Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover

Losing Hope
by Colleen Hoover
Read: July 11-13, 2013
Published: July 8, 2013 by Atria Books
Source: NetGalley, Thank you Atria!
Category: Contemporary, New Adult
Series: Hopeless book 2

NOTE: Losing Hope is a companion book to Hopeless. I would recommend that you read the first book before starting this one. 

In Hopeless, Sky left no secret unearthed, no feeling unshared, and no memory forgotten, but Holder’s past remained a mystery.

Still haunted by the little girl he let walk away, Holder has spent his entire life searching for her in an attempt to finally rid himself of the crushing guilt he has felt for years. But he could not have anticipated that the moment they reconnect, even greater remorse would overwhelm him…

Sometimes in life, if we wish to move forward, we must first dig deep into our past and make amends. In Losing Hope, bestselling author Colleen Hoover reveals what was going on inside Holder’s head during all those hopeless moments—and whether he can gain the peace he desperately needs. (From Goodreads)




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After finishing Losing Hope, I have a greater sense of peace about Sky and Holder than I did before. I read Hopeless earlier this year, and thought it was an incredibly moving and, yes, hopeful story. Sky and Holder together were - WOW - an amazing couple that found healing through each other. But their journey was also really intense and dark and hard for me to stomach at times. And as much as I fell for Holder, there was still so much we didn't know about him at the end of Sky's book.  I was eager to jump back into the story and find out what Holder had to say. 

Losing Hope is essentially Hopeless from Holder's point of view. Or really it's not that at all, because although it's the same plot that we read in Hopeless, this time we get to see how everything emotionally impacted Holder. Because Holder didn't tell us everything during Sky's narrative, his book is an important addition to hers. Although some of Holder's choices stressed me out a bit while I was reading Hopeless, I now see why he made them, and I love him even more for them (even when they were clearly misguided). 

Losing Hope provides answers to the questions I still had about Holder when I finished Hopeless, including why he didn't introduce Sky to his parents, and why he disappeared for an entire month. Sky was dealing with so much internal pain and turmoil and Holder worked very hard to keep her from taking on more. He also had his own burdens that we could only understand once we climbed inside his head. Most importantly, from Holder's perspective we were able to see his bond with Les and how deeply the loss of her impacted him. I love the way that Colleen Hoover brought Les into the present story. I didn't know about it ahead of time, so I will let you also discover it for yourself. The bond that Holder has with his twin is one of the biggest elements that Sky's narrative couldn't have conveyed. I was thankful for the chance to know Les better through Holder. 

What's amazing about these two companion stories, is that as a book pair they perfectly illustrate the unbreakable bond between Sky and Holder. How much these two damaged souls are emotionally tied together and the power of each to help heal the other. Together Hopeless and Losing Hope, Sky and Holder compliment each other in a way that makes each individual story and character stronger. After finishing Losing Hope I felt like I was able to think about this story and its characters and finally breathe freely. Now I feel like I can let go of Sky and Holder so that they can continue living the life ahead of them. 

Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: When I finished Hopeless, I wrote in this section, "As far as I know, this is a standalone. I was satisfied by the end, but it it's definitely not a perfect HEA, and leaves room for more story. I'd especially love to read a companion sequel from Holder's POV." Thank you for giving this to us, Colleen Hoover!