November 9 (Colleen Hover) -MA's Review

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.

MA's Review:

"I am translucent, aquatic. Drifting, aimless. She is an anchor, sinking in my sea." 

FIVE PLOT TWIST STARS!!!

I did not expect to love this book. FOR ONE, I didn't think CoHo could top Ugly Love for me, and TWO, because from the plot, it had the Nicholas Spark feel to it (which is really not a bad thing, it's just not my cup of tea). But how CoHo proved me WRONG. I started reading at 11PM last night and finished by 2AM, in between ranting with Co-admin Tere about the scenes and lines, that made me wanna throw my tablet in a fit of anger and betrayal, to the ones that made me want to bowl in ugly ugly tears or just SIGH and SWOON over Ben. I did not skip a page, and had to read one chapter twice, just so I could feel the effing heartbreak again. 

Lines:

“I don’t want to be your first, Fallon. I want to be your last.”

“I don’t expect that, Fallon. But I do pray for it. Every night, down on my knees, to any God who will listen.”

You deserve more than a secondhand I love you.”

One of the worst fucking moments, and I can still feel the wounds your tears left in my chest every time I breathe.”

“Do you think Stephen King was actually murdered by a clown in real life?” I ask him. “Did Shakespeare really down a vial of poison? Of course not, Ben. It’s called fiction for a reason. You make the shit up.”

Colleen Hoover: November 9

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.

oOo

Tere's Review.

SIGH. I. Can't. Even.

I don't know how to start my review. Every time I try to start typing words, I just want to crawl back to my bed and read the book all over again. and again. and then some more.

To be honest, when I started reading this novel I wasn't simply "sold" by its plot. But I love Colleen Hoover so I'll definitely bite. I am the type of reader who loves certain "formulas" and won't simply go outside the box. (Hint: OFFICE ROMANCE aficionado)

And so I started reading in a normal phase, taking my time and enjoying the words. Hmm.. I was actually starting to like how the story leads. Sometimes there were scenes that made me smile a little because I was thinking -- HA! that's definitely a COHO trademark dialogue! 

As the gist says, Fallon and Ben met in an uneventful chance on a fair November 9, where Fallon was supposed to leave Los Angeles the next day to pursue her passion for acting in New York. Their instant attraction lead to their uncanny agreement of meeting only on November 9 for the next 5 consecutive years with no communication whatsoever but they will meet and talk on that date only. Sounds crazy, right? It is indeed.

And then I started to get serious with my reading. Digesting and feeling all the words written by the queen. By the 2nd November 9th I was completely sold. By the 3rd November 9th I fell in love. And by time I reached the 4th November 9th I was effin' heartbroken. It was as if someone took my heart and I watched as it get crushed into tiny bits and pieces. And how I wanted to throw and burn the book away but like an alcoholic that needed booze I kept on drinking on the words - completely in sync with the emotions that stirred all my senses until I felt the numbness of the high. Oh Colleen, how could you do this to me. You completely ruined me. It's going to be a while before I could recover from this high. And one thing for sure you  definitely changed my perspective with the ALPHA males. I felt like a new born reader. I would never look at heroes the same way again. Ever. Because you are absolutely correct. Real Men do cry.

5 stars.

My Fallon

My Ben 

Favorite Lines:

Every lines on each first page of the Chapters! Love Love Love!

I am translucent, aquatic.
Drifting, aimless.
She is an anchor, sinking in my sea.

- Benton James Kessler
--

She "loved me" in quotations
She kissed me in bold
I TRIED TO KEEP HER in all caps
She left with an ellipsis

- Benton James Kessler

--

   She points at my stomach. "You have abs?"
    I laughed and looked at my abdomen. She said it like it was a question, so I give her the obvious answer."Um... yeah? I guess."
  She covers her mouth with my shirt, hiding her grin. "Wow," she says, her words muffled by my shirt. "I like them."

--

I pull her up the stairs, towards my room.

Away from everyone in the world I don't want to see or speak to right now.

She's the only one I wanted with me today, and here she is. Just for me. Because she missed me.

If she's not careful, I might fall in love with her. 

Tonight.

--

We lie quietly for so long. I begin to wonder if he's fallen asleep. But after a few minutes, his grip around me grows desperate. He tilts his face until it's completely buried in my shirt, and his shoulders begin to shake as he starts to cry.

--

I'm not prepared for this. I have no idea how to deal with this. It feels like my heart is literally breaking. Cracking right down the middle, bleeding out into my chest, filling my lungs with blood, making it impossible to breathe.

--

--
She's smiling.

I cry like a fucking baby.

--


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Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover

When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.

Tere's Review:

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.
--

I am stomped after finishing this book. No words just can describe how I felt. I don't even know how to start my review. I have read a lot of romance books in my lifetime so for me the story itself is not original BUT damn. Only Colleen can pull this off like this. How can she write things like this? Like pulling my heart from my ribcage, throw in some salt and crushed it to tiny bits and pieces.

