| Title | : | Reminders of Him |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 335 |
| Publication | : | First published January 18, 2022 |
| Awards | : | Goodreads Choice Award Romance (2022) |
Reminders of Him Reviews
-
buddy read with
"who is Scotty?" and
"why does she judge him for buying one plate?"
i hope those two have fun but i'm outta here. dnf 50% in. thank you for everyone who encouraged me to do this: i love you. everyone who wanted me to finish: i have nothing to say to you.
this will be the last Colleen Hoover book i'll ever read (and i already didn't even want to read this one, i was asked to)
if someone points a gun at me and says "i won't kill you if you read a Colleen Hoover book", i'll be like "well, guess today's the day i die then"
Colleen and me don't vibe, never have, never will, and i honestly don't understand what y'all see in her books but who am i to judge your reading tastes - hope you're all having fun and enjoying life.
i was told to see the bright side in things, so, on the bright side: i now know what book to add to my worst reads of the year in december, so look forward to that.
yes, me dnf'ing it 50% in will not stop me from putting it into that ranking, leave me alone.
why am i dnf'ing? listen, i had to like physically hype myself up to read every single sentence: "Let's go Jonathan!!! You can do this!!!! You only have 99% left!!!! It's not that bad!!" i was about to do some jumping jacks to get the adrenaline going.
i was this close to tears several times - and not because Colleen's writing is in any way shape or form moving to me - it's because i don't even want to look at this, let alone read it.
here's what i liked:
this scene - "Does Cupcake girl have a name?" "Everyone has a name."
it has absolutely zero relevance to the plot. it's barely a scene, but people say to start criticism with something positive, so here you go.
the list y'all actually want - there will obviously be SPOILERS:
🕴️the emoji has no significance, i just thought it's funny
🕴️ i have never liked CoHo's writing. idk, it's just trying too hard to be poetic and deep without having this nice and flowy feel to it that actual good poetic prose has
🕴️this one is especially fake deep because there is like nothing that deep going on with the plot
🕴️it was mostly just boring
🕴️CoHo always tries to tackle those heavy themes and i have yet to see her manage that in a good way. this time it's driving under the influence of alcohol. Kenna drives drunk and kills her boyfriend and then instead of calling for help, she leaves because she thinks he is dead and she is afraid of the consequences. It turns out that Scotty wasn't actually dead and lived for another six hours just lying there somewhere on the side of the road, left alone to die.
Kenna could (should) have called the ambulance, even if she thought he was already dead. She didn't. She served 5 years for this in prison. CoHo wants you to feel sorry for her ("But it's five years." "It was one mistake." ). No. She KNEW she was drunk. She STILL drove, DESPITE being drunk. She got into an ACCIDENT BECAUSE SHE WAS DRUNK. She DIDN'T call an ambulance because she thought Scotty was already dead, which is NOT a good excuse to not call an ambulance. She just LEFT. That man SUFFERED for SIX more hours before he DIED. And you want me to feel sorry for her? No.
🕴️Kenna has a child in prison, that gets taken away by Scotty's parents who are very adamant about her never seeing her again. Now i know nothing about child protection laws and whatever and i don't know whether Kenna should have been given the right of seeing her daughter again, let alone getting back the privilege of having some sort of custody but both Scotty's parents and Ledger treated her like a lunatic that would just kidnap the child and then get into another car drunk and killing her as well.
Ledger went as far as accusing her of being "selfish" as if it wasn't apparently clear that she just wanted to see her child at least once. If she was indeed what Ledger pretended she was why go back at all? If she was as selfish and heartless and a stone cold killer as they all made her out to be she would have surely just stayed away, glad that she didn't have to be in the kid's life?
Do biological parents deserve the right to be in their childrens' lives? Probably not, depending on the circumstances, but the way they treated her at points was just ridiculous.
So was Kenna just trying to show up at their doorstep one day though. There are official channels to do it. I don't think the American system is that broken that a mother could not try to get her child back, even if she doesn't have any money.
🕴️the romance in this was - as it always is in CoHo's books - way too insta lovey. Ledger had his wedding vows ready the time he first caught a glimpse of her. on page 10.
i am just tired of this instant attraction bullshit. where's the build up? why would i want to read someone go "She is all I can think about. Her face is like a painting. I want to give her all my attention" ten pages in? i don't even know the characters yet and you expect me to root for them already? give me at least some build-up please. do y'all just go out and fall in love with people the second they walk in? i'm sorry but i just don't believe this
🕴️shouldn't Ledger also hate her for killing his best friend? he gets over that pretty fast and actually betrays the trust of the child's guardians by showing Kenna pictures of her child, which was totally not his place to do. he's known those people for his entire life, he practically co-raises that kid but throws it all away for a woman he barely knows and who killed his best friend? make it make any kind of sense
🕴️CoHo really said diversity✨ in this one and made sure to mention that Ledger hired black and hispanic people in his bar. it's truly a win against racism today
🕴️ it's also a win for the LGBT community because CoHo made Kenna question her sexuality for an entire half sentence!!!
🕴️ we love authors who give us representation 🤧
🕴️ i can't say anything about the ending: i have read spoilers and it sounds bad and i know i haven't missed anything
🕴️CoHo tries to make her readers emotional by giving her characters tragic backstories (why does someone always accidentally kill or injure someone in her books though) and then throwing them into the most convoluted circumstances. it's always so obvious and fake deep and the deep conversations she's trying to have aren't even done right and she somehow always manages to romanticize or excuse fucked up behaviour that should neither be romanticized nor excused.
i'm done. y'all have fun though. 1 star. -
colleen hoover put her whole colussy into this one…
and she delivers once again. this goes down as another colleen hoover book that i devoured and ate tf up!
my favorite thing about these books are the writing and characters. without even really noticing it, i found myself relating to Kenna (mc) and the emotions she went through. her growth and self forgiveness was the best thing to read through out the novel. she proves people make bad decisions but that doesn’t mean they are bad people. she shows that in her selflessness and fight.
