Sky’s voice is very appropriately 17 and realistic but I’m just not connecting. Which is okay since I’m 35, lol. I’ve read tons of other Colleen Hoover books but this one isn’t for me since it’s VERY young adult.
It starts out in October 2012, written in first person narrative with such extensive emotion that I’m already invested. It does feel immediately young adult with the dramatic tantrum but also relatable. Sky is sobbing and Holder looks like the boyfriend villain but this story could go dozens of ways. Did he just break up with her? Is he pushing her away? Does he love her still? What made this take place? Why is she so upset? In 2.5 pages I’ve been given enough information to care a lot.
The next chapter starts two months earlier and she’s with a guy named Grayson who she cares nothing about and is pressuring her into doing more physically.
Sky has been homeschooled but enrolled in public school for only her senior year. Her (adopted)
mom doesn’t know she sneaks boys into her room at night or the public school agreement would probably be shut down.
I’m quickly frustrated with the teen boys calling this virgin main character a white. Then there’s cliques and outcasts and rumors and notes passed between classes with her best friend. It’s taking me out of the story when academia settings are involved. When YA stories include locker- chatting and class schedules and teachers then I’m not as interested.
Since her BFF is studying abroad all semester, then Sky finds a new friend in Breckin, a 17 year old Mormon who is also gay. They’re fun together but the characters aren’t clicking with me so far. I loved the prologue but the intrigue is fading.
When she meets Holder, he seems like a brooding bad boy with a complex back story but I don’t think I’ll be finishing the book to stick around and find out. But he is what will make this book worth it for young readers.
Here’s the blurb:
Would you rather know a truth that makes you feel hopeless, or keep believing the lies?
Beloved and bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with the spellbinding story of two young people with devastating pasts who embark on a passionate, intriguing journey to discover the lessons of life, love, trust—and above all, the healing power that only truth can bring.
Sky, a senior in high school, meets Dean Holder, a guy with a promiscuous reputation that rivals her own. From their very first encounter, he terrifies and captivates her. Something about him sparks memories of her deeply troubled past, a time she’s tried so hard to bury. Though Sky is determined to stay far away from him, his unwavering pursuit and enigmatic smile break down her defenses and the intensity of the bond between them grows. But the mysterious Holder has been keeping secrets of his own, and once they are revealed, Sky is changed forever and her ability to trust may be a casualty of the truth.
Only by courageously facing the stark revelations can Sky and Holder hope to heal their emotional scars and find a way to live and love without boundaries. Hopeless is a novel that will leave you breathless, entranced, and remembering your own first love.
Cassie Swindon 