The Book Bump

First Published: 2016
Author: Colleen Hoover
Language: English
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
My rating: 1/5

It’s hard to write a review for this book… I have mixed emotions about it. The story had loads of potential. It opened a doorway to discussing sensitive topics and perhaps gaining understanding. But the poor execution let it down big time.

For a start, the book seems to be marketed as a romance, which isn’t wrong. There is a strong romantic plotline, with an awkward love triangle between the main characters. However, there is no mention of the domestic and spousal abuse that fuels the plot’s conflict.

Sometimes it is the one who loves you who hurts you the most.

This is the only mention, and it is only after reading the novel that you realise that the word “hurt” is used literally, not figuratively. I have nothing against darker topics, but the hype and marketing of this book don’t clearly reflect the vibe of the book.

The major problem I had with this book was the characters. I feel harsh when I say this, but I found them pathetic. The plot hinges on their inability to communicate. This book wouldn’t have happened if all the characters had communicated clearly from the beginning.

There are loads of “secrets” kept in this book; to be fair, they weren’t even very good secrets. I understand communication and trust openness are complex, but there were many instances in this book where a character decided not to do the “adult” thing. If the characters had acted like the mature adults they were meant to be, many problems would never have occurred.

Ryle and Lily’s relationship should never have happened. They had no chemistry. Lily is still in love with Atlas, her first love, but doesn’t tell Ryle about him. Ryle didn’t really want to get into a relationship and has a traumatic past he only reveals after being forced to. Tell me how this isn’t doomed to fail?

Atlas is still in love with Lily and has built his entire business around her, but he cannot tell her this. Instead, when he sees her again, he tells her he’s in a steady relationship. Great!

Alyssa, Ryle’s sister and Lily’s best friend, seems to know what her brother can be like because of his traumatic past but fails to warn her best friend.

A slight miscommunication is realistic. This level of miscommunication is beyond belief.

And I won’t even start on Ryle’s creepy behaviour. He is the most unrealistic book boyfriend I have ever come across. Who begs a complete stranger who has already told you she’s not into one-night stands to have sex? Just plain cringe.

The book’s only redeeming feature is the ending and Lily’s evolving relationship with her mother. Through her own experience, she comes to understand her mother’s position. The reader might come away with a little more understanding of abuse victims than before reading it. We are all so convinced, as Lily is, that we’d never let ourselves get into such a situation, but no one can be sure. It isn’t a black-and-white situation; it’s grey and shady. The author tries to highlight this, albeit it could have been executed better.