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leah08855's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Child death
Moderate: Car accident and Infidelity
laronimo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Child death, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Miscarriage, and Murder
sophienm's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Murder, and Child abuse
Moderate: Abortion, Miscarriage, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
purplehan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
bellaxame's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Miscarriage, and Child abuse
mishasbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Cancer, Ableism, Child abuse, Child death, Sexual content, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Violence, Vomit, Abandonment, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Terminal illness, Animal death, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Suicide attempt
gabriellezenati's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Child death
reneeph's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Miscarriage and Murder
aleen_elizabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Grief, Miscarriage, Murder, Ableism, Death of parent, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Abortion, Torture, Child abuse, Child death, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Self harm, and Sexual content
ivegotyourpaperback's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
It was terrible.
The end.
Ok, I’ll expand.
I can honestly say I didn’t enjoy this book. The content was a mixture of gratuitous trauma porn (which left me feeling nauseous) and actual porn (don’t get me wrong, I like a spicy book but this was severely discomforting).
I’ll give this to Colleen: she can write a gripping first line/scene to get your attention (at least in this instance - I can’t speak for her other books). The rest of the story was only just compelling enough for me to think “I guess I’ll read another chapter”. This was more because the writing was simple and less to do with each chapter leaving a breadcrumb of information designed to make you feel like you need to binge the story.
The book is full of unbelievable actions/situations, ‘that would never happen’ scenarios, and things that are never explained (New line idea for Shania Twain: “So you’re a sleepwalker? That don’t impress me much.”)
⛔️potential spoilers incoming⛔️
All the characters were either boring or downright unlikable. Lowen is a boring, basic bitch and Verity was portrayed as a pretentious, self important, narcissistic, co dependent, obsessive psychopath. Or to put it bluntly: a self absorbed cunt.
As for some of the more harrowing scenarios, I don’t think they can be explained away by post natal depression/psychosis (though full disclosure, I’m far from an expert on the subject).
This book does nothing to help the pro choice movement. Of course a woman is a villain if she doesn’t want a child/ren or doesn’t immediately bond with her foetus 🙄 don’t get me wrong the heinous actions that follow are inexcusable but the text seems to infer that if you don’t immediately bond with your foetus then you’ll go on to do terrible things. Not true. I swear the pro lifers would have a field day if they read this.
Back to Lowen. Like people before me have pointed out, her thoughts about a disabled woman and her family - thinking she knows better and it would have been better if Verity had died - feel quite ableist.
And the sex scenes. Sweet baby Jesus. The mountains of sex scenes added nothing to the story and got repetitive. I’ll give it to Colleen: she’s the first author I’ve come across to write a book containing sex where none of it is sexy or romantic. Big slow clap for her 👏
There’s a line in the book “reading this is wrong in so many levels” - I would argue that the writing of ‘Verity’ by Hoover was wrong on so many levels. It’s a compelling story. The amount of graphic detail is unnecessary though.
This is a book where I was rewriting it in my head as I went along. And I preferred the version in my head.
Trigger warning for basically everything. Proceed at your own risk:
⚠️mention of cancer
⚠️death of a parent
⚠️death of a child
⚠️mention of miscarriage
⚠️attempted self abortion/filicide/infanticide
⚠️child neglect
⚠️murder
⚠️adultery
Ps: I read the bonus chapter online and GOOD GOD it not only wasn’t needed at all, but contained the most drastic overreaction I’ve ever seen by a character.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Infidelity, and Murder
Minor: Death of parent, Miscarriage, and Cancer