Hopeless (Hopeless, #1)

Hopeless - Colleen Hoover 3.5 StarsBefore I start the actual review, I think I should give two disclaimers.First, anything rated 3 stars and above for me is a good read. Sometimes there are things about the book that I didn't mesh with or maybe I didn't get the tingly butterflies in my stomach that I need to rate the book higher, but I still found it to be enjoyable if I can rate it 3 or above. Second, I love Colleen Hoover. This is why, I read Slammed last year and that book blew me away. I felt such a connection while reading and felt the words leap off each page, enveloping me in a warmth (yes, it sounds freaking cheesy as hell, but that's what it was) because there was so much honesty to it. I felt like the author put so much of herself into the story and all of the sorrow and joy, cute little anecdotes, and love... it just felt real. I was so enamored by it that I started following the author's blog and this entry sealed the deal, I was officially a fan. http://colleenhoover.com/2012/06/27/a-big-fat-thank-you-and-a-tiny-little-giveaway/ I dare anyone to read this and not feel something. Colleen Hoover is as real as it gets and she inspired me to try and do something that I was afraid to do and for that, I will buy and read anything that she writes in the future.Now, on to the actual review. Hopeless was a beautiful story. I loved following these characters as the truths of Sky's past unfolded. Holder is a great NA character as he has a little bit of the bad boys side but also a great softness to him that would make any girl fall in love. I loved how he stuck by her as all of the horrible events from Sky's past came to light. There was a twist that I never anticipated while reading and so I hope that if you read this book, you won't be tempted to read any spoilers because it was great to read something that I have never read before. I have seen a couple of negative reviews that said that this is the same story told over and over again, but I can honestly say that I have never read anything with this plot twist and I love it when a book surprises me. I kept thinking it was going to go one way and it went and completely took me by surprise. So, the story was great, the characters were great, and the love story was great... why wasn't it a 4 or 5 star read? Well, I just kept hoping to get that emotional connection that I need while reading and it never came. Maybe it is me, maybe it's just the wrong time to be reading this, whatever it is, I just couldn't lose myself in it the way I wanted to. I felt like there was a lot of unneeded external and internal dialogue that took away from the flow of the story and so, maybe that is the reason that I couldn't connect with it.Overall, I am def in the minority rating wise, so I would tell anyone to pick it up and read it because, as I said, it really it a good story. I look forward to the next book that Colleen Hoover writes; I'll be anticipating it like everyone else and buying it on release day. :0)