I also found that Ben’s voice in his chapters was not as strong or distinctive as I would have liked. In particular some friends and family members of the two protagonists felt very one dimensional, as though they existed solely to move the narrative threads forward conveniently.
That said I found some of the characterization a little bit off. I read this book in a single evening, so the writing style was obviously compelling and easy to read. To me there was a strong theme that it’s ok to love people, to rely on them and draw strength from them, but you need to be able to make decisions for yourself and your own happiness, even if those decisions are different to the ones others expect of you. I think, despite some questionable (but justified) behaviour of a few characters, the messages of this book are really positive affirmations of the importance of being your own person and not allowing family or partners to dictate your happiness. I really enjoyed the self-discovery element of the story. Colleen Hoover does not pretend that this is anything but a story about love and heartbreak, and finding ourselves. My favourite thing about this book was that it is unabashedly a love story. Given the story is spaced over the course of 6 (or 7 really) Novembers with no additional days of insight into the characters’ lives, it makes for interesting reading. There are twists and turns, and no one is quite what they seem. We all know from the outset that it’s going to be a love story, but that doesn’t in any way detract from the sweetness with which it is executed.
A chance meeting on the 9th of November leads to them agreeing to see each other on the same day, and only that day, each year for 5 years.
November 9 follows the lives of Fallon, an aspiring actress whose life is marred by a tragic accident, and Ben, an aspiring writer with a mysterious past. But I have been happily proven wrong, and enjoyed November 9 enough to finish it in a single evening. Somewhere along the way I had decided Colleen Hoover’s books were ‘romance’ and therefore not something I would enjoy – the clichés of the romance genre are not my cup of tea. Finally giving in to all the recommendations to read a Colleen Hoover book from friends and strangers alike, I was surprised to find that November 9 was not at all what I was anticipating. A sweet, romantic tale that exceeded my expectations.
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