I guess I can confirm that bookstagramers give good book recommendations. I had posted a review on It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, mentioning that I was back to reading her books. Everyone suggested I read Verity, so I decided to give it a try, especially since I absolutely loved It Ends With Us and devoured it in one day.
One day, while rounding up work, I decided to listen to a podcast. I had saved the Colleen Hoover episode: Colleen Hoover: Impostor Syndrome on Off The Vine with Kaitlyn Bristowe. Kaitlyn was talking about Verity, so I decided to preview the book and read it when I got home.
Podcast forgotten, I ended up reading the book until closing time, continued on the way home, and finished it later that night. I was so shocked and spooked that I discussed the book with my siblings the entire time. And that ending… Colleen, was that really necessary??? This sparked a two-day debate. Sighs.
Wow! This was such a disturbing book, but in a good way. Despite some imperfections and the fact that I didn’t like any of the characters (they were all so terrible), the story was just so good that I didn’t care about those aspects.
Verity Blurb
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.
A standalone romantic thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover.
Verity Spoiler Review
You really should stop reading now if you haven’t read the book and don’t want spoilers.
Verity was such an unexpectedly interesting read for me. I had read that it’s best to go into Colleen’s books without knowing too much, and this one certainly lived up to that advice. I expected a romance book, but after a few chapters, I was hooked.
I loved the manuscript, nearly threw my tablet across the room while reading them. The manuscript left my mouth wide open multiple times. I had to explain what I had just read to myself to digest the information.
Verity was such a villain in her manuscript that it made me wish I could read the book series mentioned within the story. I knew she was faking it because there were moments when she seemed to be moving around, and things just didn’t add up. If I were Lowen, I would have left the moment things seemed off. But Lowen wasn’t focused, not at all. The only part I related to with her was reading the manuscript. I like not knowing things, but after reading the acknowledgment, I wouldn’t have been able to help myself either. Sometimes I found myself saying, “Okay, Lowen, it’s time to go back to the manuscript now.”
This story was so easy to read, but absorbing it was challenging because of the disturbing content Verity wrote. Despite being out of my usual reading preferences, it was such a complex and disturbing story. All the characters were terrible in a way that I loved to hate.
- Lowen: Very unfocused from the beginning. Arrrrgh, his wife is still alive, and you were messing around? Plus, eating that letter at the end. WHAT???
- Verity: Such a terrible person, still controlling the narrative from the grave. I believed the last letter was a lie anyway. I DON’T believe you, Verity.
- Jeremy: Such a madman for what he did at the end. He was supposed to be the one good character, but letter or no letter, he was terrible too.
Wow, such a beautiful assembly of terrible characters in a disturbing and spooky book that I loved to hate so much.
I am now going to catch up on Colleen Hoover’s books, starting with the Never Never series, which I hated the first time. Fingers crossed. Feel free to share recommendations in the comments.
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