Book Review: Hopeless

Hopeless (Hopeless #1)
by Colleen Hoover
ebook, 332 pages
Published December 19th 2012
Source: Won

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…

That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.

Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

Review:

I have only read one novella (Finding Cinderella) and two novels (this and Slammed) by the author so far, but I am already getting the gist of Colleen's style. Colleen's fondness of unconventional characters makes hers unique and fun. They always have quirky personalities but at the same time, they have depth and substance. However, they also tend to be more odd and sometimes they come off as unrealistic and trying hard to be different for me. 

Having been adopted by her foster mother, Karen, when she was five, Sky had no memories of her biological parents prior to her adoption, all she knew was that her father couldn't take care of her any longer as a kid so she was sent to be adopted. Karen is a really cool foster mom and she reminds me of Laken's mother in Slammed. She also hates technology so Sky grew up without TV, cellphone and Internet. Sky was also home schooled for the most part of her school life until senior year when Karen finally let her enrol in public school. This is supposed to make her socially challenged but I'm surprised that she can handle herself well amid the high school drama. But then again, she had been trained by her best friend, Six, who introduced her to boys and to cellphone and probably the Internet as well. Even though Six is not physically present for the majority of the book, she still managed to be the bestest friend to Sky and I so love their unorthodox best friendship! Speaking of Six, if you've read my review of Finding Cinderella, I just want to report that I am finally getting used to her name. :) 

The second thing I noticed about Colleen is that she has quite the liking for insta-romance. I cannot stress enough how much I dislike insta-love. Although Sky has been with plenty of boys before, she never really got attracted to them. Even when they kiss her, the only emotion Sky feels is numbness. But guess what happens when she first laid eyes on Holder? She was captivated, obviously. Holder is the town's bad boy who reportedly got sent to juvi for beating a gay. He has quite a depressing past but I didn't really feel for him. I like that he's very supportive of Sky though. He respects her decisions even when he's against it. However, Holder is also full of contradictions and I hate that after he promised Sky that he would never lie to her or answer her questions with vague explanations, it was exactly what he always did. 

I had no intention of reading Hopeless before, but Finding Cinderella was an enjoyable read, so I tried. Hopeless is not a bad book per se. Colleen has unique and unpredictable plot ideas and I appreciate that. Hopeless just touches on some particular subjects that I am the least comfortable with and hope to never read again. It is not as light as Finding Cinderella or Slammed which I was expecting the weight of the drama to be around like. I don't usually read heavy books, so I guess I was just shocked by the revelations Hopeless has in store. Even three days after reading this, I still cannot fully grasp the events that transpired. That's another thing Colleen likes in her works, it seems: surprises. As in major surprises. She'll drown you with funny characters and mushy romantic scenes first and when you start getting comfortable and giddy over them, she'd drop the bombs. Emphasis on the "s" because she doesn't just surprise you with one revelation but lots of them and it's always a "where-the-hell-did-that-come-from" moment. To most readers, it's a brilliant plot device but to me it's a WTF plot device that leaves me dumbfounded in a not so very good way.

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Book Review: Finding Cinderella

Finding Cinderella (Hopeless #2.5)
by Colleen Hoover
ebook, 105 pages
Published October 14th 2013 by Atria Books
Source: Amazon (freebie)

This novella is a companion novel to the Hopeless series, but can be read as a standalone.

A chance encounter in the dark leads eighteen-year-old Daniel and the girl who stumbles across him to profess their love for each other. But this love comes with conditions: they agree it will only last one hour and it will only be make-believe.

When their hour is up and the girl rushes off like Cinderella, Daniel tries to convince himself that what happened between them only seemed perfect because they were pretending it was perfect. Moments like that with girls like her don’t happen outside of fairytales.

One year and one bad relationship later, his disbelief in insta-love is stripped away the day he meets Six: a girl with a strange name and an even stranger personality. Daniel soon realizes the way he pretended to feel about Cinderella and the way he really feels about Six may not be so different after all. Especially when the two loves of his life end up being one in the same.

Unfortunately for Daniel, finding Cinderella doesn’t guarantee their happily ever after…it only further threatens it.

Finding Cinderella is a companion novella to the Hopeless duology that focuses on the story of Holder's and Sky's bestfriends, Daniel and Six. I haven't read the books yet so I have no knowledge about these characters' backgrounds. But what encouraged me to read this, apart from it being free, is that it comes so highly recommended by peers and even has an average rating of 4.6 with over 7,000 ratings in Goodreads. It's probably one of the most highly-rated books I've seen in GR, which means that I was also all the more wary about it since me and popular, well-loved books don't always go well together.

I didn't fall head over heels in love with Finding Cinderella but I had lots of fun reading it. Daniel and Six are both funny characters. They are so much alike in their personalities and I loved that they are also bestfriends as much as they are a couple. They are like the opposite gender of the other. Both are overly flirty, smooth talkers and they're so solid together that Six doesn't get mad when Daniel calls her a slut. She calls him douchebag or asshole in return. This was enough to scandalize me at first really, but that's how their playful banters are always like.

Daniel also has a very supportive family that likes to humiliate him. I almost laughed out loud when they made masturbation jokes in front of Six when he first brought her to his house. They are also infamous for playing reverse psychology on him. Additionally, I enjoyed reading about Daniel and Holder's relationship as best friends. I love it when boys display pretty bromance so I'm glad that Colleen incorporated one in the book. I just wish there were more (platonic) "I love you's" between them in the story.

