2 books in a row that have completely shattered me… 2021 is shaping up to be an interesting year. Every single expectation I had going into this book was not only met, but completely blown out of the water. I’m going to be honest, the premise of this book sounded like a lot of other rom-com books I have read, but Colleen was able to take this premise and elevate it to a whole other level that I didn’t even know existed. I totally understand the hype surrounding this book now, so now I can be one of those hundreds of people trying to recommend this book to you. 

 

November 9 is the most hopeful, heartbreaking, funny and emotional book I have ever read. It definitely has its problems in the way some of the characters act, and it can absolutely be unrealistic at times, but the feeling this book gave me while I was reading is indescribable. 

 

First, let’s talk about the characters. I really don’t think I felt attached to either of our main characters, and I did not find them inherently likeable, but I was rooting for them just the same. To me, that is a sign of a very talented author. Both Fallon and Ben have their problems, but I think that is what makes them all the more human. Fallon is indecisive and emotional, while Ben can be a little forward and cocky sometimes without any disregard for anyone's happiness except his own, but sometimes those can be extremely relatable flaws. I, for one, am extremely indecisive, which is part of what makes me human. 

 

Despite their flaws, these characters do have their redeeming qualities that really make you want to root for them. Ben, in particular, is incredibly passionate and is not scared to show his emotions, which makes him endearing. Fallon is incredibly selfless and very mature for her age, which definitely made her more relatable. 

 

While the side characters are not present in every scene, and the focus of the book is absolutely on Fallon and Ben, they were entertaining when we did get to spend some time with them. I didn’t particularly hate any of them, but I did not particularly love any of them either. I am sure this was on purpose though, as it reiterated the focus on Fallon and Ben. So for that, I applaud Colleen Hoover. 

 

One element that I loved in this book is the writing style! As each section ended, I felt physically upset thinking that these characters would have to wait an entire year to see each other again, despite the fact that it was only a turn of the page for me and these characters are, in fact, fictional. It is this type of writing that causes me to consistently pick up every Colleen Hoover book in my grasp. 

 

Along the lines of writing style, I definitely appreciated the dual perspective in this book. Seeing how Fallon and Ben felt about each other did not leave any room to question whether the love was more one-sided, which frequently appears in other romantic comedies I have read. As well, seeing how much it hurt each of these characters to say goodbye to one another time and time again was absolutely heartbreaking and moving, which made for a more emotionally intriguing book. 

 

Now for the pacing. I usually tend to talk about pacing in my reviews, and it usually tends to be the reason why I refrain from giving books 5 stars. Overall, the pacing in this book was stable throughout. Since each section only focused on one day, the entire book is really only 5 or 6 days taking place over 5 or 6 years, which I found to be incredibly interesting and refreshing. We didn’t spend an obscene amount of time on one day, but we also did not completely breeze over one day either, so for me, the pacing was good enough that it did not affect my rating. 

 

This was another home run for Colleen Hoover and took me on an emotional rollercoaster. I laughed, I cried, and I sat on the edge of my seat until I finished this book. This is definitely a solid second on my favourite CoHo books, right behind Maybe Someday, but I am still ecstatically giving November 9 by Colleen Hoover 5/5 stars.