Regretting You by Colleen Hoover

Regretting You

by Colleen Hoover

From #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Ends with Us comes a novel about family, first love, grief, and betrayal that will touch the hearts of both mothers and daughters.

Morgan Grant and her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, would like nothing more than to be nothing alike.

Morgan is determined to prevent her daughter from making the same mistakes she did. By getting pregnant and married way too young, Morgan put her own dreams on hold. Clara doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Her predictable mother doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body.

With warring personalities and conflicting goals, Morgan and Clara find it increasingly difficult to coexist. The only person who can bring peace to the household is Chris—Morgan’s husband, Clara’s father, and the family anchor. But that peace is shattered when Chris is involved in a tragic and questionable accident. The heartbreaking and long-lasting consequences will reach far beyond just Morgan and Clara.

While struggling to rebuild everything that crashed around them, Morgan finds comfort in the last person she expects to, and Clara turns to the one boy she’s been forbidden to see. With each passing day, new secrets, resentment, and misunderstandings make mother and daughter fall further apart. So far apart, it might be impossible for them to ever fall back together.

Reviewed by Lynn on

3 of 5 stars

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3.5 stars

This novel is reminiscent of the author's Hopeless novels, specifically when the narrative focuses on Clara's point of view. Unfortunately, this observation didn't warm to this story in the way Sky and Dean's did. 

Coho loves to surprise her readers and this novel falls into this category. The twists and turns were a mix of unexpected and anticipated making the narrative fascinating. Morgan doesn't want her daughter to end up how she did at the same age. Clara has her own views on what she wants to do with her life, therefore it's an explosive scenario waiting to blow up in their faces. Only the fallout has a much wider impact as lies and deception are revealed. 

While the plot threads kept me entertained and interested, the dialogue let the side down for me. There's only so much teenage petulance I could stand and Clara's behaviour became rather boring in a repetitive way. Her immaturity shines through unlike Miller, who is more grounded for his age. 

For me, the outstanding characters are the male supporting ones rather than the female protagonists. Miller is mature far beyond his years and Jonah is a caring, compassionate man. I liked how they both manage to defuse volatile situations because of their ability to see issues from many angles, unlike the females. As mother and daughter, Morgan and Clara are poor communicators especially between themselves so it's not surprising the pair clash. Thankfully, there comes a time when the dust has settled and everyone moves forward with more insight and understanding. 

I've always found the author's sense of humour rather strange so the final chapter and ending made my eyes roll. If it's supposed to be funny, it sadly missed the mark with me. However, one or two incidents within the novel which did make me laugh, lifting the overall atmosphere. 

Overall, a soundly written and solid novel. Those familiar with Ms Hoover's book will love Regretting You however, it failed to hit the spot for me enough to elevate it to a higher star rating. 

***arc generously received courtesy of Montlake Romance via NetGalley***

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  • 10 December, 2019: Reviewed