Verity by Colleen Hoover

 

Summary (from the publisher): 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 best-selling 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 the night their family was forever altered.

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.

Review: Struggling writer Lowen is grateful to accept a job to finish writing best-selling author Verity Crawford's successful series. Verity has been injured in a car wreck and is unable to complete the books. Verity's husband Jeremy invites Lowen to stay at their home and go through his wife's notes and outlines to help her get started. But in the office, Verity finds an unfinished biography that Verity never meant for anyone to read that is full of horrifying revelations. As time goes on, Lowen is increasingly horrified by what she is reading but also has growing feelings for Jeremy. 

From the opening scene, Hoover does a great job of building suspense, both in the eerie sense but also in the tension between Lowen and Jeremy. Once Lowen is living in the house with Verity, the novel feels particularly unsettling as Lowen continues to read the disturbing manuscript but also as she begins to question the true extent of Verity's injuries and her own safety in the house. This was a gripping story that kept my interest and builds to the horrifying final chapters. I also liked the crossover nature of this book that seems to defy being placed in a particular genre. It's at once a thriller, a love story, a tragic story of a family that has fallen apart, and a novel about writing and authors. 

However, parts of this book felt almost laughable. It was difficult to believe that Lowen and Jeremy fell for each other so swiftly. The hot and heavy aspect of their connection felt implausible, especially given the short time they'd known each other and the incapacitated wife and son just right upstairs. I had no idea there was so much gratuitous sex in this book. I lost count of the number of sex scenes, but it felt way over the top. In the end, after so much buildup and suspense, the ending and the great reveal about the truth behind Verity's family's breakdown felt like a bit of a letdown and also implausible. 

A page turner for sure. But be forewarned that multiple plot points require the suspension of disbelief. I was entertained and I understand why Colleen Hoover is such a best-selling author. 

Stars: 3