“Reminders of Him” was my first book by Colleen Hoover – and from the very first page, the story pulled me in and completely immersed me in the world of Kenna and Ledger. After spending five years in prison, Kenna returns to the town where everything went wrong, hoping for just one thing: to finally meet the daughter she never got to hold. But her return is anything but easy. Especially Ledger, the best friend of her late boyfriend Scottie and now a father figure to her daughter, stands firmly in her way.
Colleen Hoover’s writing style is gripping, emotional, and deeply immersive. One of the most powerful elements of the story are the letters Kenna writes to Scottie. These letters are raw, honest, and heartbreaking. They give us a direct look into her mind and heart – full of regret, longing, and the overwhelming need for forgiveness. Through her words, we see not just a woman who made a terrible mistake, but someone who has carried the weight of it every single day since. These letters are her only way of keeping Scottie close, of trying to make sense of a past that destroyed everything.
As a relatively new mother myself, I felt deeply connected to Kenna’s pain. The idea of not being allowed to hold your own child, even though you carried them for nine months, is gut-wrenching. You feel them grow, prepare to meet them – and then those first precious moments are stolen from you. And when you’re finally close again, someone stands in the way. My heart broke for Kenna, page after page.
I often struggled to understand the reactions of Scottie’s parents and even Ledger – though I could understand where their pain came from. But that made it even more meaningful when Ledger started to let go of his judgment. He began to see Kenna not just as the girl from a tragic accident, but as a mother who never had the chance to be one. He became the first person to truly acknowledge her as such – and that shift was one of the most moving parts of the book.
“Reminders of Him” is a story written with so much heart. It’s painful, raw, and yet full of hope. It shows how love can survive even the deepest mistakes, and how forgiveness can change lives. I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars, because it truly moved me – though I would have liked a bit more depth in the side characters and subplots. Still, this was a powerful and emotional introduction to Colleen Hoover’s writing for me – and definitely not the last book I’ll read from her.
