This was another book so highly recommended by the Psychological Facebook group. And I’m so glad I read it. Verity, by Colleen Hoover, starts out with a writer, Lowen, being asked to continue the work of Verity, a well-known and beloved author who is bedridden, unable to continue her series. Turns out Verity’s husband, Jeremy, asked for Lowen specifically because of the writing she’s been doing.
It sounds like a great gig, though Lowen’s also apprehensive because she needs to ghostwrite for such a well-known author. Jeremy invites her to stay at their home and gives her complete access to Verity’s office.
But while she’s in there, she comes across an unpublished book from Verity that tells a different tale of her life. One that makes Lowen’s skin crawl. It describes how she met Jeremy, their sex life, how she feels about her child, and how she’s jealous of the love Jeremy shows their kid and not her. It’s so terrible and makes you hate Verity and glad she’s in a coma! But Lowen also starts to notice strange things, like how Verity seems to follow her with her eyes or looks at her in a way she shouldn’t be able to. It certainly makes Lowen wonder what happened before the car crash that put Verity in this position.
Using Verity’s manuscript was a genius move by this author. It was such a great way to get into the mind of someone who can’t speak. But I also found the twist completely unexpected. Everything I thought was wrong. Everything Lowen thought was also wrong! And now, she’s pregnant with Jeremy’s child, and she knows Verity’s secret, something she can never tell Jeremy.
Verity is also being made into a movie. Anne Hathaway will play Verity, Dakota Johnson will play Lowen, and Josh Hartnett will play Jeremy. So excited for this one!
Update: I Finally Watched the Verity Movie!
Remember how excited I was about the movie when I originally wrote this review?
Well, I’ve finally watched it, and DAMN! It was good!
Mike watched it with me, and he loved it, too. And that’s always a bonus because there’s nothing better than finding a movie we both really enjoy.
I know there were some differences between the book and the movie, but honestly, I didn’t care. I thought the movie was so well done that those changes didn’t take anything away from the story.
That’s not always the case with book-to-movie adaptations. Sometimes the changes are so distracting that I spend half the movie thinking about what they left out or what they got wrong. But with Verity, I was completely caught up in the story.
And considering how much I enjoyed the book, that’s saying something.
The book had already surprised me with its twists, and I was curious whether the movie could capture that same unsettling feeling. For me, it absolutely did.
If you’ve read Verity and haven’t watched the movie yet, I highly recommend it. And if you’ve only seen the movie, I’d still recommend reading the book. Both were worth my time.
I’m so glad this adaptation lived up to my expectations!