Book Review: November 9

About The Book:

 

  Title: November 9

  Author: Colleen Hoover
  Pub. Date: November 10th, 2015
  Publisher: Atria Books  
  Pages: 320

  Genre: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary

  Rate: 3/5 stars

Synopsis :

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.

Review:

If you've seen my review for Ugly Love or Maybe Someday, then you know that I absolutely adore Colleen Hoover's books. I wasn't encompassed by the characters in November 9 as I was with the characters in Ugly Love and Maybe Someday. Told only one day a year - November 9th, November 9 follows Ben and Fallon and their determination to meet only on that day once a year.

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

Fallon was hurt in a fire when she was young and as a result suffers from scars over half of her body. She's understandably self conscious in the beginning of the book, but Ben soothes some of those uneasy feelings as time goes on. I felt sorry for Fallon, but I felt dissociated from her for some reason. I believe Ben was supposed to be a mysterious guy, however I just thought he was charming. While I didn't see the "plot twist" coming, it wasn't a twist I really cared about. I didn't have an overwhelmingly emotional reaction, which I was expecting from Colleen Hoover. The one thing I didn't like about this book was that I never thought Fallon or Ben grew up at all in the span of all of their years meeting up. I was hoping to see them make little changes in their personality throughout the years but I never did. OH - so Tate and Miles from Ugly Love popped up in November 9 at the most random time and I literally could just not stop laughing. I couldn't handle seeing them in another format other than in their book. Usually I love book crossovers, but I just thought this one was hilarious. However, I'm sure many readers were exceedingly happy to see them make an appearance.

“She's not the kind of girl you choose your battles for. 
She's the kind of girl you fight to the death for."

While I liked both the writing and the characters, I just didn't feel like I could connect with either MC on an emotional level. This must have been just a personal thing, because I've seen people rave about this book. In fact, I heard people say that they sobbed over this book. Unfortunately, that just wasn't the case for me. I really only appreciated the love the characters shared as well as the writing style, which is why I rated the book 3/5 stars. If you love Colleen's other books, I'd obviously recommend November 9 to you.

- Jocelyn