Book Review: Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

So, I have a confession to make: When I started this book, I told my friend "I'm reading Regretting You and I'm definitely regretting it." I've never read a Colleen Hoover book before and thought she was totally overrated. Partially because I saw how much everyone loves her and I just didn't have high hopes. I have never heard of her until the end of last year.

If this weren't for a book club, I don't think I would have picked it up. I was disinterested just based on the description. I could already tell what was going to happen and it all sounded so cliche. Don't get me wrong, I love cliche, but within reason. And this definitely didn't seem like it was within reason. I remember telling myself "if I get to chapter 10 and I'm still not interested, I'm going to DNF it." And I hate DNFing books. Then I reached chapter five and I was SHOOKETH. Colleen Hoover did the last thing I thought she would: she actually SURPRISED me!

Synopsis

Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike.

Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn't want to follow in her mother's footsteps. Her predictable mother doesn't have a spontaneous bone in her body.

With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris -- Morgan's husband, Clara's father, and the family anchor. But the peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara.

While struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one boy she's been forbidden to see. With each passing day, new secrets, resentment, and misunderstandings make mother and daughter fall further apart. So far apart, it might be impossible for them to ever fall back together.

My Thoughts

Like I mentioned above, I had basically the entire plot figured out.

Chris would die, probably in a car accident

Morgan would turn to her husband's best friend, Jonah (who is introduced in the first chapter; Jonah is her sister's baby's father and they intend on getting married)

Clara would fall for the guy who is labeled as the bad guy but really isn't and is most-likely poor-ish.

The boy breaks up with his girlfriend to date Clara.

It all just seemed kind of self-explanatory to me. And then chapter five came along and kind of derailed my predictions. And I cried. I actually cried. Books often don't make me cry. Angry? Yes. Fall in love? Absolutely. Cry? Rarely. But here's Colleen Hoover, just kind of wrecking my soul.

I do have to say, I kept going back and forth on this book. While Colleen Hoover managed to drop many, many bombs, there was one thing that I hated: The miscommunication trope. It was driving me BATTY. And when I had 70 pages left, I was so close to DNFing it because I couldn't stand it. But I don't DNF books. So I pushed through. And the ending redeemed it for me.

For this reason, I give this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐. It would have been five if not for the miscommunication trope or for how long it lasted.

Regardless, it was a good read and really got me to react.

Should you read it? Yes. Will you cry? Probably. Will you want to throw the book across the room? Absolutely. But that's what makes a good book good. We react. We feel emotions so deeply. And that's why I love reading.