Book Review: November 9
Colleen Hoover
Colleen Hoover was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023, solidifying her effect on the book community. She has garnered a lot of popularity on social media within communities like “Booktok” and “Bookstagram” with her YA romance novels. Her storytelling is very easy to follow and keeps a high pace. Over the past decade, she has published no less than twenty novels, which I think goes to show how Hoover prioritises quantity over quality.
Her most known bestseller is currently the new adult novel It Ends With Us, released in 2016. The novel has become rather controversial and there is a big debate surrounding Hoover’s representation of domestic abuse. Many claim that it romanticizes toxic and abusive relationships while others argue that it’s the polar opposite; that Hoover tries to convey the feeling of imprisonment within an abusive relationship. About a year ago I read it myself due to all the hype it got on Bookstagram. Going into it I thought it was going to be a romance novel and I was not particularly thrilled when it didn’t end in a happy ever after. I’m quite gullible when it comes to love, especially in books. I much prefer the development of the characters and their relationships rather than using trauma to bring people together.
November 9
Fallon is at a restaurant with her father on November 9, the second anniversary of the accident. A tragedy that left Fallon with third-degree burns and scars that will never heal. She blames her father for what happened and as they are quarrelling Ben appears to defend Fallon. Her father was insinuating that no one would ever love Fallon because of her scars wherefore Ben decides to pretend to be her boyfriend to prove him wrong. After this, Ben and Fallon spend the rest of the day together. Fallon is about to move across the country the very next day but the pair decide to meet every year for the following five years on this exact date, November 9.
Fallon inspires Ben to write a book about their love, and in the end, we get to read Ben’s novel and I quite enjoyed this concept. This gives the reader a deeper insight into Ben’s thoughts and feelings. However, it felt a bit weird to read from Ben’s perspective for a second time, since we already got Ben's perspective as well as Fallon’s throughout the first part of the novel. I find it a bit strange that Ben didn’t convey these feelings during his previous chapters. Therefore I think it would have made more sense and been more intriguing if Hoover didn’t include Ben’s perspective before the last part. Yet, once the truth was out, I couldn’t help but look back on the first few chapters to find little hidden clues foreshadowing what was to come.
A thing that I’ve noticed is that Hoover pays great attention to detail. She might not create the best plot but she brings the little things full circle. For example, Fallon mentions always taking the first stall in a bathroom because fewer people tend to pick that door. At the end of the novel, Fallon has to decide whether to take a shower and freshen up or read Ben’s book. It’s illustrated as two doors, and she picks the second one for once. If it was a better book, I would have reread it and tried to identify all the tiny details.
I’m a bit on the fence about the characters in this novel, especially when it comes to the character of Ben. He had some good parts in his POV and it was a bit more manageable to read his side of the relationship than Fallon’s because most of the story revolves around Fallon. Otherwise, I don't think he has any other traits than his love for Fallon. Aside from that, I can only list a few things about him: he likes writing, loves family and is obsessed with Fallon. That's it. As a reader this makes me question if he even has had a life before meeting this girl. In conclusion, I think Ben could have had a little more personality than being the ever-obeying servant of Fallon.
I believe that Hoover tried to make Fallon fleshed out but did not manage exactly. She's the one we spend the most time with throughout the novel but she is sadly depicted as the typical sarcastic and witty female main character. She's insecure about her appearance but is described as the most beautiful girl by Ben. It reminds me of Tessa from Divergent, I feel that this character stereotype is a bit overused at this point.
"I hate that my first thought is how there's no way he'd ever fall in love with me" (page 74, Fallon)
I liked the concept of the plot, it was unique and interesting. I liked how they could only see each other once a year. However, Hoover could have signified more of a change between those years. I didn't experience any signs of maturity between those years. It was like they were still eighteen. I think Fallon gets stupider and more ignorant as the years pass. She completely refuses to listen to Ben on more than one occasion and completely loses herself. She promises not to fall for anyone until she's 23 bc her mother told her to find herself. I think that's a bit naive as relationships can help you find yourself and shape who you are just as much as it can do the opposite. You don't necessarily have to isolate yourself to find yourself.
When they first met, I think Hoover tried to make it a “cute” meet but it ended up feeling a bit creepy and typical of a romance novel. I rolled my eyes a lot while reading the first few pages. Overall it felt extremely unrealistic; Fallon’s about to move across the country and instead of spending her time with her loved ones, she spent it with a stranger. This confirms the instant love between these two characters and what I hate the most in romance novels is instant love. I don’t think Hoover should have introduced the main characters in that manner.
Furthermore, I am not sold on the plot twist, it did surprise me but it also felt a bit upsetting. In the end it all made sense and everything fell into place, which means Hoover at least thought it through. The writing was overall not too bad, I think she especially imitates dialogue very well. However, there is something about her writing that doesn’t sit right with me. I notice it in other romance novels as well, my discomfort mostly stems from the use of words like “babe” and the elaborate descriptions of kissing.
This novel came into my possession purely by chance and I could not throw away the opportunity to write a review for it. I don’t think Hoover is a bad writer, although I do think they advertised to the wrong audience. It is a new adult novel, yet it is marketed to teens on social media. This is a bit disturbing and I don’t think it’s appropriate for children to read this novel. I will not be reading one of her novels again but it was an interesting read.
