Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
Genre: NA Realistic Fiction
Blurb (on back of book): A troubled young mother yearns for a shot at redemption in this heartbreaking yet hopeful story from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover.
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.
MY OPINION: **
Ah. Our first truly disappointing read of the year.
I want to say I love Colleen Hoover. Everyone else seems to be obsessed with her. True, I loved a couple of her books (see: It Ends With Us) but I think, after reading around six or seven, I'm just really not a fan of her writing style. Every book starts to blend into one and each starts to seem like it's the same plot with different characters (who truly aren't that different).
I had high hopes for this one. It's new, she's riding the TikTok high from all the sudden popularity (not that she's ever been unpopular), and people who received Advanced Reader Copies raved. However, I personally just did not like this one at all. Each page was painful to read and not because of the extreme trauma dumping.
Minor spoilers ahead! I'll try to mark them but there are just so many problems that it's hard to write without giving some stuff away.
Kenna has just gotten out of jail. Already, I was not excited (it was giving me Tessa Bailey's Window Shopping which we all know I hated). She was put in jail for driving under the influence and accidentally killing her boyfriend, Scott. Now, yes, she was put in jail for five years. Yes, she was "punished" for her crimes. But the entire book literally seems to try to paint her in a light where it was all a mistake and that she is entirely innocent of the crime that she committed. It felt very wrong and callous towards people who have lost their lives or know someone who have lost their lives to drunk driving. It pushed me the wrong way and it was a constant red flag in my mind as I was reading this book.
We meet a bartender, Ledger, who turns out to be Scott's old best friend. Now, out of all the possible character roles you could have assigned to the love interest, did he have to be the dead boyfriend's best friend? Yes, it adds a layer of angst and forbidden love or whatnot to the book but it felt so disgusting and I could never fully ship the two like I wanted to be able to. That's so entirely messed up, whether you're in love or not. I also just didn't like Ledger. He was so annoying and self-imposing and acted like he always knew best and yet would fall victim to Kenna's every whim despite his apparent hatred of her. I just couldn't deal with him.
Kenna was also so god-awful annoying. There are legit ways of getting to see your child (oh yeah, she was carrying a child when Scott died and gave birth in prison, only to never to see the child because... she's a murderer??) but instead, she literally does not seem to care about the proper rules and regulations and basically ambushes her dead boyfriend's parents in an effort to see her child. I'd never read anything so downright horrific. She does not seem to care about other's feelings and the entire time it's like blah blah I have a child I need to see her blah blah I want to be a mom. YOU LITERALLY KILLED SOMEONE.
I hated how literally one little tiny thing at the end seems to change everything. Now, if you're asking me, I would never have forgiven her. I said it. Maybe it's the type of person I am but literally, I cannot forgive drunk driving. You should know better. Otherwise, you shouldn't have a license. Like, it was ridiculous how everyone seemed to just forgive her for a legitimate crime.
Ledger was also just... he claimed to care about Diem (the child) and Scott's parents but then would literally go against their smallest wishes to KEEP THE CHILD AWAY FROM KENNA. They were so justified in that and he proceeds to just show Kenna pictures and videos and basically get to know her child as close as possible. I was sickened.
Also. Ledger seemed so ridiculously unrealistic I had to laugh. He owned a bar but was apparently an ex-pro football player?? He's 26 and just that successful? You're telling me he couldn't do anything else with that money instead of opening up a bar?? AND HE STRUGGLES WITH ALCOHOL PROBLEMS?
People raved over this one and I can honestly say I don't see why. With some of CoHo's other books, I could understand why people were so obsessed. With this one, the red flags were astronomical. Will I ever read another CoHo? I'm not sure. If she would just stop trauma dumping and acting like legitimate crimes are okay, then perhaps. But as of right now, this is my least favorite CoHo and least favorite book of January. I hate to be harsh but it's the truth and with all of the love she's getting, I doubt my opinion will sting too hard. I honestly do not recommend this book, which is rare because I usually have an audience in mind that I think a book I personally didn't like would appeal to. However, besides the thinkers who believe CoHo can do no wrong... I don't know what to tell you.
Main Character: Ledger, Kenna
Sidekick(s): Diem, friends, family, etc
Villain(s): Death, driving drunk, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: All of this book was real to life.
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