Book Review: THE REMINDER OF HIM BY Collen Hoover

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A troubled young mother yearns for a shot at redemption in this heartbreaking yet hopeful story from #1New York Timesbestselling author Colleen Hoover.

this is a riveting story of love, courage, and survival.

Book Summary

After serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, Kenna Rowan returns to the town where it all went wrong, hoping to reunite with her four-year-old daughter. But the bridges Kenna burned are proving impossible to rebuild. Everyone in her daughter’s life is determined to shut Kenna out, no matter how hard she works to prove herself.

The only person who hasn’t closed the door on her completely is Ledger Ward, a local bar owner and one of the few remaining links to Kenna’s daughter. But if anyone were to discover how Ledger is slowly becoming an important part of Kenna’s life, both would risk losing the trust of everyone important to them. The two form a connection despite the pressure surrounding them, but as their romance grows, so does the risk. Kenna must find a way to absolve the mistakes of her past in order to build a future out of hope and healing.

Review

Carla the reader:

People have been raving about Colleen Hoover's books for several years, but I still hadn't read any. I finally picked up It Ends With Us and now Reminders of Him. She is definitely deserving of the praise and I will be picking through her backlist. In this book we meet Kenna Rowan, a young woman who made some awful mistakes and paid a terrible price. She has a four year old daughter that she has never seen, and is being raised by her paternal grandparents, as her father is dead. They do not want Kenna anywhere near Diem, but she just wants to see her, to meet her, not take her from her grandparents. When she returns to town, she meets Ledger, the best friend of Kenna's deceased boyfriend, a man who is very close to his family and an integral part of Diem's life. He is attracted to her, until he finds out who she is. When they begin to develop feelings toward one another, Ledger tries to resist, but he wants to do what is best for both Kenna and Diem.

This story was so emotional, I was glad I had tissues near by. We learn about Kenna's past and the accident that changed her life completely through letters she has written while in prison. She shares her feelings and thoughts that she couldn't tell anyone about. I wanted to reach into the book and hold Kenna close, stroke her hair and wipe her tears. She is a character that gets under your skin and breaks your heart over and over. Ledger was another amazing character. He wanted to do what was right for everyone, even if it caused those he cared about some pain. He looked beyond all he heard about Kenna and saw what was in her heart. The romance was slow to develop, but there were a couple of sex scenes that I could have done without. One thing I have come to learn quickly is that Colleen Hoover writes amazing characters who become real, people you want to know. The story itself is very well written, with well developed characters, an excellent plot and one that I wanted to know what was going to happen, but didn't want to end. I loved the epilogue as it tied up the story nicely, yet was short and sweet. I definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy romance, second chances, family stories, forgiveness and family.

I did a read/listen with this book and both formats were wonderful. Brittany Pressley and Ryan West do a fantastic job narrating this book. The emotions shine through with their performance and when I was listening I was totally immersed in the story. When I had a chance to sit, I read and again, was pulled into this story. I recommend either format.

Christy:

I am so glad I pre ordered this book. I have sat for 6 hours going through every single emotion imaginable! I won’t give anything away but of course Colleen Hoover has done it again. She never fails to leave you contemplating your own actions in life. The moral of this story is a one everyone can relate to. What an amazing story! Definitely a one that’s going to stay with me for a while.

Ruby Granger:

Just when I thought I had read my favourite #coho novel @colleenhoover releases this beaut of a story,

So heartfelt and honest - it's a rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, so make sure you have a box of tissues at the ready. That bubble you get in your throat, that ache in your heart - that was prominent for me through the whole book.

What I Love most about Colleens books is the characters - its so easy to relate to them and to be able to emphasise with their lives and feelings. Also im in awe of the writing - how it grips you and pulls you in and makes you believe that you're in the story. Kenna's pain is portrayed so well within the writing. I adored the push and pull of the relationship between her and Ledger.

The uniqueness in this story can be found in the letters written throughout, I found that gave an added insight to Kenna the story. I loved that she wrote to Scotty it truly showed how much she was in love with him.

Another cracking read!! But then we all knew it was going to be right!?!?

Praise for THE REMINDER OF HIM

“Hoover delves deep into grief and guilt to create a multifaceted redemption story for a cast of characters who fight as fiercely as they love. Fans won’t be disappointed.” ―Publishers Weekly “With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.” ―Kirkus Reviews “An angsty, emotionally-charged novel about finding forgiveness and redemption for past mistakes, Reminders of Him took Colleen Hoover’s already evocative writing to a whole new level…An intimate, sometimes painfully real, reading experience like no other.” ―Harlequin Junkie, Top Pick “Colleen Hoover’s new romance will rip you apart and put you back together again…An emotional masterpiece about loss and hope, grief and forgiveness, and how the power of love can heal.” ―POPSUGAR “Heartbreaking yet hopeful.” ―The Nerd Daily

About the Author

Website

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty two novels and novellas. Hoover’s novels fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance categories, as well as psychological thriller.

Colleen Hoover is published by Montlake Romance, Grand Central Publishing and Atria Books. Colleen also has several indie titles, including Heart Bones.

In 2015, Colleen’s novel CONFESS won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance. That was followed up in 2016 with her latest title, It Ends With Us, also winning the Choice Award for Best Romance. In 2017, her title WITHOUT MERIT won best romance.

Her novel CONFESS has been filmed as a series by Awestruck and is available on Prime Video via Amazon and iTunes. Katie Leclerc and Ryan Cooper star in the series.

Colleen founded The Bookworm Box, a charity subscription service and bookstore, with her family in 2015. The Bookworm Box is a subscription service that provides readers with an exciting opportunity to receive signed novels in the mail each month from authors all over the world. All profits from the subscription service are donated to various charities each month. To date, The Bookworm Box has donated over $1,000,000 to help those in need.

Books Updates Reviews

Reminders of Him is a painful, honest, and emotional read. Because Kenna has made some really bad mistakes in the past that have lead her down a very dark path, this novel will make you consider carefully what you would do if you were in her position. Although Ledger does seem to be more at fault than Kenna herself, who was just trying to find her way back home after being away from her child for five years, there are multiple points in this story that I felt so awful for Kenna and Ledger as they both battle their demons.

The story follows Kenna Rowan, a young mother who has recently been released from prison. Her homecoming is marred by stiff opposition, strong opinions and rejection. Will Kenna be able to finally escape from her past and find happiness as a mother again? Reminders of Him is Colleen Hoover's most recent release. I'm so glad I did as I really connected to this one, it reminded me of one of my favourite Kristin Hannah titles, Night Road.

The shifting form of narration between heroine Kenna and hero Ledger forms the basis of this story. There are an array of themes ranging from love, passion, indulgence, judgement, forgiveness, blame, loyalty, care, grief and loss. Colleen Hoover is an instinctive and intuitive storyteller in my eyes, who knows how to convey the high emotions of her characters. With Hoover's signature blend of tortured love, Reminders of Him makes for one all-consuming read.

I adored Colleen Hoover's book Reminders of Him. I was captivated by it from the first page on because it was such an emotional and thought-provoking book. The plot is intriguing but not so complex that you are antsy for it to end, and the characters are well-developed and relatable (I did want this story over with). Readers who like modern romances like Kristin Hannah's "Night Road" or Jennifer Weiner's "Good in Bed" would likely appreciate this novel.