Hopeless Books In Order

Publication Order of Hopeless Books

Hopeless is a series of young adult novels written by Colleen Hoover which follow the exploits of a disillusioned girl in her late teens who falls for a troubled young man.

+The Story
The Hopeless series is quite short, constituting two books and a novella. The novels tend to attract very strong reactions. The majority of reader seem to enjoy them very enthusiastically and they would give life and limb to defend the quality of what they consider to be Hoover’s most impressive series.

Only a select few readers have anything negative to say about the Hopeless series. But their disregard for the novels is quite strong. So it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that there is no real middle ground with the Hopeless stories.

You will either love the series or loathe it. The books primarily tell the story of Sky and her relationship with Dean Holder. Hoover juggles a number of storylines within the confines of her Hopeless novels.

But Sky and Dean’s romance takes center stage. Sky initially takes the reins of the story. A girl of seventeen, Sky doesn’t believe in true love or romance, at least not when readers first meet her.

Sky is a decent student. She has great friends and she gets along with her classmates. Sky is also attractive enough that she has no trouble drawing boys to her bedroom. However, none of them has ever made her feel the all-consuming emotion of love and desire that so many fairy tales and romance novels narrate.

She has never felt her stomach dance with butterflies and she doesn’t what it means to swoon at the sight of a guy. And whenever she finds herself in the arms of her crushes, the boys whose looks are appealing enough that she takes no issue with kisisng them, Sky only ever feels numb.

As a result, she has since come to the realization that love is little more than a fairytale. Either that or she was never meant to feel emotion on that spectrum.

For a while, Sky was content to simply pursue the routine of her life. And so long as she never slept with her male suitors, she was also happy to keep frolicking with a boy or two from time to time.

But then she met Dean Holder and everything changed. Sky could tell from the moment she laid eyes on him that Dean was no good. He walked with an air of superiority. Add the tattoo to the equation and the rumors, and there was no question in Sky’s mind that she was better off giving Dean a wide berth.

But staying away from Dean was the one feat Sky found impossible to accomplish. Not only was she taken by his handsome face, crooked smile, and sensual dimples but she quickly found that merely talking to the mysterious fellow did things to her body that she did not think possible.

Dean made her feel things, actual emotions. He had the power to bring Sky to her knees and the troubled teenager wanted more.

And so began the torrid romance that would change both of their lives forever.

The most appealing aspect of the Hopeless series is the effort it takes to explore and develop its protagonists. Sky doesn’t fit the mold of the average romance genre heroine. So when she meets Dean and he makes her heart skip a beat, readers are ready and willing to forgive the instant love trope that so many other young adult novels have worn out.

It is worth noting that the themes and the structure of this series do not differ that drastically from the average Young Adult or New Adult book. The heroine isn’t necessarily an innocent virgin but she does not perceive herself positively.

She falls for a bad boy in the hero despite the fact that Dean acts in a manner that would mark him out as a stalker if he wasn’t so attractive. In fact, that is the one aspect that compels some of Hoover’s fans to express distaste at the story the Hopeless series tells.

Colleen Hoover initially makes Dean out to be a creep. He stalks sky relentlessly, invading her privacy on multiple occasions and yet she remains smitten with the boy specifically because of how attractive he appears to be.

Hoover’s critics believe that her series sends out a bad message to young, impressionable girls. They argue that her Hopeless books tell girls that it is okay for men to abuse them emotionally and to act threateningly towards them if they are attractive.

Hoover’s defenders, on the other hand, argue that Dean’s offputting behavior adds to the mystery of his character. There are reasons pushing him to invade Sky’s life and one has to read the entirety of the Hopeless series to learn the truth about his past and the events driving his pursuit.

+The Author
Colleen Hoover is a bestselling American author that writes New Adult and Young Adult novels. Hoover is married. She also has three sons. She studied Social Work in college and did a bit of teaching before settling down to write.

+Hopeless
Sky is seventeen-years-old and she doesn’t believe in happy endings. She thinks that they can only exist in fairy tales. Her beliefs are challenged when she meets Dean Holder, the first boy to ever make her feel.

Dean has a bad reputation. But Sky has been numb for so long that she doesn’t care. He might terrify her but something about his person also captivates her. As they begin to circle one another, Sky does not yet realize that her eventual relationship with Dean will bring forth unexpected repercussions, consequences that will change both of their lives forever.

+Losing Hope
The sequel to Hopeless takes readers into the past, giving them a glimpse at the events that befell Dean Holder before he met Sky.

Dean lost so much when he was so young. He learned to carry his guilt but he never stopped searching for the girl he let walk away. Now if Dean wants to move forward, he must face the past and make amends for his wrongs.