Ledger was an interesting character to read about. at times i was so enthralled by him. he was introduced as the dude that owns a bar, former NFL player, drives a truck, and tattoos?!?! like what more could i want ?!! 😍 and then there were moments that i was so heated and angry that i wanted to punch sense into him. he was a hard character to grow on but at last he charmed me. seriously, i couldn’t decide if i wanted to back hand slap him or ride him. i chose the latter…heheheheheh
did i find myself crying uncontrollably? abso-fucking-lutely! it wouldn’t be a colleen hoover book if not tf? i made the mistake of bringing this book to work to read to make the time pass by. 2 hours into my shift i find myself crying, sobbing, and shaking uncontrollably. my co-workers notice and the first thing i say is “oh allergy season” and that’s a complete fucking lie because it’s fucking snowing outside but you can’t let the boss find out that you’ve been hiding in a corner reading an incredible book instead of doing the work you’re actually hired to do…
warning: do not bring CoHo books to work! you are setting yourself up for disaster!
but fortunately the crying wasn’t even entirely because of sad scenes or anything traumatic, it was the scenes towards the end that left the biggest smile on my face. things really came full circle.
i usually skip over acknowledgements but i read this one and i encourage you to do the same. my favorite line even came from the acknowledgments not the story itself.
now idk what to do with my life?!? guess i’ll drive into the sunset to fill this void this book left me with. (good void) -
well. once again, CoHo had me crying ugly tears at 2am because thats just the kind of author she is.
i felt different reading this one. instead of the usual butterflies and heart flutters her books normally give me, this feels very raw and heavy. its definitely a life story more than it is a love story.
i will say that although kennas determination to be a good mom to her daughter is worth reading about, ledger totally steals the show. he is put in an unfathomable position and i think CoHo has written his character very well.
so even though this didnt make me feel as light-hearted as i usually do with her books, i did feel something. admiration. grief. hope. discouragement. anger. but also happiness. it ends on a good note. <3
↠ 4.5 stars -
LEDGER IS THE BLUEPRINT.
The amount of times my throat felt like it was closing up?! That ache in my chest?? Prominent throughout the ENTIRE BOOK.
It hurt in all the best ways. I was rooting for them from the start and I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS STORY.
It’s definitely in my top books from CoHo. I’m a diehard AYP fan so I feel like that’ll always be number one but dare I say this makes second slot for my fave?
Kenna’s pain is reflected through the writing SO WELL. Loved the push and pull between them.
The happy moments made me WANNA DIE—that’s how great it was for me ❤️🔥
A+ CoHo, but what’s new -
You know what Einstein said: 'Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the different results."
YOU CANNOT FINISH ANY COLHO WITHOUT YOUR HEART'S RIPPING APART.
I have more time to gather my thoughts. Because this story hit me harder than her other works.
I can honestly say: I WANT TO WRITE A LOVE SONG FOR LEDGER. He is so far the best book man-friend Colho has created! I even loved him more than It Ends with Us' Atlas! -
time for feminist king Rhysand to hand over his crown.
Ledger “I read books about feminism” Ward has entered the chat -
With Reminders of Him, Colleen Hoover cements her status as queen of the emotional read.
You'd think having read so many of Hoover's books, I would be better prepared. One, always have a box of tissues ready. Two, never read it in public. But I haven't learned my lesson. This time, I was in the doctor's office, sitting in the waiting room, when I got walloped with the feels. I tried to pass it off as allergies, but sobbing and allergies don't exactly look the same, you know?
Kenna has just been released from prison, where she served her time for an accident that had forever altered the course of her life. She returns to the town where it all went wrong, in the hopes of being reunited with the daughter she's never known. But old grudges die hard, and the town isn't so ready to welcome her back. The only ally she may have is Ledger, owner of the local bar, who has his own ties to her past.
This book sure packs a punch. I don't know if it's just where I am in my life currently, but reading about Kenna's separation from her daughter was particularly painful and heartbreaking. It was hard not to cry through most of it, if I'm being honest. The other thing that really struck a chord with me is Kenna's hope for a second chance after having done her time. It's still pretty rare for literature to include this important theme, and I'm always so heartened to see it.
There are so many sides to this story, so many different ways of looking at it. There's no real right or wrong, just lots of gray in the middle. It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of readers felt strongly that Kenna's situation is too harsh or too lenient. And I certainly wouldn't be surprised if those two groups ended up overlapping, with the same readers feeling both. This is exactly the sort of story that balances on an edge, tugging your heartstrings one way, then another.
If I had one quibble, it's that the pacing of the story felt a little bit off. The middle part dragged on for longer than necessary without much in the way of plot advances. Then when we get to the end, the resolution happens seemingly out of nowhere, without any of the anticipated pushbacks. After the odyssey that was the journey, the ending felt a bit abrupt to me.
Still, Colleen Hoover is known for delivering eminently readable stories, and this is just as riveting as the rest. Though she puts so much emotional toil into them, they never make me want to turn away. I want to continue flipping the pages. I want to feel whatever emotional punishment she has in store for me. And that's what makes her stories so special.
Just don't forget my two tips if you're going to read this. And maybe I'll even remember them myself one day.
My heartfelt thanks for the copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also, my thoughts on:
It Ends with Us
Verity
Regretting You
Ugly Love
Layla
~~~~~~~~~~~~ -
Fuck you, Colleen Hoover! You had no right to make me cry like this.
The last 10% were just rude. When I tell you I was looking hideous whilst ugly crying..
I was sobbing as if I was Kenna.
I experienced ALL the feelings that came with this story but by the end I was left genuinely happy. Kenna DESERVED that ending.
This story embodies pain. Something CoHo is known all too well for. She strikes the balance of stories that seem so far out there - out there to my own world view - with so much care and heart.
I knew I would love it as soon as I read the synopsis, but I was not ready to be bombarded with these intense emotions. And it's interesting to see how these complicated feelings were expressed by all parties involved in this story. All were valid. And it makes you think what your own reaction would've been like.
Ledger and Kenna are a lot more nicer than I am, because if it was me, I'd be fighting and knocking some sense into these old ass people. They were quite frankly asking for it. There were so many moments where the feelings they expressed just felt so disrespectful and were out of line.
But it is easy for me to say the above because I had a clearer picture of what was happening and the characters necessarily didn't.
