Book Review: It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover

Title: It Ends with Us

Author: Colleen Hoover

Series/Standalone: It Ends with Us Duology (Book #1)

Genre: Contemporary, Hardhitting, New Adult

Pages: 386

Publisher: Atria Books

Year Published: 2016

Format: Audiobook

"Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most. 

Lily hasn't always had it easy, but that's never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She's come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up- she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily's life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He's also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn't hurt. Lily can't get him out of her head. But Ryle's complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his 'no dating' rule, she can't help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan- her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened."

My Rating: 3.5/5

This is somehow still tabbed generally under romance, and I don't think that is the correct genre that I would identify it as. This is a hard-hitting new adult contemporary for me. There is romance, but there is more than that. There are so many important discussions that happen within this story. Triggers for suicide, abuse, sexual assault, etc.  While I think this story was important I did not always enjoy the telling of it and the writing overall, so for me it was 3.5 but I can see why people feel so strongly about the plot line.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: November 9 by Colleen Hoover

Title: November 9

Author: Colleen Hoover

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: 310

Publisher: Atria Books

Year Published: 2015

Format: Audiobook

"Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon's last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

Can Ben's relationship with Fallon- and simultaneously his novel- be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?"

My Rating: 4/5

For what this is, it was fun. The binge-ability of this book was higher than any of the other books I've read by the author. Do I think it's the highest of substance? No. But it sets out to do a thing and it succeeds. I will say that the part I disliked was the way the female main character needed a man to tell her how to feel about herself.  But the plot and intrigue for pure entertainment made up for it. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

Title: Ugly Love

Author: Colleen Hoover

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Fiction

Pages: 337

Publisher: Atria Books

Year Published: 2014

Format: Audiobook

"When Tate Collins meets airline Miles Archer, she knows it isn't love at first sight. They wouldn't even go so far as to consider themselves friends. Once their desires are out in the open they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn't want love, she doesn't have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.

Don't expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can't handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.

Promises get broken.

Rules get shattered.

Love gets ugly."

My Rating: 3.5/5

I want to note that a 3.5 isn't a bad rating. I liked this. This book is exactly what people on the internet have promised I would get from Colleen Hoover a problematic but hard-to-put-down new adult read. This book didn't bring me to tears but there were moments when it got me up in my emotions. I will say that Tate had next to no defining traits, which brought down my rating. There were also a few lines in regard to the romance that wasn't for me or made me a bit uncomfortable. Overall fast-paced, intriguing and hard to put down. Would recommend if you're looking for something that matches that description, but I doubt that I'm the first person you have heard about Colleen Hoover through.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny 

Book Review: Confess by Colleen Hoover

Title: Confess

Author: Colleen Hoover

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: New Adult, Romance

Pages: 320

Publisher: Atria Books

Year Published: 2015

Format: Audiobook

"Auburn Reed is determined to rebuild her shattered life and she has no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn't expect to become deeply attracted to the studio's enigmatic artist, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is hiding a huge secret. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything Auburn loves most, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it- but can she do it?"

My Rating: 2.75/5

This book was a fun and quick audiobook. I'd read another work from Colleen Hoover and she is well known in the bookish community so I thought I'd pick this up from my library's Libby app and it was a good time. Was it a literary masterpiece? Maybe not. Was it entertaining? Yes. I think if I had read the author's work at a younger age it might have appealed to me more, but as someone in her late twenties, not her early ones, this felt pretty young to me. If you are in it for the drama, I would recommend it.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Without Merit by Colleen Hoover

Title: Without Merit

Author: Colleen Hoover

Series/standalone: Standalone

Genre: Young Adult, Romance

Pages: 385

Publisher: Atria Books

Year Published: 2017

Format: Audiobook

"Not every mistake deserves a consequence. 

Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.

The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptized Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the mother's former nurse, the little brother isn't allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, there's Merit.

Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn't earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into her- until she discovers that he's completely unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix.

Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that she's never been a part of before leaving them behind for good. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one boy she loves."

My Rating: 3.5/5

I understand why people find Colleen Hoover's books are well-rated, they are extremely entertaining and the characters are fun and have quirky things about them. I enjoyed reading about the Voss family and all their unusual quirks. That being said, I think that some of the secrets that Merit is expected to keep are too much to just let go of. It was interesting to see how their lives went on after tragedies and changes, but I think that at some points there needed to be more of a reaction to certain behaviors. I found it entertaining and an interesting read. I look forward to reading more works by this author.

Thanks for reading,

Sidny