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A review by maggies
Verity by Colleen Hoover
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I had to sit with this one for a while before reviewing. I read it fairly quickly, but I can't decide if I was enjoying it, or I just wanted to know what happened. And as someone who does not enjoy ambiguous endings, the part of me that just wanted to know what happened was left pretty dissatisfied. The plot was truly gripping, by turns creepy and deranged and completely disturbing, although some sections were needlessly repetitive, and I would definitely say that the manuscript, written in Verity's POV, was significantly more interesting than Lowen's perspective.
I would quibble with a few plot points, which are major spoilers:
1. No one would be able to fake a vegetative state like that without help. Either Jeremy and Verity were in on it together (for some ungodly reason) and hired the nurses to keep the ruse going, or Jeremy is a credulous knob.
2. It took Lowen like more than two weeks to read the manuscript, and that is just...too long. I can kind of understand that, because the subject matter is horrifying, it might be difficult to continue reading at certain points, but Lowen was hired to get into Verity's mind and complete her best-selling series in her voice and style. What better way than to read what, to your knowledge, is essentially a diary? Lowen was able to read the other books in the series within a couple days (max), so she should have been able to read the manuscript that quickly as well. To be clear, I'm not sure how different the outcome would have been if she'd read it more quickly, but it wasn't realistic to me.
3. Related annoyance: I wanted to learn more about this amazing and beloved series! We didn't get any insight about it whatsoever and that was disappointing.
I would quibble with a few plot points, which are major spoilers:
1. No one would be able to fake a vegetative state like that without help. Either Jeremy and Verity were in on it together (for some ungodly reason) and hired the nurses to keep the ruse going, or Jeremy is a credulous knob.
2. It took Lowen like more than two weeks to read the manuscript, and that is just...too long. I can kind of understand that, because the subject matter is horrifying, it might be difficult to continue reading at certain points, but Lowen was hired to get into Verity's mind and complete her best-selling series in her voice and style. What better way than to read what, to your knowledge, is essentially a diary? Lowen was able to read the other books in the series within a couple days (max), so she should have been able to read the manuscript that quickly as well. To be clear, I'm not sure how different the outcome would have been if she'd read it more quickly, but it wasn't realistic to me.
3. Related annoyance: I wanted to learn more about this amazing and beloved series! We didn't get any insight about it whatsoever and that was disappointing.
All in all, I read it in almost one sitting, which should count for something, but I'm not exactly happy to have read it. I think the amazing, fawning reviews are a bit overblown - it just lacks the intrigue and innovation of Jane Eyre or Rebecca or (I can't believe I'm saying this) Gone Girl. The sex scenes were hot though, and I'm not embarrassed 🥵🌶🌶🌶
The content warnings are going to be spoiler-y, but I really really recommend arming yourself before reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Car accident, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Body horror, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Mental illness and Kidnapping