Synopsis:
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:
Okay. For the second time ever I am re-writing a review. Oh boy.
Here's why I'm re-writing it. It occurred to me that I wasn't entirely fair in my initial review and I wanted to right my wrong. One thing that hasn't changed, however, is this assessment:
Let me say that Hopeless ran me over like a heard of bulls in Pamplona. There was so much happening that I felt emotionally trampled by the end. I WILL NOT reveal the twist, as so much of the story relies on it, but I will say that WOW, um, didn't exactly see that coming. And that's a good thing, in my book. Sky and Holder are simply fantastic. I loved them individually and collectively, as a couple. Flawed and fractured, imperfect, they were a joy to get to know.
What this novel did need was a better edit. There were scenes that should have been trimmed, transitions which were bumpy, and the novel itself should have been condensed a bit. BUT, it was so worth the read and has renewed my faith in Indy authors. So, thank you Colleen Hoover for giving me something I've been missing for quite a long while: a truly fantastic story, with great characters, from an Indy author. I hope this book gets picked up, treated with the respect it deserves and pushed out into the world.
Now, onto what I omitted.
Hopeless is the sort of story that sticks with you and Colleen Hoover is a pro at both great narrative and exceptional dialogue. I mean, the woman can write some serious dialogue. And that's no small feat. When Holder and Sky speak to one another, they SPEAK to one another. It's meaningful and impactful, even when they're discussing food. I adored their banter, I loved when they spoke from the heart, it was honest and genuine and it made me feel everything they felt.
The story flows and reading it is effortless. To me, that's the mark of a good storyteller. Let me flow with it, carry me along and give me the time to enjoy it. And Colleen Hoover knows how to craft good story. I can't tell you how often I felt totally bitch slapped by her. More often than I care to recall. She gutted her characters and left them in a ditch. But then she gave them CPR and rushed them to the ER. PHEW! I was emotionally spent after this read. Ugh. But it was well worth the price of admission.
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