Review: Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover

Sometimes in life, in order to move forward you must face the past…

#1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover held readers spellbound with her novel Hopeless, the story of what happened when a troubled girl named Sky encountered a long-lost childhood friend, Dean Holder. With Holder’s help, Sky uncovered shocking family secrets and came to terms with memories and emotions that had left deep scars.

Hopeless was Sky’s story. Now, in Losing Hope, we finally learn the truth about Dean Holder.

Haunted by the little girl he couldn’t save from imminent danger, Holder’s life has been overshadowed by feelings of guilt and remorse. He has never stopped searching for her, believing that finding her would bring him the peace he needs to move on. However, Holder could not have anticipated that he would be faced with even greater pain the moment they reconnect.

In Losing Hope, Holder reveals the way in which the events of Sky’s youth affected him and his family, leading him to seek his own redemption in the act of saving her. But it is only in loving Sky that he can finally begin to heal himself.

Lea says...

Hopeless was one of the best books I read last year, and it left me with an incurable book hangover for quite some time. I was happy with the way it ended but was still left pining for more Holder and Sky. When I found out that we were going to get a Holder POV, I was ecstatic, to say the least. And I am happy to say that being in his mind, seeing pivotal scenes the two had experienced through his eyes, was the perfect compliment to the their story.

The beginning was absolutely heart breaking. It offered a glimpse into the year before the events of “Hopeless,” when certain actions bring a huge change to Holder’s life, adding new guilt to the massive pile he’s been living under since he lost Hope.

“I want her to know how her selfish decision affected me. How hopeless she left me. Literally hopeless. And Completely alone. And so, so incredibly sorry.” 

A lot of this story is told through a series of letters that Holder writes to his sister. The technique worked perfectly with the storyline, and also kept us from having to suffer through basically a re-reading of the first book. 

Of course, there were some scenes that we got to experience again, and they were the most significant, I think. Like when he first recognizes her at the store, and the way he feels when he really sees her for the first time, standing in front of his house.

“If I could pre-order the perfect girl, I wouldn’t even come close to the version standing in front of me right now.”

And lucky for us, we get to see what he was thinking throughout the hot, not-making-out, make-out scene, and the first time they finally kiss. It wasn’t all the sweet, loving scenes, though. We were inside his head at some of the worst points, as well. And, during the heaviest parts, I actually felt my heart crack open more for him than I had Sky. He is a very serious, deep individual, and the intensity with which he looks at life could be hard for some to reconcile with his age. But if you consider everything he has been through, and the amount of guilt he’s placed on his self, I think it’s easy to grasp his perspective.

“…for once in my life, I can honestly say I’ve found the only other person in the world who understands my guilt. The only person who understands my pain. The only person who accepts that it’s who I am.”

Sometimes these alternate viewpoint companions can miss their mark. They rehash too much and don’t include enough other material to appease the reader. The way Hoover revealed Holder’s emotions and thoughts without us having to re-live every single scene was a breath of fresh air, making this a five star read for me.  

If you loved “Hopeless,” make sure to snatch this up and read it as soon as possible. “Losing Hope” is filled with both the best and worst things that this couple endured together, while they discovered the truth about the past and fell in hopelessly in love