November 9th will always be a significant date in my life because this book has had such an influence on not only the way that I see others, but the way that I see the world. The book has been sitting on my nightstand since the 12th of August when I bought the book from Target, but I haven’t had the chance to read it until now; To say that I am grateful I got the chance to read it is an understatement. This book brought out every emotion in me, saying this in the best way possible. 

Fallon O’neil was a 16-year-old aspiring actor. She was playing the star role in a TV show, and was the “it girl”. On the night of November 9th, she slept at her dad’s house and when the house started on fire while she was sleeping, the dad got out, forgetting that she was still inside. She was discovered by the firemen and came out with 4th degree burns. She was in critical condition and had years of healing to come. 

Two years later, on that exact date, she is having a rough day due to it being the anniversary of the fire. She still blames her father fully for leaving her inside the house, which has caused a large amount of pent up aggression towards her father. She and her father met for lunch in LA, and she was dreading it the entire time. He was criticizing her career choices, love life, etc. 

Little did she know there was a boy sitting in the booth behind her father, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation; out of nowhere he came to her rescue. Benton James Kessler jumps in the booth claiming that he was her boyfriend, and had been stuck in traffic. Her father was very surprised and was delighted to meet him. Following lunch, they talked and had a great connection. They decided that every year following for the next seven, they would meet up on November 9th in the exact same restaurant. Fallon did not believe in young love because she was told by her mom that “you’ll never be able to find yourself if you are lost in someone else''(Hoover 38). Ben, being an aspiring writer, thought of writing a book about the story of their journey. The emotional roller coaster ahead of Fallon is a big one for her and the reader. This book made me want to never put it down. 

I really enjoyed this book overall and thought that it was very well written. I personally like how the story was written in a dual perspective between Ben and Fallon. It kept the reader in the loop on how each character was feeling from their point of view. This made the book not feel like it was being dragged on throughout each November 9th. I really enjoyed the ending and could have never seen any of it coming. I thought the theme was well thought out and had good messages behind it like improving relationships, gaining confidence, and in the end, forgiveness. The detailed descriptions of the setting from the characters helped me as a reader understand where parts of the story are taking place, along with the mood of each scene. Any day of the week, I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone because it carries such a powerful meaning from start to finish, even when the reader doesn’t realize it.