Pgs: 439 (hardcover)

Publication date: May 14, 2013

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

How I got the copy: Library

Rating:  4 Stars
  

     
  

From Goodreads:

Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.

Filled with hand-drawn info-graphics and illustrations and told in a pitch-perfect voice, this realistic depiction of a teen’s experience strikes an exceptional balance of hilarious and heartbreaking.

My favorite kind of books are the ones that make you think you're just being entertained until WHAM they throw a life lesson at you.  Winger was hilariously unique and yet it taught me something completely serious and real.  

Ryan Dean West was one of my favorite characters ever because he was such a jerk, but you couldn't help but love him because he didn't mean to be a jerk it just sorta happened.  He's only fourteen and he's only trying to figure out who he is, but he keeps making such stupid mistakes and hurting people he cares about.  It made him feel real...like I could have known him in high school.  And I loved the conversational tone of the writing style.  I will warn you that there is cursing every few sentences though. 

Format: Audiobook

Publication date: August 13, 2013

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

How I got the copy: For Review (Thank you S&S Audio!!)

Rating:  5 Stars
  

   
  

From Goodreads:

Sometimes in life, in order to move forward you must face the past…#1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover held readers spellbound with her novel Hopeless, the story of what happened when a troubled girl named Sky encountered a long-lost childhood friend, Dean Holder. With Holder’s help, Sky uncovered shocking family secrets and came to terms with memories and emotions that had left deep scars.

Hopeless was Sky’s story. Now, in Losing Hope, we finally learn the truth about Dean Holder.

Haunted by the little girl he couldn’t save from imminent danger, Holder’s life has been overshadowed by feelings of guilt and remorse. He has never stopped searching for her, believing that finding her would bring him the peace he needs to move on. However, Holder could not have anticipated that he would be faced with even greater pain the moment they reconnect.

In Losing Hope, Holder reveals the way in which the events of Sky’s youth affected him and his family, leading him to seek his own redemption in the act of saving her. But it is only in loving Sky that he can finally begin to heal himself.

Remember that time I read Walking Disaster and it felt like I was reading Beautiful Disaster all over again?  Yeah, well this was nothing like that.  This felt like I was reading a completely new book.  There was the same plot ARC, but many new scenes were added and Holder writes letters to Les adding additional insight into his complex mind.  Holder's POV answers all the questions I had after reading Hopeless.  It explained why Holder is the way he is, what happened to him prior to meeting Sky, and how he feels upon meeting Sky.  That last one is essential because in book one he comes off as a tad creeptastic.  But in Losing Hope we understand why he did/said what he did.  And now I live Holder even more than I already did.

I was pleasantly surprised at how much emotion the person reading for this audiobook was able to convey.  I'm glad I wasn't listening to this in public because the pain in the reader's voice was enough to bring tears to my eyes at parts.  And he did a wonderful job at reading the dialogue.  Sometimes guys reading in a girl's voice can be...interesting, but his was perfect.  His voice also perfectly matched my expectations completely.

I'd suggest you read or listen to Hopeless first because some of the mysteries were revealed too soon in Losing Hope.  But it's definitely not a companion novel to skip.  Be prepared for a fresh wave of feels!  And I highly recommend getting the audiobook version.