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Verity by Colleen Hoover
Stacey • July 29, 2019
Release Date: December 10, 2018
The best nail biter of the year, has struggler writer Lowen accepting a job she doesn’t really want but desperately needs. A self confessed recluse and verging on bankruptcy, she has nowhere else to go. After a harrowing trip to her publishers leaves her with no alternative to take what’s being dangled in front of her, she travels to the impressive abode of the one and only Verity Crawford.
Verity is a highly successful and starlet of an author. Her book series, a hot commodity to her publishers has them reeling when Verity now unable to complete the last books in the series, leading them to do whatever it takes to see their hard work bought to fruition. After an accident leaves her without the ability to finish the last 3 novels in her series, it falls to Lowen to decipher her notes and ghostwrite in her stead…
With the gentle nudging from Verity’s husband Jeremy, Lowen starts the process of organizing the thoughts of a woman who scribbles everything down on any median she can find. The unexpected discovery of a self-written biography has Lowen gripped, appalled and unable to leave it alone, putting herself into a situation she can’t understand or seem to get out of. The heart-racing and deeply penetrating look into Verity’s very psyche and soul has Lowen questioning Verity’s own character while the eerie goings on in the Crawford household has her questioning her own sanity.
Will she reveal what she has discovered and take Verity’s husband, as well as her career or will she succumb and crumble under the weight of the confessions she did not expect to find….
Will the truth set any of them free? Or will it lead to something much more sinister??
Lowen is a struggling author and self confessed hermit, locked in her apartment, taking care of her ailing mother, who fears and loathes her only child. Putting herself into ruin to take care of her sick mother, with death came the release she needed. That is until she finds out that her mother lied about leaving her a nest egg after having Lowen spend all her money on taking care of her. Evicted from her apartment, now has Lowen accepting a job she doesn’t want. She not only feels she can’t fill the shoes of the author she will be ghostwriting for but also feels uncomfortable being around the handsome and charismatic Jeremy Crawford, Verity husband.
Verity is the exact opposite of Lowen. She loves the parties and the glitz that comes with the book tours and having her name in print. Lowen avoids any interactions with the public, which is essentially the reason why she doesn’t make the kind of money Verity makes from her own work. After being offered the kind of money she can’t refuse, she goes to the Crawford home to organize and find the inspiration to write the books the publishers are so desperate to have.
Lowen feels unsettled and fearful being in the house with the woman who’s life she has virtually invaded. Verity is basically brain-dead and has a room in the home set up as a hospital room. She has a nurse taking care of her, feed her and bathe her. She doesn’t move, or react to sounds or notice anything around her…. Or does she? Lowen has this feeling like Verity is watching her. Assessing her and making her feel like she is losing her mind. You can literally feel the intensity of the paranoia comes across loud and clear. It had me, a few times, turn around and check no one was behind me. Finding the biography penned in Verity’s own hand had me curious and fearful for Lowen on so many occasions. I never did feel like Lowen wasn’t reading the situation correctly so I always had a feeling what was happening really the truth.
Lowen’s feelings of inadequacy and jealousy ring authentically throughout the whole novel. The pace is well set and my jaw dropped so many times from the twists even I didn’t see coming!
My biggest grievances? There is never any real explanations about Jeremy. I have a million questions and this book has left me with nowhere to go for answers. This was the one pitfall for me, unless there is going to be a second book, which from my understanding, there will not be. I have an underlying feeling that he isn’t who he pretends to be but I also don’t think he’s the person that Verity wrote about either. They both lost 2 children, twin girls, it’s apparent he has a lot of suppressed angry and sadness that he has yet to deal with, especially after Verity’s accident. I felt his character could have had more built in. I really would have like to know if my theories on him were correct. The whole crux of the story, seems to hinge on what happened to their daughter at the lake. Having been presented with two scenarios and no actual conclusion, seems to invite more questions than it answered.
Lowen really had me sympathizing with her and rooting her until pretty much the very end. I felt she was well written and I felt certain camaraderie with her! She was relatable, quirky and not your usual protagonist. The ending was where I started to question who she was! She seemed content, armed with the new information she got, to just ignore the revelations in black and white and go on her merry way! That does not jibe with the woman, I felt I had gotten to know through the entire book. I didn’t feel she had any misgivings after her discovery and any woman, in her right mind, would have some.
Verity was a very interesting piece of a very complex pie for me. I thirsted to know more and yet, wouldn’t want to be left in a room alone with her. I began to fear her. Irrational fears too! Which version was the truth? That was the biggest crux for me and I’m guessing that is exactly what the author wanted but it left me feeling a little short changed. I get the concept of leaving it to the readers interpretation to decipher what was true and what wasn’t, as a place to get people discussing the book but it actually angered me a little. Clever trick by the author or an oversight? I don’t feel lead in any direction as each scenario is plausible but also neither can be the complete truth in my opinion.
If you enjoy thrillers with romance, deceit and jaw dropping twists then I highly recommend Verity. My heart still palpitates when I see the cover of the book and while I loathed the open ended conclusion, I still give this book a star rating of 5/5.
Sincerely, The Lioness
This book will take the edge off of a stressful day... I just finished I got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm trapped in a rom-com by Kimberly Lemming and here are my musings. When Dorothy, while working on her wildlife biology PhD, is attacked by a lion, she doesn't expect her saviors to be... aliens. When the ship crashes on a planet inhabited by dinosaurs and the lion that attacked her can now talk and is her trusty sidekick. Navigating herself through a new world with 2 very sexy aliens to keep her company... What can go wrong? I swear I did not know this was an alien smut book when I started to read it. Cross my heart and hope to..... OK fine... I figured it must have been spicy from the cover.. sue me. It was a hilarious adventure with witty banter and some serious steam. I love me a good smutty read and I wasn't 100% I was ready for intergalactic hobnobbing but I enjoyed the heck out of this book. I thought the storyline was really solid, I didn't see any plot issues... Not that there was a lot of plot... It's most *cough cough* getting down and dirtttyyyy. It was really well paced and funny as all hell. The alien boys were awesome. Couldn't have had more different personalities. I thought Dorothy was a great MC, quirky and brilliant. It's the first book in the series so never fear! There is more to come. One heck of an intro to alien smut and I bow my head to the author. 4 stars Thank you @berkleybooks and @netgalley for my gifted copy. OUT NOWWWW
I just finished The Bones beneath my Skin by TJ Klune and here are my thoughts. When Nate Cartwright goes to his dead parents cabin after being fired from his job as a journalist… He didn’t expect to find it inhabited with a man and a little girl and they are running from something that even Nate can’t wrap his head around… I finished this book weeks ago.. Have you ever had a book just sit right on your chest and you need to just let it rest before you think about how it made you feel? This book did that to me. It’s rare I even get a book hangover and this was no book hangover I ever had. I felt lost when it was done. I felt like I was saying goodbye and it didn’t sit right with me (I am crossing my toes for more with these characters). I loved Nate and Alex. So different but the same. They have the kind of protective instincts some parents don’t have with their own children and they protected Art with their lives. There is so much to unpack here. Art was spectacular. I don’t want to spoil it for you but her journey and the love she has for the two men made me tear up. She is so special and even after everything she went through, she still chose loving people. UGH I’m tearing up again. I thoroughly enjoy that love is love no matter how it comes to you. It was really well paced and I loved all the banter. I am already a superfan of TJ Klune and this should tell you that my expectations are already in the stars and I hold the books they write to very high standards. The characters are so real and that’s one of the things I’ve come to expect from the author and the storytelling is like a whisper in the wind. It’s gentle in its beauty and powerful without shouting. It’s graceful… impactful… it will charm the pants off you. 5 stars If you haven’t gone down the Klune rabbit hole yet, this would be a great one to start with. Thank you to @netgalley and @torpublishing for bringing this book into my life.
I just finished When the Earth was Green by Riley Black and here are my thoughts. If you don’t know much about prehistoric plants then this is the book for you! I don’t know much about plants period so this was a really interesting dive into a world I know zero about. It was amazing to read about plants and animals and how they interacted with each other. The evolution of plant life isn’t something I was interested in before but Riley Black made it interesting in a way that didn’t overload me with things I couldn’t understand but I did learn something! It was like taking a trip back in time and I was like David Attenborough.. except with dinosaurs! Highly recommend this book for anyone who likes history told with some passion! 4 stars Thank you @stmartinspress for my gifted copy #rileyblack #whentheearthwasgreen #nonfiction #booklover #bookreview #booksbooksbooks #reading #bookalorian #lifescience #smpinfluencer #bookinfluencer #booknerdigans
I just finished Saved by a Song by Mary Gauthier and here are my thoughts. The art and healing power healing power of songwriting… what an amazing book. This book isn’t just a memoir, it’s a little bit of artistic philosophy and some insight into writing songs! I love it!! I can appreciate what it took to write. The writing was amazing! I feel like I went on a beautiful journey with a trusted friend and it was a true delight. What I really loved about the book is Mary proves that just because you have gone down a dark path of addiction, doesn’t mean there isn’t a path forward. I felt connected, I felt the passion rolling off the page. It was a wonderful book. 4 stars One of the best memoirs I’ve read in ages.. I wish the book had been bigger. Thank you @stmartinspress for my gifted copy. #marygauthier #savedbyasong #memoir #songwriting #bookreview #smpinfluencer #booklover #magicinmusic #bookalorian #bookinfluencer #booksbooksbooks #readersofig #bookloversunite #readercommunity
