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dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book had me in every possible way. I was unsure about the hype at first, unsure about the main character and even more unsure about the potential cliches I would endure. But all of those turned into a book I couldn’t put down. I read 222 pages in the first day of reading this, and there’s a reason for it. Was a lot of it predictable? Yes. Did that change anything about how much I loved this book? Not at all. I knew some of what was coming, but the journey to get there was fantastic and felt as engaging and immersive an experience as actually living as Lowen. The ambiguity of the entire novel was enthralling. The only thing I didn’t love was the amount of detailed s*x I had to get through, but it was quite necessary for the characterization, so I give it a pass.
I recommend this one if you enjoy: thrillers, nsfw, unreliable narrator, suspense, horror movies, etc. please make sure you check out any trigger warnings before reading, because this one was very heavy in potential triggers!
I recommend this one if you enjoy: thrillers, nsfw, unreliable narrator, suspense, horror movies, etc. please make sure you check out any trigger warnings before reading, because this one was very heavy in potential triggers!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Is there anything higher than 5 stars?All I have to say is "what the f#%k." This book blew me out of the water. Any fan of Colleen Hoover and thrillers is going to love this. I devoured it. Picked it up only twice, and it was only that many times because I had to sleep. This strays from her typical romance novels and is dark and twisted. If you're sensitive to some things I'd say read trigger warnings for this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Car accident, Abortion
Moderate: Blood
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Self harm, Abortion, Murder
Moderate: Self harm, Sexual content, Blood, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Pregnancy
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Abortion
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
OK. What the actual fuck??? I have no words. Miss Colleen Hoover could stop writing after the manuscript ended, but she decided to write another letter with Verity’s point of view. Who am i supposed to trust at this rate? I’m definitely team manuscript because well for most obvious reason she would’ve wrote the letter right after Jeremy knew about the manuscript instead she only wrote it after Lowen came, so I deduce she might’ve been threatened with her presence. If the manuscript turns out to be true though, I can only say Verity is sick. like PSYCHOPATICALLY SICK. It honestly scares me if there are actually some women who acts or thought that way of her family. I know in the letter she said that it was a training for her writing? BUT HELLO GIRL? I don’t think anyone in their right mind would write something like that for “practice”. Not to mention, I think every character is a little deranged except for little boy Crew. Y’all say you want Jeremy but did y’all forget that he killed Verity brutally and possibly the one responsible for her accident. I mean I know she has done bad things to him and his children, but I think killing her does not make him any better. Lowen bad bitch but yeah unhinged too in some scenes. Maybe the house is contagious, but absolutely hands down, this book’s writing was phenomenal. Every incident was depicted very vividly full of details that you can’t help but just feel that stimulating atmosphere as if you are living in the Crawford family house too. It had me on the edge of my seat on every chapter. Ah, and I also think the spicy scenes were very hot. This thriller romance novel with a touch of suspense will leave you speechless and tongue-tied after you read it. Please always check TWs before reading!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Abortion
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Car accident
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Abortion, Murder
Minor: Car accident
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
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
Overall, I still rate Verity considerably high (3.5) because I enjoyed the plot and see the potential, as in I couldn’t stop turning the page to find out what happened. However, the novel was written too much like a fan-fiction with flat characters, an undeveloped cheating trope, and incredibly violent scenes.
To start with the good part, I thought the plot was extremely creative and remained unpredictable throughout. Although unrealistic, the idea of Verity being incapacitated, yet having a dark past was interesting. I loved how Colleen used the manuscript to reveal her actions, separating parts of the present-day plot by inserting chapters of the autobiography. I also thought the suspense was well done, and perfect for a thriller. If written by another author and a different writing style, with still these key details, Verity could have been a 5-star read.
Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the characters and other aspects of the novel. Verity was incapacitated and developed little throughout the narrative, motivated solely by her apparent obsession for Jeremy until the last letter. Lowen was a writer with a semi-dark past who sleepwalked; she had no other interests. The sleepwalking subplot had little progression either, other than justifying the importance of locks. Jeremy was simply a cute love interest who adored his children, whose grief was barely apparent in the story and obviously cared little for his wife. It was not until the last letter that any of these characters COULD have had character development, depending on the reader’s interpretation of it. If you believe the letter, Jeremy becomes suspicious (which, in my opinion, he always was for being a cheater despite believing his wife’s disability) and Verity is redeemed. I find it hard to believe in the letter, however, as there was nothing leading up to it. The entire novel made you hate Verity, then it adds that ambiguity at the end? It felt rushed and out of place. Nevertheless, I do think the ambiguity was important to allow the reader to interpret the thriller in their own way, I really just believe Colleen could have done better at making some sense of it. If you believe the manuscript, Verity remains the villain of the story. In both endings, however, Lowen still becomes a version of Verity (in the idea which the manuscript portrayed her as). Eventually, Lowen is just as obsessed, which does not even come in later as it is literally introduced in the first pages. The little character development she had was that she became a killer, taking part in Verity’s murder with no remorse. Ultimately, the characters were just disappointing, and deserved more complexity.
Next, the cheating trope. I did not like it, and I did not expect to like it as I never have in the books I read. It was cruel to portray a man cheating on his incapacitated wife. Lowen simply agreed, too. All of the characters were just extremely unlikeable, and Colleen made it as if people absolutely cannot resist the idea of sex: Jeremy could not keep his hands off of Verity before their tragedies, and vice versa. Jeremy and Lowen were inseparable on their first night together. Just no. Lowen, especially, could have easily resisted and stopped him. I just hated the infidelity, and find those tropes annoying.
I also hated the incredibly vivid accounts of violence against children, which is another reason why I could not believe the letter at the end of the story. There are other ways to depict people, more specifically mothers, as evil without involving children and infants. It was just wrong and unenjoyable to read.
I already read It Ends With Us, and found the writing style unappealing, so it is my own fault for believing Verity would be any different. I do see how other people would like it, but personally, this is the last time I’m reading a novel by Colleen Hoover.
To start with the good part, I thought the plot was extremely creative and remained unpredictable throughout. Although unrealistic, the idea of Verity being incapacitated, yet having a dark past was interesting. I loved how Colleen used the manuscript to reveal her actions, separating parts of the present-day plot by inserting chapters of the autobiography. I also thought the suspense was well done, and perfect for a thriller. If written by another author and a different writing style, with still these key details, Verity could have been a 5-star read.
Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the characters and other aspects of the novel. Verity was incapacitated and developed little throughout the narrative, motivated solely by her apparent obsession for Jeremy until the last letter. Lowen was a writer with a semi-dark past who sleepwalked; she had no other interests. The sleepwalking subplot had little progression either, other than justifying the importance of locks. Jeremy was simply a cute love interest who adored his children, whose grief was barely apparent in the story and obviously cared little for his wife. It was not until the last letter that any of these characters COULD have had character development, depending on the reader’s interpretation of it. If you believe the letter, Jeremy becomes suspicious (which, in my opinion, he always was for being a cheater despite believing his wife’s disability) and Verity is redeemed. I find it hard to believe in the letter, however, as there was nothing leading up to it. The entire novel made you hate Verity, then it adds that ambiguity at the end? It felt rushed and out of place. Nevertheless, I do think the ambiguity was important to allow the reader to interpret the thriller in their own way, I really just believe Colleen could have done better at making some sense of it. If you believe the manuscript, Verity remains the villain of the story. In both endings, however, Lowen still becomes a version of Verity (in the idea which the manuscript portrayed her as). Eventually, Lowen is just as obsessed, which does not even come in later as it is literally introduced in the first pages. The little character development she had was that she became a killer, taking part in Verity’s murder with no remorse. Ultimately, the characters were just disappointing, and deserved more complexity.
Next, the cheating trope. I did not like it, and I did not expect to like it as I never have in the books I read. It was cruel to portray a man cheating on his incapacitated wife. Lowen simply agreed, too. All of the characters were just extremely unlikeable, and Colleen made it as if people absolutely cannot resist the idea of sex: Jeremy could not keep his hands off of Verity before their tragedies, and vice versa. Jeremy and Lowen were inseparable on their first night together. Just no. Lowen, especially, could have easily resisted and stopped him. I just hated the infidelity, and find those tropes annoying.
I also hated the incredibly vivid accounts of violence against children, which is another reason why I could not believe the letter at the end of the story. There are other ways to depict people, more specifically mothers, as evil without involving children and infants. It was just wrong and unenjoyable to read.
I already read It Ends With Us, and found the writing style unappealing, so it is my own fault for believing Verity would be any different. I do see how other people would like it, but personally, this is the last time I’m reading a novel by Colleen Hoover.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Abortion
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Rape, Pregnancy