Description
Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Starts with Us, It Ends with Us, and All Your Perfects 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 Los Angeles 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?
JBenoit –
“Go easy on me, Fallon. My heart is fragile.”, I’m right there with you Ben, my heart is fragile too and Colleen Hoover (in true CoHo fashion) did a number on it in this book! I had butterflies, I laughed, I got angry, I got teary-eyed, you name it and it probably happened to me in this book. It’s always a treat to read a Colleen Hoover book, it’s like Christmas when she releases something new! And what a gift this book was, from the unique concept to the engaging characters and the rock-solid writing it was such fun to read (even when she was stomping all over my heart) from start to finish! This is definitely in my top 5 books I’ve read this year., The concept of this book was so awesome and so unique! Ben and Fallon meet one November 9th when they are both 18, and let me tell you, their first meeting was so cute and will make you instantly fall in love with Ben’s character. They hit it off immediately and end up spending the rest of the day together, it seems like the start of a wonderful relationship. One minor hitch though, Fallon happens to be moving across country that night to try to start over (I won’t spoil anything but due to some unfortunate circumstances her young acting career was cut short). And upon the sage advice from her mother she is determined to not fall in love until she’s found herself first (which according to her mom can’t happen until she’s 23). So while she is appreciative of Ben and all he did for her in the short time they’ve known each other, she is set to part ways from him and start her new life. Desperate to think of some way to see her again, Ben (who happens to be a writer) proposes an ingenious idea:, “What if we meet up again next year on the same day? And the year after that? We’ll do it for five years. Same date, same time, same place. We’ll pick up where we left off tonight, but only for the day. I’ll make sure you’re following through with your auditions and I can write a book about the days we’re together.”, Fallon agrees and they both depart with their ‘homework’ for the year to come. From there we basically we follow Ben and Fallon over the years as they meet up again each November 9th. Part of their agreement is that they are to have no contact with each other aside from that one day and they are encouraged to go out and live their lives during that time. This idea totally fascinated me and I thought it was a brilliant concept. It kept me on the edge of my seat as each new November 9th came around because as a reader we also have no contact with Ben or Fallon during this time. Everything we learn about what happened in the prior year we learn on November 9th along with them. Considering there was a 1-year time jump every few chapters, I didn’t feel like I missed anything, much like them I lived for the ‘next’ November 9th to see what was going to happen (only lucky for us, all we had to do was turn the page to get to the next year, rather than waiting a full year like Ben and Fallon did!). I was always wondering if this was going to be the time where everything fell apart. And as the years go by, you see their connection continue to evolve and how hard it is to part ways again, as a reader it was also hard to say ‘goodbye’ for another ‘year’ when their time was up! And in certain years your heart is going to break and in others it will rejoice. There’s no shortage of feels in this book, that’s for sure!, “For one day each year, I wanted to be this guy who was falling for this girl, because everything about you captivated me.”, As with all of Colleen Hoover’s books, you’re going to fall hard for her characters, both separately and for them as a couple. She just has this amazing ability to make her characters seem so real and full of life, they jump off the page and are people that you totally want to be friends with. This was definitely the case here, as I said earlier I fell in love with Ben right from the start and while there were a few things I got upset with him about, I loved how Colleen Hoover tied everything together so that by the end you still love him. Fallon was also an awesome heroine, I love how she evolved from the self-conscience girl we first met to the strong, confident woman we know by the end. And I loved, loved, loved Fallon and Ben together. Their chemistry was amazing and their quirky little conversations and inside jokes were just pure gold. It was awesome that Fallon was a fan of romance books, that right there instantly bonded me to her and her and Ben’s book conversations were priceless! Any book lover will get a kick out of those little nuggets., Oh and randomly, there is an easter egg hidden in this book for fans of one of her other books. I won’t say what it is, but I was delighted when I made the connection! It was unexpected but a welcome surprise!, Colleen Hoover is the master of plot twists and there are no shortage of jaw dropping twists in this book. There was one that I saw coming and I thought for sure that was going to be the big one but then she drops another bomb on us that made my eyes bulge out of my head! I had certain suspicions but I did not expect that to happen at all! But I love that about her books, you definitely have to expect the unexpected and even then you’ll probably never see it coming. It really is mind boggling how she can so perfectly weave these stories together, I would seriously recommend a Colleen Hoover book to anyone, they are in a league of their own and I know I’ll always be anxiously awaiting her next masterpiece!, ‘I laugh, relieved that she’s… that she simply exists. And that we were lucky enough to exist in the same lifetime, in the same area of the world, in the same state. And that, after all these years, I surprisingly wouldn’t change a single thing about what ultimately brought us together.’, Sigh…. (and yes, for those that read the book, I just said ‘sigh’ instead of actually sighing.)
