The #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller that People Magazine calls “a poignant, addictive read.”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 … 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.
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Overall Grade: ++
There has always been this generational divide. I tell my nineteen-year-old son that one of the arguments against evolution is the continuous divide. Humanity doesn’t seem to change much in its thoughts about changes between generations. The reality is that there isn’t much. Colleen Hoover’s newest book, Regretting You, illustrates this brilliantly. The story follows a mother and daughter, Morgan and Clara. As Clara falls in love, Hoover weaves her mother’s story around it to illustrate their similarities when the two believe they are so different. As their stories progress, you can’t help but note their parallels. The difference, though, lies in their choices, their decisions. Clara represents the choice that her mother did not make for herself at Clara’s age. And the price is an emotionally tawdry journey towards self-discovery, second chances, and forgiveness.
So…I’ve asked this question in past reviews. How do you know that a romance book is “good?” Obviously, this is determined by the reader. How did you connect with the characters? Did the story flow? Was the reading seamless? For me, as I’ve mentioned in prior reviews, good in a romance manifests itself in my emotional upheaval. Does the book bring out the most intense emotions in me? Do I suspend my disbelief of the storyline to find myself represented in the characters? If the answers are “yes,” then the romance finds its place on my list of top reads. Regretting You is this such read.
What is it about Regretting You? First of all, I have a confession (I tend to do this quite a bit in my reviews, as I’m a relatively new romance reader): this is my first Colleen Hoover story. I’ve known about her for several months after attending Book Bonanza, but I hadn’t been able to read her yet as I’m constantly reading ARCs and writing reviews (along with my day job of teaching college students the art of college writing). I have several of her books in my Kindle library, awaiting my heart. When Regretting You fell into my lap, I died a little. Receiving an ARC for this monster of a writer (her reputation precedes her) was a gift, a blessing. It was also an opportunity to fall into her words. And fall I did.
This read is the type of book that you want to put down, throw it at the wall, stomp on it, but you can’t because it compels you forward almost against your will. I began it during the daytime and fought with myself over it. I wanted to read it but didn’t want to read it because the story is such that it burrows under your skin, shooting you in the heart with its revelations and truths. When I put it down, that first day, to go to sleep as it was nearing the morning hours, I didn’t sleep. The essence of this book mulled through my brain, and I slept restlessly. If you’re wondering if all of this is “good,” the answer is yes. For me, this is the type of writing that excites me because it’s a torment. I want the stories I read to push me, compel me to feel. If not, then its truth isn’t powerful enough.
In order to feel the power of writing, I need to find myself in the story. Where did this occur in Regretting You? Smack dab in the character of Morgan. No, I did not have a teen pregnancy. Yes, I did marry my high school sweetheart (and divorce him three years later), and yes, I have a teenaged, albeit a young adult, son (from my second husband). Like her, in the past two years, I’ve struggled to rewrite myself, to find who I am without my son as the center of my life. Like Morgan, my identity was shaken, as he graduated and became a college student. It’s Morgan’s truth that connected with my soul, and, as her journey progresses in the story, it’s her story that coerced me forward. The genius of Hoover’s story lies in the relationship between Morgan and her daughter, Clara. Setting them up as bookends is the key to understanding Regretting You because I saw Morgan’s past remedied in her daughter’s present. Clara embodies the “should have” of Morgan’s life. Through Morgan’s sacrifice of self for husband and daughter, Clara is able to live the alternative of her mother’s life. I think that’s a parental truth that we hate to consider: how often we push our children to live a better life than our own. Yet, our mistakes, our choices, as we see in this story, simply make us stronger, able to bear the weight of life. Morgan’s journey illustrates this beautifully in Hoover’s book.
