Review: Hopeless (Losing Hope and Finding Cinderella)

Hopeless
Author: Colleen Hoover
Published: December 19, 2012
Paperback, 406 pages
5 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

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.

My adventure in New Adult continues with a very good lead. Hoover's novel excelled every exception I had for it and now I know what NA is supposed to be like. Real characters going through a stage in their life where they're not sure what comes next. Real, raw emotion and love that isn't always perfect. Though her characters are still in high school, this is more mature than YA and will certainly pull at the heartstrings of anyone who reads it.

Sky has a reputation even though she's still a virgin. She lets boys come into her window at night and she feels numb when they kiss her. She lets them because she likes feeling nothing. Home schooled all her life, Sky has decided to go to a public school, alone and already with a reputation. But when Sky meets Holder at the grocery store, she's not so sure about public school. Holder's intense, but there's something about him that makes her want to know more. They keep running into each other and their relationship gets really tricky. Sky likes the way she actually feels something around Holder, but it seems like he's hiding something from her. The moment Sky realizes what he's been hiding, her world shatters and she's not sure if she can ever glue it back together.

Sky is a beautiful heroine. She keeps to herself and doesn't let what others say about her affect her. She is iffy about getting close to Holder, but in her head, I saw how much she wanted to be near him because he actually made her feel important. The way their relationship formed was beautiful to read and I didn't want anything bad to happen, though I knew it would. Holder is intense because he's holding back a lot. His sister killed herself almost a year before hand and something happen when he was a child that he just can't get over. There is a companion novel, Losing Hope, told through Holder's point of view that gives you a really in depth look at the pain and suffering that Holder puts on himself. It made me understand his character so much more and I just wanted him to get a happy ending as much as Sky. I fell in love with these two as quickly as they fell for each other. Their relationship is far from perfect, but I love how real it all felt. Holder is sweet and caring and would do anything for Sky, wanting to protect her with his life. 

Hoover knows how to fill your heart with love and then break it to pieces. This story took a turn that I was not expecting at all. Everything Sky knows is wrong and Holder holds the answers. It played out beautiful and terrifying and there was no telling how it would all end. It felt so real and I haven't felt that kind of emotion in a story in a long time.

Losing Hope was a wonderful read as well. Told at the same time as Hopeless, we really get into Holder's head and find out some back story about him and his sister. Both of these novels together made for a fantastic read that made me laugh, smile, and cry buckets. This is a story about love, forgiveness, and accepting the things in life we have no choice but to accept. Sky is so strong and I hope that anyone who has gone through what she has can be strong and live a life without regret and with the love that they deserve. The novella that goes along with this story as well, Finding Cinderella, follows Sky's best friend, Six, and Holder's best friend, Daniel, as they go through their own heartbreaking story. It's a nice little addition to the family and it will tear out your heart just like the others. I know that sounds awful, but these books are fantastic reads and I can't wait to read more from Hoover. Sometimes it feels good to get your heart ripped out and watch as it's dragged across the floor, don't you think?

“Not everyone gets a happily every after. Life is real and sometimes it's ugly and you just have to learn how to cope.”