Reminders of Him Review: Predictable yet so touching
I love corny, sappy romances, but a lot of people close to me have said Colleen Hoover's books are an absolute meme. Obviously, I always defend authors and want to give them a real chance, not jump on some ridiculous bandwagon. While I wasn't a fan of Regretting You, I still don't like to judge anyone by one work! I was pretty excited to check this one out, leading up to the release of the movie, and as somebody who has been isolated from my love for extended periods, I can (kinda) relate to Kenna in this book. With a great premise that I felt on a personal level, and the fact that the movie is coming out soon, it was time to check out Reminders of Him. Thanks so much for joining me here on Brighton's Bookshelf, and I hope you enjoy your time on the site!
Being a rather mainstream romance book, I wasn't expecting to have as strong feelings about this one as I did; I just thought I'd like it and kind of move on quickly, given how solid the premise was for a romance. However, I had far more conflicting feelings about this novel than I expected. Some aspects of this book are 5-star moments, some are 1-star, and the rest are everything in between. As such, I've found this story more interesting to discuss than I expected.
I'll start with the negatives, as usual, and then move into what I enjoyed about the book. First of all, this is really minor, but why is the love interest a rich retired NFL player? It felt a little out of place with the rest of the book's vibes. Anyway, it's not a big deal; it was just a little odd to me.
The first major negative I have with the book is that the grandparents are insufferable whenever they are involved in a scene. Yes, they lost their son, I get it, but they treated Kenna far too terribly, given that she was their son's fiancée, and both of them were drunk and making equally poor choices. Kenna's remorse, depression, and love for her family are so obvious that the way her in-laws treat her is disgusting. Also, with how hard she tried to save him? She is billed far too much as the villain and criminal of the story, which honestly made me mad.
Even as a major supporter of prohibitionism and anti-alcohol living, I think it's completely ridiculous how poorly she's treated amidst the circumstances. There's a scene where Kenna says something along the lines of "that's the first time anyone has ever said that", referring to her being asked if she's okay. I just hate how some of the characters acted in this book, and the story's lack of awareness that Grace and her husband were not the best people was frustrating.
Let's move on. I'm not at all a fan of hyper-subdued, overly literary books that bore me to death and are so outside my way of living life that I have nothing to relate to or feel emotional about. Thankfully, this book was nothing like that and felt human to me, not so subdued as to be robotic. However, I also have to call it as I see it: this book's melodrama rears its ugly head throughout the final act. Some of these scenes had me suspending my disbelief because of some characters' actions.
The final issues I had with this book are the pacing and predictability. The narrative, while I enjoyed the character dynamics and dialogue, would have benefited from some trimming. At over 300 pages for a predictable romance, it just felt a bit drawn out—too many books stretch their lengths without needing to these days. I don't need every plot to be completely original or refreshing, as some quite infuriating critics insist is necessary. Still, if a story is predictable, it really needs to be paced a little better than this one.
However, while some things left a weird taste in my mouth, there are still plenty of great aspects to Reminders of Him. The writing of Kenna and Ledger makes their dynamic absolutely electric, showing that they're among the best-crafted romance leads we've gotten recently. The two of them have great chemistry on the page, even if they're not a flashy couple by any means. I love how both of them still respect their past relationship with Scotty as they move forward.
I love Kenna's scenes with her journal, and the subtle way the relationship crescendos. The backstory scenes with Kenna and Scotty are heartbreaking and well done, even if Grace and her imbecile husband come in to ruin everything, as always. I also thought the book did an amazing job with the side characters, Amy and Roman. These characters really add a ton to the book, especially through their well-rounded, positive portrayals of Down syndrome. While the story was rather heavy and unfunny for most of its pages, Amy brings great humor whenever she pops up.
I love how realistic the text felt and how it didn't shy away from the mundane moments of life, a problem with many overromanticized romance novels. It emotionally resonated with me for many personal reasons, and I love that about the book. Nevertheless, my favorite part of the reading experience has to be the sheer atmosphere. This is one of the coziest books I've ever read. There aren't too many authors who perfectly capture the feeling of a small-town romance, but Hoover hits it here. I loved being immersed in this setting throughout the entire read.
The Brighton's Bookshelf Verdict
Brighton's Bookshelf Score - 7/10
Letter Score - B+
Reminders of Him may be predictably drawn out at times and strain some credibility in its final act. Still, its electric and emotional character dynamics, along with its supremely cozy vibes, elevate its played-out story into something touching and memorable. If you enjoy romance novels and don't mind a rather predictable experience, this is definitely a must-read!
Interested in checking out some of my other reviews? Check them out below!
Author Bio
Enjoy this review? Stay tuned for more articles from Brighton's Bookshelf! Enjoy video games, films, or music? Check out our sister sites, RPG Ranked & The Reel Ranker & Mr. Maestro, respectively!
