Verity Review (Spoiler-Free): Colleen Hoover, 4.3/5

Verity is Colleen Hoover's psychological thriller about a struggling writer hired to finish a bestselling author's book series, and the unsettling secret she finds in the house. This is a spoiler-free review: the setup, what worked for me, the content warnings (this one is dark and meant for adult readers), and who might want to skip it. My rating: 4.3/5.

Jump to: My verdict (4.3/5) · Content warnings · Who might want to skip it · Who should read it · Where to buy

My sketch notes for Verity.

Quick verdict

• Book: Verity by Colleen Hoover
• Genre: Psychological thriller
• My rating: 4.3/5
• Best for: Adult readers who like a dark, chilling psychological thriller that keeps you questioning what's true
• Content warnings: Loss of a child, harm to a child, violence, adult sexual content and more (full list below)
• Who might want to skip it: Anyone who'd rather avoid the topics above, or who wants a twist they can't see coming (details below)
• In one line: The way the manuscript is written sent a chill down my spine, and the ending left me torn.

Disclosure: Some links in this post are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

See Verity on Amazon India →

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Verity at a glance

Author	Colleen Hoover
First published	7 December 2018
Setting	The Crawford family's remote house in Vermont
Series	Standalone novel
Edition I link to	Sphere paperback (18 February 2022), 368 pages. Page counts vary by edition.
Film adaptation	Amazon MGM Studios' Verity, with Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, opened in theaters on 2 October 2026 (Variety)
Content warnings	Loss of a child, harm to a child, violence, adult sexual content and more (see below)
My rating	4.3/5

Facts per the Amazon.in listing, Wikipedia, SparkNotes (the setting) and the Variety report on the film.

What is Verity about?

Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer who doesn't want fame. When she's offered the job of finishing a bestselling series for the author Verity Crawford, who is injured and can't write it herself, she ends up co-authoring the books. To do it, she has to get inside Verity's notes and the way Verity thinks.

In the process, Lowen finds out a dark truth. That's all I'll say, because this is a book to go into knowing as little as possible.

What works: the chills, Lowen and an ending that left me torn

• The premise. A struggling writer who doesn't want fame ends up co-authoring a bestselling series, and finds a dark truth along the way.
• Lowen's struggle. She struggles with the truth herself while trying to understand Verity's character, so she can write the next books the way Verity would have.
• The chills. The way the manuscript is written sent a chill down my spine.
• The ending. Lowen is left struggling to decide what to believe, and it ended up the same for me. I'm still torn.
• The bonus chapter. If you read the extended edition, the bonus chapter is a bit scarier than the rest of the twists. No details here, I promise.

What might not work for some readers

I knew the twist was coming. If you love being surprised, that could take a little off the experience.

Content warnings

Verity is a dark thriller for adult readers. Readers and databases commonly flag the following, and some scenes are intense:

• Loss of a child
• Harm to a child and child neglect
• Violence
• Pregnancy loss, including an attempted abortion
• Infidelity
• Manipulative relationships
• Adult sexual content
• A car accident
• A brief mention of suicide

Sources: reader-submitted warnings on The StoryGraph, Book Trigger Warnings and Common Sense Media, which notes the publisher recommends it for ages 18 and up. The author hasn't submitted her own warnings on StoryGraph, so please check them if you're unsure.

Who should read Verity?

• You like dark, chilling psychological thrillers.
• You enjoy a story where you're never sure what's true.
• You like an ending you'll want to talk about, even if it leaves you torn like it did me.

Who might want to skip it

• You'd rather avoid stories with loss of a child, harm to a child, violence or adult sexual content (see the content warnings above).
• You want a thriller with a twist you can't see coming. I knew it was coming.
• You're under 18. The publisher recommends it for adult readers.

My verdict

A chilling read that kept me questioning what was real, with an ending that left me torn. I gave it 4.3/5. Did the ending leave you torn too?

Where to buy

Verity by Colleen Hoover on Amazon India → · US readers: Amazon.com (affiliate link, see the disclosure above). Check the listing for the current price and edition details. Bonus-chapter availability varies by edition, so check the listing if you want it.

My sketch inspired by Verity.

Similar reads on this blog

If you like books where you can't be sure who to trust, these are good next stops:

• 10 Thrillers With Twists You Won't See Coming: more spoiler-free picks with a big reveal.
• 8 Domestic Thrillers Where the Real Danger Is at Home: spoiler-free picks about families with secrets.
• My spoiler-free review of The Only One Left by Riley Sager: another twisty thriller I loved.
• Freida McFadden books in order: another fast, twisty author, with where to start.
• Dan Brown books in order: all 8 novels, the Robert Langdon series and two standalones, if you want a fast puzzle thriller next.

I like to jot down my thoughts on every book I read. If you do too, my Thriller Reader's Journal has space for your rating and notes (a printable book review journal for thriller readers).

Follow me on Instagram @abi._.rambler and see my Linktree for every book I've read.