The Librarian and the Daunting TBR

Friendly warning that this review will contain spoilers.

Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover

My Rating out of 5: ☕☕☕☕.5

What I am sipping: “Island Whip” an iced coffee with coconut from 

The Forbidden Farm and Cafe 782 S. Brewster Rd STE A3, Vineland, NJ 08361

https://www.theforbiddenfarmandcafe.com

Immediately upon my first sip, I felt as if I was transported to an island that I am so desperately daydreaming of. The coconut flavor was there and paired well with the soft indulgent cream. At the same time these sweet flavors did not overpower the espresso flavor which definitely gave me the end-of-day energy that I was craving. The barista was very welcoming not only with me but with others in the shop. I got my punch card so I will definitely be back so I can redeem my rewards and enjoy another splendid brew.

About: “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…The only person who hasn’t closed the door on her completely is Ledger Ward…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.”

— Description from the Amazon listing for Reminders of Him

“Grudges are heavy, but for the people hurting the most, I suppose forgiveness is even heavier” (Hoover 231).

Have you ever had a reading slump? You know, when you finish a really good book that you cannot put down. Then you spend what feels like forever trying to find another book just as addicting? Well with Reminders of Him is that book for me: I finally found one in a long time that I could not put down. This one came as a surprise. The name Colleen Hoover has been one that I have seen around bookstores and libraries since I could remember. I never purposefully avoided her books or disliked the idea of them. But I never fully gave the books the opportunity for me to explore them. That is, until I saw the movie trailer play at my local theater.

The plot caught me instantly: a young woman who just got out of prison for killing her boyfriend in a car accident five years ago. She is on a mission that has been on her mind all those years in prison. Something that she cannot stop thinking about and has been weighing heavily on her physically and mentally. She wants to meet their child Diem whom she had given birth to while incarcerated and has never met. Sprinkle in romance with a hot bartender + forbidden love: I was hooked. Refusing to watch the movie before the book, I bought a copy and dove in. 

What I enjoyed most about the book was the main character Kenna Rowan. She was such a well-rounded character that I felt as if I knew her personally. Her grief was written poetically and showing us her lens through her letters was a unique literary concept that worked. Like I hoped / expected, one of the letters reveals what Kenna went through the night of the car accident. We get a look behind everything, her emotions and thoughts, and how she was after the accident. I think Hoover revealed this letter to us at the perfect place in the novel. The buildup and reveal was strategic and it paid off.

Ledger Ward was our other main character and we were able to see things from his POV every other chapter. In the past I never really liked other people’s POV in novels. But Ledger’s POV added to the depth and brought the story full-circle. I like that Ledger was conflicted with his feelings toward Kenna. I think that makes the whole story more realistic. Plus his relationship with Diem = 10/10 in adorableness.

Diem. A character that is included and would be the third main character, is one that is needed in the story. She has unique ideas about things and a great sense of humor. I feel that she was also really well written. Having Diem just on the cusp of curiosity of her heritage was a choice that paid off. I think a child is naturally curious at Diem’s age of five. It makes sense to me that she would begin to ask questions, especially since no one had told her about her mother.

There were many emotional moments in the story, represented in both the past, present, and uncertain future. Hoover did a splendid job of portraying all of these moments while making it still feel realistic. Kenna would cry or become upset at certain points and I found myself thinking: “I totally get it, girl.” I think that without a main character with deep-rooted trauma and pain, that the book would have had an entirely different vibe. I found myself rooting for Kenna and genuinely wanting her to succeed as a mother and to also heal.

Now if I had to critique something in the storyline it would be the feeling that the story was rushed at the end. I think the correlation between the conflict and resolution needed to be drawn out more. Possibly into several more chapters. As with any novel, it is entirely possible that the editors asked Hoover to shorten up the end. But to me it felt too clean-cut. The happy ending we all wanted could have been delayed.

As a whole, I was very pleasantly surprised with Reminders of Him. I felt the characters were well-rounded, relatable, and realistic. The story was complex and gripping in a way that had you wondering how it was going to end. I genuinely am hoping for a sequel.
Hoover, Colleen.

Reminders of Him. Montlake, 2022.