Lisa LifeInLit –
THE STORY:, Becca : After each CoHo novel that I read, I have a moment of reflection immediately after finishing. I need the time to think about the story from start to finish, every moment that broke my heart and every moment that put it back together. It is no surprise that November 9 gave me all the feels of each CoHo book before it. Even a week after finishing it I still am reeling from all of the emotions!, emotions, Fallon (love that name!) has big plans to move from LA across the country to NYC, on the day she is scheduled to move she meets Ben and the two form an instant connection. They spend her last day in LA together and she learns that Ben is in college and wants to be a writer. After meeting Fallon, Ben finally has something to write about. After their one amazing day together, they go on to lead separate lives, but meet up every year on the same day (yup you guessed – November 9th 🙂 in the same place. Until Fallon learns some things about Ben and begins to question what is real and what is Fiction., “You’ll never be able to find yourself if you’re lost in someone else.”, Lisa : Just like Becca, I’m a HUGE CoHo fan. And though her books aren’t necessary “perfect” and without issue, they always bring out the feels. ALL the feels! Her emotional stories combined with her deep and complex characters never disappoint., Fallon suffered a traumatic event that left her scarred both inside and out. Her lack of family support in LA is helping to encourage her move to NYC where she is hoping to tackle her dream of being a movie star. She didn’t expect to meet Ben, and she definitely didn’t expect to feel what she felt for him after only spending those few hours together. But their connection was undeniable, which brought about their November 9 pact. I’m such a sucker for romantic-comedies, so the thought of this left me all kinds of giggly inside., giddy, THE CHARACTERS:, Lisa : Fallon and Ben’s story was impossible not to love. Their relationship from the start was filled with witty banter, emotions, and the realness we all hope for in romance stories. Neither character was perfect, both holding back on sharing their secrets with the other. And trust me… they had secrets! But the chemistry and bond between the two was undeniable! Even after a year without seeing each other, the November 9 meetups were so powerful and filled with emotion, humor and, of course, love., “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.”, Fallon was such a strong person, yet after suffering such a horrific event she was left stuck inside her shell, unable to truly be herself any longer. She also didn’t have the support system she so needed while going through this time in her life. Thank goodness for her BFF, who helped her get through each day., Ben was a bit of an enigma for most of the story. He was definitely hiding things, but not knowing what they were kept me at arm’s length. I loved how powerful he felt about Fallon, and how he wasn’t afraid to show his interest in her from the start. I also liked how headstrong, determined and forgiving he was. Overall, an extremely swoon-worthy guy in my opinion!, Becca : I felt the same as Lisa about Ben, I liked him a lot but could definitely tell that he was holding something back. I really kept wondering what he was hiding, especially when we meet his family and they know all about this past that the reader doesn’t. Despite that, I still loved Ben! He was so positive and he seemed to help Fallon in ways that no one else could. He was so encouraging and praising of her, it really was beautiful. I think that everyone of us would love someone to tell us all of the amazing things abut ourselves that we don’t see :), “A body is simply a package for the true gifts inside. And you are full of gifts. Selflessness, kindness, compassion. All the things that matter. Youth and beauty fade. Human decency doesn’t.”, I really liked Fallon, in the moments when she let her guard down you could see what a positive and energetic person she was. It was sad that after the tragic event from her past. she hid that person away. I loved how much she grew throughout the novel, getting stronger and more confident. I think that Ben played a part in that, but she did most of it herself!, The secondary characters really helped me to understand both Ben and Fallon. Ben’s older brothers and Fallon’s Mother, Father and Bestie really helped build this story for me more. Also, Ben’s Mother was the one who really helped me to understand him. Each of these played such an important role in this story., OVERALL:, Becca : Was this book perfect? No not exactly, I had a couple of issues here and there, and it’s hard to reveal them without spoiling the story. As a matter of fact, it is very hard to discuss this entire book and not spoil anything. I will say that you definitely have to experience this for yourself and try to go in as blind a possible., “I need you to know that it was always you who had my heart. And I would have never let anyone else borrow it if I knew there was a chance in hell you’d ever want it back.”, Throughout the first half of the book, I was just grinning and smiling and loving the banter and connection between Fallon and Ben. Then all of a sudden BAM!! CoHo does what CoHo does best and throws you a curve ball that you did not see coming! I LOVED it! I cried… and cried… and cried some more. I kept texting Lisa… OMG did you get to ___%?! And she would be like “almost there!” Then she would get there and we would both be like “OMG! OMG! OMG!” It was intense and I felt like I was on a roller coaster!, As a matter of fact here is one of my status updates on Good Reads: “OMG! WTF! Holy friggin $hit!!”, glas case, I will always be a huge fan of Colleen Hoover, she is absolutely amazing and can make me think and feel in ways that I never have before. Each of her characters finds a place in my heart and when I think of my favorite books and characters, hers often top my list. She builds characters that are flawed but lovable and forever memorable. I was so excited to get an advanced ARC of this, but I also pre-ordered a physical copy too because I knew this was one I needed on my shelf! If you are fan of CoHo, or even if you are not read this! You will probably cry, but it is worth it and you will definitely be smiling at the end… or maybe even silly giggling ;), Lisa : There was one little thing that kept me from giving this a full five stars, but I honestly can’t discuss that without it being a huge spoiler. So let’s just say there was something that I kind of wish was done differently, but it didn’t really take away from the story too much for me. Colleen Hoover has this way of sucking you in and holding your heart in the palm of her hands for the entirety of the story. There’s a reason she is so loved in the book world… she’s a pure writing mastermind and can capture us all in the matter of mere pages., (Thanks to Atria Books for the review copy!)
Jessica Y. –
I’m on a Colleen Hoover binge at the moment. I’ve gobbled up 2 of her books in less than 2 days. Her writing is captivating from the first few pages. This book is no different. I’m really not a YA romance fan at the age of 34, but Hoover’s ability to write keeps me invested in the story. The plot of this book is unique. I find most YA romance tropes are cheesy or exceed the maturity of young adult love. This book is not that. Definitely worth the read. It’s a very quick book to take down.