🎧🎧Mini Audiobook reviews!🎧🎧 Definitely Better now by Ava Robinson It’s been a year since Emma has been in AA and she hasn’t told her work that she is a recovering alcoholic. Trouble is she is ready to start dating but she’s never had to do any of these things sober.. How is she going to navigate the delicate world of staying sober and finding a man when all the problems she had before haven’t magically disappeared? The narration was great. It was a pretty dark humor book and I was here for it all. Emma is so relatable and she owns the fact she’s still an asshole. She was like a brand new foal trying to stand and she was shaky and nervous. The plot was great, it was done with real class and I enjoyed the heck out of it. 4 stars . Watch your Back by Terri Parlato Eve and Nathan have a beautiful life and a daughter. Trouble starts when their daughter is kidnapped from the babysitters house.. her husband Nathan had been having an affair and it’s up to Rita to find out just what is going on in their home. The narration was pretty decent with this one. The book was really good most of the way through and then the ending… was weird. It was a bit overdone. The rest of it was epic. So many possibilities. So many threads to tug at and I loved it. I wish the ending hadn’t ended like that. The plot was solid though and if you like twisty thrillers with many POV this one’s for you. 3.75 stars rounded to 4 The Losting Fountain by Laura Senf The narration was just ok. I kinda felt like it wasn’t quite right… she didn’t change up her voice and that was a real bummer. All these kids are being called to this fountain and are being led there… There were 6 POV and it was too many to keep track of. I didn’t feel like the story building was particularly good and none of the characters were very interesting. I did finish but I wasn’t wowed by the book and I really wanted to love it. It was kinda lacklustre and I didn’t feel like it was as good as I had built it up in my mind to be. I might try the hardcover though. Sometimes I need to read to get the story 2.5 stars rounded to 3 (I’m sorry!) #audiobooks #audiobooklover #audioreader #bookreviews #watchyourback #thriller #thrillerreader .#definitelybetternow #darkhumor #romancereader #booktok #booktube #bookish #bookalorian #readingallday
I just finished The Rivals by Emma Lord and this is my review. Sadie sighs a huge breath of relief when she gets to the school of her choice because her long time rival is going somewhere else for school until he is moved from the waitlist and ends up on campus. Her blood boils instantly when Seb is there to continue their rivalry. Trouble is the more time they have to spend together, the more they can see past their rivalry but something more is going on at the school and it's going to take more than the pair of them to bring it to attention. I didn’t think I was going to like this one. I got the audio and the e-book from @netgalley and honestly the narration was utter perfection and I had a hard time switching to reading. I loved the rivalry. I thought it was done really well. They weren’t enemies, not really, they were childhood friends who’s friendship turned to a rivalry they never really came back from and it was fun. So much fun to watch them one up each other. The fact they were neighbors growing up too added to the complexity. It was really entertaining. I really enjoyed the setting. Being on a college campus really made it feel more exciting. Watching them work together when they are competing for the same opportunity made for some compelling banter and they had undeniable chemistry! I thought it all worked really well together and I enjoyed both Sadie and Seb, even though his name started to feel made up the more I heard it haha. All round solid YA read. Read if you like - Slow-burn romance - Rivals/enemies to lovers - Childhood best friends to academic rivals - University life - Coming-of-age 4 stars Thank you to @macmillanaudio and @stmartinspress for my gifted copies #enemiestolovers #therivals #emmalord #ya #yaromance #slowburn #bookishreview #bookblog #bookishvlog #smpinfluencer #booksbooksbooks #booktube #booktok #bookstababe #bookalorian #booktalk #bookishchat #bookbanter
I just finished Wedding Dashers by Heather McBreen and here are my thoughts!! Ada’s life has fallen apart but she has been tasked with bringing the veil for her little sister's wedding.. A sister she is drifting apart from. When her flight is cancelled she has no idea how she will get to the wedding… A man offers to buy her dinner and everything is fine but he thinks it's leading to sex… She is just about to leave his hotel room when both their phones blow up… With stark clarity they realize they are both going to the same wedding, what could go wrong? They team up to get to the wedding but things go from bad to worse in no time flat! I enjoyed this book. One of the things I didn’t like was how Ada’s sister portrayed Jack and it led to Ada having a bad impression of a man that didn’t deserve it. It really really aggravated me and I never warmed to her sister at all. Jack and Ava are both broken in different ways and have different ways of coping with it. I thought the way they learned to become friends after their animosity was really sweet. I don’t know if I would have continued trying to get to the wedding with all the obstacles in the way but they clearly both have more resilience than me. The book started out really slow. I wish it had picked up a bit sooner than it did but once it got going I really enjoyed this book. Tropes - Read if you enjoy: ▪️Enemies to lovers ▪️Forced proximity ▪️Meet Cute ▪️Slow Burn ▪️One bed ▪️Road trip romance I enjoyed their adventure and how they opened up to each other during their time getting to a wedding that neither of them wanted to go to. This is a debut and honestly, it is quite excellent and I will definitely be looking for this author again! 4 stars Thank you to @netgalley and @berkleypublishing for my gifted copy - out now #weddingdashers #heathermcbreen #debutnovel #booktube #booktok #booksofbookstagram #berkelybooks #bookreview #netgalley #bookishinfluencer #booktalk #bookalorian #readersoftiktok #kindlereader
