Review originally posted on www.fictitiousdelicious.com on 10/09/13:

I've never really understood the comments I sometimes hear people say about wanting to take their time to slooooowly read a book they love so they can savor it. I read books I love the same way I eat cotton candy: quickly while bouncing from the rush being delivered into my bloodstream. And then along came LOSING HOPE.

LOSING HOPE is the second book in the Hopeless series by Colleen Hoover. Some might say it's a retelling of HOPELESS in Holder's perspective, but I would scold them for saying such things without mentioning that it's SO MUCH MORE than that. I've read retellings of stories in the male POV and been severely disappointed. This one made my heart sing--sometimes it was an Enya song, sometimes it was Barry White melody and sometimes it was something sung by angels with trumpets and harps.

I loved HOPELESS. Hard. I was more than a little leery of Holder's creeper ways to begin with and fell in love with him just as Sky did. (While I can't stop talking about Holder, it's really important to throw in this: Sky ROCKS!) Seeing the world and this story through Holder's eyes in this installment sealed the deal for me. Holder is firmly in the top 10 of my favorite book boyfriends of all time.

Sure, you'll see some key scenes that you'll have experienced first in HOPELESS, but you get to see what happened with Holder while Sky wasn't around. Remember those two weeks after the bracelet incident? Yeah, have fun living through THAT with Dean. How about that time he said he lived Sky? Yeah? Oh, yeah.

The most profound discovery in this book, though? Les. Sure, we all know the story behind Holder and Sky, and you might *think* you know all about Les, but... you. know. nothing. I actually feel sorry for anyone who doesn't read this and see the rest of the story.

You'll be seeing a lot more of Dean Holder around here come the "Best of 2013" posts in December. I'm kinda obsessed right now. <3