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Losing Hope

Losing Hope

a novel
Contemporary RomanceDrama
Pages
321
Published
2013
Language
English

Synopsis

The events of Hopeless retold entirely from Dean Holder's perspective, Losing Hope reveals the years of grief and searching that preceded his encounter with Sky — and what he actually knew, and when he knew it, during every scene readers experienced through her eyes. Where Hopeless makes Holder's intensity feel overwhelming, Losing Hope makes it comprehensible: the backstory he carries explains the weight he brings to every interaction. It deepens the emotional stakes of the Hopeless series by giving readers access to the interior experience of a character whose perspective was deliberately withheld in the original novel. The second book in the Hopeless series.

Prose complexity
4/10

Vibe

DarkEmotionalSadHopeful
Coming of AgeMystery BoxRedemption ArcMultiple POVsSacrifice

Genres

Contemporary Romance Drama Romance Contemporary Literature

About the author

C
Colleen Hoover

Colleen Hoover was born on December 11, 1979, in Sulphur Springs, Texas, and grew up in nearby Saltillo. She earned a degree in social work from Texas A&M University–Commerce in 2004 and worked in social work, latterly as a counselor for the federal WIC nutrition program. She began her first novel, Slammed, on a borrowed laptop in 2011, originally intending it as a Christmas gift for her mother, and self-published it in 2012; its word-of-mouth success led to a publishing deal with Atria Books....

Characters

Dean HolderProtagonist

The central narrator of Losing Hope; the novel finally grants full access to the backstory behind his intensity and his years of searching.

Sky DavisProtagonist

Holder's counterpart from Hopeless; seen through his eyes in this retelling, with new emotional context added to shared scenes.

Karen DavisSupporting

Sky's adoptive mother; Holder's interactions with her carry new weight given what he knows about Sky's history.

All characters in Losing Hope

Frequently asked questions

  • Does Losing Hope add new content or just retell Hopeless from a different angle?

    Both. Many scenes from Hopeless are retold from Holder's interior perspective, but the novel also contains entirely new scenes — particularly from his years before meeting Sky — that provide context the first novel deliberately withheld. The backstory is genuinely new material, not just a POV shift.

  • Do I need to read Hopeless before Losing Hope?

    Yes, absolutely. Losing Hope assumes complete knowledge of Hopeless and is built on the emotional investment readers bring from having read the first book. Starting with Losing Hope would spoil the core mystery of Hopeless.

  • What does Holder's perspective add that Sky's couldn't?

    Holder knew the truth about Sky before their first meeting. Reading Hopeless, his behavior can seem controlling or inexplicable; Losing Hope reveals the grief-driven logic behind it. The novel recontextualizes scenes where his actions puzzled readers and makes them land with a different emotional register.

  • Is Losing Hope considered essential or optional in the series?

    Most readers who love Hopeless consider Losing Hope essential — the emotional payoff of understanding Holder's full interior experience is significant. Readers who prefer to move on to other characters in the series can skip it, but they will miss substantial backstory.

  • Why is the novel called Losing Hope rather than something that references Sky?
  • Is Dean Holder's first name ever used in Hopeless?

    In Hopeless, he goes by "Holder" — his last name — throughout. His first name Dean is present but rarely used, a detail that becomes more meaningful in Losing Hope when readers learn more about his relationship to the name itself.

  • Is this a direct sequel that continues the story?

    This book functions as a companion novel rather than a continuation of the timeline. It provides internal depth and context for the male lead's actions during the events of the first book.

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