November 9th by Colleen Hoover was a novel of emotional turmoil coupled with the hope of true love prevailing all. Hoover has been an increasingly popular author, evidenced by her selling more books than the Bible this year, as seen in Forbes Magazine. While I enjoy her books, I see the novels as a collection of surface-level reads with little substance. However, November 9th proved to be different than the majority. 

The novel surrounds two hopeless romantics, Fallon and Ben, who come from different walks of life. Fallon is an aspiring actress who struggles to secure employment due to the scars across her body. Fallon’s acting career started to take off when she was only a teenager. However, she quickly lost any desired progress when she was caught in a house fire and suffered first-degree burns. With a frustrating family situation and insurmountable insecurity from the burns, Fallon undoubtedly has her fair share of obstacles. Ben, an aspiring author, seems all too perfect when he first meets Fallon. This is the typical trajectory of the male love interest in Hoover’s novels: perfect at the start and strategically flawed in the end. Ben appears to have an abrupt affinity for Fallon upon seeing her for the first time. His fascination with her mannerisms and personality seems incredibly endearing at first. I was so captivated by Ben’s endearing fixation on Fallon that I ignored the possibility of other possible intentions or motives he may have had.

The novel’s structure enriches the reader’s experience and sets the book apart from Hoover’s previous works. November 9th is the day Fallon fell victim to the fire that almost claimed her life. November 9th was also when Fallon and Ben met for the first time. After meeting each other, the two spend hours together, bonding in awe of their compatibility. However, this bond is limited to a time crunch due to Fallon moving to New York that night. Ben jokes that he will write a book about Fallon, but this joke soon becomes an excuse for the two to meet again theatrically. They soon decide to meet every November 9th for five years, but they are not allowed to have any contact until that one day. After the two meet, the book is split up into chapters that start on November 9th of every consecutive year. This helped keep the reader engaged with the progression of the storyline. Hoover did not leave room for any filler side plots that hindered the story’s momentum. I thought this was a

positive element of the book, for it differed from past Hoover novels I have read that linger on subplots for too long.

I would rate this book a 7.8/10. Despite not being Hoover’s biggest fan, I have to admit that this book was an enjoyable read. The low rating is because I do not believe Hoover’s books can exceed an 8/10. All Hoover novels lack the complex and respectable substance that would qualify a book for a higher rating. I am not a fan of this fictitious, surface-level genre, but this novel was a pleasant surprise. Hoover effectively structured the book to captivate the reader and keep the audience engaged. In addition, the artistic aspirations of the main characters provide the reader with a realistic struggle to attain success. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an easy but eventful novel. Within 320 pages, you can experience heartbreak, love, betrayal, and more.