The 60-second answer
What is Losing Hope about?
Losing Hope Book Summary — Colleen Hoover’s 2013 companion novel retells Hopeless through Dean Holder’s perspective. It begins with the death of his twin sister Les, follows the guilt he carries over both Les and the childhood disappearance of Hope, and then revisits his relationship with Sky with information the first narrator could not know. It is a mature new adult romance and trauma narrative that should be read after Hopeless.
Main characters
- Dean Holder
- The narrator, burdened by his sister’s death and his failure to protect Hope.
- Sky / Hope
- The girl Holder recognizes before she can recognize herself.
- Lesslie ‘Les’ Holder
- Holder’s twin, addressed through the letters he writes after her death.
- Daniel
- Holder’s closest friend and an important witness to his grief.
- Karen Davis
- Sky’s adoptive mother and the keeper of her changed identity.
- John Davis
- Sky’s biological father and the source of the childhood trauma.
Spoiler-free plot summary
The story opens earlier than Sky’s version, allowing readers to see Holder’s relationship with Les and the shock of her suicide. He writes letters to her afterward, using them to say what grief and anger make difficult to tell anyone living.
When Holder meets Sky, visual clues and her behavior suggest that she may be Hope. He does not reveal the possibility immediately because recognition gives him both hope and terror: finding her could answer years of searching while exposing whatever made her disappear.
Many events overlap with Hopeless, but their emotional cause changes when told from Holder’s side. His apparent volatility becomes a mixture of memory, self-blame and incomplete knowledge rather than a new mystery for the reader.
Both sides: Hopeless vs Losing Hope
The companion structure rewards comparison because the external event may be the same while each narrator holds different evidence.
Sky’s view
What is Holder hiding?
She sees abrupt reactions and questions without knowing that he is comparing her with a missing child.
Holder’s view
What can he safely reveal?
He recognizes clues but fears forcing a traumatic identity on Sky before he can be certain.
New material
Les and the letters
The sequel adds Holder’s family life, grief and private conversations rather than only reversing dialogue.
Content note
Before revealing the full plot
The full plot discusses suicide, childhood sexual abuse, kidnapping, grief, sexual content, violence and death by firearm.
Ready for the complete plot?
The next section reveals when Holder recognizes Hope, what he learns about Les and why saving Sky cannot undo the past.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need to read Hopeless first?
Yes. Losing Hope openly reveals its identity mystery and is designed to deepen rather than replace Sky’s narration.
Is Losing Hope the same story as Hopeless?
Its central timeline overlaps, but Holder’s family history, letters and private knowledge add substantial new material.
Who narrates Losing Hope?
Dean Holder narrates the novel.
What comes next in the Hopeless series?
Finding Cinderella follows Daniel and Six; later books connect their story with All Your Perfects and Finding Perfect.
Editorial note
Sources & copyright note
This page is an independent, original summary and analysis. It does not reproduce the novel’s chapters or dialogue. Book metadata, series order, age guidance and the spoiler-free premise were checked against official author and publisher pages; plot details should be checked against a lawfully obtained copy before publication.
- Colleen Hoover — official Losing Hope page
- Colleen Hoover — official series order and age guidance
- Official publisher metadata for Losing Hope
Last source review: August 9, 2026. Page counts and ISBNs vary by edition. Losing Hope and its characters remain the copyright of their respective rights holders.
Explore related guides
Continue through the connected series or compare this plot with another spoiler-aware Colleen Hoover summary.
Hopeless summary Finding Cinderella summary Books in order