Book Review: Verity By Colleen Hoover

I’m here for the Gillian Flynn-esque mystery with a dash of E.L. James spice!

Nothing Is As It Seems

Although "Verity" takes a turn away from the romance books Colleen Hoover’s known for, it still tries to weave in the romance and sex, albeit an annoyingly excessive amount of sex. I love psychological thrillers, and the times during the novel when Hoover sneaks in the occasional spooky scene, I got really excited. Unfortunately, these moments were fleeting. There was a lot of potential lost with this book. But, as an aspiring writer myself, I give credit where it’s due. Reading the acknowledgements, I learned that "Verity" was actually a self-published indie project, a breakaway from Hoover’s otherwise traditionally published books (for whatever reason). So, as soon as I didn't get too technical and into the details, the storyline succeeded in captivating me, and all I wanted to do throughout was to get to the ending so I could finally figure out what the heck was going on! It was bizarre, and I was here for all of it.

Plot-Heavy, Character-Light

Lowen’s character, although the main protagonist, is underdeveloped, and her backstory has many plot holes. You would then expect the book’s titular character, Verity, to be more fully formed, but she just isn’t either. We never get any closure on the backstories of any of the characters, and we are left with many questions, mostly character-related. This, however, becomes less of an issue as soon as you realize it was the author’s plan all along. Writers are fluid, and writing is fluid with no hard or fast rules. We are taken on a journey through the mind of the author, and I believe a book is best enjoyed by the reader when we realize we are on someone else’s journey and appreciate the view from their vantage point.

An Unreliable Narrator

First off, the book is written in the first person from Lowen's point of view. Everything we see and feel throughout the book is through Lowen’s eyes. Lowen, however, has suffered a lifetime of trauma, chronic sleepwalking (which, by the way, is never explained), but I've read up on it a little, and medications used for mental health issues can be a driver for sleepwalking; her unhinged relationship with her mom, and her eventual death. All of this leads up to the gruesome accident she witnesses at the start of the novel. It’s safe to say that Lowen’s been through A LOT and depends on Xanax to manage her anxiety. These, combined with the creep factor of living with a comatose woman who sometimes opens her eyes and makes sudden movements, are enough to send anyone spiraling. It's worth noting that Lowen also has the hots for coma lady’s hot husband. By the time she is called in to help finish Verity’s book series, she’s not exactly in a rational headspace. What follows ends in tragedy no matter which way you look at it.

The Leading Lady and Also The Antagonist

Or is she the antagonist? Verity may spend most of the book in a “coma,” but she absolutely is the star of the show here. Whether she’s a master manipulator or just a “chronic,” as she puts it, is up to you to decide. In hindsight, the plot twist seems obvious, but I must admit I did not see this one coming. From the moment we meet Verity, through Lowen, she is made into the Wicked Witch of the West. Her jump scare “exorcist” moments are what carry the book through to the bitter end. As a mystery/horror fan, I wish Colleen committed more of her time to these sinister moments that had me shrieking at times. In the end, there are no winners here.

Moral Of The Story:

Don’t lie

Never read someone else’s private thoughts

If there’s breath, there’s life

And don’t fall for another woman’s man