November 9 - Colleen Hoover
2:28 PM
Colleen Hoover has done it again. I mean, why am I even surprised? When has Colleen Hoover ever disappointed me? Well, the answer is never, because all of her books are a-m-a-z-i-n-g, including November 9, which was published, unfortunately yet deliberately, November 10th 2015. It is indeed Hoover's most recent novel, and hopefully it won't be the last one, because I'm not exactly sure how I would survive without her stories.
The story goes like this (and I apologize in advance for spoilers, but you know I can't help it). At the age of eighteen years old, Fallon meets Ben, an eighteen-year-old writer who has yet to write a novel. Fallon has a fourth degree burn on half of her body, and she doesn't really believe it when she catches Ben's attention in a restaurant. She especially cannot believe that he's pretending to be her boyfriend to save her from her father. But Fallon is leaving for New York that night, the night of November 9th, and agrees to meet Ben again a year later, on that exact same day, in the exact same restaurant. No contact whatsoever in between.
Ben has scars of his own, except that they're not exactly as visible. Meeting Fallon, however, has ignited something inside of him. November 9th doesn't represent just the day he met his soulmate, but it also represents the day Fallon's house burnt down, as well as the day Ben's mom committed suicide. All of these, surprisingly, on the same day. Strange, you ask? Not exactly. But it finally gives Ben a reason to write a novel, one about the story of the first November 9th, and the ones that followed.For five years, Ben and Fallon meet on the same day, at the same time, and at the same place. Each year, Ben adds a little bit of their story to his novel, but Fallon isn't allowed to read it. Because the day she accidentally stumbles upon the manuscript in the kitchen and decides to give the first chapters a go, she finds out that Ben's version of November 9th isn't exactly the same as hers.
That plot twist, though. Sweet Jesus. It's not unlike Colleen Hoover to have us sitting at the edge of our seats, unable to stop turning the pages. She has the ability to capture our attention with the plot, the exceptional writing, and the emotional roller coaster. While the humor she adds in the book is unlike any other, I found myself sobbing in the last few chapters, to the point where I had to take breaks because I was driving myself crazy with the story.
I would like to address one thing, though. After reading a couple of reviews online – bad ones, might I add – I realized that there is a pattern with Hoover's books. The author likes to write female characters that usually lack confidence. They are victims, usually inexperienced, and they've gone through a lot. Those are some of the things that people pointed out online as repetitive, boring, and overused. However, in my opinion, who wants to read a book where the characters are perfect? How unnatural would that be? I think this is what gives Hoover's novels such character. The stories are realistic and relatable. If you do not like this type of story, I suggest you just skip on it instead of rating it as a bad book. Whether a book is good or bad can be extremely personal – obviously there are exceptions, but you know what I mean.
To me, this book deserves a very high 4.5/5, because this book had everything I've ever liked in a romance, new adult novel. Colleen Hoover, if you ever read this review (which I know you won't, but shh), please keep up the good work. You're amazing. I love you.
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