Review: ‘Reminders of Him’ engages readers with tragic separation

Maya Contreras, Reporter|March 30, 2022

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Maya Contreras

“Reminders of Him” by Colleen Hoover tells the story of a mother separated from her daughter. The book was released Jan. 18. Hoover is a New York Times bestselling author. “I was hesitant to read this book at first,” junior reviewer Maya Contreras said. “Once I sat down and started reading, I couldn’t get enough.”

Book Summary

After a devastating mistake, Kenna Rowan is serving five years in prison.

Brave and focused on making amends, Kenna makes her way back to the small town where her life changed to connect with her daughter. As Kenna works to fix her past mistakes, it seems impossible for anyone to trust her.

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Ledger Ward, town bar owner and one of the only connections to Kenna’s daughter, is the only person willing to help Kenna. He offers her a job at his bar to get her back on her feet. Conflicted throughout his time spent with Kenna, Ledger feels he has betrayed those around him.

As the two start to form a connection, they realize it puts Kenna’s chance of ever meeting her daughter – and forming trust with the grandparents who raised her – at risk.

With a growing desire to meet her daughter, Kenna takes any chance she can get to catch a glimpse of her, putting both herself and Ledger at risk. In order to meet her daughter, Kenna works her hardest to amend her faults and gain back the trust of the people she lost in order to build a brighter future for herself, her daughter and Ledger.

Opinion

This book was definitely harder to understand and connect with on a personal level. However, Colleen Hoover does an incredible job describing the emotions of the characters and what they are facing.

Going through this book, it was easy to want to look at it with idyllic eyes. I couldn’t help but want Kenna to meet her daughter and for her and Ledger to start a relationship as soon as possible. But, this story is a lot more complicated than how it appears on the surface because it offers new information and ways to turn the story on each page.

One of my favorite aspects of this book was its story. There were no sudden plot twists that made the reader re-think the whole plotline. I loved being able to take in the story without the urgency of a twist that changes the whole direction of the book.

The most difficult aspect of this book was Ledger’s point of view. Every time he was with Kenna, he would convince himself that he shouldn’t be helping her, and then he would oppose his thoughts and side with Kenna and how far she had come to see her daughter. I found myself disagreeing with his opinions – and then agreeing. I was constantly back and forth, trying to take either side. 

In the end, the audience is left wondering: “Is love enough reason to forgive?”