A review by hapalyn
Layla by Colleen Hoover

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

3.75

This book is kind of a mindf-ck? Colleen Hoover needs to stop writing romance and just write thrillers like this one and Verity because it just seems to be her best works. She has a knack for writing interesting plots and captivating storylines, but her characters' romances are almost always toxic or inappropriate to some degree.

I don't think I need to nitpick every single toxic thing here, I think a normal person would see it (but I will mention the one scene where she's clearly not sober and he seems to be... and they.. yeah). I think this being a thriller of sorts makes it easier to just ignore the bad things that happen because the characters feel morally gray..ish.  I think that part of the complication here is that when you finish the book, you're like "is Leeds toxic? was this the right way to resolve this? what about all the times he
thought Sable was Layla and did toxic things to her? What does that mean in terms of HIS ethics here??"
 

I think the paranormal aspect was intriguing, I think the resolution was somewhat forced to go perfectly (sister was a curveball...........). I think the only disservice Colleen does to herself most is she writes short, fast books. Which, naturally, those who hate long books would love this. I just felt like the suspense could've been way better if the details were drawn on more in the wayyy beginning to draw the connection between Sable and Leeds first before connecting the dots with Layla. If the reader had seen the toxicity in Sable, I think it would've been adding a nice element to the storyline. Just a lot of loose ends weren't tied up for me personally, but I can see why a casual reader would enjoy this.

Will also note, the sex scenes feel so out of place in this type of genre, so they're not "sexy" like they would be in a romance. They're just uncomfortable.

So overall, this would've been rated higher if it had just a little bit more. I think Colleen Hoover has potential in the thriller/paranormal/mystery genre. I hate that her talents are wasted on the romances she writes, they're just awful and toxic. I think this genre makes great use of her skills and you don't feel as guilty enjoying a toxic character. 
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