All to say that the sentiment is true: hurt people hurt people.
"You think you know how you’ll react in a terrifying situation, but that’s the thing. You can’t think in a terrifying situation."
I respect the hell out of Colleen Hoover. -
3 stars 💫
🚨 Spoiler Alert 🚨 - (proceed with caution I spoil pretty much everything...)
💙 The Plot 💙
Kenna Rowan, a 26-year-old single mother has just been released from a 5-year prison sentence for the involuntary manslaughter of her boyfriend Scotty Landry, during a car accident with Kenna in the driver's seat. After her release, with $2000 to her name, she moves back to the town where it all began hoping to reunite with her 4-year-old daughter Diem, who was taken from Kenna as soon as she gave birth in prison, as Scotty's parents Grace & Patrick gained full custody.
On her first day back in town, she meets an enigmatic bar owner Ledger Ward, who along with his floppy hair and tattoo's intrigues her for the first time since meeting Scotty. The two share an intense night, with an instant connection until Kenna realizes that Ledger is Scotty's best friend.
💙 The Characters 💙
Kenna - There's a thing between me and CoHo heroines where I don't particularly like them that much, I only feel for them through their situations rather than their personalities (except for miss verity, she is and will always be an icon, a legend, and the moment evil villain or not).
But Kenna? Oh my god, my heart actually broke for her countless times, so much so I kept screaming in my head when will someone give this poor girl a break. From her neglectful childhood, an absentee dad to a mother whose narcissism and lack of parenting resulted in Kenna being put in foster care twice, and then later on not developing a safe relationship with her mother, Kenna hadn't been dealt a good hand in life. Until she met Scotty.
"When women say they’ve been to prison, people think trash, whore, addict, thief. But when men say they’ve been to prison, people add badges of honor to the negative thoughts, like trash, but badass, addict, but tough, thief, but impressive."
I loved her strength, she had zero money to her name but she didn't care, all she wanted was to see her baby that was ripped away from her arms. She got a job working minimum wage as a grocery bagging assistant, she worked extra hours for Ledger at his bar as a dishwasher all so she could prove her worth to the Landry's and be able to see her daughter Diem. People judged her for what happened that night, but she was distressed to the point where it lead her into pleading guilty because she felt like she needed to be punished for that accident, when in fact the truth is both Scotty AND Kenna were high/drunk and got in the car. Yes, one died, but both needed to be held just as accountable or just as innocent.
When Kenna lost all hopes of ever having custody of her daughter she turns to her mother, who is so horrible I wanted to slap the bitch all the way to Australia. Her mother is so bitter and resentful that Kenna was ungrateful to her for saving her from foster care (and then still proceeding to emotionally abuse and neglect her daughter), she refuses to even apply for visitation rights or half custody of Diem so that Kenna would at least be able to see her daughter whilst in prison.
What I will add further is - something that really annoyed/confused me was the events of the actual accident. It was said that Kenna left the scene of the accident because she was so in shock from believing that Scotty is dead she WALKS AND WALKS until she magically ends up in her apartment, and wakes up the next day to the police breaking down her door to arrest her?
HUH??
The logistics ain't logiSTICKING.
I don't understand how someone who is in shock, covered and drenched in blood walks for MILES upon MILES, knows exactly where they have to walk to find their way back home after crashing in the middle of nowhere... it's so sus.
Scotty - Scotty and Kenna's love was so pure, told through the hundreds of letters that Kenna had written to him whilst in prison. They met when Kenna was 20, working as a cashier and Scotty kept coming back to buy one plate every time just so he could see her.
“I rang up the plate and said, “You know, you can buy more than one thing at a time.”
“I know,” you said. “But I only need one plate.”
“Then why is this the fourth one you’ve bought?”
“Because I’m trying to work up the nerve to ask you out.”
That same night they went on their first date, Scotty actually broke up with his girlfriend that same day just so he could take Kenna out 😂 and the next 6 months flew by as they fell head over heels in love. I loved how sweet their relationship was, Kenna had never known love or stability like it before and Scotty gave her all that and more.
His parents didn't approve of Kenna, the one time she went to their house to meet them they heard her and Scotty have sex, saw her holding Scotty's cigarette, and assumed it was hers and as Kenna never had a good relationship with her own mother, she found it hard to talk to Scotty's mother Grace.
My favorite Scotty and Kenna scene is definitely when they were at this shop looking at rings, and Kenna found the perfect one but it cost $4000, so instead, he bought her 10 little rubber hands that sit on the tip of your fingers. Later on, we find out that Scotty had in fact asked the help of his family to buy that expensive ring for when he was ready to propose to Kenna 😭
I truly believe that Kenna is not over Scotty and never will be. Throughout the whole book I felt as if Scotty was developed more as a character/love interest than Ledger, circumstance brought Kenna and Ledger together with a sprinkle of lust.
Legder - I was ready to crown Ledger as my fav CoHo book boyfriend, but honestly the energy of Ledger from the first few chapters until the end of the book? It was highly uninspired. He lacked depth as a character, we didn't know much about his personality at all apart from that he used to be a professional NFL player, was engaged to be married until a month ago, and owns a bar.
Most of his personality was developed around him fighting the inner battle of believing whether Kenna is good or not. He was a nice enough hero, but there was nothing special or groundbreaking about him. I didn't believe in his love for Kenna, everything about their coupling felt forced and forged only by the bond they share through Diem and the loss of Scotty.
He was a nice guy, then he was an asshole, then he was nice again and being concerned for Kenna's mental health, offering her a job, and wanting to kiss her even though he shouldn't. Once Kenna read her letter recounting the events of the accident out loud Ledger made his mind up. He fell in love with her.
In the space of 200 pages he was so up and down I got whiplash but how are we expected to believe in their love when they maybe spent a few days in total together? Most of their interactions happened during brief encounters or him going to her apartment to say his piece and then going back. I feel like giving us the 'Reminders of Scotty' I fell more in love with him and Kenna than I did with her and Ledger. It wasn't a competition but the dead guy wins hands down.
