Staying away from her so she doesn’t find out, or telling her the truth and ruining her life all over again.” We watch them fall in love, slowly, gently, cautiously, knowing the truth this time around and aware that it is a ticking bomb waiting to explode. When Holder meets her, he wishes with all his heart for her to be his long lost friend, but the more he gets to know her, the more he needs her not to be that little girl. The moment he first sees Sky is the embodiment of thirteen years of hope. “What are the chances that the only two girls in my life I’ve ever loved … I’ve lost?” Losing his childhood friend left him burdened with guilt and regret, but losing his twin sister shattered his heart. Holder has had more loss in his life than any young man should ever have to overcome. All the final puzzle pieces are set in place, making this story even more flawless. From the first moment we hear Holder’s voice, we become aware that to truly understand the complexity of Sky’s reactions, we needed to witness Holder’s too. Revisiting such an emotional story from a different point of view was no small task, especially since we were left believing that no stone was left unturned in the storyline, but it truly deserved to be told again. It is not a book, however, that could or should be read without reading Hopeless first as several scenes are better understood with prior knowledge of Sky’s story, allowing this book to simply fill the gaps in the timeline and for Holder to finally tell his side of this timeless tale of love, courage and human endurance. Losing Hope is its sequel, written entirely from Holder’s point of view, but following the same storyline. The story of Sky and Holder is not something that you ever forget – its uniqueness lies in the deep emotions that it makes us feel and in its inimitable writing style.

It touched me so profoundly and so irrevocably that I walked away a different reader. Hopeless was hands down one of the best books I have ever read. Well, fast forward “a few” years and I have found the equivalent of those childhood toy store expeditions. I never knew what toy I would pick, the anticipation was half the fun, but I always knew I would be returning home with a huge grin on my face. Those day trips were some of the happiest moments in my life because I could always take that joy for granted. When I was a little girl, every single year on my birthday, my parents would take me to my favourite toy store which happened to be in a city a few hours away from ours.

Hopeless and losing hope