Verity?

I had never heard the word Verity before picking up this book. And the only reason I picked up the book was because I was curious what the title entailed. However, I can assure you, the book itself is not a book I would've pictured myself reading. 

I have never been interested in any romance novels, and I think this book explains why. The main character, Lowens, is a struggling writer. She is offered the opportunity of a lifetime, to come work for Verity Crawford, former best-selling author who was involved in a tragic accident and is left paralyzed. Lowens, who struggles with severe self-conscious issues and insecurity, debates whether she is able to uphold expectations from others and continue where Verity left off in her work. She ends up taking the job and staying at the Crawford's home where Jeremy, Verity's husband, and their son, Crew, live. 

Now, where romance comes into play is when Lowens finds herself catching feelings for Jeremy, who is happily married. Lowens time spent in Verity's office gives her access to her autobiography, where she learns about the night Jeremy and Verity met, how they fell in love, and Verity's perspective on their marriage. Lowens uncovers truths in the biography about the family that no one is supposed to know, not even Jeremy. 

The book switches from a pure story about a struggling writer trying to find herself to the dark and twisted trauma that a family is hiding. If I had to rate the book, I'd probably give it a 4/5. Like I said, I'm not really interested in reading about a cliche love story, but this book is the furthest thing from cliche. I think I really enjoyed it because of the way it was written. The author, Colleen Hoover, did not leave out a single detail throughout the entire novel. At some points, I found myself cringing because I felt like I was almost present in the scene she was describing, and I didn't necessarily want to be, but for the most part I found myself quite literally on the edge of my seat just wanting to get through each page fast to get to the next. Colleen Hoover never fails to write a good love story, but one with such a sad and dark twist at the end leaves me questioning the characters in the book I thought I knew and loved. 

The word "verity" is a synonym to trust, meaning the principles of belief. After reading this novel, there couldn't have been a more fitting title and name for a book.