Verity by Colleen Hoover
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Romance
Pages: 314
Published by: Sphere on 7th December, 2018
Format: Paperback
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Book Synopsis:
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 the night their family was forever altered.
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 loving her . . .
Book Review
I never thought I’d read a Colleen Hoover book. My friend wants to see the upcoming film, and my sister said I had to read the book first… So I caved and I read it. I was a little apprehensive at first because of all the hype around this book. By the end, I completely understood why it had received so much praise. I didn’t immediately give it 5 stars. For most of the book, I was leaning towards a 4–4.5 star rating. However, the ending is what tipped it for me.
I read this book in 2–3 days because it moves at a very fast pace. Although the plot/storyline is quite simple, it’s very effective. Is it predictable in places? Yes. Is it unhinged? Yes. Is the predictability intended to help with the plot twist(s)? Also yes. I didn’t want to put this book down; I was hooked from the very first page. Recently, I haven’t wanted to read a mystery/thriller in a while so this is just what I needed! I really enjoyed that the book switched between Lowen’s present perspective and Verity’s autobiography of past experiences. It worked really well for the whole premise of this book.
Throughout the book I had no idea who I could trust and I personally love that in a mystery/thriller book. It was absolute chaos from start to finish. I enjoyed Lowen’s character but would’ve liked to have her character a little more developed. Jeremy and Verity were both well-written characters who kept me guessing throughout the whole book. I honestly did not know what or who to believe half the time whilst reading this book.
The ending had me shook. Even whilst writing this review I don’t know what to think or who to believe. It’s a great book to discuss with other people who have read it because the open-ended nature of the story means everyone may have a different interpretation. Even after reading the additional bonus chapter I was like whaaaaat?! I still have so many unanswered questions and for a book to stay in my mind I have to give credit where credit is due. Hoover did a great job with that ending.
There are some disturbing scenes throughout which might make people feel uncomfortable. At times I have to admit that it was making me feel uncomfortable… So just keep that in mind if you’re going into it. I’d definitely recommend giving this a read if you need a good mystery/thriller to get you out of a reading slump. If I hadn’t needed to put this book down for work and sleep, I probably would have devoured it in a day.
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