Yes, Colleen Hoover is a writer of romance. However, Regretting You transcends genres in that it’s YA, romance, and literary fiction all in one. It’s more than the romances of Morgan and Clara; in fact, in my opinion, the romances of the women with the men in their lives are tertiary to the journeys of Morgan and Clara towards self-discovery. Yes, falling in love plays a part in their stories, but the true romance of Regretting You lies in the relationship between mother and daughter. Here is the power and the truth of the story, as Morgan and Clara grow apart and then heal, stronger together than they ever were separated. In acceptance of generational differences, in recognizing their impenetrable bond, Hoover’s brilliance shines. Regretting You burrowed into my soul and found its place because it’s a challenge for acceptance, forgiveness, and a true love, not necessarily found with a significant other, but found in a familial bond.
***I received an ebook copy from the publisher at no cost***
I was hooked on this story within the first few pages. But, that’s what happens every time I pick up a Colleen Hoover novel.
Regretting You is an angsty, tragic, beautiful, inspiring, and heartbreaking story, about love, survival, life, and family. It’s a story about losing everything and looking inside oneself to find the strength to pick up the pieces and move forward. It’s a story about a mother and daughter who have to figure out a way to set aside their differences and come together to heal.
I consumed this book like it was the oxygen I needed to breathe. I couldn’t put it down and I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I wasn’t reading. Hoover writes in such a way that the words work themselves into my soul and wrap themselves around my heart. The characters have so much depth and, through the alternating POVs, we get to see what Morgan and Clara think and feel. We get to know each of them intimately, and this only made reading Regretting You an even more emotional journey for me.
This story sent me on an emotional roller coaster. There were times that my heart was crushed and times when couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Hoover filled this story with twists and turns, when I was least expecting them, which made the journey all the better. I never quite knew what to expect but, I held out hope that amidst the angst and tears we’d get a happy ending of some sort. (I’m not going to tell you if we do cause — that will spoil it!)
There are a few different themes going on in this story, with the mother/daughter relationship being the main one. Hoover handled the development of this relationship, and the individuals characters, beautifully. Everything felt authemtic and realistic and that broke my heart even harder when I was reading. It’s easy to relate to Clara on some levels and I felt so much empathy for her when it came to the personal journey she’s on. And for those who enjoy romance don’t worry, there’s a little bit of that woven into the story as well.
Hoover nailed it with everything in this book. The plot is good, the characters are well developed and likeable, and the writing is vivid and made me feel like I was living inside the book. Everything moved at a good pace and when I reached the end of the book, I still wanted more of these characters.
Five stars to this novel!
5/5 STARS
See my review in French here
This book is why I love Colleen Hoover’s stories.
I usually try to “guess” the whole plot when I read the blurb, but trust me, dive into this one totally blind.
And I’ll try my best not to give away too much in my review.
As a mother, and an “ex teenager”, I saw a lot of myself in Morgan, but also in Clara.
I loved how the author dealt with their mother/daughter relationship, how she shown us all the things Morgan had to “give up” when she became a mother at such a young age.
You’ll fall in love with Jonah, and Miller too.
It’s just impossible not too!!!
But of course, REGRETTING YOU is so much more than Morgan and Clara.
This story is about growing up, sacrifices, unconditional love, loss and betrayal, but also forgiveness, moving on and second chances,
The only “but”, for me, was those questions left “unanswered”, at least that how I felt first, but once I gave it some time, a few days after, I think Morgan made the best choice. The more selfless as a mother, and the healthier for herself.
And the way Colleen closed this story, it was so beautiful to read!
It was just perfect.
One of my favorites reads this year, and another favorite from this author!
***ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review***
Visit my French blog: https://isalacroqueusedelivres.wordpress.com
I have so many thoughts about this book and no words to describe them.
I have shed some tears after finishing the book and I can’t even really pinpoint why.
Sure, it’s a romance. I love romance books. But this book is so much more. As a mom, I think this book really hit me in the feels. This story is really a book about Morgan and Clara with romance sprinkled throughout. There was just an appropriate amount of betrayal and hurt that really grips me in a story. But the story about a mom and her daughter is what I loved the most. I have 2 sons and they are just about to enter their teen years and I could see myself having to navigate some of these issues myself. And my mom and I totally went through a lot of this stuff when I was a teenager.
