Book Review: Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover

Losing Hope

By Colleen Hoover

Release Date: July 8, 2013

Source: Netgalley

Summary: 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: This is my third Colleen Hoover novel in the past month, and let me tell you, I am hooked! Colleen has a way of creating a story that completely consumes you and makes you care about the characters as if they're real people. So when I found out that Losing Hope was coming out and it was the follow-up to Hopeless, I had to contain my overwhelming excitement and started to count down the days until I could get my hands on a copy. Thank goodness for Netgalley because I don't know if I could have waited a week longer to read this one. 

Sky's life turned upside down in Hopeless as secrets about her past were uncovered that she didn't even know herself. Now, it's time to uncover just exactly what Holder was going through as Sky discovered who she really was. Raw and heart-wrenching, Holder shares his innermost secrets as he loses his twin sister and falls for the not-so-hopeless girl all over again. 

When I read Hopeless, I was so emotionally drained by the end from all of the secrets, shocking turn of events, and roller coaster relationship between Holder and Sky. But Holder had to be the icing on the cake when reading Hopeless. He is so gosh darn not perfect that he's absolutely perfect to me. Needless to say, being able to be inside of his head for an entire book was even more emotional and heart-wrenching, and I loved it. 

Finally seeing the story from Holder's point of view, we are able to find out the circumstances surrounding Les's suicide and what exactly is going through Holder's head when he meets and eventually falls for Sky. The letters he writes to Les all throughout the book are so perfect and add so much more depth to Holder's character. As we see Sky and her life through Holder's eyes as he struggles with the truth of Sky's identity, Holder looks a lot less crazy and unreasonable. Instead, you end up falling even more in love with him for how caring and emotional he really is. 

The only problem I had with this book is that it was basically a retelling of every single moment that had already happened in Hopeless. What made Hopeless so amazing was the shock value in the secrets and moments revealed throughout the book. Since I already knew what those unexpected events were, Losing Hope was a lot less thrilling and emotionally shocking. While the emotions I got from Holder were still strong and enticing, the story itself became a little redundant and dull compared to the first book. 

Colleen Hoover has managed to write yet another addicting romance that toys with your emotions to no end. She has brought back the lovable characters from Hopeless and given you many, many more reasons to love them even more. If you've read Hopeless, then you HAVE to read Losing Hope in order to see a whole new side to Sky's story. If you haven't, then I would definitely recommend picking up Sky's story before you read everything from Holder's point of view. Trust me, you'll be pining for this one after reading Hopeless and you definitely won't be disappointed in the secrets and emotions Holder has to offer.