After her release, Kenna meets Ledger, who has ties to her daughter. The two form a connection and the story goes from there. This is marketed as an adult romance novel.

I like one of the reasons why I didn’t fall hard for this book is that I didn’t feel strongly about Kenna or Ledger. I can sympathize with what both characters are going through, but I didn’t have a strong emotional connection to either of them. I enjoyed how Hoover portrayed Kenna’s situation, she included a lot of the nuances related to death and grief.

I found myself often thinking of the book when I wasn’t reading it yet I didn’t feel this strong pull to binge-read it. I believe it’s because of the pacing issues, I found the middle section dragging a bit. The ending was a little rushed but I did enjoy it. The ending was a little rushed but I did enjoy it.

Overall I gave this book 4/5 stars. It was unique and unlike anything I have read before, but it didn’t pull on my heartstrings like I think it could have. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for your not-so-typical romance novel.

November 9

I liked November 9 more than Reminder of Him. The story follows Fallon and Ben, who unexpectedly strike up a relationship by meeting once a year – on (you guessed it) November 9. One day Fallon becomes unsure of Ben’s intentions and a big plot twist ensues. This is a new adult romance.

I’m not a huge fan of the instant love trope, so it took me a while to get on board with Fallon and Ben’s relationship. But as the book progressed I got more and more into it.

The plot twist is what really sold me on this novel. I didn’t expect it but reflecting back the plot twist made sense. It took the book to the next level. I also really like how easy it was to read the book. I was binging the book, often reading one ‘year’ in a sitting.

Overall I gave the book 4/5 stars. I think the plot twist made the novel and this book makes me want to read other Colleen Hoover books. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the instant love trope or enjoys a good plot twist.

I will be reading other Colleen Hoover books in the future – I already own four of her other books. If you’ve read either of these books let me know your thoughts in the comments. And if you have any recommendations for me leave them as well because I’m always on the lookout for new books!

xoxo

Lea