November 9

   

Title: November 9

Author: Colleen Hoover

Publisher: Atria Books, November 10, 2015

Pages: 310

Genre: Contemporary Women's Fiction

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?

I have a very complicated relationship with Colleen Hoover's books. They're so good. They're compelling and quotable and obviously so popular. However, I'm not sure if I find them compelling because I'm rooting for the characters, or if it's a little bit of a hate read. 

Her characters are real and flawed and complicated. But they're not necessarily likeable or relatable for me. I wrote a lot of notes while listening to this book, and they were not very nice. But I'm not sure if Verity was coloring my opinion or not. I do like Ben and Fallon together. This book, and Ugly Love, were recommended to me. When this book started out so dark, I just knew that that was what all of her books were going to be like and I was upset about it. I'm going to take a few days before I start Ugly Love. And I'm going to try my very best to read it without letting my experience with Verity or this book color my opinions.

Now for this book. November 9 is poignant. Two people share the same worst day of their lives, and somehow they take that day and turn it into something beautiful that they can share. It's a lovely story. I don't know how a book with this much insta-love also had this much angst, but it was well done. I don't know how, but she got me to cry. And I'll certainly be thinking about this book for awhile yet.

Ratings

Stars: 4/5

Spice: 2/5