Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Verity by Colleen Hoover

117 reviews

myahk's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, and Abortion

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

_chelseachelsea's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I had a hard time getting into the story on this one initially, but once Lowen gets to the house and starts digging through Verity’s office - and by extension, her past - things pick up pretty fast.

The most interesting parts of the novel are Verity’s writings. I found Lowen to be a bland and boring protagonist, especially compared to Verity. Thankfully, the suspense and eeriness of the Crawford home and some genuinely scary moments are enough to carry through Lowen’s “I’m not like other people because I’m an introvert and that’s my defining characteristic” meandering stream of consciousness.

This was a 3.5 read for me until the third act. The climactic reveals and jaw-dropper of an ending catapulted it to a 4-star rating. It’s a quick, scary read well-suited for romance readers who want to dip a toe into thrillers without committing to bloodshed and gore.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Blood, Vomit, and Car accident

This book contains graphic descriptions of attempted self-abortion, child murder/death, and domestic abuse.

avacronin's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 Wow. That's all I can say after finishing reading this. "Verity" was such a mindf*ck of a book, in the best way possible. I couldn't get anything done during the day I spent reading it, because I couldn't put it down. Verity follows the life of Lowen, as she takes on an exciting job offer finishing the series of renowned author Verity Crawford, as she suffered a horrible accident that has left her unable to continue writing. To learn more about Verity, and connect more with the series, Lowen is invited to search through her office, and what she finds is.. shocking to say the least.

This story features suspense, mystery, horror, all intertwined with aspects of family and romance. It definitely is a 18+ read, so if you are a child, or have any child left in you, maybe this isn't the book for you. I was left questioning my whole sense of feelings and I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

I would also like to add how disturbingly creative this book is. Honestly I’ve never read a book like this, that has left me feeling this many conflicting emotions. Also, in this book every. single. character. is flawed, very. But the story drives you along so engagingly that this works in advantage of the story, as you don’t know who to trust or what to think until the very end of the book.

The Pros
- This was the first book of Colleen Hoover's that I have read, but immediately I fell in love with her writing style. The way she changes the way she describes everything from the views of Lowen, compared to the views of Verity, as seen in her writing. I couldn't help but highlight words on nearly every page of the book to relish in their beauty.
“Some families are lucky enough to never experience a single tragedy. But then there are those families that seem to have tragedies waiting on the back burner. What can go wrong, goes wrong. And then gets worse.”

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"Verity" is primarily written through the eyes of Lowen, but a secondary point of view is introduced along with Verity's "autobiography", and later on her letter to Jeremy. It's clear that even within Verity's words, the tones vary hugely. This has sparked the whole manuscript vs. letter debate, leaving the ending to be interpreted in different ways. What is clear though, is that Verity was a manipulative, but talented writer, and Hoover shows that vividly through her writing.

- It's a truly captivating read. It mixes the genres of thriller, romance and mystery together seamlessly and left me slapping my hand over my mouth countless times during the short day I spent reading it.

It shows the difference in romance between Jeremy and Verity, and Jeremy and Lowen, but then sends your heart racing as darker, more disturbing secrets unfold.

This story does strongly depict grief and loss, so I would stamp a large trigger warning on the book.

The Cons
- At times, the book could come along as very triggering and strong to readers, or the mature descriptions could shock the innocent eyes. But apart from that, I honestly can't think of any other flaws I could name about this book. Even seeing the cover, and putting together the pieces of what it really means is shocking to me, which is all more the reason I loved this book.

Would I recommend this book? Of course I would, however after reading any content or trigger warnings. But be warned, you will be sent on a roller coaster of emotions, and may have to sacrifice whatever you had planned for your day, as I believe that you too will be pulled into the world of Verity.

Edit November 2022. Following the release of a new edition of the book including a new epilogue, I just wanted to point out that I plan to pretend that the whole new chapter just does that exist. I’ve read a few reddit posts and summaries of the chapter, and it’s safe to say that I do not want to skew my good view of the book with a pointless chapter. Personally, I like the ambiguity of the whole book, and from reading what new things she added, I want none of it. I will choose to stand by my original excitement and enjoyment of the original story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Car accident

Moderate: Confinement, Infidelity, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy

thefatpaperback's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

heyer7's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

genieoneil's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Blood, Grief, Abortion, and Gaslighting

mommarex1221's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I just... I was engrossed utterly and completely in this book. I slept like shit last night, because of this book. I wanted everything from this book. 

It was so good, until it wasn't. 

It gets a 3.75 because it had me for more than 75% of the book. I know what I prefer to believe, but I truly feel this could've been much more.


I came back to adjust to a 4.5 because wow this book still has me reeling, diving into rabbit holes... really, just really so good. The processing of it all really changed my mind. 

#TeamManuscript

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Confinement, Miscarriage, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Kidnapping

ohkimly's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

holy shit, this book. it gave me the creeps, and i stayed on edge until the end. fantastic writing, incredible plot. at no point did i see what would happen when i turned the page. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

prettyfunctional's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. Somewhat predictable and repetitive. If I had a dime for every time I read “from the antagonist’s point of view” I’d be able to buy the next book on my tbr. The authors ability to keep me reading despite my complaints was fairly impressive and there were plenty of plot twists. Quite a lot of sex was used to fill empty space 

 
What an odd book with paths leading nowhere. 
One complaint is the build up to a dissatisfying story concerning Lowen’s sleepwalking. I really thought there’d be something more that would impact the plot. Feels like a loose thread that could’ve gone somewhere. Especially after she woke up in Verity’s bed and nothing happened… Why was her most troubling life experience a plot device to get her in bed with Mr. Dreamboat?? When Lowen started to think like Verity I had hope that the story was living up to its hype. For a moment, I really considered the idea that she’d kill the son but no.
Don’t even get me started on the ending. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Sexual content, Violence, and Car accident

Moderate: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Vomit, Medical content, and Pregnancy

kathryn_a's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One of the best books I've read in a long time!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Murder