Author: Colleen Hoover
Pages: 314
Format: Paperback
Published: December 7, 2018
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
View on Goodreads
Date Completed: August 12, 2025
My rating: 
Thoughts
Verity is one of those books that grabs you immediately and doesn’t let go. I came into it expecting a psychological thriller — and that’s definitely what I got. What I didn’t expect was the heavy romance element, but that ended up playing a much bigger role than I anticipated. In fact, it might have been a good thing I didn’t know Colleen Hoover was primarily a romance author before diving in.
The story starts with a bang — literally. The opening scene is shocking and visceral, though in hindsight it feels a bit out of place compared to the rest of the book. It seems designed solely to bring our main characters, Lowen and Jeremy, together. From that point on, though, the tension never lets up.
One of the most intriguing elements is the manuscript-within-the-book structure. Verity’s autobiographical manuscript is horrifying, manipulative, and deeply unsettling — but also so graphic, especially sexually, that it started to wear on me. I don’t consider myself prudish, but I found the constant, detailed sex scenes exhausting and uncomfortable to read, especially during a lunch break at work. That said, the rest of the writing was tight, compelling, and perfectly paced.
This book plays a lot with trust and manipulation. We’re constantly asking: can we believe Verity’s version of events? What about Lowen’s interpretation of them? And what does Jeremy really know? The ending doesn’t provide a clear answer — on purpose — and that ambiguity is both frustrating and brilliant. It left me pondering which version of the truth I believed, and how much of that belief is based on what I wanted to be true.
As for the characters, no one is particularly likable. Lowen is… fine. Jeremy straddles the line between charming and sleazy. Verity is an enigma — disturbing, fascinating, and impossible to pin down. Even the child, Crew, is just kind of there (but to be fair, I’m not really a “kid” person). Yet despite the lack of warmth, I was still completely hooked.
I gave this book a solid 4 stars. It’s dark, twisted, and riveting — an expertly written thriller that left me unsettled in the best way. I’m not sure I’d pick up another Colleen Hoover book unless someone I trust strongly recommends it, especially known how explicit her writing can get. But I’m glad I read this one, and I’d absolutely recommend it to fans of romantic thrillers — just with a heads-up about the graphic content.
