Monday, July 8, 2013

Hopeless & Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover ~ Review & Giveaway

Source:  Purchased eBook and audiobook

Book Description:

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 Thoughts:




5 stars - WHY did I wait so long to read this one???

I so wanted to read this one! I even pre-ordered it.  It came out in December of 2012 and it's currently JULY of 2013.  That's how long it took me to get to it.  There is ONLY one good thing that came out of waiting and that's the audio came out in the mean time.  Can I just say that the experience of having both the audio and the eBook for this one was incredible.  I've never had that before but it was so cool.  I listened while driving and read at home.  The two synced perfectly, taking me to the exact place I had left on on the other platform.  That was so cool.  Yes, I am kinda a techy girl and those thing thrill me.

Back to the book.  How to even start.  I LOVED THIS BOOK.  Yes, that works.  These characters are so incredible and I so enjoyed getting to know them.  They are different, ya know.  Not your average teens with common types of angst making them crazy.  No, they have some serious baggage going on.  Sky is interesting.  I will admit that she has some quirks about her that took me a while to get used to but she's strong.  She who she is and she really doesn't give a damn if you like that or not.  She's been homeschooled all her life and has finally convinced her mom to let her go to her senior year of high school (I love that premise, byw).  Things are a bit rough, though, because she seems to have an unearned reputation as a slut.  It's her reaction that I love.  She's stubborn and strong.  She says what she means and she doesn't put up with crap.  Liked that a lot.  The one thing she did that surprised me was that she believed Holder's rep when she knew her's was wrong.  Didn't take her long, but I was surprised by that.

Holder.  Yes, my boy Holder had me pretty confused for a while.  I so loved the chemistry between these two for sure but he has secrets.  And he's expecting Sky to ask him instead of believe the things she hears.  It seems like he doesn't believe the rumors about her rep.  I like that about him.  I like that he's unexpected.  He shows up at her house because he wants to see her.  I never wanted to believe the rumors about him.  I'm so glad I felt that way.  He has some anger issues but dang if he doesn't deserve that a little bit.  He's seriously protective.  I love that about him.  I think it's because he loves so deeply.  Sky calls him intense and that's a real good way to describe him.  I totally fell for him.  I love his sense of humor too.  His silly texts are so funny.  The way he won't kiss Sky when she wants him to.  Oh he has a very good reason for that btw and damn if that wasn't the sexiest non-kiss scene I've ever read.  Gonna have to read it - trust me.

The story in this one is crazy.  I figured out a few little things and one big thing but dang if I didn't get myself shocked at one point.  I mean like jaw drops open and the word NO coming out of my mouth.  When Sky's past is uncovered, I'm just so emotional I can't stand it.  I'm glued to the pages and so stuck that nothing is pulling me away from this book.

It's been a really long time since I regretting not picking up a book sooner, but this is one of those times.  I so loved this book.  I could read it over and over.  I'm so glad I have the audio because it just became my new favorite comfort book.  (My comfort books are all on audio and they get listened to over and over again.)  Speaking of the audio, I really enjoyed the narrator.  

SO, if you are like me and put this one off. STOP. RIGHT. NOW. You must read this book.  It's YA with some definite sexual scenes.  It has strong language and serious issues.  BUT it's so good, so emotional, so sexy, so yummy, so Holder.  Yes I am describing this book with a boys name.   The characters come up will a NEW way to describe their feelings for each other so I'm gonna do the same.  This book is so Holder and you will love it.  Truly.

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY to Losing Hope! 
Now available!


Source:  Received an eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Book Description:

In the follow-up to Colleen Hoover’s #1 New York Times bestseller Hopeless, the charming and irresistible Dean Holder tells the passionate story that has melted thousands of hearts.

In Hopeless, Sky left no secret unearthed, no feeling unshared, and no memory forgotten, but Holder’s past remained a mystery.

Still haunted by the little girl he let walk away, Holder has spent his entire life searching for her in an attempt to finally rid himself of the crushing guilt he has felt for years. But he could not have anticipated that the moment they reconnect, even greater remorse would overwhelm him…

Sometimes in life, if we wish to move forward, we must first dig deep into our past and make amends. In Losing Hope, bestselling author Colleen Hoover reveals what was going on inside Holder’s head during all those hopeless moments—and whether he can gain the peace he desperately needs.




My Thoughts:

 

5 stars - BEST alternative POV book I have ever read!

Yeah, I've read books from different points of view before.  Mostly, they give the exact same thing just with a different POV and a little bit of new information.  Not this book.  Not this book.

First of all, while we learned a lot of secrets about Holder in HOPELESS, we didn't know Holder.  Oh, I thought I did.  But I didn't know Holder.  This book starts almost a year and half before HOPELESS does.  We get all of the details of the sucky year before Holder meets Sky.  But then when he does meet Sky, we don't go through everything with them exactly the same.  Some things are there as they were, like the yummy, sexy non-kiss scene.  But other things are just summarized - in an incredibly creative way too.  This allows for more time to spend with Holder and to find out all kinds of things about him.

We meet his best friend, Daniel - who I totally love.  He so should get his own book!  We spend time with him and Breckin - which was just too fun.  But we get his sister, Les, too.  All his feelings and torment about her.  We get how much Sky did to help him with that.  We get his love for Sky before he could tell her.  We get Holder and we get Dean.  We get all of Dean Holder.  And damn, if this wasn't the best alternative POV book that I have ever read.  So creative and just brilliant.

