Colleen HooverRomance · Fiction·b. 1979
Verity
Synopsis
Struggling author Lowen Ashby accepts an assignment: travel to the home of bestselling thriller writer Verity Crawford, incapacitated after an accident, and ghostwrite the remaining books in Verity's series.
While searching Verity's study for notes, Lowen discovers what appears to be an autobiography — a manuscript confessing to events so disturbing she cannot determine whether it is genuine, deliberate fiction, or something meant to be found. Verity's husband Jeremy is in the house, grieving his children.
As Lowen and Jeremy grow closer, she must decide what to do with what she has read — and whether the woman in the wheelchair is as helpless as she appears. Originally self-published in 2018, Verity was picked up by Grand Central Publishing in 2021 and became a number-one New York Times bestseller.
A film adaptation was produced by Amazon MGM Studios.
How it reads
- Writing5.0
- Impact5.0
- Characters5.0
- Plot5.0
- Atmosphere5.0
Prose complexity 4/10
Spice level
5.0 avg spice
Readers say (2)Fast · Dense · Tense · Dark · Sad · Friends to Lovers · Slow Burn
Readers flagged (4)
Sexual ContentPregnancy LossChild DeathTrauma
- What The Book Did I Just Read...If you don't mind a fair amount of graphically described sex scenes, along with some massive keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat plot twists and somehow I had a hunch when another one was coming, and yet I still got the plot twist wrong... This is the book for you. Don't let the explicit scenes keep you away if it's not your thing, it's certainly not mine, but the story overall, had me completely forgetting about being an adult for half the day and kept me reading til I finished, and still shocked me - even though I thought I knew what was coming, I did not (although sadly that's normal for me.. Maybe one of these days I'll get it 🤣).
- I'm confused...it's brutal and I don't know how I endured it...but it's sick...I still need to process the book...and I have many questions...
- Mình đọc Verity với khá nhiều kỳ vọng vì đây là sách chuẩn bị thành phim, cuộc chiến 2 nữ chính giữa Dakota Johnson và Anne Hathaway. Nhưng mà đọc xong, cảm giác của mình khá lẫn lộn. Điều khiến mình khó chịu nhất là mình không thích cả Lowen lẫn Jeremy. Mình gần như không đồng cảm với hai nhân vật chính, còn Verity, người rõ ràng được xây dựng để trở thành nhân vật đáng ghét nhất, lại là người khiến mình thấy thú vị nhất. Ai trong câu chuyện cũng có những lựa chọn đáng ngờ về mặt đạo đức, nên rất khó để xem ai là "người tốt". Chính điều đó tạo nên bầu không khí căng thẳng xuyên suốt cuốn sách. Tuyến tình cảm giữa Lowen và Jeremy lại là phần mình kém hứng thú nhất. Những cảnh nóng xuất hiện khá nhiều nhưng lặp lại và không đóng góp nhiều cho mạch truyện. Theo mình, nếu giảm bớt yếu tố lãng mạn và tập trung hơn vào bí ẩn, cuốn sách sẽ chặt chẽ và hấp dẫn hơn. Điểm mạnh nhất của Verity vẫn là ý tưởng. Bản thảo của Verity và những bí mật dần được hé lộ khiến người đọc luôn muốn biết sự thật phía sau. Tuy nhiên, mình lại thấy phần kết chưa đủ "đã". Cú twist khá ổn nhưng cách triển khai hơi dài dòng, phải giải thích quá nhiều nên mất đi cảm giác bùng nổ. Thậm chí trong lúc đọc, mình còn tự nghĩ ra vài giả thuyết mà bản thân thấy còn thú vị hơn kết thúc thực tế. Một điểm nữa cần lưu ý là cuốn sách có nhiều đoạn mô tả bạo lực và ngược đãi trẻ em khá nặng. Với những ai nhạy cảm, đặc biệt là các bậc phụ huynh, đây có thể là phần rất khó đọc. Song song thì nhiều cảnh tình dục quá, hầu như chương nào cũng có, rồi cứ lặp đi lặp lại. Đúng là cảnh tình dục cần thiết cho mạch chuyện nhưng không cần dầy đặc như này. Dù vậy, mình vẫn đọc hết khá nhanh vì câu chuyện đủ cuốn để giữ sự tò mò. Mình thích những chương từ góc nhìn của Verity hơn nhiều so với Lowen và ước gì tác giả khai thác nhân vật này nhiều hơn. Nhìn chung, đây là một cuốn thriller giải trí ổn, phù hợp để đọc trong một vài ngày, nhưng cũng không phải sách khiến mình muốn đọc lại hay hiểu vì sao nó lại tạo nên cơn sốt lớn đến vậy. Cuốn này đọc mình còn thấy chán hơn cả "Cô Hầu Gái".
