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8 Twist-Filled Books for Verity Fans

March 17 2023
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Just when you thought you knew all there was about #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, you remember VERITY. Sure, the 2018 smash hit had all the elements we associate with and love about a Hoover novel—romance, deep emotion, unforgettable characters—but it also included an unpredictable plot and a turn worthy of any great stand-alone psychological thriller.

It caught us off guard in the best possible way and, frankly, we’re still chasing the high that CoHo supplied. Which is why we’ve compiled a list of must-have novels for any fans of VERITY and its unexpected, but oh-so-compelling story.

Ten Tiny Breaths
by K.A. Tucker

If you want propulsive plot twists:

K.A. Tucker’s TEN TINY BREATHS, like VERITY, is tousled with juicy, often dangerous, secrets. Four years ago, Kacey Cleary’s life imploded when her car was hit by a drunk driver, killing her parents, boyfriend, and best friend. Still haunted by the memories, Kacey wants to leave her past behind and hops a bus with her younger sister to Miami. There they meet their mysterious neighbor in apartment 1D. Trent Emerson skates that irresistible line between nice guy and bad boy, and he’s desperate to find a way into Kacey’s guarded heart—even if it means revealing an explosive secret that could shatter both their worlds.

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Ten Tiny Breaths
K.A. Tucker

After a terrible car accident destroys her life as she knew it, twenty-year-old Kacey escapes to Florida, where she encounters an irresistible man determined to capture her wounded heart.

Just breathe, Kacey. Ten tiny breaths. Seize them. Feel them. Love them.

Four years ago, Kacey Cleary’s life imploded when her car was hit by a drunk driver, killing her parents, boyfriend, and best friend. Still haunted by memories of being trapped inside, listening to her mother take her last breath, Kacey wants to leave her past behind. Armed with two bus tickets, Kacey and her fifteen-year-old sister, Livie, escape Grand Rapids, Michigan, to start over in Miami. They’re struggling to make ends meet at first, but Kacey’s not worried. She can handle anything—anything but her mysterious neighbor in apartment 1D.

Trent Emerson has smoldering blue eyes and deep dimples, and perfectly skates that irresistible line between nice guy and bad boy. Hardened by her tragic past, Kacey is determined to keep everyone at a distance, but their mutual attraction is undeniable, and Trent is desperate to find a way into Kacey’s guarded heart—even if it means revealing an explosive secret that could shatter both their worlds.

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Tell Me Lies
by Carola Lovering

If you want characters twisted with love and lies:

If VERITY taught us anything, it is that desire can be a dangerous thing. It’s also true in Carola Lovering’s TELL ME LIES. When Lucy Albright arrives on the campus of her small California college she’s happy to be hundreds of miles from home. There, she quickly embraces college life and all it has to offer, including Stephen DeMarco. Stephen sees something in Lucy that no one else has, and she’s immediately seduced by this vision of herself. But Stephen is hiding a secret from his past and, what’s worse, Lucy knows there’s something about him that isn’t to be trusted. But she can’t tear herself away from him. And their addicting entanglement will have consequences they never could have imagined.

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Tell Me Lies
Carola Lovering

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A Little Bit of Karma
by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

If you want a suspenseful page-turner with a bit more romance:

Meet Shannon and Jay Lovejoy—the rich and successful power couple who seem like they’ve got it all. But after three years, their once passionate romance has fizzled and the couple’s divorce is now centered around the shocking death of Jay’s mistress. The perfect combination of romance and suspense, ReShonda Tate Billingsley delivers a fast-paced and emotionally powerful page-turner, perfect for those fixated with Hoover’s bold storytelling turn in VERITY.

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A Little Bit of Karma
ReShonda Tate Billingsley

Nationally bestselling and award-winning author ReShonda Tate Billingsley returns with an evocative and steamy romance about the secrets and lies that exist within a seemingly perfect marriage.

Meet Shannon and Jay Lovejoy—the rich and successful power couple who, to the fans of their call-in radio show, seem like they’ve got it all. But after three years, their once passionate and loving romance has fizzled and the couple’s divorce becomes embroiled in not only a mess of infidelity and deceit, but the untimely and shocking death of Jay’s mistress, as well.

This fast-paced and emotionally powerful page-turner boldly goes where ReShonda Tate Billingsley has never gone before with her fiction, delivering the perfect combination of romance and suspense in one thrilling novel.

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The Writing Retreat
by Julia Bartz

If you want psychological suspense with a literary angle:

Just as VERITY features the story of Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer willing to do whatever it takes to save her career, this psychological suspense debut is about a young author at an exclusive writer’s retreat that descends into a nightmare. Alex is about to give up her dream of becoming a published author when she receives an opportunity to attend a writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. When she arrives, Roza drops a bombshell—all attendees must complete a novel, and the author of the best one will receive a publishing deal. Amid mind games and cruelty, one of the other four writers vanishes during a snowstorm, and Alex realizes that something very sinister is afoot. With the clock running out, she must discover the truth—or possibly suffer the same fate.

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The Writing Retreat
Julia Bartz

The Plot meets Please Join Us in this psychological suspense debut about a young author at an exclusive writer’s retreat that descends into a nightmare.

Alex has all but given up on her dreams of becoming a published author when she receives a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: attend an exclusive, month-long writing retreat at the estate of feminist horror writer Roza Vallo. Even the knowledge that Wren, her former best friend and current rival, is attending doesn’t dampen her excitement.

But when the attendees arrive, Roza drops a bombshell—they must all complete an entire novel from scratch during the next month, and the author of the best one will receive a life-changing seven-figure publishing deal. Determined to win this seemingly impossible contest, Alex buckles down and tries to ignore the strange happenings at the estate, including Roza’s erratic behavior, Wren’s cruel mind games, and the alleged haunting of the mansion itself. But when one of the writers vanishes during a snowstorm, Alex realizes that something very sinister is afoot. With the clock running out, she’s desperate to discover the truth and save herself.

A claustrophobic and propulsive thriller exploring the dark side of female friendships and fame, The Writing Retreat is the unputdownable debut novel from a compelling new talent.

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In a Dark, Dark Wood
by Ruth Ware

If you want more psychological suspense with a literary angle:

Ruth Ware has you covered. And the debut novel that started her illustrious career, IN A DARK, DARK WOOD, definitely delivers. When reclusive writer Leonora Shaw is invited to the English countryside for a weekend away, she reluctantly agrees to make the trip. But as the first night falls, revelations unfold among friends old and new; an unnerving memory shatters Leonora’s reserve; and a haunting realization creeps in: the party is not alone in the woods. Suspenseful and compulsive, this darkly twisted psychological thriller will leave you just as out of breath as when you finished the final pages of VERITY.

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In a Dark, Dark Wood
Ruth Ware

*AUTHOR OF THE WOMAN IN CABIN 10 and THE LYING GAME
*INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, AND LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER
*SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE

An NPR Best Book of the Year * An Entertainment Weekly Summer Books Pick * A Buzzfeed “31 Books to Get Excited About this Summer” Pick * A Publishers Weekly “Top Ten Mysteries and Thrillers” Pick * A Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year * A BookReporter Summer Reading Pick * A New York Post “Best Novels to Read this Summer” Pick * A Shelf Awareness “Book Expo America 2015 Buzz Book” Pick

What should be a cozy and fun-filled weekend deep in the English countryside takes a sinister turn in Ruth Ware’s suspenseful, compulsive, and darkly twisted psychological thriller.

Sometimes the only thing to fear…is yourself.

When reclusive writer Leonora is invited to the English countryside for a weekend away, she reluctantly agrees to make the trip. But as the first night falls, revelations unfold among friends old and new, an unnerving memory shatters Leonora’s reserve, and a haunting realization creeps in: the party is not alone in the woods.

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Lying in Wait
by Liz Nugent

If you want more psychological suspense from a thriller queen:

Lydia Fitzsimons's life seems perfect. Her husband, Andrew, is a well-respected judge. The two live in the spacious, comfortable house where Lydia was raised, now along with their only son, teenage Laurence. And then, suddenly, Andrew kills Annie Doyle. Accidental or not, it sets into motion a dark, downward spiral. It doesn’t take long for Laurence to suspect that something is very wrong in the Fitzsimons household—and he is determined to discover the truth. The good news? If you loved VERITY, you will absolutely love this book. The best news? Liz Nugent additionally has a new work, STRANGE SALLY DIAMOND, coming out this summer.

