[Book Review #56] November 9 by Colleen Hoover

Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.

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.

Book Specifications:

Author: Colleen Hoover

Format: Trade Paperback

Part of a Series: No. Standalone.

Release Date: November 10, 2015

Publisher: Atria Books

No. of Pages: 320 pages

Price: 599.00Php

Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Fiction

Book Review:

NOTE: All through out this review, I kept on comparing November 9 to Confess, simply because the latter is my favorite book by Colleen Hoover so far, thus, comparing the former to it was inevitable.

The Cover: A display of unique and well-blended colors was chosen for Colleen Hoover’s newest novel, November 9. I have to say, there might not be any relation between the concept of the story to the cover, but I will excuse it and say that I adore this one. Red and White are both complementing colors and it certainly did wonders for this book. I am head over heels for this cover! (4 out of 5 stars)

The Story: Just like Colleen’s previous novels, November 9 has something new and unique to offer. Being told in dual perspectives, the story was made much more interesting seeing that the readers could get a glimpse into the minds of both Ben, and Fallon. There’s nothing new to this concept, but I just want to point out how much I love this kind of writing style. I get the best of both worlds with this style and what kind of reader could say no to that?

Another factor I considered to be quite interesting was that the whole book lasted for 7 years. Instead of writing chapters, Colleen wrote November 9s. The first chapter was titled “First November 9”, and was followed by the obvious. This certainly had positive and negative feedback though. One positive note on this was that the story was just limited to one day per chapter, leaving no points for confusion for the readers. A chapter lasted for one day, and the other days in the year was not mentioned nor elaborated. One negative comment on this is that questions will arise regarding the days unmentioned. Right? I don’t know if I’m making any sense but this left me conflicted. I didn’t know if I should consider this writing technique to be positive or negative.

Just like always, Colleen introduced us to characters who were easy to ship and root for. Seeing just how innocent yet feisty Fallon is, while having to endure Ben’s innate sexiness, readers will definitely have an easy time falling for the characters of November 9. Just like with Confess, and other books by Colleen, readers will fall head over heels for Colleen’s people.

I must also commend Colleen’s innate ability to intricately form back stories for her characters impressively. I don’t know if it’s a skill for writers to write in such a way that leaves no questions unanswered, especially for books that doesn’t have a traditional time frame. I don’t know how Colleen wrote it: if she first gave back stories to her characters, or if she first wrote about the “present day”, but either way, you guys have to agree with me that the way November 9 was written was absolutely beautiful.

I loved November 9. Although, I have to admit, Colleen Hoover’s Confess still took home the bacon for me. I don’t know. I was utterly impressed, but somehow, I feel like there was something lacking. (3.75 out of 5 stars)

The Ending: Now, this was where my expectations weren’t met. The way it ended was so predictable and you could’ve guessed it just by reading the first few opening chapters. Ben’s back story, which was greatly elaborated towards the ending of the book, was pretty common, especially for a New Adult novel by Colleen Hoover. I admit, Ben was great! But, I was looking for something that hopefully could’ve exceeded my expectations, especially since I really did legitimately loved Confess. Now, seeing that I loved it so much, I got acquainted with how it was written, giving me sufficient gut feel as to how Colleen writes.

Seeing that Confess is my absolute favorite book by Colleen, I really can’t help not compare this one with it. In Confess, readers were ultimately shocked with the “Five years earlier” chapter where readers got a glimpse as to how Owen was related to both Adam and Auburn. The said chapter was frustratingly heartbreaking and I, as a reader, was left both devastated yet ecstatic with how the book ended. With November 9 however, although it’s ending to me was good and redeeming, it still fell short of my expectations.

The ending was great, don’t get me wrong. I was just expecting a plot twist that was a whole lot deeper than the one in Confess. (3 out of 5 stars)

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The Verdict: Again, November 9 was great! For me, it just wasn’t as great and heartbreaking and mind-blowing as Colleen’s previous work of art, Confess. But this, too, is one great read, just like the rest of her books! I’m actually looking forward to reading some of her other books that I am yet to binge read! (3.58 out of 5 stars)

Quotable Quotes:

“If we’re going to kiss, it has to be book-worthy.” – Fallon

“You can’t leave yet. I’m not finished falling in love with you.” – Ben

“I thought I was stronger than a word, but I just discovered that having to say goodbye to you is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.” – Fallon

“I would never let anyone else borrow my heart if I know there’s a chance in hell you might want it back.”

“You’ll never be able to find yourself if you’re lost in someone else.”

“When you find love, you take it. You grab it with both hands and you do everything in your power not to let it go. You can’t just walk away from it and expect it to linger until you’re ready for it.”

About The Author:

Colleen Hoover is the author of ten New York Times bestselling novels. She self-published her first novel, SLAMMED, in 2012. Five months later it debuted on The New York Times. Colleen has since signed with Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster. Her next novel, November 9, is scheduled to release in November, 2015.

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