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jay's Reviews > Reminders of Him

Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
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did not like it
bookshelves: dnf

buddy read with "who is Scotty?" and "why does she judge him for buying one plate?"

i hope those two have fun but i'm outta here. dnf 50% in. thank you for everyone who encouraged me to do this: i love you. everyone who wanted me to finish: i have nothing to say to you.


this will be the last Colleen Hoover book i'll ever read (and i already didn't even want to read this one, i was asked to)
if someone points a gun at me and says "i won't kill you if you read a Colleen Hoover book", i'll be like "well, guess today's the day i die then"


Colleen and me don't vibe, never have, never will, and i honestly don't understand what y'all see in her books but who am i to judge your reading tastes - hope you're all having fun and enjoying life.


i was told to see the bright side in things, so, on the bright side: i now know what book to add to my worst reads of the year in december, so look forward to that.
yes, me dnf'ing it 50% in will not stop me from putting it into that ranking, leave me alone.


why am i dnf'ing? listen, i had to like physically hype myself up to read every single sentence: "Let's go Jonathan!!! You can do this!!!! You only have 99% left!!!! It's not that bad!!" i was about to do some jumping jacks to get the adrenaline going.
i was this close to tears several times - and not because Colleen's writing is in any way shape or form moving to me - it's because i don't even want to look at this, let alone read it.


here's what i liked:

this scene - "Does Cupcake girl have a name?" "Everyone has a name."
it has absolutely zero relevance to the plot. it's barely a scene, but people say to start criticism with something positive, so here you go.


the list y'all actually want - there will obviously be SPOILERS:

🕴️the emoji has no significance, i just thought it's funny

🕴️ i have never liked CoHo's writing. idk, it's just trying too hard to be poetic and deep without having this nice and flowy feel to it that actual good poetic prose has

🕴️this one is especially fake deep because there is like nothing that deep going on with the plot

🕴️it was mostly just boring

🕴️CoHo always tries to tackle those heavy themes and i have yet to see her manage that in a good way. this time it's driving under the influence of alcohol. Kenna drives drunk and kills her boyfriend and then instead of calling for help, she leaves because she thinks he is dead and she is afraid of the consequences. It turns out that Scotty wasn't actually dead and lived for another six hours just lying there somewhere on the side of the road, left alone to die.
Kenna could (should) have called the ambulance, even if she thought he was already dead. She didn't. She served 5 years for this in prison. CoHo wants you to feel sorry for her ("But it's five years." "It was one mistake." ). No. She KNEW she was drunk. She STILL drove, DESPITE being drunk. She got into an ACCIDENT BECAUSE SHE WAS DRUNK. She DIDN'T call an ambulance because she thought Scotty was already dead, which is NOT a good excuse to not call an ambulance. She just LEFT. That man SUFFERED for SIX more hours before he DIED. And you want me to feel sorry for her? No.

🕴️Kenna has a child in prison, that gets taken away by Scotty's parents who are very adamant about her never seeing her again. Now i know nothing about child protection laws and whatever and i don't know whether Kenna should have been given the right of seeing her daughter again, let alone getting back the privilege of having some sort of custody but both Scotty's parents and Ledger treated her like a lunatic that would just kidnap the child and then get into another car drunk and killing her as well.
Ledger went as far as accusing her of being "selfish" as if it wasn't apparently clear that she just wanted to see her child at least once. If she was indeed what Ledger pretended she was why go back at all? If she was as selfish and heartless and a stone cold killer as they all made her out to be she would have surely just stayed away, glad that she didn't have to be in the kid's life?
Do biological parents deserve the right to be in their childrens' lives? Probably not, depending on the circumstances, but the way they treated her at points was just ridiculous.
So was Kenna just trying to show up at their doorstep one day though. There are official channels to do it. I don't think the American system is that broken that a mother could not try to get her child back, even if she doesn't have any money.

