Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

This is actually a really difficult book for me to review as I have very mixed feelings about it. Parts of it I loved, others had me on the edge of the seat and some were a bit dull or frustrating.

Synopsis

The story follows Sky Davis a 17 year old who, having been home schooled is finally getting the chance to go to public school. She’s trying to keep a low profile but is drawn to bad boy and fellow student Dean Holder. There’s something about him she can’t resist but being with him starts to bring back feelings and memories from the past. With his erratic behaviour it seems like Dean may be keeping secrets from her too. Can they both get over their pasts?

Thoughts

So let’s start with the good. I really, really loved the authors writing style. She has that magical ability to draw you in to the story and let you feel what the characters felt in that exact moment whether it is anger, shock, passion or even happiness. I’m someone who reads for feels so her style is perfect for me.

I also liked main characters Sky and Holder. I thought Sky was particularly fantastic. Adopted at a young age by Karen, home schooled and with no access to technology such as a phone, TV or internet she is surprisingly confident, well adjusted (kind of) and self assured. She undeservedly has a bad reputation as a result of her friendship with neighbour Six but doesn’t let it bother her. To her it’s more important to be loyal to her friend than to worry about what others think. I loved how she dealt with the bullies as it gave me a giggle. Throughout the book I was impressed with how she dealt with everything and how she took action and control rather than letting things get to her.

Holder, I have slightly more mixed feelings about. He’s the mysterious stranger that Sky is drawn to even when she hears of his past violent behaviour. His behaviour is downright erratic at times but I did love how protective he was and how funny he could be.

The first half of the book where Sky and Holder meet and gradually form a relationship was the highlight for me. It’s funny, sweet and there are some serious sparks between them. The first half also included Sky starting school, learning to use technology, and meeting new best friend Breckin so there was a lot to love.

So what went wrong? Basically for me it all went wrong when the secrets came out. I’m not sure if it was supposed to be a shock but there were hints throughout the first half of the book which kind of gave it away. Once the truth was revealed I felt like the plot got a little bit ridiculous. There were too many coincidences and it felt like twist after twist was thrown at the reader. There was one part that I was totally shocked by but other than that it was too predictable.

To me the second half felt like a completely different book. Holden’s character seemed to switch completely and all of the other characters I loved disappeared and the focus was only on Sky and Holder. Breckin and Six were such interesting characters it was a shame they weren’t used more.

Overall therefore it was a book of two halves. The first half I loved, the second not so much but possibly it just wasn’t my type of story.