From Page to Screen: Colleen Hoover’s ‘Reminders of Him’

Reminders of Him movie poster — The movie adaptation of ‘Reminders of Him’ is now in theaters. Photo: Barnes & Noble

Book to Movie Spotlight: Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover

Colleen Hoover has solidified her status as a titan of contemporary fiction. Driven by massive sales, #BookTok buzz, and a string of successful film adaptations, Hoover’s appeal lies in her emotionally intense storytelling. She blends romance with heavy themes like trauma and complex relationships, using an accessible writing style that creates a deep emotional bond with her audience.

Now Playing: The highly anticipated movie adaptation of Reminders of Him is currently in theaters everywhere.

The Book: A Journey of Redemption

A troubled young mother yearns for a shot at redemption.

After serving five years in prison for a tragic mistake, Kenna Rowan returns to the town where it all went wrong. Her goal is simple but daunting: reunite with her four-year-old daughter. However, the bridges Kenna burned are proving impossible to rebuild. Everyone in her daughter’s life is determined to shut her out, regardless of how hard she works to prove she has changed.

The only person who hasn’t closed the door completely is Ledger Ward, a local bar owner and one of the few remaining links to Kenna’s daughter. As a connection forms between them, the stakes grow higher. If their relationship is discovered, both risk losing the trust of the people they love most. Kenna must find a way to absolve the mistakes of her past to build a future defined by hope and healing.

The Movie: At a Glance

After prison, a woman attempts to reconnect with her young daughter but faces resistance from everyone except a bar owner with ties to her child. As they grow closer, she must confront her past mistakes to build a hopeful future.

Production Credits & Details

Category	Details
Director	Vanessa Caswill
Writers	Colleen Hoover, Lauren Levine
Stars	Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Zoe Kosovic
Genre	Romance / Drama
Run Time	1h 55m
Rating	PG-13

Why We’re Watching

Whether you are a longtime member of the “CoHo” fandom or a newcomer to her stories, Reminders of Him promises to be a tear-jerker. Seeing Kenna’s journey from isolation to hope on the big screen adds a new layer of depth to an already powerful story.

Have you read the book yet, or are you heading straight to the theater?

‘Tequila’: Power, Passion, and Betrayal — Inside Tim Reuben’s Explosive Family Thriller

‘Tequila’ is Tim Reuben’s debut novel. Photo: Barnes & Noble

Book Spotlight & Review: Tequila: A Story of Success, Love & Violence by Tim Reuben

Release Date: October 14
Available for Pre-Order Now

A Battle for Power, Love, and Survival

From the fiery heart of Mexico to the high-stakes boardrooms of Manhattan, an empire built on tequila becomes the battlefield for a blistering war of power, betrayal, and forbidden love in Tim Reuben’s explosive debut thriller, Tequila: A Story of Success, Love & Violence.

Spanning generations, Tequila follows the rise and near-ruin of the Ramirez family, founders of RAM, a multibillion-dollar luxury spirits powerhouse. When Maria Ramirez steps into the role of CEO, her greatest threats aren’t rival corporations, but her own brothers: Miguel, the corrupt sociopath, and Tomaso, the self-destructive heir spiraling out of control.

An Empire on the Brink

LA attorney Brian Youngman enters the Ramirez world when he’s hired for Tomaso’s divorce case. What he uncovers, cartel ties, financial crimes, and unimaginable violence, pulls him into a web of danger and desire. His growing love for Maria collides with his pursuit of justice, making him a reluctant hero in a battle where survival demands sacrifice.

The story begins in 1950 in the Jaliscan Highlands of Mexico, where Sotero Jimenez, a struggling agave farmer, fights to build his dream amid poverty and corruption. In the present day, chaos erupts when Tomaso’s wife, Nora, is abducted in Houston, a chilling event that sets the stage for the Ramirez family’s unraveling.

As the family grapples with betrayal, cartel violence, and devastating loss, the empire they built on agave and ambition teeters on the edge of collapse.

Review

Tim Reuben’s Tequila is a sweeping family saga that fuses corporate intrigue, legal drama, and raw emotional tension. The characters, especially Maria, are sharply drawn, and readers can feel the weight of her burden as she navigates both external enemies and the toxic loyalty of family.

Told through a non-linear narrative, the story moves between the Ramirez family’s humble origins and their modern-day descent into greed and betrayal. The pacing is relentless and filled with legal battles, family drama, and shocking twists.

At its core, Tequila explores the price of power, the fragility of loyalty, and the fine line between love and destruction. It’s a genre-bending debut that grips from start to finish; a compelling saga of justice, sacrifice, and ambition’s deadly cost.

Verdict: For fans of Succession, Narcos, or The Godfather, Tequila is a must-read.

Content & Trigger Warning

This novel includes scenes of sexual content, sexual violence, and sadism, primarily connected to Miguel, a sadistic character whose cruelty is central to the story’s darker turns. Reader discretion is advised.

About the Author

Tim Reuben is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. A veteran trial lawyer, he founded his own litigation firm in Los Angeles and frequently publishes essays and articles on law and society. Tequila is his debut novel.

*Thank you to Meryl Moss Media Group for my gifted Advanced Reader Copy for review consideration. I haven’t been compensated for this review and all views and opinions expressed are my own.