🕴️the romance in this was - as it always is in CoHo's books - way too insta lovey. Ledger had his wedding vows ready the time he first caught a glimpse of her. on page 10.
i am just tired of this instant attraction bullshit. where's the build up? why would i want to read someone go "She is all I can think about. Her face is like a painting. I want to give her all my attention" ten pages in? i don't even know the characters yet and you expect me to root for them already? give me at least some build-up please. do y'all just go out and fall in love with people the second they walk in? i'm sorry but i just don't believe this

🕴️shouldn't Ledger also hate her for killing his best friend? he gets over that pretty fast and actually betrays the trust of the child's guardians by showing Kenna pictures of her child, which was totally not his place to do. he's known those people for his entire life, he practically co-raises that kid but throws it all away for a woman he barely knows and who killed his best friend? make it make any kind of sense

🕴️CoHo really said diversity✨ in this one and made sure to mention that Ledger hired black and hispanic people in his bar. it's truly a win against racism today

🕴️ it's also a win for the LGBT community because CoHo made Kenna question her sexuality for an entire half sentence!!!

🕴️ we love authors who give us representation 🤧

🕴️ i can't say anything about the ending: i have read spoilers and it sounds bad and i know i haven't missed anything

🕴️CoHo tries to make her readers emotional by giving her characters tragic backstories (why does someone always accidentally kill or injure someone in her books though) and then throwing them into the most convoluted circumstances. it's always so obvious and fake deep and the deep conversations she's trying to have aren't even done right and she somehow always manages to romanticize or excuse fucked up behaviour that should neither be romanticized nor excused.
i'm done. y'all have fun though. 1 star.
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Reading Progress

January 21, 2022 – Started Reading
January 21, 2022 – Shelved
January 21, 2022 – Shelved as: to-read
January 21, 2022 –
page 1
0.3% "me reading this is definitely a good idea and not something everyone involved will regret"
January 21, 2022 –
page 3
0.9% "“No, thank you. I don’t want a kitten.” “I have too many.” “I don’t want a kitten,” I repeat. “Who wouldn’t want a kitten?” “Me.”

i'm already not a fan. cats for life"
January 21, 2022 –
11.0% "a coho male character, respecting privacy? did i accidentally wake up in an alternative universe or how is that possible"
January 21, 2022 –
24.0% "currently trying to decide if life is too short to continue reading"
January 21, 2022 –
33.0% "everyone comment "dnf now, Jonathan" on this and save us all the trouble"
January 21, 2022 – Shelved as: dnf
Finished Reading

Comments Showing 1-41 of 41 (41 new)

dateDown arrow    newest »

elle 😭oh i was going to read this next lol


Manvi Damn, that's a long ramble for the 50% you read. I wonder how long it would've gotten had you actually finished the damn thing😂


Munsaka The minute i saw you reading this i told myself i couldnt wait to see your review and i can't stop laughing. I've not yet read the book but i can see myself agreeing with you


message 4: by Marzia (new)

Marzia I agree w everything. I've stopped reading her books but i keep secretly hoping she'll publish sth totally different than all this


⁀➷ Heisy ˚ ༘✶ ⋆。˚ so sad you didn't finish it :( btw, I only read two of her books and stop there (even though I like them but that was the old Heisy, I don't trust her) so you've read a lot more than me, I think deep down you do enjoy suffering...


Crazy About Love 💕 I love this review! Now I’m afraid to read it lol. I can’t stand the whole insta-love either 😕


message 7: by Javier (new)

Javier Conde I'm so glad you dnf'd this because that review just made my night and my expectations for CoHo books drop as hard as the NFT market. 😔


message 8: by vienna (new)

vienna wtf is that plot 😭


message 9: by jay (new) - rated it 1 star

jay call me elle wrote: "😭oh i was going to read this next lol"

would love to tell you to have fun but don't see how that could be possible lol


message 10: by jay (new) - rated it 1 star

jay Manvi wrote: "Damn, that's a long ramble for the 50% you read. I wonder how long it would've gotten had you actually finished the damn thing😂"

i don't think much happened later on so


message 11: by jay (new) - rated it 1 star

jay Munsaka wrote: "The minute i saw you reading this i told myself i couldnt wait to see your review and i can't stop laughing. I've not yet read the book but i can see myself agreeing with you"

not to be like "don't read it" but -- ... you know lmao


message 12: by nevada (new)

nevada thank you for saving me money. the hype on Instagram was making me wonder if I should CoHo another chance. Not happening anymore.


