Title November 9
Author Colleen Hoover
Published November 10th 2015
Publisher Simon and Schuster
Pages 320
Genres Fiction Contemporary Romance
RRP $22.99
Rating 4 stars
On the day before she is moving to the other side of the country, the fateful meeting between Fallon and Ben takes place. Their random meeting reunites them on the last day of Fallon’s in Los Angeles, and Ben finds in her active life the spark he has always craved for his own novel.
Through the years, all the relationships and the difficulties of their separate lives, they always meet on the same day. Nevertheless, a faint doubt in Fallon’s mind arises, casting a shadow of doubt over Ben’s storytelling. She struggles with uncertainty, not knowing whether Ben has been telling the truth or creating a perfect reality for the sake of the final plot twist.
The inquiry emerges: Ben’s love affair with Fallon and also Ben’s novel with it, still be called a love story if it ends in misery?
Review
Colleen Hoover, who is known for her heart wrenching modern romance novels, is a master of shattering many hearts into tiny shards. In 2015, the beloved writer revealed one such standalone novel November 9.
The revival of interest in this specific work is credited to the Colleen Hoover increasing popularity on social media networks such as TikTok. November 9 continues Hoover’s tradition of writing powerful and moving love stories and is yet another great example of her talent for weaving bittersweet stories that remain memorable.
In the world of modern romance November 9 is a masterpiece of a novel that has a literary twist. Colleen Hoover spins the story of Ben, an aspiring writer and Fallon, a former actress, whose lives intersect because of a coincidence. Fallon is on the threshold of a huge cross country relocation and their brief yet effectual bond becomes the main reason for an affair beyond the time and space.
Fallon, an incarnation of the profound becomes Ben’s muse, igniting a creative spark within him. Although their first meeting is very brief, it leads Ben to pursue his own dream of becoming a writer. As the lives of Ben and Fallon evolve, producing inescapable changes, a promise they made remains, tying them together in an annual convention.
But the basis of Ben and Fallon’s special relationship crumbles when Fallon unravels the real reason behind their annual sessions. The question looms: Will this love story survive the disclosure or is it doomed to fall apart.
Colleen Hoover is unquestionably a literary genius and I regret not realizing she is a literary genius earlier. From the moment I started reading my first Hoover novel at the beginning of the year, I have been on a mission to read as many of her novels as possible. My beach companion was the 9th of November and I was delighted to feast on this interesting read in two sittings on one day. As a totally immersive, quirky and irresistible phenomenon Colleen Hoover November 9 became a very typical Colleen Hoover novel.
While fully enjoying November 9, I had to deal with the unusualness of the first meeting between the two protagonists. The same sentiments have been reflected by other reviewers who, like me, have found it to be unnerving and at times even slightly creepy.
This component affected my score lowering it by one point. Nonetheless, after going beyond this first impression, I found myself captivated by the appeal of the central characters annual meeting.
My highlight from their set date catch ups their consistency. The integration of a writing and literary theme enhanced the readability, especially given my love for the books. This story could easily lend itself to the silver screen for it was very cinematographic in its nature.
It is also worth mentioning that, characteristic of Colleen Hoover style, November 9 does not avoid certain scenes that can cause strong emotions and may even make a reader uncomfortable.
In terms of characters, the protagonists of Colleen Hoover are rather too young and as a reader in my forties, it created a sense of detachment in me. But as the story moves into the years following their first encounter, Ben and Fallon develop quite a lot and mature a lot.
November 9 is a very complex story that offers an exploration of many themes such as family, love, loyalty, growth, healing, confidence, acceptance, forgiveness, redemption, and also self belief. Hoover handles these deep aspects with a very keen and sensitive gaze. The love story in the story is like a roller coaster ride through the highs and lows, plateaus and more.
By the end of November 9, prepare yourself for a rollercoaster ride of emotions, a typical characteristic of Colleen Hoover storytelling artistry. She expertly steers your emotions in one direction and then does an impressive U-turn with killer plot twists. Although the road is not very smooth, be assured that a satisfactory ending is waiting for you, so November 9 is a very romantic and touching story.
Colleen Hoover, a worldwide bestselling author wrote the book November 9. The novel is not merely a love story but a story with many strands of time, faith, support, choice, self discovery, believing in oneself, personal freedom, accountability, fulfilment, rights assertion, and the pursuit of dreams. This contemporary romance from a megastar author spans a wide range of themes relevant to the today’s life.
Published by Simon and Schuster on November 10, 2015 November 9 by Colleen Hoover.
