Verity by Colleen Hoover ~ #BookReview

 

Title: Verity 

Author: Colleen Hoover

Publisher: Hoover Ink, Inc.  

Publication date: December 7, 2018 

Source: Borrowed 

Purchase: Amazon | B&N | BAM | IndieBound

Synopsis

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.

A standalone romantic thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover. 

My Rating: 4 / 5 stars 

Verity is the first book I've ever read by Colleen Hoover, and definitely won't be the last. She draws you in with her writing to where you forget you're reading--you're just that invested in the story. I've been meaning to read her books for a long time and think this thriller was a fun and wild one to start out with!   

Verity's husband, Jeremy, hires a writer, Lowen, to finish writing a popular series by his wife, who was in an accident and can't complete the series. Jeremy also invites Lowen to stay at the house with him and Verity and gives her complete access to Verity's office for research on the series.

Almost immediately Lowen comes across an unfinished autobiography Verity was writing. What Lowen reads in that manuscript is so disturbing, she immediately begins wondering if she should show it to Jeremy. Knowing that Lowen has begun falling for Jeremy, I wasn't one hundred percent sure that she had the purest of intentions; however, the confessions were pretty shocking, and I found myself leaning towards telling Jeremy.  

As if this all wasn't creepy enough, the scare factor was increased by events unfolding in a way that I couldn't tell if what Lowen was seeing and experiencing were real or not. I've said this many times and will keep saying it--I love not being sure about whether a narrator is reliable or not!  

The only reason I rated this book four stars instead of five was that I didn't like Lowen falling for Jeremy. I thought it was predictable and a bit sudden. 

Bottom line--this book was a roller coaster, the kind that goes zero to sixty in five seconds. From the first page, you are LAUNCHED into the story. I flew through the book and was brought out of a major reading slump I previously was struggling to get out of. Things that happen in Verity are played with to where you can't tell if you're imagining things or not, and I love an author's ability to do that.   

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