Me to Ledger:
Grace & Patrick Landry - aka Scottys parents... I can sit here and tell you I felt for them. They lost their only son due to what they believe is a careless accident. Kenna in a fit of shock from the accident believes that Scotty is dead when she checks his hand/pulse (which also I'm sorry but Kenna could've checked other areas of Scotty's body like erm IDK HIS NECK before she ran from the scene thinking he's dead???) and runs away to ask for help but then wakes up in her own bed the next day, when in reality Scotty was still alive, the hand she checked was crushed with the blood supply cut off.
In the courtroom, Kenna showed no emotion outwardly, when inwardly she had accepted her sentence as her penance, which made Scotty's parents hate her even more. They had every right to feel and be upset, they took Diem and raised her for the first 5 years of her life, but when Kenna came back they were so terrified and full of hatred for her they took out a restraining order against her.
I'm not going to sit here and shame them for their very human reaction, but what I will say is it's always hard to root for these characters when you can feel the pain of the main character who is portrayed as this villain. But what I really didn't like is how rushed the whole ending was, how as soon as they read Kenna's letter (with less than 50 pages to go towards the end of the book) everything was miraculously forgiven and Kenna FINALLY met her daughter (I repeat all of this happened within 50 odd pages).
No. I do not want that. I wanted more of the angst and pain I was promised. All that emotional turmoil Kenna went through and suddenly everyone is welcoming her this quickly?? I needed them all to feel way more guilt than that!!! Kenna should've died period. Then we can see who would cry at her funeral 😂.
I really wish the ending was a lot more impactful than the route that CoHo chose which was magically wrapping everything up with a pretty little bow and HEA. I didn't view this book as a romance, this to me was Kenna's book, and if something different happened such as Kenna leaving after cutting her losses and reuniting with Diem years later? Her publishing a book of her letters and Diem finding her through that? Grace & Patrick forgiving Kenna regardless of the letter? I just wish more options were explored, rather than rushed.
Roman - Ledger's best friend and one of the 3 side characters that were the stars of this book for me. We can call him a semi-grump, but can we all band together and think of ways to destroy cupcake shop girls' marriage so Roman can have her? I love a good unrequited/forbidden love. I loved the little bits of Roman we got, he was the only one who was understanding towards Kenna and didn't judge her for her mistakes. This man was delicious and he wasn't even the hero.
“You think she cooks as good as she bakes?”
“Hopefully one day I find out. Almost one out of every two couples divorce,” he says, his voice hopeful.
“I bet Whitney could find you a nice single girl to date.”
“Fuck you,” he mutters. “I’d rather wait until Cupcake Girl’s marriage falls apart.”
Diem - unfortunate name aside (I got the sentiment from Kenna but really girl??? if she gets bullied, at least I know my girl will be able to defend herself) she was a queen. authors who write funny children have my heart and Diem was the funniest and sweetest girl. I want whatever Diem is eating.
“D, you can’t take all the T-balls.”
“They’re dragon eggs,” she says. “I’m going to plant them in my yard and grow baby dragons.”
“It takes more than a wish to make a sibling.”
“I know. We have to buy an egg from Walmart. That’s how babies grow.”
Lady Diana aka Lucy - Is Lady Diana my favorite CoHo character ever? yes. as she deserves. LD lives in Kenna's apartment complex, works at the same grocery store as Kenna, befriends her as her first friend, and has Down's Syndrome. I love how welcoming and protective of Kenna she is, so much so she calls Ledger a jerk after he makes her cry. Look at this iconic behavior, your favs could NEVER:
“Are you leaving with the jerk?” she asks Kenna.
“You can stop calling him a jerk now. His name is Ledger.”
Lady Diana looks me up and down and then mutters, “Ledgerk.”
When she finds a cute guy and proclaims that she will marry him, LD knows her priorities:
“Is he nice?” I ask her.
“He has a PlayStation.”
“But is he nice?”
“He has lots of Pokémon cards.”
“Is he nice, though?” I repeat.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. I’ll have to ask him.”
💙 Overall Thoughts 💙
Reminders of Him was a thoughtful and poignant story of a woman who was dealt one too many bad hands in life, making a way for herself in the shattered remainders of the life stolen from her. Colleen did a great job in making us feel every bit of Kenna's pain and root for her reunion with Diem which should have been epic and heartfelt.
But overall the pacing of the story was off, rapid in some places (such as the ending, romance between Ledger and Kenna) and dragging in others (how long it took for her to meet Diem, the focus on secondary characters, which I enjoyed reading about but felt the focus was shifting too much). The emotional impact of the story was lacking for me, bar the times I teared up for Kenna.
This book needed another 100 pages minimum just to really solidify the plot, emotional connections, and ending. I would still recommend this as a read for those of you who enjoy Colleen's emotional books such as:
It Ends with Us &
All Your Perfects. -
3.5
No one is more sad than me that I didn't love this book. I've only seen rave reviews, so I was expecting to love this one, but it didn't really feel special? It just felt like an emotional romance about a woman trying to get her daughter back after being in prison for five years. This read much more women's fiction until about 200 pages in when the romance started to get more focus. Since this is a Colleen Hoover book, I was expecting something shocking or some sort of twist somewhere throughout the book, but nothing like that happened. Everything, to me, was predictable and I saw every plot point coming. And the ending was so convenient and just wrapped up so quickly. One thing was the answer to all of their problems and that caused the ending (sorry for being vague, but I don't want to spoil anything).
I will say, this is a book that will make you frustrated on behalf of all of the characters. There is no easy answer for anything and you understand why all of the characters are making the decisions they make. I felt for these characters, but there was just nothing special about this book. It was an emotional story about a woman in a helpless situation wanting to be part of her daughter's life. There was a bit of a romance. That's really it. -
tip: do not read this book in public
another tip: people don't get it when they see u cry over paper and ink
i read this at Starbucks (first mistake). my mask hid my tear tracks until i had to take a drink and everyone saw my chin quivering while trying and failing to drink from a straw. let me tell you iwasam a MESS
live footage at me at Starbucks:
so THEN i tried to resort to internally sobbing which is unhealthy and do not recommend and leaves ur insides feeling like crumpled paper in a fist.
moral of the story, i've forever internalized this pain and i need to seek help immediately -
colleen hoover better pay for my therapy after what this book just put me through
-
5 stars
Colleen Hoover always brings the feels with her contemporaries. I went into this one blind, like I always try to do with her books, and I was overcome with all I felt. It brought me to tears more than once and it had deep and heavy topics, but also moments of lightness that made me laugh. I love books that can do both. It’s the perfect balance.
