Everyone told me Kirby Heyborne was perfect for this. "So emotional," they said. "Heartfelt," they said. And look—they're not wrong. But also? I spent the first two hours trying to reconcile the voice in my ears with the brooding, intense Holder I'd built up in my head from reading Hopeless.
This is the companion novel thing, right? Same story, Holder's perspective instead of Sky's. And I wanted to love it because Colleen Hoover does messy, complicated feelings better than almost anyone. But the narrator situation had me conflicted the whole way through.
The Voice That Didn't Match My Mental Casting
Here's my problem. Holder is supposed to be this intense, damaged guy carrying around years of guilt over a little girl he couldn't save. He's got that barely-contained rage thing going on. And Kirby Heyborne delivers the emotional beats beautifully—like genuinely, when Holder breaks down, you feel it. The man knows how to make you cry.
But his voice reads younger and softer than I expected. It's like casting the sweet boy-next-door to play the tortured antihero. Not bad, just... different. By hour four I'd adjusted, but those first few hours I kept getting pulled out of the story. Sophie was napping (miracle of miracles) and instead of being lost in the book, I was thinking "wait, is this really Holder?"
Some listeners absolutely love his take. Others—and I get it—find it hard to buy him as this masculine, brooding presence. I landed somewhere in the middle.
What CoHo Does Best (Even On Repeat)
Okay, so I'd already experienced this story through Sky's eyes. You'd think knowing the ending would ruin it. But getting inside Holder's head during the same events? Completely different emotional experience. The guilt he carries, the way he's been searching for this girl for years, the moment he realizes what finding her actually means—it hits different when you're in his perspective.
The trauma content is heavy. Abuse, loss, really dark stuff that Hoover doesn't shy away from. I'm giving you a heads up because I started this during morning drop-off thinking it would be a nice romance and ended up ugly-crying in the school parking lot. At 8:15 AM. With other parents walking by. Worth it, but maybe save the heavy chapters for car-in-garage time.
At 10.5 hours, it's a solid week of listening if you're working with interrupted mom-time like me. Not too long, not too short. I finished it across maybe six days, and the story survived being paused approximately 847 times. (Sophie's teething. Don't ask.)
The Companion Novel Question
Do you need to read Hopeless first? Technically no, but practically yes. This book assumes you know Sky's story and fills in Holder's side. Going in blind would work, but you'd miss the gut-punch of seeing familiar scenes from a completely different angle.
If you loved Hopeless and want more of these characters, this delivers. If you're new to CoHo, start with the original. This is dessert, not the main course.
Who's Going to Love This (And Who Should Maybe Just Read It)
Perfect for: Anyone who finished Hopeless and immediately needed more. Readers who love getting the guy's perspective. People who don't mind a narrator that's emotionally on-point even if the voice isn't quite what you pictured.
Maybe skip the audio if: You have a very specific mental image of Holder and a mismatched voice will drive you crazy. Some reviewers said they switched to reading the physical book instead, and honestly? I get it. The story is worth experiencing either way.
Garage Time Well Spent
Look, I cried. Multiple times. The narration grew on me even though it wasn't my initial vision. Colleen Hoover's ability to make you feel things is fully intact, and getting Holder's redemption arc from his own head adds real depth to a story I already loved. That same emotional gut-punch showed up in Beneath a Scarlet Sky, where the narrator made me feel every bit of the main character's impossible choices.
Not groundbreaking, but sometimes you don't need groundbreaking. Sometimes you need a satisfying emotional journey that makes your 45 minutes of hiding in the garage feel meaningful. This did that for me. Made me cry at school pickup. Worth it though.
Just maybe keep tissues in your car. Trust me on this one.