message 13: by jay (new) - rated it 1 star

jay Marzia wrote: "I agree w everything. I've stopped reading her books but i keep secretly hoping she'll publish sth totally different than all this"

nah, her formula works too well for her. her audience loves it, especially her younger audience, so why would she ever write something different. it's like a handful of people that see an issue with her books, but we don't really matter in the grand scheme of sales 💸💸💸


message 14: by jay (new) - rated it 1 star

jay ♡ Heisy ♡ wrote: "so sad you didn't finish it :( btw, I only read two of her books and stop there (even though I like them but that was the old Heisy, I don't trust her) so you've read a lot more than me, I think de..."

i enjoy a certain kind of suffering but this ain't it


message 15: by jay (new) - rated it 1 star

jay Crazy About Love ❤️ wrote: "I love this review! Now I’m afraid to read it lol. I can’t stand the whole insta-love either 😕"

don't read it, problem solved :)


message 16: by jay (new) - rated it 1 star

jay Javier wrote: "I'm so glad you dnf'd this because that review just made my night and my expectations for CoHo books drop as hard as the NFT market. 😔"

i always go in without any expectations and it somehow still turns out worse 🤡


message 17: by jay (new) - rated it 1 star

jay vienna wrote: "wtf is that plot 😭"

a scam


message 18: by jay (new) - rated it 1 star

jay nevada wrote: "thank you for saving me money. the hype on Instagram was making me wonder if I should CoHo another chance. Not happening anymore."

the answer to the question "should i give coho another chance" is always no lol.
we love smart financial decisions!! go buy something nice with that money


message 19: by richa ⋆.˚★ (new)

richa ⋆.˚★ Thank you, you saved a lot of time for me👏🏻🙏🏻. After Verity I'm kinda done with her.


Alanna But i just read it … 🥲. (I almost cried)


message 21: by Zoe (new) - rated it 3 stars

Zoe H I can understand where you are coming from. I used to read Danielle Steel a million years ago- her books were always best sellers. The are all formulaic (the same) insert different names kind of like a Hallmark movie. Someone gave me like 40 if her books recently and I felt bad saying no- but now I am in an unrelated tangent. I kind of see CH like a Hallmark movie or Aaron Spelling show. Often full of cheese. I don’t see CH as a strong writer at all, but will read her books knowing what I am getting into. There is nothing worse than having something painful to finish.


message 22: by jay (new) - rated it 1 star

jay Richa wrote: "Thank you, you saved a lot of time for me👏🏻🙏🏻. After Verity I'm kinda done with her."

glad to hear ✨


message 23: by jay (new) - rated it 1 star

jay Alanna wrote: "But i just read it … 🥲. (I almost cried)"

something tells me not out of boredom as i did huh


message 24: by jay (new) - rated it 1 star

jay Zoe wrote: "I can understand where you are coming from. I used to read Danielle Steel a million years ago- her books were always best sellers. The are all formulaic (the same) insert different names kind of li..."

my problem with CoHo is less that she writes the same book every time and more that she insists on bringing heavy themes into it without knowing how to properly handle them and ends up - for example - romanticizing r*pe, sexual harassment and manipulative/predatory behaviour (November 9) or excusing drunk driving (this one)


message 25: by Mariam, (new)

Mariam, the clown I DIED READING THIS 💀💀😂😂😂😂 THIS EXACTLY. Yes. YES YES YES. I can't stand Coho's writing and especially with the way she uses her plot and character background history in such a manipulative way. She uses the same formula with every damn book of hers and ugk. I just CANT.


