Reading Order
Verity Reading Order
Colleen Hoover's Verity (2018, republished 2021) is a complete standalone novel. There is no sequel. The novel follows Lowen Ashby, a struggling writer who is hired to complete the remaining books in a bestselling thriller series when the author, Verity Crawford, is incapacitated. While staying in the Crawford house, Lowen discovers a disturbing manuscript hidden in Verity's study — a manuscript that may be Verity's autobiography, or may be fiction, or may be a confession. Verity became a BookTok phenomenon in 2021–2022, selling millions of copies years after its original publication.
Where to start
Verity
Complete Verity Book List
- 1Buy
Verity
Colleen Hoover·2018·Standalone — a struggling writer hired to complete a bestselling thriller author's series finds a disturbing hidden manuscript that may be autobiography, fiction, or confession; a dark romance thriller
Verity — Frequently Asked Questions
Is Verity a standalone?
Yes — Verity is a complete standalone novel. Colleen Hoover has written many other romance and fiction novels (It Ends with Us, Ugly Love, Reminders of Him, November 9), but Verity is entirely independent.
Is Verity a romance or a thriller?
Verity is marketed as a dark romance thriller — it contains an explicit romantic and sexual storyline between Lowen and Jeremy Crawford (Verity's husband), and it also contains elements of psychological horror and the central mystery of the manuscript. Readers who primarily read romance often describe it as one of the darkest books they've encountered; readers who primarily read thrillers often describe it as more romantic than expected. The combination is what makes it distinctive.
What is the ending of Verity?
Verity has a genuinely ambiguous ending — the novel leaves the question of whether the manuscript was truth or fiction unresolved in a way that Hoover has said is intentional. The two possible interpretations of the ending are both supported by the text, and readers are divided on which they believe. The answer matters morally, and Hoover's willingness to leave it open is one reason the novel generates so much discussion.
Is Verity appropriate for all readers?
Verity contains explicit sexual content, graphic violence including violence against children, and significant psychological manipulation. Hoover does not soften these elements. The novel is categorized as adult fiction; most libraries shelve it with adult popular fiction.
Monthly Newsletter
Never miss a big release
Get the most anticipated upcoming books delivered to your inbox once a month — no spam, no filler.
Monthly only. Unsubscribe anytime.
Book links are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, BookReleaseRadar earns from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.