Verity by New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover was released in 2021 and has sold over three million copies.
I have to admit to having never read a single Colleen Hoover book until now. I’d heard that Verity was up there as one of Colleen Hoover’s best books and so I thought it was a good place to start.
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Plot
When Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer, is offered the career opportunity of a lifetime, she knows she can’t turn it down. On the brink of financial ruin, she is surprised to be approached by Jeremy Crawford, the charismatic husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford.
Lowen is tasked with completing Verity’s popular series of books as Verity has suffered a terrible injury. When Lowen accepts the job and starts to sort through Verity’s disorganised office, she stumbles across Verity’s unfinished autobiography. An autobiography that was never intended to be read.
After reading page after page of bone-chilling admissions from Verity, Lowen decides to keep the manuscript to herself. She decides not to share the details with the already grieving Jeremy. However as Lowen’s feelings for Jeremy start to intensify she realises perhaps it’s time he knew the truth about his wife.
Verity Book Review
As much as I hate to admit it, this book just wasn’t for me. I definitely wanted to enjoy it more than I did.
It was a described as a book that was full of twists and turns and in fairness, it was. However, I predicted each and every one.
The main twist was so thoroughly obvious I thought perhaps it was a red herring and there was something else I was missing. Unfortunately it wasn’t. I also found myself rolling my eyes at the ending, which again, I could see coming.
The book had plenty of sex scenes which I ordinarily wouldn’t take issue to. I don’t mind sex scenes, even graphic ones, if they add to the story in some way. However the scenes in Verity just felt gratuitous and actually a bit tedious and repetitive. It was just the same two people having the exact same sex over and over.
There were several disturbing moments throughout the book, particularly the scenes involving children. (So much so that I’ve included a trigger warning section below.) However I don’t take too much issue with disturbing scenes. Though those sections were certainly hard to read, when I’m reading a thriller I expect to be made to feel uncomfortable.
Similarly, the characters were all thoroughly unlikeable. Again, I do expect that in a thriller where you’re expected to trust no-one. However they also behaved in a completely ridiculous way. Many thrillers can be slightly implausible but for this one the reader needs to completely suspend belief. It’s just hard to imagine anyone behaving that way.
I would like to point out that although it seems like I hated this book, I honestly didn’t. I read the book within 48 hours so it obviously had me gripped. It wasn’t necessarily the writing I took issue to, it was more the story and the characters.
It’s not enough to put me off Colleen Hoover’s books altogether. I believe Verity was a change of pace for the author, as she usually she writes books in the romance genre. Perhaps I’ll try one of those next!
Trigger Warnings
There are a lot of trigger warnings in Verity by Colleen Hoover.
I don’t wish to include any spoilers so I shall list the trigger warnings without any context.
- Abortion
- Graphic child abuse
- Child death
- Infanticide
- Violence
What to read next
If you enjoy Colleen Hoover’s thriller novels, you may also be interested in reading Never Never or Too Late. You might also enjoy books by Lisa Jewell and Lucy Foley.
Colleen Hoover Books to Read on Kindle Unlimited
Many of Colleen Hoover’s books are currently available to read on Kindle Unlimited. Sign up to Kindle Unlimited for a monthly fee and many Colleen Hoover (and other romance novels) are included in the monthly price. You might even be entitled to a free trial!
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