I really hope that I have half the amount of patience and dedication to their happiness that Morgan has, even at the risk of making herself the enemy for the greater good.
Colleen just nails her characters so well. You can love them, be mad at them but understand that they are human and we all make mistakes. Miller is just the swoon-worthy type of teenage boy that I strive for my sons to be.
The ending was just perfection. You will love this book. 🙂
Colleen Hoover was another one of those authors that really kicked off the romance genre for me. I haven’t read her books in years especially her newer releases. Slammed and Hopeless were the books that had me absolutely falling in love with her work. And I never want to lose that feeling when I think about her books hence why I’ve been hesitant to read her newer stuff. But there was something about Regretting You that had me pulled in. I was nervous to read it since it has been a while and I could never bring myself to read her other recent releases simply because of tropes I don’t normally read.
I would say that I loved this more than I thought it would, it has a blend of women’s fiction and romance. I think if it was simply women’s fiction, I wouldn’t have picked this one up. I’m a romance reader through and through, so I’ll always be seeking that happily ever after.
In Regretting You, we get multiple story arcs, but my goodness, Colleen did a fantastic job of weaving them all together, effortlessly. It flowed so perfectly and there wasn’t a moment where I found myself swaying away from the book. We have the mother-daughter arc, their personal love stories and just their own life journey as well.
I would say this book is one many can enjoy, you don’t have to be a romance reader or simply just a women’s fiction reader. Many who read from these genres will definitely find something that they could enjoy.
A betrayal so deep, you’re constantly in this vortex of trying to figure out the why and what happened. Grief, it’s a tricky thing and not something that’s easy to navigate. Morgan and Clara both are struggling with it and both for very different reasons. A second chance at love and a new love.
I devoured every single page, it doesn’t quite top as my favorite Colleen Hoover reads, but it’s definitely up there.
**A COMPLIMENTARY READER’S COPY WAS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.**
Colleen Hoover
Full Confession. Before now, I’ve never read a book by Colleen Hoover.
I know, I know. Trust me…I now realize how much I’ve missed out on! And I won’t be making that same mistake again.
When I review a book, I typically give a synopsis that is spoiler-free. But that’s really hard to do with this book. There is so much you really need to read, and it’s such a good book that I honestly wouldn’t want to spoil a second of it. (See, I told you I’d been missing out!) So just think of the movie Random Hearts and then a HUGE twist, and that’s basically the synopsis of Regretting You. In Random Hears the fallout really only affects the hero and heroine, but in regretting you, the fallout is nearly nuclear in how far-reaching the destruction really is.
NICUnurse’s Rating: Now I understand why Colleen Hoover’s books are such big bestsellers. She had me totally invested in the main characters basically from page one. I could sympathize with Morgan, didn’t care for Chris or Jenny all that much, and my heart broke for Jonah by the end of chapter one. And my feelings for these characters didn’t really change much throughout the book. Then we fast forward to present day, and even though I liked Morgan’s daughter, Clara, she’s a teenager, and at times I kind of wanted to smack her on the back of her head (similar to the feelings I have regarding my own teenagers!) and tell her to wake up and really look at the world around her, and she’d see the truth. But when their worlds are turned upside down, I was literally in tears for Morgan, Clara, and Jonah. Needless to say, the author totally had my feelings riding this rollercoaster throughout the entire story. It was angsty, heartbreaking, anger-inducing, and yet healing in the end, and I loved every second of it! And yes, there is a happily ever after ending. Really, by the end of the book, I just wanted a group hug with everyone in Morgan’s life! Regretting You is a story about learning to love yourself and finding the strength to pick yourself up and move forward through devastating circumstances. And becoming a better version of you despite it all.
I give Regretting You by Colleen Hoover 5 out of 5 stars!
