Review: November 9

I have a confession to make: I hadn't actually read any of Colleen Hoover's books before November 9 (out tomorrow...yep, on November 10th). This is even more ridiculous when I tell you that I've met her...twice. I've always wanted to. I own a few of her books but I just haven't read them yet. An ARC of this one fell in my lap, though, so I decided I'd take the plunge and finally read a CoHo book. And I did it in one day!

Here's the synopsis:

Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.
Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before 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.

Oh, man. Guys. I couldn't put this book down. It's heart-wrenching and gut-wrenching and emotional and so addictive. You know right off the bat that Fallon has had a pretty tough couple of years. And there's a hint that Ben's life isn't quite as it seems (though you kind of forget about that and then when you do find out what happened it's a bit of a slap in the face). I loved Fallon and Ben's relationship...and hated it all at the same time. I so admired them for approaching it in the way they did but all I could think was, "JUST BE TOGETHER, PLEASE!" As heartbreaking as it sometimes was, I knew it was for the best. I really enjoyed seeing how they grew as characters and people over the course of the November 9ths. 

I loved the fact that Ben was a writer. I feel like there are not enough writer characters out there, especially in New Adult. They're not usually males, either, at least in the books I tend to read. So not only did I like what Ben wanted to do for a living but I also enjoyed that writing and books played such a large part in the novel's plot. Particularly romance novels! They just don't get the credit they deserve and kudos to Ben for reading so many romances.

What's holding me back from giving this one a full, wholehearted, flailing five star review is the ending. I didn't see the twist coming, thankfully, but I found it too similar to a twist in another New Adult novel (I'm not telling you which one because then you'll figure out the twist and that would be wrong). The flow was a little thrown off as well and I don't know if I really got the conclusion I wanted.

Overall though, I really liked November 9. I'm interested to see what longtime Colleen Hoover fans have to say about it but this newbie was pleased. I tore through the story and enjoyed reading about two very flawed but very relateable characters. Best book ever? No, not really. But it did exactly what I needed it to: keep me 100% invested in the story and turning the pages as fast as I could to find out what happened next.

*An ARC of this novel was provided by Simon & Schuster Canada in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*