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About the Book

Title: Verity

Author: Colleen Hoover

Genre: Fiction, Romance, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Publication Date: December, 2018

Pages: 336, Paperback

Verity by Colleen Hoover is a mystery, thriller, and suspense kind of book with a spark of romance. Or what passes as romance, anyway. 

I am not a fan of this genre, not since Stephen King’s book Salem’s Lot made me lose sleep for weeks. But this book has had numerous 4 and 5-star reviews. And the author has been praised for her romance books. So, I have wanted to read Verity and sample her writing for a long time. 

Yes, the book does deliver on the mystery and suspense. But I have mixed feelings about the delivery. It’s not the kind of thrill or suspense that would keep me on the edge of my seat. 

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My Take of Verity by Colleen Hoover

However, the plot and character backstories and development have me questioning everything. Verity is a renowned author. But since losing her twin daughters months apart and surviving a car accident that left her in a semi-vegetative state, she can not complete the remaining few books of her contracts. 

That’s where Lowen, a not-so-well-known author, comes in. Verity’s husband, Jeremy, wants her to write the books as a co-author. So Lowen moves into their estate to research the book installments. But while researching, she finds a manuscript by Verity. The big suspense here is whether Verity’s manuscript is a work of fiction or a true crime. 

This makes for a great plot—an excellent one at that. But the big shocker towards the end is that Verity is faking her injuries. Come on. Works of fiction are just that, but stretching the truth of a situation to something unbelievable does not sit well with me. No one realized that she was fully healed after her injuries. Not even her doctors? Private nurse? No one? 

Don’t even get me started with the ‘romance’ part of the story between Lowen and Verity’s husband. Where’s the attraction? Where is the extended romance and wooing? Maybe this might feel like too much to ask for a fling. But where’s the connection between Verity and the husband? The story about them, how they met, and their family life is so hard to piece together and relate to. It might as well be an excellent explanation for Jeremy’s behavior. 

If you are looking for a fast-paced read, yes, this will do. But if you are after a full-blown thriller and mystery, perhaps not. Yes, the last chapter will do a number on you, but there’s nothing in between the pages that is truly worth all the hype. But maybe you will find it thrilling. Thousands of readers have. I am among the few who didn’t find it worth a 4-star or 5-star. 

Perhaps if the author had spent the better part of the book unraveling whether Verity’s manuscript was fiction or not, it could have turned out better. 

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My ★ Rating 2.0

Goodreads ★ Rating 4.42 (as of March 2022)