Kartik You did the right thing. The ending was ONE OF THE WORST ENDINGS I'VE EVER READ. It was TERRIBLE. I just know that if you read to the end you'd have given the book probably less than 0 stars 🤣


message 27: by jay (new) - rated it 1 star

jay Mariam wrote: "I DIED READING THIS 💀💀😂😂😂😂 THIS EXACTLY. Yes. YES YES YES. I can't stand Coho's writing and especially with the way she uses her plot and character background history in such a manipulative way. Sh..."

so many of her characters are responsible for some kind of death and most of the time it's like so unnecessary to the plot?? can someone tell her that people can also be assholes even if they didn't accidentally murder someone when they were kids


message 28: by jay (new) - rated it 1 star

jay Kartik wrote: "You did the right thing. The ending was ONE OF THE WORST ENDINGS I'VE EVER READ. It was TERRIBLE. I just know that if you read to the end you'd have given the book probably less than 0 stars 🤣"

lmao, i was made aware of the pigeon scene and it sounded so ridiculous i would have lowered my rating just for that


Crazy About Love 💕 Great review. Just saw there’s a trigger warning, and read your comments about the accident. Going to pass on this one


Megan Oh, this book was terrible. CoHo is terrible. I don’t understand peoples obsession with her. The best characters in this book was Scotty. Scotty’s parents were the worst. Ledger was slightly pathetic, and while I felt bad for Kenna, the situation she was in with her daughter felt super un realistic.
And you’re right. We all know not so drunk and drive. Period. If they knew they needed to drive anywhere that night one of them should have abstained. Period.


message 31: by Mary (new) - rated it 2 stars

Mary You pretty much nailed it- trying too hard to be deep and poetic while lacking a natural flow. This is my 3rd book of hers now, very predictable, not the worst book ever but the amount of 5 star ratings concerns me


message 32: by Kenna (new) - rated it 1 star

Kenna Tea


Leslie Screaming 😂


message 34: by Megan (new) - rated it 1 star

Megan Spot on. I’m struggling so hard to finish this. Hoover should consider writing YA novels because that would make more sense for her.


cas_thereader You just made me laugh out loud with your review because you are so on point with everything and esp that diversity part. It was just thrown in there smh


message 36: by manya (new)

manya this is exactly what my problem is with colleen hoover, like girl if you are so adamant on putting your characters through trauma ATLEAST do justice to it and her writing is worse than those of fanfictions.


Slush_verte01 This is hilarious and 100% true 🥲 Also, can we talk about the fact that the minute she read the letter to Ledger (describing the night his best friend died), they immediately started having sex after 😭😭😭 Like what


Nicole Exactly! It killed me that Kenna never once apologized or spoke to or tried to contact the people raising her kid or even how about, let’s write pages and pages of letters to your child! Kenna never takes responsibility for her actions.


Liliana All of y’all are literally heartless and on a high horse.


message 40: by atria (last edited Sep 26, 2022 07:32AM) (new)

atria Jonathan wrote: so many of her characters are responsible for some kind of death and most of the time it's like so unnecessary to the plot?? can someone tell her that people can also be assholes even if they didn't accidentally murder someone when they were kids

THIS!!! THISS!!!!!

i've only ever read it ends with us but one thing i noticed was how coho is very adamant on making her characters seems 'morally grey'. like the entire 'there are no bad people. only bad actions' crap in iewu and here it's the 'five years. one mistake' thing. like idk i think knowingly drunk driving and leaving a guy to die at the side of the road & not calling the ambulance doesn't constitute as 'one mistake' to me. like wha- and then coho tries to garner my sympathy for these characters in that way while i'm like "you know what? i'm gonna start hating on them even harder." 'cause i'm one giant meanie lol


Nicole I just finished this book, I liked it, but all your points are still SO VALID. And also do we need to be told how much Ledger points at shit?? Omg and did anybody else picture Stifler’s mom saying it when Kenna says Ledger smelled like “limes and bad decisions”??? HILARIOUS.


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