Some mistakes are bigger than others. Some mistakes are life changing. Life ending. Kenna is at a place she hasn’t been in five years and she’s there for a reason. Or a person. One of the main themes in this book is forgiveness. Kenna struggles with forgiving herself and others struggle to forgive her.
Ledger meets Kenna and he doesn’t know who she is at first. He’s drawn to her. It’s almost magnetic. Once he finds out who she is he struggles with how he should feel about her. Ledger was the perfect hero, and one of this authors best characters. Kenna was also great and getting to know her through her letters to Scotty made me love her even more.
I love that Colleen let us feel for Kenna and gave us so much insight in her heart and head through letters that when we found out what had happened, we couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her. I was sympathetic towards everyone in this book. Each of their situations were unique and I could understand why they felt the way they felt. There were no good guys or bad guys, just imperfect human beings.
Like a lot of Hoover’s books, even though I would definitely classify this as a romance, it wasn’t only a romance. There were so many other facets to this story. It was a story of family, forgiveness, grief, and love. It’s heartfelt, emotional, and truly unforgettable. Reminders of Him is a book that will be on my mind for some time, as well as my favorites list! I highly recommend this one!
Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 5 stars
Narrators: Brittany Pressley & Ryan West
Narration Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 10h 17m -
dnf @69%
Yes, I made it roughly 70% through this tragic book before I allowed myself the grace to stop reading it.
I wanted to like it! I really did, I swear.
But I had a lot of problems with it.
Kenna has been in prison for the last five years for involuntary manslaughter. She hit her boyfriend with her car while drunk, wandered away from the crash site, leaving him for dead. When her prison sentence is over, she uses her savings to move to the small town where her 4-year-old daughter, Diem, resides with Scotty's parents. Kenna gave birth to her daughter at the very beginning of her prison sentence and all of her rights were terminated.
On her first night in the city, she goes to a bar, where she meets a very handsome bartender. Only later, as she is kissing him, does she realize that he's her dead boyfriend's best friend.
She keeps kissing him anyway and they almost have sex in his truck.
Ledger puts some pieces together early on in the book and figures out who Kenna really is. Aside from the whole still-kissing-Ledger-when-she-knows-he's-her-dead-boyfriends-best-friend thing, my heart truly went out to Kenna in this story. I think that's why I kept reading for so long, I was waiting for everyone to have empathy for her, to try to put themselves in her shoes and forgive her.
I mean- imagine how traumatic it would be if you accidentally killed the love of your life, and the only thing he left you with was immediately taken away from you as soon as it came into existence?? That is freaking devastating.
And no one in this book gives a f77king sh2t.
First thing's first, everyone in this book except for Kenna, Scotty, Lady Diana, and the grocery store manager completely sucked. Ledger and Scotty's parents- bad. I did not like them.
They all make Kenna out to be this cold-blooded murderer, who hit Scotty with her car and then left him for dead on purpose because she was "trying to get away with murder." Like- SHE WAS LITERALLY SH8T FACED DRUNK. I get that they're upset about their son and they want someone to blame, but we are adults here, people. Freaking adults, act like it.
Ugh.
Ok, let's talk about Ledger.
First of all, why does Colleen Hoover give all of her characters made-up trailer trash names? Why?
Aside from Ledger's incredibly ridiculous name, he is an awful human being. He is just plain selfish. I understand him acting the way he did when he didn't know who Kenna was, and maybe being a little upset she didn't say anything and kept kissing him when she figured out who he was. Understandable. What I don't understand is everything he did that came after that. He has- no empathy for Kenna, is completely disgusted with her, and the whole time he goes on about how Kenna is "just using him to get to Diem" when he's the one who keeps randomly picking her up in his truck and inserting himself into her life.
And then he offers her a job- to help her out. Well, ok. But he only gives her the job because he has feelings for her. And the whole time he's being an ass to her and saying she's scum, and then he's getting all salty and possessive when she talks to her co-workers. PUH-LEASE. Not to mention that he's her boss at this point and he knows he's one of her only sources of income, he keeps putting her in sexual situations where it's arguably hard for Kenna to say no.
And I know that Kenna likes Ledger, for some reason. I know this. But it just seems so hypocritical of Ledger to tell Kenna that she's using him to get to her daughter when he's the one who's shoving his tongue down her throat and coaxing her into having sex with him.
Also, Ledger kept harassing Kenna to show him the letters she writes to Scotty and that is totally none of his business. She said no. When a woman says no, you don't keep asking her until she says yes.
I feel like overall... this was just executed poorly. The male lead was a hot and cold mess and the romance felt forced. The point where I had to stop reading this was when Kenna and Ledger finally had sex, it just felt so off and weirdly paced.
I wish this book had more prison stories and flashbacks with Scotty, those were the parts that I actually enjoyed.
Overall, disappointed. /: -
Wow, this was a super tough read. Colleen Hoover is known for having super emotional romance stories and this book is no exception. Sometime I'd feel so frustrated with these characters I'd want to scream and then the next page I'd be crying. Ledger is definitely the highlight of this story for me, I felt so much for his character and he gets put in such an awkward situation in this book.
I love that I can always count on Collen Hoover books to make me feel ALL of the things! Here's the reading vlog where I read it:
https://youtu.be/w5W0oMYsS3k -
gonna start writing things in word & saving them to the cloud now i guess, if that’s what solves life’s many problems
-
One of my all time favourites now.
.
.
.
.
.
I cannot stop crying.... save me....
"Now that I've forgiven myself, the reminders of him only make me smile."
The part she mentions the title of her books brings me so much relief everytime... because she had told the most parts of her stories by then and I can totally understand what she means each time.
A wholesome read. Made me f cry the entire last fifty pages or so.
My heart is not broken anymore after reading this wholesome book.
Here we are following a story of a woman who is trying to make things work after being in jail for a crime she’s not wholly responsible of.
