Kirkus Review: November 9

Five years, five days together. Fallon and Ben meet only one day a year for five years in an attempt to not get tied down too early in life. Fallon is spending her last day in LA having breakfast with her estranged father when Ben interrupts their conversation, sparking attraction between he and Fallon. She’s leaving town because her once promising acting career ends one night when she is 16 and her father’s house catches fire, leaving Fallon with burns across half of her body. She hopes to make it big on Broadway, instead. Ben is a struggling writer taking classes at the local college, unsure how he wants to proceed with his life and if an English degree is really for him. Fallon still leaves for New York the day she meets Ben, but they make a pact to meet once a year, on November 9th, just for the day and Ben will write a book about their encounters. They do not communicate outside of November 9, adding a level of suspense to their meetings. Readers are privy to both character’s perspectives, as the novel alternates between Fallon and Ben’s perspective each November 9. Over the years, drama abounds - car accidents, babies, fighting - but in the end, Fallon and Ben end up together in LA, seemingly more mature than their 18 year old counterparts and more ready to commit to one another. Did spending five years apart really let them find themselves and grow as individuals, or were their choices influenced by the knowledge that the other existed across the country? Did they meet on that first November 9 by chance though, or does Ben know more than he’s telling? Overall, not Hoover’s strongest work. The instalove, quick forgiveness, and over the top coincidences throughout the novel, as well as cliche plot points, makes the book suitable fluff for readers looking for a predictable romance.