Verity
“What you read will taste so bad at times, you’ll want to spit it out, but you’ll swallow these words and they will become part of you.”
Having read Colleen Hoover’s popular romance novel It Ends with Us, I was curious to see her tackle a suspense story. This intrigue, combined with Anne Hathaway being cast as the titular role in the film adaptation, led me to start and finish this book in only thirty-six hours.
Some context…
Between her book sales dwindling and eviction notices collecting, Lowen Ashleigh is fading fast. When her literary agent summons her for a cryptic meeting with a top publishing house, she has no idea what she’s walking into but is in no position to decline. Lowen is shocked when Jeremy Crawford propositions her to finish the bestselling thriller series his wife, famed author Verity Crawford, is unable to complete due to a near fatal accident. While Lowen is invited into their home to study book notes and outlines, she instead finds a sinister personal narrative hidden in Verity’s office, full of hideous confessions, wicked jealousies, and sick obsessions.
Lowen is initially prepared to protect the manuscript—or rather, protect Jeremy from the crippling secrets spilled on each page. Then, her feelings for him turn from admiration to infatuation, and she wonders what their relationship could become if he were to learn the truth about his wife. He can’t keep caring for Verity if the chilling revelations made in her autobiography come to light. Right?
Some thoughts…
I was totally unprepared for the dark nature of this book. Hoover’s ability to enter the psyche of a seriously disturbed narrator was unbelievable. It was the kind of writing that left a pit in my stomach, and I often felt like I was intruding as a reader. This book had me constantly feeling unsettled—anxious, even. I had no choice but to stay up until midnight to find out the fate of the Crawford family.
Every character has questionable morals, but it makes for a gripping read. Of the dual POV, Lowen is given more narrative time, but Verity is easily the more interesting storyteller. She is unrepentant and lies without hesitation—a textbook narcissist. Lowen, however, pretends to follow a moral code that isn’t always upheld. I didn’t like her as much as I wanted to and expected more character development but was ultimately left unfulfilled in that aspect.
The story didn’t always make complete sense, and I was often distracted by one large plot hole. The progression of time felt detached from reality, leaving me with little understanding of the characters’ daily whereabouts, tasks, and routines. Even though I sometimes paused in frustration and questioned the page, the mystery was compelling enough to keep me reading.
In this seductive romantic thriller, Hoover embodies the villain in a frightening yet irresistible way that is sure to lock readers in from the beginning.
RATING: ★★★★★
