November 9
Atria Books
ARC provided by publisher to facilitate this review.
Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.
Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day of 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.
It’s a 4-Alarm read!
I can’t lie, when I first heard the premise of this book, I was a little skeptical. It sounded a little reminiscent of One Day by David Nicholls, and I just didn’t know how I felt about that.
After two and half years, and nine Colleen Hoover books, you’d think I would know better.
November 9 is an unlikely love story, woven together by painful circumstances, friendship, secrets, and an undeniable connection.
Colleen Hoover has written a book that is anything but your typical romance fare. Something of a “story within a story”, the reader is in a state of anticipation with each November 9, wondering what will happen, how the story will play out.
I read this book in one sitting, and ran the gamut of emotions during that time. I savored my time with Fallon & Ben, each November 9 turning me inside out in very different ways. This book is a wonderful combination of smiles, laughter, tears, and true WTF moments.
Even though their circumstances are REALLY unusual, her characters are so relatable, and I LOVED the banter between them. But then again, I always do in a Colleen Hoover novel.
Their connection, though…GAHHHH! I love them together SO MUCH. When Ben & Fallon are together, I was so affected, my heart sped up, all synapses firing, my mind relishing their conversations and hanging on their every word.
And those words…OH THOSE WORDS! Ben has the soul of a true writer, and the way he spoke to Fallon, and about her, it moved me in a way that few leading men have.
However, not everything was sunshine & roses for me. There was one aspect of this story that kind of rubbed me the wrong way, and I wasn’t quite sure how to process it. It wasn’t a major detractor from the story or anything, and in the end, I kind of “got” it, but it still didn’t sit quite right with me.
The execution of this novel was very well done, and while this is not my favorite Colleen Hoover novel (I think we’re still tied between Losing Hope and Maybe Someday on that one!), I am impressed, as always, with the things she can do with 26 simple letters. Her talent as a storyteller is undeniable, and I would recommend this book to any romance lover.
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