4.5 Stars
Emotional and raw, Colleen Hoover weaves together a heart-felt tale of loss and grief, family bonds, first love, and picking up the pieces when everything around you is falling apart.
With relatable characters, dialogue, and circumstances, it was easy to get caught up in the lives of Morgan and Clara as they begin to settle into their new reality and uncover truths about themselves and others. The mother/daughter relationship was done very well, especially as it dealt with not only the typical teenage drama, but also those moments that were driven by heartache and the need to protect.
There were several subplots happening that added additional depth to the story, especially as everything came together at the end. I enjoyed the dual point of view between Morgan and Clara and although things happen fast at times, the pacing of the story was spot on and I easily finished this book in two days.
This is definitely one to pick up, especially when you need a book with all the feels.
I read this book on Kindle Unlimited.
So I have a secret… this is the very first Colleen Hoover book I have read! Shhhhhh… don’t go spreading this, I am legit afraid that I will be tossed out of the book community! I mean I have a ton of her books sitting on my kindle — but you all know how that TBR can get. I have no idea why I never cracked one of them open! Guess I am going to have to rectify that real quick!
Regretting You was a beautiful, emotional read. The story of what happens to a mother and daughter when their life is ripped apart. When the center of their universe is all of a sudden no longer there. How do you cope with loss when your rock is no longer there to hold you up? How do you go on and live each day when you are now questioning everything you know? When you find yourself wracked with guilt?
I absolutely loved how this book was dual POV, but not your typical dual view. It was told from both the perspectives of the mother, Morgan and the daughter, Clara. I felt that this gave us such unique insight into the dynamics of the family. It made me so attached to both characters as opposed to getting mad at one or the other if it had just been one of their views. I could see myself hating mom or hating the daughter if the book was one-sided because we wouldn’t be getting the whole story. Instead my heart ached and ached for them as I could completely understand and empathize with both of these beautiful, hurting women.
Books that deal with family always seem to resonate strongly with me. So it is no surprise that I loved this one. I read it cover to cover because I needed to see how everyone would turn out. I appreciated the imperfections in each character and how they helped to shape them and make them a truly three-dimensional character. I loved that they handled what happened to them in a way that just seemed real. Sometimes life just SUCKS. It really does. But it is how we react to that suckiness, how we find a way to move forward and begin to live again that makes a story beautiful. And that is exactly what this story is. A beautiful tale of how a family moves forward and learns to love again.
You should definitely pick up this captivating book.
Rated 4.5 Stars
Regretting You was great. It’s thought-provoking. There’s angst, betrayal, lies, deceit and love. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a Romance although the romance is an integral part it’s not the main focus of the story. There’s also a forbidden aspect to the story. I loved it. I saw the twists coming but that didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. The things that did take away from my overall enjoyment contain spoilers so I won’t post them here. That said I still highly recommend this book because it’s amazing.
Copy provided by publisher through Net Galley
I went into this book blind. This book is told in dual POV. I struggled with one of the POVs, but that was me, and not the book. This was an emotional roller coaster with heartbreaking moments, but also quite a bit of humor. I loved the direction the story took, and the ending was perfect.
This book stabbed me in the heart, just like each and every Colleen Hoover book does, this one was just a lot earlier than the others. This isn’t your traditional romance novel, but don’t worry, CoHo won’t leave you wanting for more. Regretting You is about the relationship between a mother and daughter and how they navigate personal tragedy. The reason I love Colleen Hoover’s writing so much is that no matter what, I find a way to relate to her characters. Yes, I know, you’re thinking “Wait, what? You related to Verity!?” Well, maybe I’m a crazy pants too, but I digress. This book is filled with miscommunications and second chances, pain and healing. As parents we always want to do what is best for our children, but maybe what we think is best, really isn’t. Once again, Colleen’s writing stresses the importance of communication in any relationship. I adored this book and love that she was able to write something outside the box yet again. She continues to evolve her writing while staying true to who she is.
