Summary:

Losing Hope by Colleen Hoover is the second book in Hopeless series. The first two books are about the same characters and same events. The only difference is that the first book is told from a feminine perspective i.e. Sky’s perspective and the second book is told from a masculine

perspective i.e. Dean’s perspective. The change in perspective results in different themes as well. This book also serves as a closure to the first book. Sky and Dean meet in high school and uncover the truth about their past. This book justifies every event which looks like a coincidence in the first book. Dean plans to be with Sky in the same class. He approaches her and helps her discover her long forgotten identity.

Holder also discovers the truth about the suicide of his sister Lesslie. He finds Les’s suicide note which further reveals her character. The book also discusses Grayson who is a reason for Dean’s ill repute. The focus of this book is Dean Holder and everything about Sky is told from his perspective. The book however combines Sky’s and Dean’s stories in such a way that it can easily be read as a standalone. But if the reader intends to know more about Sky and her life he has to read Hopeless before reading Losing Hope.

Plot Analysis of Losing Hope:

The book starts from the time when Lesslie is alive. The first plot twist comes when Holder fights with Grayson and asks him to break up with his sister Lesslie on phone. This twist leads to Les’s suicide and Holder is out-casted as the conformist brother who has caused his sister’s death. Holder goes to Austin to live with his father. However, he comes back after a typical fight. This is the information that is exclusive to this book.

Every incident after this is also part of the first book but it is now presented from Holder’s perspective. He meets Sky and confuses her with his long-lost neighbor/friend Hope. Due to this meeting, he decides to go back to school. He soon discovers that she is a foster child and they both dissect her past. In doing so, Holder uncovers the truth about Les’s past life as well. By the end, Sky confronts her abusive father and Holder makes his peace with his deceased sister.

Characters in Losing Hope:

The protagonists are Dean Holder and Sky Davis.

Dean appears to be a ferocious typical alpha male. As the plot progresses, Hoover justifies his character by giving enough information about his past life.

Sky Davis is a girl who has no memory of her childhood but the repressed emotions affect her personality. She is a strong but emotionally unstable adult who is on a journey to find her self.

Hoover properly delineates Les in this book. She is not a deceased character throughout, she is alive at the beginning which allows Hoover to present her personality in flesh and blood before the reader. There is a long suicide note by the end which presents her character inside out.

Daniel is Holder’s best friend who stands by him through thick and thin. Hoover does not give much attention to him in this book. But there are hints to his love life which is the focus of the next book in the series, Finding Cinderella.

Grayson is the antagonist in the book who has abused Les and Sky. However, his abuse is not severe to cause Les’s suicide. He is more of a typical high school playboy.

Karen is Sky’s foster mother and biological aunt. She is a sweet woman who wants to keep her niece safe from her perverted brother.

Sky’s father John is the ultimate antagonist of the story who has raped his daughter Hope (Sky), his sister Karen, and Holder’s sister Lesslie. Hoover thoroughly presents his character in Hopeless. But in this book, he is majorly presented from Holder’s perspective.

Major Themes in Losing Hope:

Repressed Emotions

The major theme of the story is the nature of repressed emotions and their impact on human life. The novel reveals a representation of these emotions in form of Holder’s journal which appears after almost every chapter. However, he represses his emotions consciously unlike Sky. In Holder’s case, the repression of emotions is more like controlling the emotions. But in the case of Sky, she has repressed these emotions as a child and now all of it resides in the unconscious. She cannot recall them but their omnipresence in her life is quite clear.

Suicide

The book dissects the theme of suicide in a very subtle way. Hoover does not blame the character for her choice but she reveals the reasons which can pile up and result in something as chaotic as suicide. There is an elaborated suicide note which represents the helplessness of people going through such a phase. The book also highlights the impact of suicide on society in general and loved ones in particular.

Parenthood

Hoover’s works widely present the theme of parenthood. Losing Hope reveals that a parent is not someone who has given birth but someone who cares and loves unconditionally. Hoover thus consider the term in metaphorical sense in the book. The theme therefore covers not only the love of a parent for a child, but the love of a brother for his sister, aunt for her niece, and the love of a friend during the darkest times. Along with it, the book also contrasts the impact of good vs bad parents on the characters.

Hope

The book discusses the idea of losing hope and regaining it. It discusses the theme of Hope in the lives of its characters. The author suggests that hope is not something that can be won once and for all. It rather plays hide and seek with human beings. The only thing which matters is if we stick to it by the end of the day or not. Losing hope is not as destructive as never looking out for it can be. Holder writes in his journal,

‘I’m gonna go live my life now, Les. A life I’m actually able to look forward to, and I’d honestly thought I’d never be able to say that. Then again, I’d honestly thought I’d always be hopeless, but I find hope every single day.’

Concluding Remarks:

Losing Hope is a very profound and beautiful read. In many ways, it is even better than the first book. The length is very suitable; it does not prolong the events with unnecessary narration. It provides all the important information about the two main characters. The language is very simple, exquisite, but thought-provoking – especially the one used in Holder’s journal. A few of the quotes are listed below:

‘What if afterlife is worse than the life you’re running from?’

‘It seems easier for her to just close the doors and not think about the stillness of the rooms behind them.’

‘It’s easier to go on living a life without any life left in it than it is to just say ‘fuck it’ and leave.’

‘I am good at being me… Especially when I’m with you.’

‘My mind is so exhausted and so tired and my heart hurts so much right now. I just need her to help me figure out how to stop trying to be the hero for once.’

‘sometimes even all the love in the world…isn’t enough to help pull someone out of their nightmare. We just need to accept that things are what they are, and all the guilt and regret in the world can’t change that.’

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If you want to know about the first book, check out my review on Hopeless.