However, much as I had fun reading Finding Cinderella, there were quite a few issues about this that I found difficult to get over with - the main one being, wait for it... insta-romance! *Cue deflated groans* When Daniel was first introduced to Six, he already wanted to put her spoon in his mouth - that's literal, by the way - and he couldn't stop narrating how spectacular she is. Six's name was also a bit distracting for me, like a phantom itch I can't scratch. I have nothing against all the Six in the world and this is the first time a fictional character's name bothered me so much. I don't know why, but it does, so please spare me. Another issue of mine is that moment when Six first stumbled into Daniel in the room and she was crying. I really don't know what she was crying about and Colleen didn't explain it any further. I thought I was going to get a proper one as the story progressed because I was really intrigued, but sadly, I didn't get any.

With only a little over a hundred pages, Colleen did a fantastic job interweaving Six and Daniel's story together. The romance might have developed a little too fast for my taste but compared to other full-length novels with speedy romantic progress, I say that Colleen did it better. This is focused more on the romance, but I'm glad that Colleen didn't forget to incorporate a plot, covering almost all the aspects a normal-length book has. It is well-paced as far as novellas go with a jaw-dropping shocker near the end.

I enjoyed Colleen's Slammed and Finding Cinderella reminded me so much of it. The tone used in this novella is reminiscent of Slammed's. And while it's probably one of the reasons why I enjoyed this, I'm afraid that this also made Finding Cinderella a forgettable read for me.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Book Review: Slammed

Slammed (Slammed #1)
by Colleen Hoover
ebook, 314 pages
Published January 5th 2012 by Colleen Hoover
Source: Stolen Borrowed from my mom. Thanks, ma! :)
Buy the book: Amazon | Apple iBookstore | Barnes & Noble

Summary:

Following the unexpected death of her father, 18-year-old Layken is forced to be the rock for both her mother and younger brother. Outwardly, she appears resilient and tenacious, but inwardly, she's losing hope.

Enter Will Cooper: The attractive, 21-year-old new neighbor with an intriguing passion for slam poetry and a unique sense of humor. Within days of their introduction, Will and Layken form an intense emotional connection, leaving Layken with a renewed sense of hope.

Not long after an intense, heart-stopping first date, they are slammed to the core when a shocking revelation forces their new relationship to a sudden halt. Daily interactions become impossibly painful as they struggle to find a balance between the feelings that pull them together, and the secret that keeps them apart.

Review:

Ever heard of slam poetry? If not, I suggest that you take a look at this video first. The poem the guy is performing is called "The Lake" which was written by one of the characters in this book.

So, are you done watching it yet? I came across that video on Colleen's website while checking out Slammed. I'd never heard of slam poetry before this book and while I thought poetry was cute, I couldn't help thinking "ultra gaaaay" when boys wrote love poems (sexist, much? Sorry boys! At least you're all cute! <3 ) but then I watched the video and then I couldn't think about "ultra gaaay" anymore. All I could think about was "ULTRA HOOOT!" I wanted to marry that guy! Or Will, the character who wrote the poem. Or Colleen since she wrote the book. But most especially Will Cooper. Yes, definitely Will Cooper. After watching the vid, I immediately stole grabbed my mom's kindle and read Slammed to my heart's content.

Slammed is filled with interesting characters that are so easy to love. I didn’t know what to make of Lake at first because she sounded so bored of her life. Her boredom sort of leaked onto me and the tone she used to speak with her mom, I didn't like, so I immediately found her a bit uninteresting. Then she did something really cute for her little brother, Kel, and my disinterest was suddenly replaced by a warm approval of her character. Lake is a relatable character who is quick to connect with. Her family moved to Ypsilanti after selling their house in Texas due to debts left by her father's sudden death several months ago.

Across their new house lived Will Cooper, a 21-year-old guy whom Lake became fast friends with. I should warn you that there is an insta-love here. Gods know how much I dislike instant romance, but strangely enough, it didn't bother me at all in this book. If anything, I really adored Lake and Will's relationship though there were also times that I found their romance tedious especially when they go all "hey, you're sad, let's hug each other so you can feel my sexiness but sorry, we still can't be together" or something along the lines. But at the same time, it wasn't hard to sympathize with both characters especially as the story progressed and the plot is slowly uncovered. I didn't know what I was expecting when I read Slammed, only that it had some awesome poems that I'd love. Other than that, I thought it was going to be a light read but no, because as the story moved on we find out the real reason why Lake's family moved to Ypsilanti and we'd experience all the heart breaks that followed.

I loved how Lake dealt with her problems and I loved that Will and her friends were always there for her. Eddie, Lake's best friend has a backstory that will surely tug at your heartstrings. She's a happy spontaneous character. You wouldn't think she'd been through all those hardships once you meet her. Will is a very responsible older brother to Caulder. All the sacrifices he made for his younger brother will move you as well. Kel and Caulder are smart and perceptive younger brothers with dry sense of humor. All in all, Slammed is a well-written, heart-warming novel that delves deeply into love and family; of making the right choices at the right time; and of accepting and making the most out of what's left to us.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars!