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A review by macymcbeth
Confess by Colleen Hoover
2.0
11/5 Re-read: 1.5-2 stars
Buckle up, friends; we are about to do some roasting. I'll start with this: How did the same author who wrote the twisty turns of Verity and the heart-wrenching prose of Ugly Love, also write this dumpster fire?
The characters are not likable in any way and they are so young and foolish. Auburn's pov feels childish and naive, and don't even get me started on the Insta-love... girl, what happened to stranger danger?? How have you survived for this long if you are willing to go into random empty buildings with someone you've never met?
Owen isn't much better. He's possessive and sometimes his pov sounded like the narration of Joe from that creepy show You. His issues with his dad were all over the place. Do you hate him, Owen? Or are you just disappointed in the choices he's been making? PICK ONE.
On that note, Colleen used a bunch of different tropes and it was chaos. It felt like she couldn't decide on which conflict to use for these characters so she just used ALL OF THEM. BAD. Because of this, the book lacked in depth and each side character and circumstance felt like a plot device.
As for the structure of the book, dangling prepositions galore! Extra, unnecessary expository! I'm not really sure why there was both time stamps at some of the chapters (i.e. 5 years earlier) AND a part I/II for this book. Pick one or the other? But why both?
The one good thing about this book was the concept of the confessions and their tie to the art. Very creative premise.
In summary, this book is a big yikes. It's a chaotic read and very very very difficult to root for either of the main characters. We aren't given a lot of the simple details— that would probably help us root for said characters— and many of the conflicts seem forced. If you're on the fence about reading this one, my advice, skip this one.
Started: March 11, 2015
Finished: March 12, 2015
Stars: 3/5
I'm usually clutching her books after I finished them and my heart is warm and happy, but I feel almost indifferent with this one and it's upsetting me a little.
Which is not to say that I didn't like it. I did like it once I had finished it. I just felt that her other books are stronger and better reads.
The problem I found with this one was that it seemed very rushed. I felt like the plot was fast pace where the characters were trying to catch up in their development. I felt like two parts of my brain were at two different speeds: one focusing on the characters and the other keeping up with the action between the two. I got the impression that she was just tired of writing it and just decided to end it where she did, leaving so much out of the book.
[possible spoilers ahead]
I also thought that Colleen left out important information about the characters. Like where were Auburn's parents and siblings? They were really only mentioned twice and then quickly pushed aside. I wanted more of Owen's history and relationship with his father and brother and even his mom. I wanted more of Auburn's past with AJ and more information about AJ! What kind of kid was he? Was he difficult to raise? What were her feelings about AJ through the whole process? And what the hell do the initials AJ mean???? That really bothered me. Also why Adam was in the hospital in the first place, but whatever.
I wanted to know what happened when Owen and Auburn finally were able to be together. I wanted to know how the dynamic of Auburn, AJ and Owen worked, and the reaction of Lydia to the whole situation. I get it that ambiguous endings are cool too, but too much was left ambiguous! I just felt like hardly any of the minor details in this book were resolved, I'm still left wondering what the hell was going on in that book. (It may have been because I was reading it so quickly and was soooo interested in the plot and the mysteries of the characters.)
I didn't intend for this review to be super negative because I did enjoy this book. I sped through it. It was pretty easy to read and the action of the book and the mystery of the characters keeps you invested in the book. But it was just not up to the expectations I had going into reading it. I guess, in retrospect, Ugly Love was a tough act to follow.
Also, in my world of authors, Colleen Hoover and John Green would get along great. They both have the ability to pull at the heartstrings, just at two different age groups. Both authors write exceptionally diverse characters in each book and have great imagery and setting development.
Confess was a good book, don't read this the wrong way. I'm mostly upset that I didn't get enough of the book. If you want a summary of my four paragraphs.
read more at: http://earthtomacy.blogspot.com/
Buckle up, friends; we are about to do some roasting. I'll start with this: How did the same author who wrote the twisty turns of Verity and the heart-wrenching prose of Ugly Love, also write this dumpster fire?
The characters are not likable in any way and they are so young and foolish. Auburn's pov feels childish and naive, and don't even get me started on the Insta-love... girl, what happened to stranger danger?? How have you survived for this long if you are willing to go into random empty buildings with someone you've never met?
Owen isn't much better. He's possessive and sometimes his pov sounded like the narration of Joe from that creepy show You. His issues with his dad were all over the place. Do you hate him, Owen? Or are you just disappointed in the choices he's been making? PICK ONE.
On that note, Colleen used a bunch of different tropes and it was chaos. It felt like she couldn't decide on which conflict to use for these characters so she just used ALL OF THEM. BAD. Because of this, the book lacked in depth and each side character and circumstance felt like a plot device.
As for the structure of the book, dangling prepositions galore! Extra, unnecessary expository! I'm not really sure why there was both time stamps at some of the chapters (i.e. 5 years earlier) AND a part I/II for this book. Pick one or the other? But why both?
The one good thing about this book was the concept of the confessions and their tie to the art. Very creative premise.
In summary, this book is a big yikes. It's a chaotic read and very very very difficult to root for either of the main characters. We aren't given a lot of the simple details— that would probably help us root for said characters— and many of the conflicts seem forced. If you're on the fence about reading this one, my advice, skip this one.
Started: March 11, 2015
Finished: March 12, 2015
Stars: 3/5
I'm usually clutching her books after I finished them and my heart is warm and happy, but I feel almost indifferent with this one and it's upsetting me a little.
Which is not to say that I didn't like it. I did like it once I had finished it. I just felt that her other books are stronger and better reads.
The problem I found with this one was that it seemed very rushed. I felt like the plot was fast pace where the characters were trying to catch up in their development. I felt like two parts of my brain were at two different speeds: one focusing on the characters and the other keeping up with the action between the two. I got the impression that she was just tired of writing it and just decided to end it where she did, leaving so much out of the book.
[possible spoilers ahead]
I also thought that Colleen left out important information about the characters. Like where were Auburn's parents and siblings? They were really only mentioned twice and then quickly pushed aside. I wanted more of Owen's history and relationship with his father and brother and even his mom. I wanted more of Auburn's past with AJ and more information about AJ! What kind of kid was he? Was he difficult to raise? What were her feelings about AJ through the whole process? And what the hell do the initials AJ mean???? That really bothered me. Also why Adam was in the hospital in the first place, but whatever.
I wanted to know what happened when Owen and Auburn finally were able to be together. I wanted to know how the dynamic of Auburn, AJ and Owen worked, and the reaction of Lydia to the whole situation. I get it that ambiguous endings are cool too, but too much was left ambiguous! I just felt like hardly any of the minor details in this book were resolved, I'm still left wondering what the hell was going on in that book. (It may have been because I was reading it so quickly and was soooo interested in the plot and the mysteries of the characters.)
I didn't intend for this review to be super negative because I did enjoy this book. I sped through it. It was pretty easy to read and the action of the book and the mystery of the characters keeps you invested in the book. But it was just not up to the expectations I had going into reading it. I guess, in retrospect, Ugly Love was a tough act to follow.
Also, in my world of authors, Colleen Hoover and John Green would get along great. They both have the ability to pull at the heartstrings, just at two different age groups. Both authors write exceptionally diverse characters in each book and have great imagery and setting development.
Confess was a good book, don't read this the wrong way. I'm mostly upset that I didn't get enough of the book. If you want a summary of my four paragraphs.
read more at: http://earthtomacy.blogspot.com/