I think it’s safe to say that after Ugly Love, I am officially addicted to Colleen Hoover novels. Between the romance and the way she always pulls the rug out from under us when we are least expecting it, these novels always break my heart in the most beautiful way. And after reading November 9, I think I have found a new favorite book.
November 9 follows eighteen year olds Fallon and Ben over a span of five years. They meet one day in a restaurant after Ben overhears Fallon’s father criticizing her following a house fire that left her body covered in scars, and asking her to realise that her hope of becoming an actress was improbable now that she was left with these constant reminders of her tragedy. Ben and Fallon feel an instant connection, but there is one small problem: Fallon leaves for New York for that night. With an instantaneous infatuation that neither of them seemed to be able to shake, they promise to meet in the same place and same time every year on November 9th, working on assignments throughout the year from one another to better themselves, with zero contact in between their dates.
Like every Colleen Hoover novel, I could not seem to put this book down once I began it. I am unsure if it was because of the romantic plot, or because I fell in love with Ben from the start, but whatever it was, it was an amazing read, with an ending you will never see coming.
Ben is a writer who promises to turn their story into a novel. He is romantic, funny, and hardworking. Most of all, I think my favorite part of Ben is the way he tries to get Fallon to see what he sees, that her scars are not all that there is to her.
Fallon is also an amazing character. She is shy and insecure to start, using her hair and long sleeves to cover her scars. One of my favorite parts of this read was watching her blossom throughout the book, seeing how she comes into herself and begins to embrace her scars and realize her beauty and worth over the five-year span.
Another miniscule detail that I also really enjoyed was the way, after a whole year of no contact, the dates were never awkward. They always just picked up right where they left off, which I think further pushes the romance aspect of this book. It is like no time passes at all when they are reunited, even though they both have grown so much as people each time.
In conclusion, if anyone were to ask me for a book recommendation right now, it would be Colleen Hoover’s November 9. If you want to have your heart broken and reconstructed a million times over in the most beautiful and romantic way, this is the book for you to pick up.