REVIEW: Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

*contains major spoilers*

Title: Hopeless

Author: Colleen Hoover

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

ISBN: 9781471133435

Rating: 1/5

Synopsis: “Sky Davis is starting sixth form having always been home-schooled, and wants to keep a low profile. But then she runs into Dean Holder – messy brown hair, smouldering blue eyes, and a temper straight out of Fight Club, someone who Sky is determined to avoid.

There is something about Holder that sparks memories of Sky’s troubled past, those which she would rather stay buried. Little does she know that the mysterious Dean Holder is harbouring secrets of his own . . . 

When the truth unravels, Sky must piece her life back together and learn to trust again. Only by facing the revelations together can the two of them begin to heal their emotional scars and find a way to live without boundaries.”

I had such high expectations from this book because a. hello, it’s a Colleen Hoover book? and b. have you seen its reviews?

I would have waited a little longer to read this normally because I don’t have the sequel nor the novella but I was in a really bad reading slump that I just had to pick it up. At the same time I was thinking, “how am I supposed to handle the wait until I get my hands on the other two books after I’m done with this one?” Now I don’t know whether to laugh with relief or cry from disappointment because I can without a doubt say that I’m not planning on getting the other books, at least not for a while.

My main problem was the OVER-EXCESSIVE amount of drama and action this book had. I admit, I like drama, I read YA books with missing friends, cheating boyfriends or dominant parents to make up for my pathetic excuse of a life (don’t get me wrong, I like my life but nothing and I mean nothing interesting happens) but the things that happened in this book were just… “wait, what?”

First we start with the vegan step-mom (or foster mom? What do you call your adoptive mom?) who despises technology including televisions and mobile phones, which is quite believable but not to a point where our protagonist has no idea what lol means. It’s 2017 2012 for God’s sake.

…

Then we meet the protagonist’s love-interest-to-be, Dean Holder, who gives our protagonist Sky the stink eye the moment he sees her but one major detail, he’s incredibly hot so it’s probably okay.

…

Then Sky and Holder go out and Holder demands to know her name (which looks super sketchy because what if he is a rapist or a serial killer or a member of the organ mafia?) but still okay, because he’s really hot. This is worrying especially because it looks as if it’s showing the reader that as long as the person you’re talking to is super hot and Brad Pitt-like, it’s okay for him to make you feel uncomfortable or order you to tell him your name and stalk you afterwards. *sigh*

…

Then shit happens and guess what?! The protagonist turns out to be a long lost childhood friend of Holder and Holder’s sister (who has committed suicide and therefore isn’t there to see this whole ordeal) Apparently, Sky (whose real name is Hope, btw) was kidnapped and missing for 13 years. Finally we learn that that Sky-slash-Hope was raped by her father and her father, after Sky-slash-Hope went missing, raped Holder’s twin sister Lesslie too (which may or may not be the cause of Lesslie’s suicide).

Wait, what about the person who kidnapped Sky-slash-Hope? Well, Karen (the adoptive mom) is Sky’s aunt! And she was raped by Sky’s father too! Turns out, she didn’t want Sky to suffer like she did so she took her away.

I’m sorry but what is this? *waves hands frantically* If this doesn’t shout out disturbing to you then I don’t know what will. This is not only a bit unbelievable (even though it’s fiction, I still want to look for some reality in it. The girl has to be an accident magnet for all of this to happen to her in the course of 3 days) but also taking important issues like rape and abuse way too lightly. The descriptions of the traumatic events were shallow and pointless.

So yeah, this was my problem with Hopeless in a nutshell.

(A short summary for those of you who became bored and didn’t read the whole thing:

a. It teaches the reader that as long as the person you’re talking to is handsome or hot or beautiful, it’s obviously okay for them to do whatever they want to you or make you feel whatever they want.

b. What’s up with the amount of tragic things that could happen to someone?)

I definitely wouldn’t recommend reading this book as I didn’t find anything about it that could be enjoyable.

Where to Buy: Amazon // Book Depository