Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - Without Merit

I tried to love this book, but it was overall chaotic. There were some parts of the book where I did not want to put the book down, but the majority of the book was a massive push to get myself through it. The Voss family were dysfunctional, wow, lots of different themes were covered and there was a lot going on. Definitely an easy read but definitely not my favourite CoHo book so far.

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bbrewer14's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Without Merit is a fast read and should honestly be classified as a YA novel based on the reading level. If not for the content (sexual, drug/alcohol, sexuality, mental illness, major dysfunction in family unit), I would definitely have thought I picked up a book in the wrong section of the library.

Colleen Hoover’s books are enjoyable to me, but despite how much I enjoyed this book, I will consider it a guilty pleasure since it was kind of poorly written and juvenile. The character names were over the top and despite the decent character development, the ending was so succinct and tidy that it left me wanting. The idea that life in a world as dysfunctional as the one of the characters presented in this book can be wrapped up with a tidy little bow was why I rated the book in the 3’s. It leaves you wanting more from the characters and the author.

The book’s focus is on the Voss family. Twin sisters Merit and Honor, older brother Utah, the father, the mother (Victoria), the stepmother (also Victoria), the young half-sibling Moby, the step-uncle Luck and a family friend Sagan make up the main characters. All of these people live in a remodeled church in a small TX town. The mother lives downstairs and suffers from a multitude of health issues. The father, the kids, the stepparent and stepuncle and friend all live upstairs. The main character, Merit, feels alienated and unwanted. The book explores her journey within her family and other relationships as she discovers the importance of listening, communicating, putting forth the truth, learning to forgive and navigating her teen years. Merit struggles as the self-proclaimed outcast of the family and goes on a journey to discover how to be a part of her family or if she even wants to remain in this world to do so.

It is a good book and is a decent choice to pass the time, but it definitely needed more time to become what it could have been if the author gave it more effort.

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