Colleen Hoover’s Verity – The Villains Within the Victims

I have always been a colossal bookworm and never current on what is trending worldwide. Lately, TikTok users have been giving out book recommendations. The perfect opportunity for me to get into what’s trending! Many books were repeatedly shown in these short clips. But one book in almost every TikTok is Verity by Colleen Hoover. So, I read Verity and here is what happened.

What grabbed my attention was not just the book title but the book cover, which shows the title and the majority of a body swallowed up by a golden-like cloud. I ended up ordering the book without even reading the description and mentally entered into its twisty yet terrifying world with no preparation. 

The book follows Lowen Ashley, a writer hired by Jeremy Crawford to write the last three novels in a bestselling book series. The author, his wife Verity Crawford, can’t finish writing the series due to a severe injury. She also learns that Verity’s two twin daughters died in the months preceding her accident. Lowen moves into the Crawford home to review Verity’s notes where Jeremy, Verity, the couple’s young son Crew, and Verity’s nurse April live. 

While reviewing the notes, Lowen discovers an unfinished autobiographical manuscript by Verity that was not intended for anyone to read. The manuscript reveals many admissions of her dark and horrifying truths, including the dark realities behind tragic events throughout Verity’s life. 

Lowen keeps the manuscript hidden from Jeremy. Both Lowen and Jeremy are struggling in life: Lowen lost her mother to cancer and Jeremy’s future is unclear. The two connect through their struggles and end up seeking comfort from each other, resulting in a relationship between the two. The closer Lowen gets to Jeremey, the more she realizes how she could benefit if he read his wife’s words. Yet, the heart-rattling question remains: will Jeremy’s devotion and dedication to his injured wife stay after learning the horrifying truth?

Based on all of the praises about Hoover’s writing, I had high expectations when I started reading this book. Let me tell you, they were met.

After reading just the first chapter, I was eager to keep reading because every chapter’s final few phrases would convince you that something even more bizarre would happen.

The first altercation between Jeremy and Lowen already has you expecting some connection between the two in the book. The real suspense begins once Lowen enters the Crawford home.

Verity is impossible to put down from start to finish. The author ensures that no character is trustworthy in this story as they all have their interests at heart. There are points where you question a character’s personality even if they are narrating. 

The book builds a powerful air of tension, mistrust, fear, and danger at every point in the story.  I loved most aspects of Verity. There are some shocking and appalling situations throughout the novel, which keep you hungry for more, and eager to get further into the book. The mystery/thriller/romance combo may seem odd to some, but it works in this case. 

I will say that there are many mature and very graphic scenes in the book. I thought I would be turned off by the various steamy love scenes in the novel, but I was surprised that I stuck with Verity in these areas, as they helped me better understand the characters.

It is hard to say too much more about Verity, as it is difficult to describe this book with words. The book is a must-read! I loved the characterization, the creepy home, and the discoveries made by Lowen. Finally, the massive plot twist at the end was jaw-dropping and bone-chilling and left me very confused at first. To the point where I had to reread the ending multiple times to come to realize how big of a twist had taken place. This led to me spending many nights lying in bed thinking about it. 
Overall, I highly recommend Verity to anyone who loves many genres incorporated into one! It is the perfect book for anyone looking to get out of a reading slump. If you are looking to read a book that will leave you haunted to the core satisfyingly, Verity is for you!