Verity, by Colleen Hoover

So I know I’m the last person on Earth to dive into this book, but it was finally time to see what all the hype was about. Verity, by Colleen Hoover is the single most recommended book I’ve ever been told to read. I’ve got a few thoughts about this one, so here I am.

Truth. I went into this one blind. I didn’t read the blurb, I didn’t know what it was about. I just knew that everyone kept telling me to read it. I had no idea Verity was a person, lol. If you’re like me and haven’t read it either, I’d suggest going in blind as well. I honestly don’t think I’d want to know anything about this one going into it…kind of adds to the shock factor. So instead of retelling what it’s about, I’m just going to share what I really liked about the book and what missed the mark.

Verity was easy to get into. Fast paced, easy to read. Definitely a page turner. I love the way the story was told, alternating between Lowen’s POV (one of the main characters) and Verity’s manuscript. I love a story within a story. It created the perfect amount of suspense and tension while giving the reader little breaks to come back up for air in between the craziness.

I also love the unreliable narrator trope. That always makes for a fun read. None of the characters were likeable. At all. And that worked for me. It’s not the kind of story where I wanted warm fuzzy feelings. It was way too messed up for any of that.

I’m a huge fan of psychological thrillers and the more dark and twisted and creepy the story, the better. This one was all that and then some. A complete and total mindf%^*. And if graphic sex scenes make you blush, be prepared to stay red. This one is spicy as all get out. Rated R for sure.

After reading this book, I realized that I’m the kind of reader who likes my stories tied up at the end. I don’t want to finish a book wondering about the characters or questioning the plot. And I have BIG questions. Seriously Ms. Hoover…WTF?!?! Without giving anything away, I’ll just say that perspective is everything & nothing is ever as it seems.

I honestly wish I would’ve read this before all the hype. I wish I would’ve picked up a copy before everyone told me I needed to read it. Inevitably my expectations were HIGH. And while I really did enjoy it (finished it in a day), I think I was expecting more?! And I’m not even sure that would be possible in a book like this where there’s already SO much!

Overall this was fantastically dark & twisted in the best ways. Intense & off-putting while simultaneously being unputdownable. Verity will suck you in on the first page and spit you back out in pieces on the very last. A great choice for a book club…I promise it’ll give you LOTS to discuss.

4 out of 5 stars

TW: child abuse; death of a loved one; graphic sex scenes