Recent Reads | Vol. 5 | Reminders of Him and The Honeymoon
Originally published on May 25, 2025 | Last updated on July 25, 2025
In today’s post, I’m sharing two recent reads — Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover and The Honeymoon by Shalini Boland. Read on to find out my thoughts on the novels..
Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover
As I previously read Colleen Hoover’s popular novels It Ends With Us and It Starts With Us, I thought I would give another novel of hers a try. In Hoover’s Reminders of Him, Kenna, a troubled young mother, returns to the town where she made a tragic mistake. After spending years in prison, she hopes to reconnect with her daughter. Kenna faces resistance and guilt, but an unexpected connection offers her a glimmer of hope.
As you read the story, Hoover takes you on an emotional journey and is able to portray Kenna’s pain very vividly. You find yourself sympathising with Kenna as Hoover does a great job of making you really feel Kenna’s heartache and struggles as she deals with her past mistakes and fights to reconnect with her daughter. Hoover’s ability to portray morally complex characters and the messiness of human emotions adds authenticity to the story.
I liked the depth of the characters, particularly the characters of Kenna and Ledger. Their romance unfolds gradually, adding a hopeful layer to the story without overshadowing the main themes of healing and forgiveness.
Overall, I found this novel’s plot unique and compelling. This heart-breaking tale masterfully explores love, loss, forgiveness, and second chances. A really great read!
4.5/5 ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐💫
The Honeymoon by Shalini Boland
Shalini Boland’s The Honeymoon is a thriller told through dual timelines (“now” and “then”) from the first-person perspective of newlywed Stella. Set against the scenic backdrop of Venice, the novel follows Stella as her dream honeymoon spirals into an unimaginable nightmare when her husband, Austin, mysteriously disappears without a trace.
I found that the storyline flowed easily and quickly towards the beginning, and I enjoyed its short gripping chapters. I also really liked the dual timeline structure. I think this worked well as it gradually reveals layers of Stella and Austin’s relationship, whilst also building up suspense.
Towards the middle section of the novel, I thought the story became a little slower paced. With Stella’s search for Austin lacking significant developments, it becomes a bit repetitive for a while. However, there is a major twist at the end of the novel that I didn’t expect. Without giving spoilers away, the twist, although gripping to read, did not make sense to the previous narrative and didn’t feel believable, so unfortunately the ending was a bit of a let down for me.
Overall, this is an entertaining thriller that is an easy read, although the ending didn’t quite feel believable.
3.5/5⭐ ⭐ ⭐💫
What have you been reading lately?