Believe it or not, this is the first book written by Colleen Hoover that I have read. I have no idea why I haven’t picked her books up before now. I have read many glowing reviews of her work over the years and her books always sounded like something I would like. I already own several of her books and my own daughter has told me that I really need to read her work. But I never did until this book. Now I understand why everyone raves about her books because I loved this book! This was one heck of a story and I had a fabulous time with it from beginning to end.
The book opens with Morgan, Chris, Jenny, and Jonah as teenagers. Morgan is Jenny’s older sister and Chris’s girlfriend. Jenny and Jonah are dating and Jonah and Chris are best friends. They are a tight group that likes to have fun. Morgan realizes that her life may be about to change forever and she doesn’t know what to think. Then the story jumps ahead 17 years and we meet Clara, Morgan and Chris’s teenage daughter. Jenny and Jonah are around as well and now share a child. It looks like a pretty good life.
This book was pretty emotional at times. My heart broke for this group of characters one minute and I was angry for what they were going through the next. The relationships in this book all felt so real to me and I liked that we got to see so many different types of connections. Through Clara’s point of view, we were able to see her relationship with her parents and watch as she navigated a new relationship. From Morgan’s point of view, we saw a mother who wanted the best for her daughter even if they weren’t always on the same page. Morgan had a lot of things to work out and I thought that the emotions that she went through all felt very real.
I would highly recommend this book to others. This was a wonderful story that tackled a mother-daughter relationship, a teenage romance, and things that are out of our control. I will definitely be reading more from Colleen Hoover very soon.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Montlake Romance via NetGalley.
What an AMAZING STORY One of the best books, I’ve read in 2019, it’s high in my top 5.
Regretting You is a soul-stirring book that will go beyond your expectations. It deserves more than 5 stars!!!!!!!
First the writing by Colleen Hoover, left me feeling like a spell was cast on me and I couldn’t I repeat I couldn’t put this damn book down. From the beginning it was a page turner and at the very end, I was left speechless.
There’s so much that can be said about this book, from all the characters,to the surprises, again the writing and the rawness of the emotions. I don’t know which takes the lead over the other.
The main characters are Morgan and her teenage daughter Clara. Who are forced to live a new normal once their lives are upturned after the unimaginable happens.
I appreciated everything within this book. It’s an emotional read, that captures the hard truth about the mother daughter relationship. It has a little bit of everything that we see in our day to day life.
There’s no fluff, no hiding or sugar coating of any kind and I think that’s the best thing about this book. It was real, I felt those feelings right along with each character.
Morgan, I don’t think I’ve ever had a character that took a hold over me the way she did. You will either connect with her as a woman or as a mother. You’re gonna love her but believe me in some moments, you’ll wanna shake some sense into her. I can’t remember how many times, I was screaming at her but then hugging her, blame it on the emotions
Clara, ahhhhhh, I think every teenage girl can connect with her. She reminded of myself at 16, she reminds me if my teenage daughter as well. I really felt for Clara character, she’s sweet and I think really typical of girls her age. She made me think back to how I was at that age and when, the things I would do differently.
The secondary characters who also play very important roles were also intriguing, take Clara’s best friend Lexie, the mouth on this girl. She brings a different level of entertainment to her scenes.
Do I recommend this book? Absolutely. I couldn’t find anything wrong with this book . Even when shitty things took place, the book was good. Whenever a book can make the bad stuff good, it’sa winner!!!!
If you have a daughter read this book. If you know someone who has a daughter have them read this book. I promise you will thank me later for recommending it .
I don’t want to say too much in this review because the reading experience will be much richer for those who go into the book spoiler-free. The most important thing to know is that I loved “Regretting You” very much even though it made my heart hurt and tears run down my face more than once.
