November 9

No no and just no. I've read 2 CoHo books so far and loved them but this one just did not work for me.

I still like the writing but everything about this story and the characters was a big fat no for me. The whole premise of them only meeting once a year was just pointless and gimmicky. If they cared so much about each other after the first couple of times together then it makes no sense to not see each other again for a whole year. Everything after that just made it nose dive even further.

Colleen Hoover is such an incredible author. She has a way of making dialogue between characters seem so natural and regular descriptive scenes seem almost poetic (and I'm not referencing the tattoo—if you read the book, you know). I feel like I have to mentally prepare myself for emotional investment and heartache every time I read one of her books. November 9 was one of those books.

For me, the last 100 pages or so were impossible to put down. Especially the last 50 pages, which completely c

This is quite possibly one of the worst things I've ever read in my entire life. Can't even shelf this under “romance” because I really don't think the relationship portrayed here can be considered as romance. It is all sorts of problematic, and everything that Ben has ever done is so utterly disgusting that I would've DNF'd this book if only OCD wasn't a thing.

It took me a while to write this review because I was left with mixed feelings after finishing the book.
The book follows the story of Fallon and Ben, who agreed to meet every year on November 9 for 5 years.
It is a book that grabs your attention from the beginning and, like other CoHo's books, it is hard to put down.
However, I cannot give this book a positive rating because I feel I would be supporting the romanticization of toxic relationships, based on lies and where consent is not essential.
Everyone can write about what they want and opinions are very subjective, but in a society where consent is often disregarded I see novels and writing in general playing a key role in educating what are expected behaviors in healthy relationships.

Consent is always necessary. The word no is not ambiguous.

This would've already been a 5 star read, but the twist just solidified it. Somehow didn't read as cheesy despite the premise

ugh, this book was so good. please go read this amazing story that will have you at the edge of your seat!

What an awesome concept for a novel. I'm impressed (again) with Hoover's ability to pull me into the story and keep me on pins and needles when it comes to the characters' motivation and outcome.

For various reasons, Ben and Fallon only see each other once a year. On November 9th. It's the anniversary of the house fire that scarred Fallon very visibly. To the point where she thinks that is all people—especially men—when she meets them. But as Ben put it toward the end of the book, “But anyone who sees your scars before they see you doesn't deserve you.”

Ben has a few hidden scars of his own, which threaten to undo the fragile relationship he and Fallon forge during their brief encounters. Both characters are deeply influenced by their own parents. Fallon's mother says Fallon shouldn't fall in love until she's 23. When the book opens, Ben and Fallon are 18. Fallon's father is less than helpful when it comes to helping Fallon overcome the trauma from the fire. Ben's father is really not in his life, but he had brothers who try to help. His mother had a poet's soul with all the joy and tragedy that entails.

So, to one another, they are “Ben the writer” and “Fallon, the transient.” For having spent very little time together, they develop an overwhelming connection that weathers all the days of the year they are apart. Several small impediments, and one HUGE one, prevent them from finally fulfilling what they both want, to be in love with each other.

Overall, it's a touchingly impactful book.

Salah satu kelebihan Colleen Hoover adlh klo ak membaca bukunya, membuatku penasaran hingga gk mampu menaruh bukunya. November 9 lebih baik dr Maybe Someday, tp blm mengalahkan Confess, apalagi Ugly Love. Sejauh ini Ugly Love favoritku. Slammed kurang suka. Tinggal Hopeless yg blm kucoba.
Yang mengganggu dari buku ini adlh jeda 365 hari dimana Fallon & Ben gk saling ketemu, mada sih mereka gk punya kehidupan? Oke ak ngerti ketertarikan pada pertemuan pertama, namun ak gk percaya insta-love. Mereka hanya bertemu 1x dlm setahun lalu di thn ketiga yg berarti hari ketiga klo dihitung secara matematis, saling jatuh cinta?
Namun tetap menghibur kok, dan menurutku msh lebih baik dari Maybe Someday, sama2 insta-love sih, tp kn gk ada yg sedang menjalin hubungan dgn org lain ketika mereka bertemu.

rating- 3/5

This review contains major spoilers. Please do not read it if you haven't read the book yet

Not so sure where i'm going to go with this review but yeah.
Loved the banter between Ben and Fallon, even though a few things Ben said and thought in his inner monologue were a little icky (just me? or was the whole underwear thing gross? i mean, considering this was like minutes after they meet?),
I really liked most of the dialogue and the writing.
The whole premise of meeting every november 9th was also pretty cool. While I will admit that there wouldn't be any plot without this set up, it does set this book apart from the average romance novel.

However i also had A LOT of problems with it://

➣ I enjoyed reading it, and was super intrigued throughout because of the unique nature of the book's plot. I've always disliked time skips but this book gets away with doing them perfectly well because of the nov 9th thing and i thought that was really cool.

➣ The jordyn-ben thing was just not it and made me very uncomfortable. There were a few other things that were questionable, but looking back now, the whole premise was creepy?
Ben lies to her the whole time??? their ENTIRE relationship was based off a lie and stalking? yeah. not a fan.

➣ The ending was also not my favourite. Fallon finds out about ‘said plot twist' and forgives him. (yes, FINDS OUT, he doesn't tell her. And yes, forgives him) Him (Ben): being the reason she's had self confidence issues for YEARS, a strained relationship with her dad and just SO much emotional and physical trauma. People who like the book might argue that Ben also helped her with her self confidence. But don't you see it? HE's the reason she has self confidence issues. (it wasn't intentional of course, but he KNEW they were his fault THE WHOLE TIME he was trying to make her feel better (or should i say make HIMSELF feel better?) about them.

➣ The said ‘plot twist' felt super contrived and anticlimactic to me. it infuriated me. It made me look at Ben from a completely different persepective. Everything i'd read about him just went out of the window and my brain was like NO (in red).

I get that a lot of people like this book. But the plot didn't work out for me at all, so i wouldn't recommend it. :/