Book Review for "Verity" by Colleen Hoover

Summary:

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

My Rating: 4/5 stars

Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Romance, Mystery

Author: Colleen Hoover

"I hear the crack of his skull before the spattering of blood reaches me."

I read another Colleen Hoover novel, and let me just say, this one was 100 times better than It Ends With Us, another novel of hers I read. Unlike It Ends With Us and many of Colleen Hoover’s novels, Verity takes readers on a wild and exhilarating journey that is a departure from her usual genre.

When I first heard of this book, I had mistakenly thought that, like many of Colleen Hoover’s other novels, it would be heavily focused on romance. However, I was pleasantly shocked to find this book filled with twists, turns, and enough suspense that kept me flipping pages well into the night. The plot was extremely captivating, and not at all what I was expecting, so my best advice if you want to start this book is to go into it completely blind.

This book for me was not amazing because of its characters by any means, but rather I think what makes it so interesting is how truly unexpected it was. I think the reason why I enjoyed the book as much as I did was because I went in without any expectations. If anything, my expectation was at subzero levels. I had heard a lot about this novel but also very little to fully understand what I was getting myself into. I was actually glad that I didn’t read any reviews about the book, just simply read the synopsis and downloaded it onto my kindle the same day. The first line from the book was enough to have me completely hooked. It has been so long since I read a book that started off so gruesome and bloody, and I found myself fully sat, turning the pages with no breaks.

This story follows Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer who was tasked with sorting through years of Verity, a renowned author’s notes, in order to complete the remaining books in her series. To me, while Loewen was supposed to be our main protagonist, she was basically a blank slate. I found that I could not remember anything or connect to her as well, and I feel like that might have been the book’s greatest fault but also somehow it’s greatest strength. I’m not entirely sure if this was done purposefully by Colleen Hoover, and if it was, I’ll definitely give her her flowers, but it almost seemed like we weren’t supposed to care that much about Loewen. The real mystery and person I had the most interest in was Verity Crawford.

Verity is the author for whom Loewen was supposed to complete her works for. Although she is suffering from an injury that leaves her immobile, and has zero speaking lines in the present, she was a strong presence throughout the entire novel. She was an enigmatic and complex figure, that leaves you questioning whether she is a villain, a grieving mother, or a combination of both. When Loewen discovers her journal, I found that I stopped caring about what was going on in the present, and just wanted more of Verity’s ramblings and thoughts. I found that her character was what kept me on the edge of my seat.

But amidst all the chaos and suspense, Verity also delivers a simmering romance that adds an extra layer of intrigue. While I wasn’t completely sold on the romance between Loewen and Jeremy, I could certainly see the appeal it had for some lovers of romance. I found that their interactions provide moments of respite amidst the palpable tension that was Verity’s presence. Colleen Hoover finds the perfect balance between heart-pounding suspense and romance, and managed to give her readers the best of both worlds.

Verity is certainly a heart-racing, page-turning ride that I found to be one of Colleen Hoover’s best work. The fact that the ending doesn’t wrap things up in a nice little bow and almost leaves us with more questions than answers was also something I thought was masterful on her part. We as readers are placed in a situation where we have to figure out what the real truth is, and I can’t say I’m mad about that. Till this day I find myself thinking about who the real villain is, and I don’t know if there really is a right or wrong answer.

Overall it’s a book that will draw you in from the very first line, and leave you completely engrossed in the plot. It has everything that is necessary to keep readers glued to the pages. I thought it was an absolute blast to read, and it had me wishing Colleen Hoover would write more novels similar to this one. Would definitely recommend it to lovers of mystery and suspense.

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