This story explores a number of different but related themes, including grief, betrayal, and forgiveness, but the one that struck me above all and seemed to tie everything else together is the idea of how our relationships with our parents, lovers, siblings, friends, and other significant figures in our lives define us and help to make us who we are. When one of those relationships changes, how do we redefine ourselves? What happens if we find out that our loved ones have kept secrets from us? Can we be angry with someone who is no longer here to defend him- or herself?
Struggling with these questions are main characters Morgan and Clara, who were both wonderfully drawn and incredibly sympathetic. There were so many times I wanted to reach into the book and hug them! I really felt like I got to know these characters and was right there with them, experiencing the same revelations and feelings they were. Their story was not an easy one to read, but it was incredibly well-written, and I did not want to put it down.
I love that I never know what to expect next from one of Colleen Hoover’s books. I can’t wait to see what future stories bring!
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
Get the boxes of tissues or two.
I cried hard reading this book.
I am not going to give you any details except just go get this book and read it!
Author Colleen Hoover just out did herself again with this book!
I loved it and I seriously would have regretted it if I never read it.
Go One Click it & be ready to fall into the lies,
the twists,
the secrets
and
fall hard in love with this book!
5 popped!
I should have gotten more tissues before reading this book…I’m speechless. Not that it should come as a surprise cause dah, it’s Colleen. If any author is guaranteed to make you a crying emotional mess, it’s definitely Colleen. Regretting You is so much more than I could have ever expected. It’s a beautiful, very moving book about young love and about lost love, about love between siblings and mainly, about love between mother and her daughter.
As someone who was raised by a single mother, I was really interested in the way Colleen would portray Morgan’s and Clara’s relationship. Their relationship has been strained by tragedies, misunderstandings and deception for a long time. When the last pieces that held them together fall apart, they will have to let go of all their demons in order to put them back together. Their relationship is very fragile and needs for both of them to invest their all into it. The story goes quite in-depth when it comes to the characters so it’s very easy to ease into their minds. Both Morgan and Clara have their own storylines in Regretting You. While Morgan re-discovers old feelings and navigates her life through turbulent waters, Clara is a teenager/young adult discovering herself and exploring all sorts of her firsts.
I’d compared this book to All Your Perfects which obviously had a totally different theme/topic, but I found it similar because Colleen has again focused more on the emotions, on characters’ feelings, on how they react and perceive the situations rather than on the actual situation. It felt much more lyrical then epical. And I mean that as a compliment because that’s exactly what this kind of a book called for.
Writing this review is not easy at all because I don’t want to give away any spoilers. I hope I made at least some sense in this review. It really blew my mind. I didn’t think I could be shocked anymore after Verity, but oh boy was I wrong.
5 stars and then some more!
Wow…this book. Colleen Hoover has such a way with words that you get sucked into the story and it doesn’t want to let you go. Love, loss, heartache, betrayal, and forgiveness are just a few of the things experienced in Regretting You. While reading this book I was so surprised when certain aspects of the story stirred up feelings and memories of things that I’ve experienced in my own life. It’s an emotional read but so worth it. This is one of those books that you don’t want to give anything away in a review. All I can say is, read this book.
I am not sure where to start with this review. Have you ever felt fully submersed into a character that you feel every emotion that they go through? That’s this book.
The bonus is that you will get two stories that are in one with this book. They are very much connected and overlap along the way.
Morgan and Clara weave in and out together, throughout the story. Their emotions blend and drift. You’ll have bouts of true and utter devastating angst and un-justness. Many times I wanted to chuck my e-reader and scream at the maddening unfairness. But then you catch glimmers of hope. They sparkle and wink in-between all the other moments. And then stubbornness stumbles in and as truths are leaked, vulnerabilities are laid bare. Don’t worry, you’ll have some chuckles along the way.
The brokenness needs to be healed with and between Morgan and Clara. Definitely pick up this book to enjoy this journey as only told by Colleen Hoover… you will not be disappointed.