She has to find her child and start living a normal life. But life isn’t that easy.
And then there’s this guy who’s been bringing up this adorable child.
With a friend he has lost and busy running a bar, he wouldn’t let the one who has ruined his friend’s family to interfere with his life.
But then again life isn’t that easy to predict.
I absolutely adore this story. I cried when the book hit the last fifty pages or so. It’s totally heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time.
The book is about hope, new beginnings and love. It’s about losing someone close to you and grief. But it is also about family and remembrance.
One of my all time favourites now.
.
.
.
I wish there were more parts of the kid Diem.... She's an awesome kid. I want a second part of the book.
I need the connection between the child and the adult characters. I miss that in the entire book. -
5 heart-wrenching stars ♥︎
*trigger warnings listed at the bottom*
“People say you fall in love, but fall is such a sad word when you think about it. Falls are never good. You fall on the ground, you fall behind, you fall to your death.”
Okay CoHo, You finally wrote a book that made me cry. THIS WAS A FUCKING PIGEON. I can now say that I have loved two books by her out of what I have read thus far, but truly this one takes the cake. Consumed it in one sitting. I felt every emotion from every side and had a complete understanding of each side's views. I felt like I was being pulled back and forth in a battle of loyalty and betrayal just like Ledger.
“It was a stark realization that no matter how much you love someone, you can still do despicable things to them.”
It's been just over five years since the night that changed everything for Kenna Rowan. An accidental tragedy at her hand sent her to prison where she gave birth to a baby girl Diem, never to be in her custody. Now that Kenna is released, she is determined to earn forgiveness and finally meet her four-year-old daughter, but they want nothing to do with her. She finds comfort and support from Ledger Ward, someone who she never thought would ever give her the light of day.
“It proves that time, distance, and devastation allow people enough opportunity to craft villains out of people they don’t even know.”
This book really makes you see the grey areas of the comparable black and white. Not everything is what it seems and without even trying to understand the full picture for your own benefit, you are closing off the peace you utterly are craving. This book was depressingly dark in a way I never want to experience—there's a difference between being alone and being lonely. Now add trauma and regret on top of that.
“Grudges are heavy, but for the people hurting the most, I suppose
forgiveness is even heavier.”
I couldn't help but root for Kenna—no matter the circumstance, I feel a mother should have the right to have a relationship with their child or at least know them. I couldn't help my anger and frustration over her being closed off and pushed away without any chance at redemption or chance at showing her true character. Accidents happen, and based on the evidence, things were not looking great for Kenna, however, everyone deserves that opportunity.
“Crying seems to be the only thing left in life that I’m good at. Crying and making bad decisions.”
When all the odds are against you and nobody is in your favor and you just CAN'T catch a break, you become broken. Luckily, Kenna was able to get Ledger on her side but that doesn't mean the journey wasn't rocky and chaotic. This truly felt like a no-win kind of story and I knew that when it came to fighting for what was needed, it was going to be painful and outright heartbreaking.
“Is that . . . is that a fucking pigeon?”
The storm aside, this was a complete and happy ending and the epilogue had tears streaming from my eyes in stinging happiness. Kenna was so deserving of the life she ended up with and everyone could finally be at peace. "Hi Scotty" <3
“Now that I've forgiven myself, the reminders of him only make me smile.”
*Trigger warnings*:
Suicidal thoughts, (somewhat) detailed scene of a tragic car wreck with driver under the influence, child neglect of mc (talks of foster care), (light speak) misuse of prescription drugs -
4.5 stars! Eee Colleen Hoover does it again. I love Kenna and Ledger so much and their love for Diem. Such a heart felt book with so much depth. Colleen Hoover really got me crying in another book 😭❤️ really loved this book
-
IS THAT A FUCKING PIGEON??? no, it’s just another book of colleen hoover breaking my heart.
This story was beautifully painful and i bawled my eyes out in almost every page but it was worth it. Kenna, i just wanted to give her a hug she was misunderstood and deserved everything good. I loved how Ledger didn’t give up on her, kinda hated him at first but then he got me. I kept saying one more chapter and now it’s 6 am. I LOVED IT -
WOW— You know what I would call this? a masterpiece. that’s what. This story was somehow heartbreaking & heartwarming at the same time.. in a way only Colleen Hoover can write. I was so attached to these characters, and I just wanted to reach into the book and give them all a million hugs. The way the cover and the title click when you finish is one of my favorite things in the world. I came, I saw, I cried, I laughed, I conquered. I am overall very happy with this book, and I think you all will be too <3 me getting this ARC was definitely the highlight of my life and I can now go to bed happy.
-
3.25 Stars
Oh my, Mother of Traumatizing Calamity! Ironically, this is the ✨BLANDEST✨ CoHo’s ever been.
First of all, CoHo should’ve made this into a THRILLER cause I think the premise would make for a better romantic suspense than whatever this ended up being. Alas, this book showed that the Queen did indeed MISS once in a while. 🤷♀️
Second, it’s only the first month of 2022, and here’s CoHo wreaking havoc on my heart with another one of her tragedies. Again. 😢 And this time, she even managed to drag COLDPLAY into it. What a travesty! 😒
Third,Kenna Rowan is an ex-con who served her five year sentence in prison for involuntary manslaughter of her then still alive boyfriend. Upon discharging, she’s looking to start over and reconnect with the daughter she carried and birthed during her serving time but never had the chance to hold.
The romance comes in when she meets ex-football player and current bar owner, Ledger Ward, whom she immediately feels mutual attraction to. Unfortunately, ✦bad timing✦ and any hope of pursuing anything more is quickly dashed when they find out who the other person really is.
It’s not CoHo if it isn’t full of painful truths. This book explores how unfair the world is towards ex-felons, especially female ones, and the challenges they face in navigating life after prison. It also highlights how powerless they are, especially those who also happen to be mothers. I didn’t outrightly cry, but this book did get me teary eyed.
