So, last year my New Year’s Resolution was to write a blog post for every single month. I got very ambitious, had all sorts of plans lined up, yada yada.
But as we can all attest, despite our very best intentions,
2020 DID NOT GO WELL.
I’m still here though, and so are you. And when you’re at the bottom, the only place to go is up.
I’m willing to try again if you are. Ok?
Ok.
This year, the book club ladies and I wanted to hit the ground running with something heart-pounding, spine-tingling, blood-curdling. We went with Verity by Colleen Hoover.
Whoo boy.
Make sure to carve out about 36 hours with no work, no household chores, and no errands to distract you before you sit down with this one. Once you start reading, it would take a tornado to pull you away.
I have not read a book this fast in ages. I finished it in two days, which easily could have been one if I hadn’t resolved to reduce my caffeine intake in 2021.
Hired to finish the series after acclaimed author Verity is injured in a terrible accident, Lowen is committed to writing a satisfying denouement once she’s had the time to sort through all of Verity’s various notes and outlines. But she discovers so much more than she bargained for when she comes across a hidden manuscript, detailing all of the horrible ways in which Verity’s seemingly perfect life with her husband Jeremy and her children has gone wrong. While increasingly convinced that Verity’s tragic situation is entirely deserved and growing ever closer to Jeremy, Lowen begins seeing things. Hearing things.
Who or what should she believe? The evidence of her eyes and ears? The man who has swept her off her feet despite the awful, unexpected circumstances of their meeting? Or the words of the woman pouring out her most chilling confessions, believing they’ll never be seen by another soul? And once she knows the truth, what should she do with this terrible knowledge?
Hoover is a veteran romance author, but don’t underestimate her literary range. This departure is brilliant, and I sincerely hope, not a singular event. Verity has no shortage of extra-spicy love scenes, but Hoover leans in hard on the horror and psychological thriller aspects of this story. There were lots of moments that left me wondering what-in-the-Kentucky-fried-chicken I had just read, both appalled and morbidly fascinated. I didn’t find any of these characters particularly likeable, but I was heavily invested in the plot, even if only to see them all get their comeuppance. Whether they do or not depends on how you interpret the final pages.
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Stay well, and Happy Reading!