From T.S. Eliot to Shakespeare: The Literary Inspirations Behind Ben Okri’s Latest Novel

“Madame Sosostris and the Festival for the Brokenhearted” is Ben Okri’s latest novel. Photo: Barnes & Noble

Classic literature has remained relevant across generations due to its timeless themes, rich language, and deep exploration of human nature. Whether it’s the tragic fate of Hamlet, the star-crossed love in Romeo and Juliet, or the political intrigue of Macbeth, these stories resonate because they reflect universal emotions—love, ambition, betrayal, and redemption. These stories challenge, inspire, and allow readers to see themselves in characters from centuries past, proving that great storytelling transcends time.

Ben Okri’s new novel blends mysticism, literary homage, and exploration of human relationships. The story revolves around Viv, who organizes a festival for the brokenhearted in a sacred French forest, drawing inspiration from T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land and Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Ben Okri is a playwright, poet, novelist, essayist, short-story writer, anthologist, and aphorist. He has also written film scripts. His works have won numerous national and international prizes, including the Booker Prize for Fiction. His books include the eco-fable “Every Leaf a Hallelujah,” the play Changing Destiny, the genre-bending climate fiction “Tiger Work,” the poetry collections “A Fire in My Head,” “Wild, Mental Fight,” and “An African Elegy,” and the novels “Astonishing the Gods,” “The Last Gift of the Master Artists,” “The Age of Magic,” and “Dangerous Love.” In 2023 he received a knighthood for services to literature. (Other Press, 2024)

His new novel “Madame Sosostris and the Festival for the Brokenhearted” from Other Press offers a wise, enchanting novel about love, power, and our many selves—past and future, public and private. It will be released on March 18 and is available for pre-order.

There are organizations for people who grieve, for alcoholics and other kinds of addicts. But if you’ve been devastated by the love of your life walking out on you, where the hell do you go?

In this modern fable with the impish magic of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a masked ball makes two upper-class British couples see each other in a new light.

On the 20th anniversary of the day her first husband left her, Viv decides to host an unconventional party for those burned by love. She successfully ropes in her reluctant second husband, Alan, and their friends Beatrice and Stephen, and when she meets the famed fortuneteller Madame Sosostris—last seen in T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, and rumored to be the secret to success of 5 prime ministers—she believes she’s found the perfect act to headline her masquerade.

In a sacred wood in the south of France, the partygoers disguise themselves and wait eagerly for the great clairvoyant, who might be able to mend their broken pasts and brighten their futures. But the night soon goes awry, in a comically revealing way that causes our couples to question their relationships and the direction of their lives.

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Author spotlight of the week: Tanya Hilson

Tanya Hilson is the author of several stand alone novels and children’s books. Photo: This That Production

Tanya Hilson is an author who loves the joy of storytelling and writing. Her passion for writing started at a young age and has stayed with her throughout her life. Focusing on children’s stories, family life fiction, women’s issues, and urban life novels, she has written several books ranging from stand alone novels, children’s books, and The Shadow Eyes series. Some of these include “Back Porch Secrets,” “Backporch Neighbors,” “Human Collateral,” which received high accolades on Coverfly, “My Cousin Sue,” and “John’s Hidden Truth.” (Tanya Hilson, 2023)

“Back Porch Secrets” – So much personal drama goes on behind closed doors, but wait until you read what is going on behind these doors. Take a glimpse into the lives and secrets of these Chicago neighbors. The Addict, The Drinker, The Abuser, The Dope Dealer. You never truly know what is going on in someone else’s life until now. Are you ready to clap, laugh, be surprised and cry as you read the trials and tribulations of these lives unfold? Mind-blogging, breathtaking, and so real, THESE are their SECRETS. Read the reviews.

“Human Collateral” – Millicent “Mill” Brown is not the perfect mother – she runs her apartment as a trap house on the Southside of Chicago. However, when Mill’s apartment is raided and a deal goes wrong, Mill is arrested and her children are taken away by the Department of Children and Family Services. While this injustice system processes Mill into the court system, Director Mrs. Ross starts orchestrating the sale of Mill’s young son and daughter to traffickers on the black market, which includes some high office officials. Will Millicent be able to get out of jail in time to find her children, or will jail and her mental state become more harmful to herself and those around her? Read the reviews.

“My Cousin Sue” – Children can often say some mean things. Take a look into the world of Sue, a preteen born with vitiligo who is being homeschooled by her parents. With the helpful advice from her cousin London, can Sue find the courage to go back to regular school, or will the thought of being teased cause her to want to continue homeschooling? This book gives children the courage and strength to overcome their fears. Read the reviews.

“John’s Hidden Truth” – After months of torture by one of his peers, John is pushed to the edge. It is here that we are given a glimpse into one of this generation’s most heartbreaking tragedies in the American school system: bullying. Can John return to the way things were, or has he reached the point of no return? From Tanya Hilson comes a heart-wrenching story to help elementary-aged students comprehend and tackle the difficult subjects of racism, bullying, and gun violence within our American schools. “John’s Hidden Truth” tackles the difficult realities of today’s society in our school-aged children. Read the reviews.

“Backporch Neighbors” – Lies, cheating, deceit, and back-stabbing. Take a look into the lives of these Backporch Neighbors. You never truly know what is going on in someone else’s life until now. Peek into the lives of these Chi-town folks: Scooter, the star football player; the building matriarch, Ms. Ruby; the neighborhood dope man, Bobby; and let us not forget, the gambler and drinker, Debbie. Are you ready to take a break from your own drama and dive into somebody else’s? If so, get ready to clap, laugh, sing, and cry as you watch the sorrows and triumphs of these everyday folks unfold. Mind-boggling, breathtaking, and hilarious: This is their story. Read the reviews.

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Tag: Family Life