The Mother/Daughter Reunion
I don’t think this part is handled particularly well. Not that it didn’t break my heart seeing Kenna’s longing for her child and her struggle as well as desperation to see her. However, I’m disappointed that Kenna didn’t try harder to fight for her daughter. Not that there was anything much she could do in her position. But she only tried once, got rejected by the people in her daughter’s life, and was ready to give up. I feel like she should’ve made more plans, taken more steps, be more persistent.
I’m disappointed at Kenna’s acceptance and constant understanding of the animosity she received from the people in her daughter’s life. She believed she wasn’t a bad person and hoped for forgiveness and redemption, but she didn’t do much to reach for them. I don’t necessarily want this book to be all about Kenna’s efforts to reunite with her daughter to the point that it overshadowed the romance, but the fact that it sorta was, yet I still found it lacking was most ironically dismaying.
The Romance“Maybe it doesn’t matter whether something is a coincidence or a sign. Maybe the best way to cope with the loss of the people we love is to find them in as many places and things as we possibly can.”
Idk what to think of the romance. I think it was poorly written. Kenna and Ledger didn’t fall in love under the best of circumstances, but I’m afraid Ledger might just be a consolation prize for Kenna. I’m not sure if Kenna was over her grief and already moved on from her dead boyfriend. Also, the fact that she still wrote him letters, I don’t know what to make of that. I loved that we saw glimpses of their relationship from those letters. At the same time, it only emphasized how much she loved him.
By the end of the book, I didn’t feel assured that Ledger was not just a replacement. Not to mention, the dilemma and the guilt they had to deal with because of who Ledger was to her dead boyfriend. Makes me think, what if they’d met when he was still alive? They fell in love because of that one common denominator, but I also wanted to see them fall for each other without that shared grief and pain. I suppose, it served him right cause for a romance H, Ledger sure tasted like unseasoned crackers. 🤪
The Accident [SPOILERS!!!]
For the majority of the book, I kept waiting for that one mindblowing twist that CoHo is known for, but the fact that THERE’S NOT ONE SINGLE PLOT TWIST (besides Ledger the BFF) is utterly disappointing, disappointingly underwhelming, and very unbecoming of CoHo. It was hard to comprehend and accept that the accident happened because Kenny was being careless and irresponsible. Even when she described it in detail near the end of the book, the logic was somewhat lost on me.
How can a person be disastrously stupid? 😫 Not that I’ve ever been in a car crash. I’ve been in a motorbike crash TWICE, but both were minor and I wasn’t the driver. It didn’t feel great, but it didn’t send me into a tailspin of panic the likes of Kenna’s either, so I guess I shouldn’t judge. In any case, somehow I expected the accident to be a misunderstanding. And perhaps, the plot twist would be her dead boyfriend being the driver/the one at fault; hence, Kenna was falsely accused, but she accepted her sentence cause she felt guilty. I mean, wouldn’t that be more epicly plausible???“Sometimes I wonder if we’re all born with equal amounts of good and
evil. What if no one person is more or less malevolent than another, and that
we all just release our bad at different times, in different ways?”
Closing Thoughts . . .
I suppose the point of all this is to show that no matter how tiny the mistake you make, it can have insurmountable consequences. But it shouldn’t be the only thing that defines you for the rest of your life as long as the path to forgiveness and redemption is open and you’re willing to take the journey (which Kenna kinda did, but it was unconvincing?). 🏃♀️
Reminders of Him was a tough read, but it didn’t hit as hard as CoHo’s other books. Usually, I’d be deeply affected by her stories no matter that I ended up loving or hating them. This one fell somewhat in the middle. 😪 I think it could’ve benefited from a longer page count. In my opinion, the plot was underdeveloped. The romance was uninspired. The lack of plot twist was THE plot twist itself. 🤯 The ending was rushed and wrapped up too neatly. The side characters were more interesting than the MCs. The pacing felt off.
Overall, it was an emotional read that made my eyes water, but ultimately it read like a typical women’s fiction (that was evidently “CoHo,” but didn’t bear her special trademark). I don’t think this is a must read for CoHo fans, but if you have FOMO, then I suggest don’t come in with high expectations. Maybe then you’d appreciate the book more than I did. ✋
(Read as an Audiobook) -
no se si darle 4 o 5 estrellas pero ctm que manera de llorar.
colleen, para la wea. yo solo quería leer un libro ligero 🤧 -
UPDATE: THIS BOOK NEEDS TO BE TURNED INTO A MOVIE😢💕!!!! Also, this book deserves an infinity star rating✨💗!!! Still thinking about this book till this day 05/06/2022!! Colleen Hoover still owes me boxes of tissues😪!!!!
"Is that a fucking pigeon". Every time this quote came up in the book it just made me laugh so much I cried!!!
OH MY GOSH!!! This book was so heart wrenching!!!! Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover was beautifully written, but yet so heartbreaking. The amount of tissues I went through was unbelievable. Thank you Colleen for leaving me so empty, the amount of tears I shed was insane! I cried my eyes out like there was no tomorrow! Once I started this book I couldn't put it down. This will be a story that stays with me forever. I cried, I cheered for Kenna, I cheered for Ledger. I was one ugly sobbing mess. If you have never read a book by Colleen Hoover before, you will never know the pain that goes along with reading her books. My heart was broken, my eyes were red and puffy from crying while reading this amazing story. Colleen you owe me a couple boxes of tissues😭💔!!!
A troubled young mother yearns for a shot at redemption in this heartbreaking yet hopeful novel by Colleen Hoover. Kenna, Diem, and Ledger will be in my heart for a long time to come. I would love a sequel of this book as Diem's POV after meeting Kenna.
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, Diem. Kenna and her boyfriend Scotty were driving to the lake one night from a party when Kenna and Scotty were both too drunk and too high to drive. But Kenna chose to get behind the wheel anyways. Kenna and Scotty were on a deserted gravel country road when Kenna was speeding and lost control of their car and left Scotty to die. In the time Kenna was looking for help she didn't know Scotty was still alive until the next morning when the police showed up at her apartment and arrested her. At the time of Kenna's trial, she didn't know she was pregnant, otherwise she wouldn't have pleaded guilty. Diem was born a preemie and was handed into the arms of her grandparents, Scotty's family. Kenna lost anything to do with her daughter while she was serving her time, she couldn't even hold Diem the minute she was born.
