VERITY by Colleen Hoover ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Well, damn. That sure made my heart race, in more ways then one.

I was skeptical going in, what with stepping out of my genre comfort zone and a surprisingly stilted start. But the real story picks up fast, and then makes sure to be all up in your face the rest of the way. It’s a whirlwind.

Honestly, I read this in about three days. Which probably would’ve been faster if I didn’t have to work in between. The prose keeps it churning, but it’s the pulpy damnit-I-gotta-know-what’s-happening that propels you to the finish. There’s also a mix of figuring out if there’s an unreliable narrator, or if the atmosphere of this unsettling mansion is just setting everything in a skeptical light. Either way, the story effectively spurs goosebumps and chills. I don’t think I’ve had the same “creeped out in my own house” vibes since reading Salem’s Lot, and this isn’t even a horror story. That’s saying something for the thriller crowd.

The only gripe I’d have would be that I was always very aware this was a book. I didn’t feel transported — even though I did feel flush with dread at times — because it knows the patterns, and it uses them blatantly. To great effect, absolutely, but it brings about predictability. The plot beats hit where they’re expected, and the characters make the same mistakes we’ve all seen before. And the sense that one final ‘ah-ha!’ was coming took away from the intensity of the bigger climax. I just wish it felt more natural.

No, not groundbreaking or a new all-time favorite, but it’s worth your time. If you’re like me, it won’t take up much of it.