- Verity: Something that is true, as a principle, belief, idea or statement. At what point does one separate fact from fiction? Which, version of the truth is the correct one? These questions came to mind after I finished this latest offering from Colleen Hoover. This is my second time reading her work and I must say this woman is brilliant. She knows how to engage her fans and keep them coming back for more. To say I am in a state of shock is an understatement. Up to this point, I am still not sure what the hell I just read. All I can say is that this is one story I am not sure I will forget anytime soon. Unpredictable, chilling and suspenseful are the most fitting words to describe this tale. I have to admit this story elicited varying emotions. There were moments when I had to know what next was coming and there were those instances where I feared knowing what would unfold. However, my curiosity stomped all over my fears and I found myself devouring every word. The complexity of the characters was what made this story so shocking. Their thoughts, decisions and actions were compelling, which made it difficult for me to figure out who was the villain in the story. Then that ending, OMG! Who would have thought? I do not consider it a cliff hanger. This an ending where the reader can draw their own conclusion. Verity depicts an author’s power to make their readers believe their written words, be it fact or fiction. I for one believed what I read until that twist at the end, which had me doubting everything I had originally believed. Now I am left wondering what was the real truth. Conclusion/Recommendation Verity is the most disturbing yet entertaining book I have read in a long time. If you enjoy stories that messes with your mind and have you questioning what is real and what is not then you are likely to enjoy Verity.
- Verity was exceptionally well written, and the only reason I didn’t give it a full five stars was because of some of the disturbing content. I understand those scenes were necessary to the plot, but there were moments that were genuinely difficult to read and I found myself needing to put the book down. Without giving anything away, readers who are sensitive to or have personal experiences with child abuse may find certain parts especially challenging. That said, the author deserves credit for crafting a clever, suspenseful story filled with unexpected twists and an engaging storyline that kept me invested until the very end.
- 2.5 stars at max. Felt very stupid. It was a page turner you want to know the end but it felt stupid at the end. The biggest cringe was Lowen took her sweet time in finishing the manuscript. If you are a writer of suspense novels all possible questions should pop in your head, instead you are busy doing random things. I didn't like any character. There is no character building just a line to say they are writers, real estate business owners, etc etc but providing no brains to your characters.
- •verity • colleen hoover •🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 this was one of the best books ive read in a long time. now, what the f••• was that ending?? s••• had me on the edge of my seat the whole time and now everything is potentially a lie and she left it OPEN ENDED. i’m shook and confused and i would like to read this for the first time again.
- I enjoyed this book and got through it quite quickly. Others have described this book as thrilling and suspenseful and at times even scary. I didn’t find it to be either of these things. Yes the topics were confronting and there should be some trigger warnings but I didn’t find it lived up to the hype.
- I only came cross this book cause it's going to be a motion picture. And now I see why. And that's the disappointing point, the book felt more of a script for the big screen rathen than a novel.
- A modern Rebecca, but without a gothic touch and the hint of an adult fanfic.
- I really like the Hoover cleaner and always find it impressive.Clearly a good book to read and lose track of time, very captivating
- Oh My F•••••• God!!!! 🤯🤯
- quedé loca