4.5 stars–REGRETTING YOU by Colleen Hoover is a contemporary, YA to adult, stand alone multi-genre story line focusing on thirty-four year old, Morgan Grant and her sixteen year old daughter Clara.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Morgan and Clara) using present day and memories from the past, REGRETTING YOU follows the struggling relationship between Morgan Grant and her sixteen year old daughter Clara. A tragic accident will claim the life of Morgan’s husband and Clara’s father Chris, an accident that will destroy not only the life of Morgan and Clara, but of Chris’ best friend Jonah Sullivan. Secrets will begin to unravel revealing years of betrayal and lies forcing Morgan, Clara and Jonah to wonder if everything about their lives were a lie.
Like all teenagers, Clara struggles in the aftermath of her father’s tragic accident, and takes her frustration and anger out on her mother but unbeknownst to Clara there is more going on behind the scenes than anyone could have imagined. Morgan Grant battles between head and heart in the months following her husband’s death. Life goes on but guilt and the overwhelming knowledge of betrayal and deception force Morgan to step back and reconsider where everyone goes, from here.
REGRETTING YOU follows three separate paths that intersect and converge: we follow sixteen year old Clara as she discovers first love; Morgan Grant as she discovers the truth; and a mother-daughter relationship that implodes in the aftermath of death, and the ultimate betrayal.
The cast of colorful secondary and supporting characters include Chris Grant’s best friend Jonah Sullivan; Morgan’s sister Jenny; Clara’s boyfriend Miller Adams, and her best friend Lexie.
REGRETTING YOU is a story of betrayal, secrets and lies; of revelations, heartbreak and grief; of second chances, acceptance and moving forward. Colleen Hoover pulls the reader into a captivating and intense story of family, friendship, and the true meaning of love. The premise is raw, real and edgy; the characters are passionate and angry. A tragic story of love, loss and lies, REGRETTING YOU is a story you won’t soon forget.
There is a moment in this exceptionally developed novel when Colleen Hoover demands that you not judge her characters. She makes you look at Morgan and Clara and ask not that you approve of their actions but rather that you understand that this mother and daughter (respectively) behaved and reacted in ways that are wholly real, wholly true to their characters. Hoover all but grabs you by the chin and forces you to acknowledge that Morgan and Clara, for all their faults, feel as genuine as any characters you have ever encountered.
There are times you want to pull Morgan aside and beg her to try to understand her daughter just a smidge better. You get it, of course. Morgan and Clara’s foundation was upended when Chris, Morgan’s husband and Clara’s father, got in a tragic auto accident that unleashes devastation beyond the initial losses. You get that Morgan does not — she cannot — trust as easily as she did before the accident. Clara labels (accuses?) her mother as being predictable, and post-accident, you understand how necessary Morgan’s predictability was in the daily functioning of her family.
There are times you want to shout at Clara to Just Stop. Please, for the love of teenage hormones, just stop. Reader, I hated her in some chapters of this book. But then I gasped with delight at the brilliance of Colleen Hoover, who created a teenage girl who is not precocious, not preternaturally wise, not an old soul. She is sixteen and acts like it: self-absorbed, self-involved, and self-inflicting. Clara could not look beyond her initial assumptions if she had a guide dog to lead her. She is resolute in believing she is right. At one point, she gets upset with her mother over Morgan’s honesty, even as she rails against her for not telling the truth. This, friends, is exactly what it means to be a teenager.
Hoover alternates between Morgan’s and Clara’s narration, so you know what each is thinking and feeling as she navigates her new normal. One particular decision of Morgan’s left me a little frustrated because I had questions and wanted answers, but I understood why Morgan chose as she did. It’s different from what I would have done, but I think that makes it all the more interesting.
I love this book. I love how open-ended some of it is, even as other parts give you a sense of resolution. Not for the first time after reading a Colleen Hoover book, I wish I was part of a book club so I could talk about Morgan and Clara. I bought a copy of this for my daughter, hoping to coerce her into a discussion about those two characters.
Please let me know what you think of Regretting You. Hit up the comments and tell me.