I kinda see a different side of Sky in this book.  I knew in HOPELESS that she struggled to accept the rumors about Holder but in this book I was her pain more.  I saw how scary it was when she zoned out into her memories.  I realized just how much she needed to remember and heal.  I loved her more and I loved Holder more for being there for her.

HOW could I have loved Holder more than I did in HOPELESS? Oh it's so true.  He has captured my heart and is my favorite contemporary book boyfriend.  Love Holder.

Yes, I read it in a day.  How could I not?  Stayed up late and hung with my boy.  Oh, and btw, Colleen Hoover has just become an auto buy for me.  AND I have purchased the Slammed series of hers.  She is just such an incredible and awesome author.

This book is totally for peeps who have already read HOPELESS.  I wouldn't read it without first having read HOPELESS.  But, dang, you need to read them both!  YA and wonderful.  Don't miss these two.

About this author:

I love music. LOVE music. Namely The Avett Brothers, Lumineers, Pink, Eminem. I have eclectic taste? If you have any recommendations, send them my way!

I'm addicted to diet pepsi and could tell you in a taste-test which restaurant it came from. It's a serious addiction, I tell you.

I get stoked whenever I get a message from goodreads saying I have a new friend request...so request me, dangit! 







So you may have noticed that my blog has grown.  I'm so overwhelmed by the number of followers I have, by the number of pagehits I have everyday and by the number of peeps on twitter/facebook that seem to value my opinion on books.  I truly appreciate all of ya.  So during July, I'm gonna be celebrating you guys.

Thank you for visiting my blog!

Thank you for commenting!

Thank you for following me on twitter!

Thank you for following me on facebook!

Thank you for sharing my love of books!

Thank you!

This is the first in a series of giveaways I'll be doing in July to give back to you guys.

I just couldn't NOT give one of these books away.  I'm giving the winners choice or HOPELESS or LOSING HOPE (as a pre-order)  in paperback.  Open international where TBD ships.

Want in?  Fill out the rafflecopter below.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

16 comments:

  1. I totally suck, because I bought Hopeless back a few months ago and still haven't read it. My review pile hates me when I veer off course lol! I really do need to read it though. Everyone I know who has read it loves it!! Losing Hope sounds amazing too. Fabulous reviews, and awesome giveaway babe!!

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  2. Awesome reviews! I agree completely. Love Colleen Hoover... The only other alt POV book I may have enjoyed more than Losing Hope is This Girl... but that is Colleen's other series so... So glad you enjoyed these!

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  3. I so want to read this and even more so after you review :D

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  4. Wow, thanks for the awesome giveaway!
    I have been hearing so much about these two books and I am dying to read them!
    GREAT review
    Your reader,
    Soma
    http://insomnia-of-books.blogspot.com/

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  5. Ok now I am finally and actually excited about Losing Hope! I ADORED Hopeless, but I was scared about finding Losing Hope to be super boring as it would be just the same story. I had reading exactly the same just from a different POV... It must add something substantially new and different and it seems Losing Hope does this!

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  6. I LOVED Hopeless and I'm so looking forward reading Losing Hope! I'm really glad you finally got a chance to read Hopeless and loved it too! :-)

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  7. I waited forever to read Hopeless, too!

    Also, I adored Daniel as well, so I'm glad you liked him! He was so hilarious.

    Holder is so amazing I don't even know. Giggle-swooning everywhere, Val. EVERYWHERE.

    LIVELIVELIVE<3

    ♥Jessica(:
    Just a Booklover

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  8. This is EXACTLY what I thought when I finished reading Slammed!!!
    How was I able to wait so long to read it when I had it sitting on my kindle!?!!!??

    So I can only imagine how you felt with Hopeless, since I've been reading the Slammed books I haven't been able to dwell THAT much on the fact that I need to read these books as well.
    I can't wait >_<
    I think it's one of those few times I've seen a double 5 star review on a post of yours lol!!

    Congrats on your blog getting bigger and having tons of more followers!! I know I haven't been a regular commenter lately but I've always read your posts on my email... Hope that counts?!
    In the meantime there's only one thing to be said and that's Congrats!! Hope your blog only gets bigger from here on!

    <3

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  9. How amazing is Colleen?!! I can't wait to read Losing Hope. My tear ducts are already prepared.

    I <3 you, Pal!

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  10. I need to read these so badly! I adored the Slammed books and I keep seeing rave reviews for Hopeless and Losing Hope. I'm glad you finally got around to reading Hopeless and I'm glad you loved them so much.

    Also congrats on all of the followers and the growth of your blog! You definitely deserve all the views and follows!

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  11. LOOOOVE COllen Hoover's book!
    Thank you for great giveaway!

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  12. Hopeless and Losing Hope are in my all-time favorites lists. I absolutely adored these books. They're perfect. In every way, perfect. Colleen is amazing. So happy you loved them. And I totally agree...Losing Hope was the best alternate POV book ever!

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  13. My favorite romance so far! Read hopeless and losing hope for two days straight! hahaha btw. Great review! :))

    http://yanibonifacio.blogspot.com/

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  14. I bought losing hope accidentally without knowing its a second book. Can i stil read this before hopeless?

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    1. It is the same story from a different point of view. It will however ruin the twist of Hopeless for you. I would recommend reading Hopeless first. Val

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