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 proves herself. The only person who hasn't closed the door on Kenna completely is Ledger Ward, a local bar owner and one of the few remaining links to Kenna's daughter. Ledger was Scotty were best friends but Kenna never met him before Scotty's death. 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. The letters Kenna wrote Scotty destroyed me😭💔!!!! -
i’m ugly crying in my bed because this story was so heartbreakingly beautiful! my fav coho book ever! a piece of my heart will forever be stuck in these pages! 💕
-
UPDATE: despite EVERYTHING this book made it to the final round of the Goodreads Choice Awards; we really do be living in a society... 🤡
______________
The only person I would finish this book for is my dog... if you held him at gunpoint.
It's been some time since I wrote one of my rant reviews and I know some of my mutuals think them peak entertainment so here we goooooo:
Reminders of Him was a book so not to my liking that I DNF-ed after the first few chapters (I literally NEVER DNF, like EVER). This was my first ever CoHo book and boy, if I had known what burning dumpster-fire of reeking red flags had awaited me...
Synopsis: 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.
Alright, I thought to myself. That doesn't sound too bad. This could be a solid story. And the first chapter was alright. We learn that Kenna is a 27-year-old mother who was sent to prison because of a deadly car accident involving her then boyfriend Scotty. She was pregnant at the time and gave birth to her daughter in prison. Now she's back in Scotty's home-town and the first thing she does is seek out the bookshop she used to frequent with him. Only that the bookshop is now a bar owned by, guess who??? Yep, you got it! Her ex's former best friend, Ledger!
Queue Ledger's POV who pulls his truck into the alley behind his bar only to notice that one of his fingernails is still painted from when he played dress-up with his four-year-old the previous night. Hmmmmmm, Kenna's daughter is the same age.
Now, we have Kenna walking into the bar who is so naturally stunning and pretty, the second Ledger lays his eyes on her he "overfill[s] the glasses and water goes everywhere". Listen, love-at-first-sight might be some people's favourite trope but it sure as hell isn't mine. Reading that gave me second-hand embarrassment. Where is the build-up? The romantic tension? You want me to root for these two dumb-asses but then give me nothing to root for because they're in love the second they meet??
Switch to Kenna's POV who writes a therapeutic letter to Scotty, telling him that she kissed a prison guard once, and that "it had been two years since [she] had been touched by [Scotty], so when he pressed [her] against the wall and gripped [her] waist, [she] thought [she]'d feel more."
Yeah, bestie, uh uh, we're not doing this. Back to jail.
But let's move on to Ledger who's "good looking in a way that a girl who is trying to get custody of her daughter should want to stay away from". A lot of words and I still don't know what he looks like. Oh wait, "he's got eyes that have seen a thing or two, and hands that have probably hit a man or two." So I'm guessing he looks like this??
Ledger, on the other hand, who just met this woman, who's known her for all but 20 minutes, is sure that Kenna's face is "a work of art" and god, how he wishes "there was a picture of it hanging on a wall in a museum somewhere so [he] could stand in front of it and stare at it for as long as [he] wanted." Not the "face is a painting and belongs in museum" trope, I beg thee. 😭
When their fingers touch for the first time Ledger obviously feels like there's "an erupting volcano" trapped in his chest. What else could it be? When two straight people of the opposite gender touch each other and there are no sparks, it wouldn't be a romance novel, would it?
Kenna leaves the bar though not without having Ledger run after her to tell her to come back that night. My fellow readers. You have one guess: Does the main protagonist heed the summons of a man she barely knows to return to his bar at closing time, when she'd be the only one there? Of course, she does. All she can concentrate on when she's back is how often he points at things."Two guys get into an argument, but he doesn’t care—he just points to the door and they leave. He does that a lot. Points at things, and people just do the things he points out for them to do. He points at two customers while making eye contact with the other bartender. That bartender walks up to them and closes out their tabs."
When she is about to leave and he motions her to sit back down again all she can think of is that "[she] had no idea pointing was sexy." GURRRRLLL, I know you spent the last five years in prison but surely you can't be THAT DESPERATE for some D???
But hold on, that wasn't even the best-worst line because that was undoubtedly: "He touches his hair now, pushing it back, staring down at me. There’s a war in his eyes, and I am by no means Switzerland, but he comes to me anyway." Ayoooooooo??!! 😩😭
Anyway, Kenna rightly decides that "talking will only get [her] into trouble" but what does she do instead? She slides onto his lap and immediately starts making out with him. Yes, our girl IS that desperate. Straight romances, I swear???
There sure is and it's getting bigger with every straight romance book. -
I think this is one that will go down as more enjoyable because I listened to it. I always love the Brittany Pressley and Ryan West duo combo narration. Had I read this one I don't think it would have captured much of my attention.
This is my third Colleen Hoover book. She's a good storyteller but in this particular one I was not quite feeling the characters or the romance aspect. Kenna, has been in prison for 5 years for a terrible accident. Her child has been in the care of her grandparents. Upon her release she is determined to get her daughter back and make an amends.
I was frustrated with the characters and part of the story but I did feel Kenna's helplessness. It's an emotional story but yet did not fully grab me. The romance was minimal and I did not feel the magic with the couple. I was happy with the overall ending. -
Did not finish. No rating.
When you typically burn through a Colleen Hoover book in one sitting, but you can only force yourself to read a chapter or two of her latest each night, you know it's time to move on.
Many readers are loving this one, so please do check out the other reviews if you're a CoHo fan. I just found the first-person telling-not-showing writing and the insta-smash relationship to be so utterly off-putting that I started to resent every minute I spent with these characters.
Perhaps I've just outgrown this author. What a drag! -
HI, HELLO CAN THIS PLEASE BE A TRAUMATIZER LIKE VERITY?!
-
Unfortunately, Reminders of Him simply didn’t resonate with me. I kind of feel like I read a different book than everyone else as I didn’t connect with the storyline or the characters. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes throughout and felt that the entire book was OTT. This is perhaps only the second book of COHO’s that I didn’t care for. It is what it is.
I’m only one reader so I think it’s clearly a case of me being the wrong reader for this novel.
Published on Goodreads.