I just finished The Last Bookshop on Earth by Lily Braun-Arnold and here are my thoughts.. Can the world really end… twice? The first storm was devastating but to know its coming back for another turn? It changes things for Liz. 17 years old and she has made a life in an abandoned bookstore. She’s been alone for a while but her whole world is flipped on its head when Maeve tries to rob the place. They couldn’t be more different but they start an unlikely friendship and while Maeve is running from her secrets and Liz from her demons, doesn’t stop them from fighting to survive what's coming.. I don’t read a lot of YA novels. I actually don’t know why I don’t if this is the kind of book I am missing out on. I love dystopian novels but after 2020 I got off the train and this was a nice introduction back into the end of the world reads. Liz and Maeve were really different characters and they really complimented each other in a classic way. I enjoyed watching them both find the better versions of themselves with each other. They were both fiercely protective. So the world has almost ended after the acid rain and Liz has managed to survive in the bookstore. Maeve did things she isn’t proud of to survive. It was awesome seeing how someone's nature changes when they have to fight to survive and it often isn’t a good change. I loved the ending. The banter wasn’t the best but it did get better as it went on. We see two timelines, Liz in the past before the storm and present day. It was tragic for Liz and my heart hurt for her. I loved the plot and I really enjoyed the book! 4 stars Thank you @netgalley @randomhousekids for my gifted copy! #thelastbookshoponearth #lilybraunarnold #lgbtq #lgbtqbook #bookreview #bookishreview #booklover #booknerd #booksta ##YAbooks #readersofig #igbooks #igbookreviews #readingallday #bookinfluencer
I just finished The Mafia Nanny by SHOO and here are my thoughts. OK to start with reading graphic novels is reading so when I add this phenomenal book to my goodreads… Know I do it gleefully!! The artwork in this book is off the hook amazing! The attention to detail was really something else. This might just be my favorite graphic novel to date it was so entertaining. I had a ton of fun reading it. Davina’s very first client as an elite nanny is underboss Gabriel and let me tell you.. If he wanted me like he wanted Davina… This novel would be x-rated haha. That is one HAWT DADDY. The premise is excellent with Davina feeling the slip back into the criminal underworld she already escaped and Mikey, her charge, is too cute. He has the moody kid thing going for him, you can’t help finding him endearing. Daniva is a great MC and I cannot wait to see what happens next! I am hooked!! The banter is great, the chemistry is there and I am fully invested. 4.5 stars Thank you to @webtoonofficial and @wattpadbooks for my gifted copy #gabrielangelini #webtoon #themafiananny #wattpadbooks #webtoonrecommendation #webtoonofficial #webtoonedit #edit #themafianannywebtoon #mafiananny #mafianannywebtoon #davina #davinadiavolo ##mikeyangelini #bookreview #graphicnovel #booklover #booktok #fyp
I just finished Prophecy by M L Fergus and here are my thoughts. Persephone has never known much of anything except being a slave and when a cheeky thief frees her she cannot help wondering why… Azriel has his reasons and he has reason to believe she is the key to the prophecy his people have been waiting for. I have a mixed bag of complex feelings about this book. I loved the parts with Persephone but there were parts that felt a little fragmented with the way it was written… I had to go back and reread a couple of times to make sure I was understanding where I was. The writing was great> I really enjoyed the tone and the pace but just the transition between the POV was messy for me. I went to libby and they don’t have the audio which is a real bummer because I get the feeling this would make a wonderful audiobook but for me, reading it didn’t pack the punch I knew it should. I felt like it didn’t hold me sometimes and other times I was in its clutches so hard I couldn’t breathe. I know, I am a drama queen but that's how it was while reading. It did find its feet better in the last third of the book and even though I am not sure how much I liked the book, I am intrigued enough to grab 2. I need to know more so the author did a really solid job of hooking me enough that it gets a 3.75 stars but I dunno, there was just something that waned for me especially in the beginning chapters of the book. Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouseca for my gifted copy #fantasybook #fantasybookseries #fantasyreader #prophecy #MLfergus #fracturedkingdom #bookreview #booklover #penguinbooks #penguinreader #YAbooks #bookalorian #booksbooksbooks #readercommunity #readingallday #booktalk
