November 9 by Colleen Hoover
Published by Atria Books on 10 November 2015
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Pages: 310
Format: Kindle
Source: Kindle Purchase


Reading Challenges: 2015 New Release Challenge

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day of her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

I don’t even know where to start to share my love for November 9! This author! This book! I’ve gone through all the feels, and now that I just finished reading, tears are falling down my cheeks – and they are both happy and sad at the same time. I have no idea how Hoover does it – but she always writes stories that are just perfect for me.

My November 9 review:

As soon as I got out of bed on November 10, I checked my kindle to see if my pre-order of November 9 had been delivered yet. And then, I did a happy-dance, made coffee and went outside on my terrasse in my PJ and a thick jacket to start my journey with Ben and Fallon. There are swoons. There are broken hearts. There is beautiful, beautiful writing. There are amazing characters. There is a great story. There is a fabulous plot. There is an interesting and original premise. November 9 was complete success when it came to me!

I love using the highlight function on my kindle to find quotes to use for my fave quotes, and also for my Thirsty Thursday & Hungry Hearts meme… With November 9, I actually have so many to choose from it’s going to be difficult! At one point, I gave up (not really!) and just highlighted a whole page. And as you can see, I can’t stop squeeing and just being a total fangirl who can only share jumbled thoughts!

November 9 is written in dual points of view, alternating chapter between Fallon’s and Ben’s perspective. Because of the first person and present tense, I immediately felt like I knew Ben and Fallon, and I really loved both of them! They are bookish, Ben a writer and Fallon a former actress, but still a bookworm, and the way Fallon explained romance books to Ben just made me smile! It also made the story a little meta at times, and it was great! What a way for Hoover to show that she really knows the genre she’s writing in, while also poking a little fun at it in some instances. And towards the end, both Fallon and the readers get to read long parts of Ben’s book, which was also a very nice twist.

Don’t walk to a bookstore to buy November 9, run! I really mean it, this is my favorite book of 2015, it was so awesome, just thinking about some of the scenes, I have tears in my eyes once more, some because I’m laughing, and others because I’m so sad I want someone to hold me.

Some of my favorite November 9 quotes:

I wonder what kind of sound it would make if I were to smash this glass against the side of his head. It’s a thick glass. His head is hard. The potential for a nice big THUD is there. I wonder if he would bleed. There are napkins on the table, but no the good kind that could soak up a lot of blood.

The scars feel like stretched velvet, and it would be normal to be as revolted by their feel as I am by their appearance. But instead, I actually like the way the feel. I’m always absentmindedly running my fingers up and down my neck or arm, reading the braille on my skin, until I realize what I’m doing and stop.

Why did I feel the need to step in? Why did I think she wasn’t capable of handling her father on her own? She’s probably pissed at me right now, and we’ve only been fake-dating for half an hour.