Book Review - November 9 by Colleen Hoover
Has all the right ingredients: romance, drama, intrigue, heartbreak, but most importantly — a happy ending.
I think she expect me to let her go without a fight, but she is not the kind of girl you choose your battles for. She is the kind of girl you fight to the death for.
I honestly get giddy at the thought of opening a new Colleen Hoover book, and from page one I’m immersed into the story and sad that with every page I turn I’m closer to the end.
This story is about Fallon and Benton, who are brought together by faith on November 9.
Ben, an aspiring writer, crashes into Fallon’s life one afternoon when he overhears a conversation between her and her father. Ben is outraged at how insensitive Fallon’s father is being and takes it upon himself to prop Fallon’s self-confidence and stand up to her dad.
The chemistry between the two is undeniable, but their encounter has an imminent expiration time. Fallon is moving across the country to New York that evening. As they get to know each other Ben is inspired by Fallon’s eventful life, and he decides to write a book based on her.
For the purpose of the story Ben is writing, they agree to meet every year on the same day and spend the day together. However, over time, intertwined relationships, and life in general, Fallon starts to suspect that Ben’s story may be fabricated to portray a more perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.
Like most of Hoover’s books, she hooks you in from page one, and if she uses a recipe for a ‘perfect story’, then this one has all the right ingredients. There is just the right amount of romance, drama, intrigue, heartbreak but most importantly — a happy ending.
I like the concept of insta-love over a period of five years. As the story is told from both their view points, you know they fall in love instantly, but they don’t want to admit it to themselves until their second or third meeting. Which, just to be clear, is two or three years later.
I have to admit, I don’t know if I would have the same amount of control in real life not to see someone for a whole year. Especially if I really like them.
Having said that, by the time you get to the end of the book, you can identify how such a thing could actually be possible. Both characters have issues in their lives that take them away from the possibility to pursue each other, but they both keep the same date every year.
There are several twists in this story, all of which work really well in defining the characters, why they do the things they do, and why they are guarded with each other and with themselves. It isn’t until the very end that everything is revealed.
I read this book in two days by the pool, on my holiday in Thailand. I laughed out loud, I cried, but most importantly I loved the way this book finishes.
Why didn’t you tell me that the foundation you taught me to stand on is made from quicksand?
This story is about pushing boundaries between intent and faith. It’s about recognising when the universe presents you with an opportunity, and that it is up to you to decide what to do with it.
It proves that love truly conquers all, but only if you use your head and not just your heart.