Title:Without Merit
Author:Colleen Hoover
Published:October 2017, Atria Books
Format:ARC E-book, 384 pages
Source:Netgalley via Publisher
Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.
The
Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church,
newly baptized Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the
basement, the father is married to the mother’s former nurse, the
little half-brother isn’t allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the
eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, there’s Merit.Merit
Voss collects trophies she hasn’t earned and secrets her family forces
her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy,
she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark
renewed life into her—until she discovers that he’s completely
unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family
from the sidelines when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world
can fix.Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy
family illusion that she’s never been a part of before leaving them
behind for good. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal
with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one
boy she loves.
My thoughts:I am still relatively new to Colleen Hoover’s books – this is only the second book of hers I’ve read, It Ends With Us being the other one. From what I understand, she has taken a slightly different direction with these two from her previous books – they are more serious in nature and less reliant on the romance angle. Either way – I thoroughly enjoyed both, this latest one really taking me by surprise!
I think what really stands out about this book is that it’s unlike anything I’ve read before. It’s both painful and raw and yet also redeeming and hopeful. It tackles some really tough, uncomfortable topics – mental health, depression and suicide – as well as dysfunctional families and secrets. But as much as it deals with all this heavy stuff, it’s equally balanced with lighthearted humor and just a little hint of romance.
The cast of characters that make up this story are all flawed and most of them are what I would call quirky. They all have some pretty deep and complex issues, most of which they refuse to acknowledge. And, for the kicker – they have pretty much stopped communicating with each other, other than for basic necessity.
What I found pretty interesting is that this story isn’t about one big event, but rather it’s all these little events that slowly build up…almost like the butterfly effect. As all these little events are building up, layer upon layer, one on top of the other, it’s as if a storm is brewing and then BAM! Eventually is has to no where to go but to explode – and then watch out! But what’s truly amazing is that the end result of this outburst is not what you expect – it’s all about perspective. Because sometimes the secrets we are holding aren’t what they seem.
This novel will have you thinking and coming back to perspective time and time again. As I said before, it’s a painful, honest read, but also a very powerful read. It’s heartfelt and heartwarming and one that you will be thinking about long after you finish the last page.
About the author: Colleen Hoover is the #1
New York Times bestselling author of Slammed, This Girl, Point of Retreat, Hopeless, Losing Hope, Finding Cinderella, Maybe Someday, Ugly Love, Maybe Not, Confess, November 9, and
It Ends with Us. She has won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance twice – for
Confess in 2015 and It Ends with Us in 2016. Confess
was adapted into a seven-episode online series. In 2015, Colleen and
her family founded The Bookworm Box, a bookstore and monthly
subscription service offering signed novels donated by
authors. All profits are given to various charities each month to help
those in need. Colleen lives in Texas with her husband and their three
boys.
Authors Links:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Without Merit by Colleen Hoover
Atria Books
October 3, 2017
Paperback ISBN: 9781501170621
E-book ISBN: 9781501170638
I just finished It Ends With Us and thought it was really good. I read a couple of Hoover's earlier novels and they were more romance-y and less issue-y so I do like the direction she's going with these newer novels.