The story was written in present by Tate and 6 years past by Miles so we would understand Miles better and why he acted the way he did in the present, My heart ached for Miles, but my heart ached more for Tate. She loved Miles so much that she's willing to take risk on loving somebody less than what she deserved.

--

“Don’t ask about my past,” he says firmly. “And never expect a future.”

--

One thing for sure, this is the steamiest book to date by Colleen. Brace yourself for the sexual tension and chemistry between Miles and Tate.

--

"The couch or your bed?" he whispers. 

"Both," I reply. 

He obliges.

--

--

"You," he says without hesitation. "In my shower. From behind".

--

Damn. Just damn.

Tate took chance on the only thing that Miles could offer - No Strings Attached Sex. You can't even say it as Friends with Benefits- because they are not even friends to start with. But Tate started caring more than she should, and this line just broke my heart:

--

"I asked you to do two things for me. Don't ask about my past, and never expect a future. You are doing both".

--

My heart was crushed for Tate. :(

Oh I could hate Miles a lot. but I couldn't. I just couldn't because I knew what he'd been through. That Ugly Love he had scarred him for life.

--

"She's the first thing to breathe life back into you since the night you drowned in that fucking lake."

--

I felt Miles' struggle with himself. He wanted to give Tate what she deserved but he couldn't. It's frustrating as f*ck.

--

She says she's here to say good-bye, but that's not why she's here, and she knows it. She's here because she fell in love with me, even though I told her not to. She's here because she still has hope that I can love her back.

--

Sigh.

These events just got all my hopes shattered for a HEA. BUT. As painful as this Ugly Love could be, only one thing could heal, and it is LOVE itself, and FORGIVENESS. 

--

"I miss you, Tate," he says immediately. "So much. And it's not the first time. I've missed you every single day we weren't together since the moment I met you."

--

I think my heart skipped a beat.

Even though there's a lot of "ugliness" that happened into this book, the story is freaking BEAUTIFUL.

This story made me realize that Life throws some ugly curve balls to appreciate its true beauty.

5 Absolutely Brilliant Stars!

***********

JELAI'S REVIEW: *5 happy and healing stars*

Colleenized.

Possessed.

Goner.

I cried

Then I cried some more.

I ached.

Then I ached some more.

This booked totally drained me like I was a liquid got overheated it evaporates and suddenly turns to gas goes up up up in the air, and oh, did I like it.

The entire time I was reading I didn't dare move. I didn't stand. I was bed ridden reading. I even resisted the urge to pee because it means putting it down and I don't want it to stop. So to hell with my bladder I ain't backing down. (LOL)

It rarely happens that a writer can make you smile, giggle, squeal so hard, laugh so hard and cry so damn hard in one book. Hoover certainly had me in this novel. She soaked me with so many emotions then drained me afterwards. She gutted me.

I felt everything that needs to be felt in this novel. It's hard not to. So I just surrendered.

This novel has strong characters. I like the way they blend in this story. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing.

It's too much and yet I want some more. It's like, you know you had enough but the craving just won't fucking stop.

The writer definitely don't treat her readers as idiot ones for throwing off those smart ass humor.

Colleen Hoover never disappoints. Certainly worth the long wait.

Favorite Lines: 

"Sometimes moving on is . . . the only way to move on.”

***

I’m not Tate when I’m near Miles. I’m liquid, and liquid doesn’t know how to be firm or stand up for itself. Liquid flows. That’s all I want to do with Miles.

Flow.

***

"God gives us the ugliness so we don’t take the

beautiful things in life for granted.”

***

If all my twenty-three years were laid on a graph, this moment would be the crest in my bell curve.

***

“Love isn’t always pretty, Tate. Sometimes you spend all your time hoping it’ll eventually be something different. Something better. Then, before you know it, you’re back to square one, and you lost your heart somewhere along the way.”

***

“If you don’t want a sarcastic answer,” Cap says to him, “don’t ask a stupid question.”

***

“Sometimes a man’s spirit just ain’t strong enough to withstand the ghosts from his past.” He opens his apartment door and walks inside. “Maybe that boy just lost his spirit somewhere along the way.”

***

You ever heard that expression, ‘When life gives you lemons . . .’?

“Make lemonade,” I say, finishing his quote.

Cap looks at me and shakes his head. “That’s not how it goes,” he says. “When life gives you lemons, make sure you know whose eyes you need to squeeze them in.”

***

“I know the thought of confronting your past terrifies you. It terrifies every man. But sometimes we don’t do it for ourselves. We do it for the people we love more than ourselves.”

***

Why would anyone want to put themselves in a position that could bring back the type of pain that makes a person envious of death?

***

The sadness that was my life became the moments, and my happiness with Brad became my life.”

***

The second she opened her eyes and looked at me, I knew. She was either going to be the death of me . . . or she was going to be the one who finally brought me back to life.

***

It’s the beautiful moments like these that make up for the ugly love.

Revisited: Indie Authors Abbi Glines, Colleen Hoover & Jamie McGuire[10.22.2013]