Review | Verity

Title: Verity
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Independently Published
Release Date: December 07, 2018
Series Details: Standalone
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Romance
Pages: 333

Blurb from Goodreads:

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.

Buckle up because this book is going to be a mind fuck. Verity is a disturbing read that is bound to give you the creeps. It has hair-raising plotlines, sexy and warm romance, twisted characters, and an even more twisted ending. And the biggest mystery that surrounds this book? The truth.

I haven’t read all of CoHo’s novels, but the ones I’ve read have two things in common. They have realistic characters that I can easily relate to even though our lives are completely different. And then there’s the writing style—simple, precise, and convincing—that keeps a reader engaged throughout the book. The mystery is a huge bonus that made this book even more compelling.

My mother used to say that houses have a soul, and if that is true, the soul of Verity Crawford’s house is as dark as they come.

The author structured this novel so well switching from Lowen’s perspective to the chapters in Verity’s autobiography manuscript. And both are equally engrossing. Lowen’s chapters are wholly riveting as she accidentally stumbled upon a manuscript of Verity Crawford during her stay at the Crawford’s house. A manuscript so honest, so private, and so dark and unsettling that it messes not just Lowen’s head, but all of the readers as well. As Lowen goes deeper into Verity’s manuscript, she begins to uncover the mysteries that surround the Crawfords. But with that, she also begins to doubt herself and even question her sanity.

The good thing about sins is they don’t have to be atoned for immediately.

Most of the disturbing parts are in Verity’s chapters as she reveals her dark secrets through her manuscript—from the night she met her husband to the day her family started to shatter. Hoover created such an eerie atmosphere around Verity, her story, and even the house she lives in. Over time, this helped set a mood full of doubts against Verity, filling the readers with a sense of foreboding.

Just like most of CoHo’s books that I’ve read, this one has a lot of steamy scenes. Despite that, I haven’t really felt the sincerity of the relationship that’s slowly building between Lowen and Jeremy. It’s like they haven’t really gotten beyond the physically-attracted-to-each-other phase. It’s a fragile relationship despite how strong it looks from the outside. With all the dark secrets and lies as foundations, it’s a relationship that’s doomed from the start.

The things lurking around inside the mind can be just as dangerous as tangible threats.

The ending of this book is something that would surely make readers wonder about the truth for days. Verity Crawford was so good a writer that she made it so difficult to figure out what’s real and what’s not. She’ll have you question who the villain really is in this story. She’ll have you doubt the truth in everything you’ve just read.

Verity certainly didn’t feel like CoHo’s first romantic thriller novel. She knows when to hold some details, when to drop the bomb, how to creep the readers with her words, and how to keep them coming back. I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a good psychological thriller that will keep you guessing throughout.

This is not the right book to read if you’re trying to relax though. This is not relaxing. This is sick and twisted. But it enthralls from start to finish. So, make sure you’re done with chores before starting with this book, because once you started it, it’s hard to put down.