It’s been a long time since I’ve been afraid to read something. Well, not so much afraid… I felt serious trepidation about finishing the novel, all the good shivers down my spine.
So, Verity…
Take a bit of Jane Eyre, mix in some Rebecca, and then sprinkle liberally with Gone Girl, and you will have Verity.
This story was amazing—well-written, suspenseful, and heart-wrenching. What a ride!
Summary—Lowen Ashleigh, a mid-list author down on her luck, is offered the job of her dreams. Bestselling author Verity Crawford cannot finish her contracted series and needs a cowriter. What’s wrong with Verity? She’s a vegetable after a car accident, and the whole thing is being hushed up to save book sales. Lowen comes to Verity’s home to look through research and papers to find the needed data for the next three books. She finds Verity’s autobiography instead. From there, the narrative goes through twists and turns, love and tragedy, love and lies.
All I can say is Damn with a capital D.
It’s hard to tell more without spoiling anything. DO NOT read any reviews or opinions with details before reading the book. It’s like Gone Girl. Don’t read ahead.
I have seen some hateful reviews for the story because of the ending. There was even one cursing the author for writing the epilogue. My opinion is Ms. Hoover did a fantastic job and smacked us one more time with her last few pages. The ending leaves more questions than it answers, as it should.
This is not a light, romantic book with a happy ending. It’s emotional, real, and nail-biting. I like a tale that challenges the norm, puts genre on its ear, and an author who writes what she needs to get a great story. I applaud Ms. Hoover for this work of fiction. Be aware some of my favorite books include Gone Girl and Watchmen. The right ending is not always the happy one.
My advice: read Verity. Go with an open mind. Question everything. Feel the feels and bite those nails.
I give Verity by Colleen Hoover Five Autobiographical Manuscripts.