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Lying in Wait
Liz Nugent

From the author of the international bestseller Unraveling Oliver comes a “truly outstanding” (Crime by the Book), brilliantly plotted, utterly immersive novel lauded by A.J. Finn—#1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window—as “extraordinary…crackles and snaps like a bonfire on a winter’s night.”

My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it.

On the surface, Lydia Fitzsimons's life seems idyllic. Her husband, Andrew, is a prosperous, respected judge; they live in the spacious, comfortable, well-appointed house where she was raised. And she is utterly, obsessively devoted to her son, Laurence—her adored only child, her pride and joy.

But Andrew's murder of Annie Doyle, accidental or not, sets into motion a dark downward spiral. It doesn’t take long for Laurence to suspect that something is very, very wrong in the Fitzsimons household—and he is determined to discover the truth.

For fans of Ruth Ware and Gillian Flynn, Lying in Wait is “a devastating psychological thriller...an exquisitely uncomfortable, utterly captivating reading experience” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

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The End of Getting Lost
by Robin Kirman

If you want to unravel dark secrets:

Robin Kirman’s THE END OF GETTING LOST will satisfy that same itch. Gina and Duncan are a young couple madly in love, traveling around Europe on a romantic adventure. It’s a time both thrilling and dizzying for Gina, whose memories are hazy following a head injury—so much so that she has no recollection of their first year together. And she has a growing sense that the man at her side is keeping secrets from her. A tightrope act of deception and an elegant exploration of love and marriage, this story is another lyrical blend of romance and suspense that every VERITY fan will devour.

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The End of Getting Lost
Robin Kirman

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Margaret Qualley and Paul Mescal!

A young woman and her husband travel around Europe to celebrate their first year of marriage—a year that the woman has no memory of—in this “wildly beautiful and darkly sinister” (Rosamund Lupton, New York Times bestselling author of Sister) novel of intimacy and deceit.

The year is 1996—a time before cell phones, status updates, and location tags—when you could still travel to a remote corner of the world and disappear. This is where we meet Gina and Duncan, a young couple madly in love, traveling around Europe on a romantic adventure. It’s a time both thrilling and dizzying for Gina, whose memories are hazy following a head injury—and the growing sense that the man at her side is keeping secrets from her.

Just what is Duncan hiding and how far will he go to keep their pasts at bay? As the pair hop borders across Europe, their former lives threatening to catch up with them while the truth grows more elusive, we witness how love can lead us astray, and what it means to lose oneself in love.

The End of Getting Lost is a tightrope act of deception and an elegant exploration of love and marriage—as well as our cherished illisions of both. With notes of Patricia Highsmith, Caroline Kepnes, and Lauren Groff, Robin Kirman has spun an “atmospheric, lyrical” (Susie Yang, New York Times bestselling author of White Ivy) tale of deceit, redemption, and the fight to keep love alive—no matter the costs.

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The House
by Christina Lauren

If you want authors similar to Colleen Hoover:

If there is one author who is consistently compared to Colleen Hoover, it’s Christina Lauren (which is ironic because “Christina Lauren” is two people). Semantics aside, just as CoHo took a dramatic plunge into the thriller world with VERITY, so did Christina Lauren with THE HOUSE. You see, Gavin lives in that house, the one at the edge of town that seems to have a mind of its own. Spooky and maybe haunted. Something worse than haunted. And Gavin is trapped by its secrets. In fact, the only time Gavin seems to flicker with life is when he locks eyes with Delilah. Delilah and Gavin can’t resist each other, and there’s nothing sweeter than young, new love . . . but staying together—in House—will exact a price beyond their imagining.

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The House
Christina Lauren

Delilah and Gavin’s new love is threatened by a force uncomfortably close to home in this haunting novel from New York Times bestselling duo Christina Lauren, authors of Beautiful Bastard.

His shirt is black, jeans are black, and shaggy black hair falls into his eyes. And when Gavin looks up at Delilah, the dark eyes shadowed with bluish circles seem to flicker to life.

He lives in that house, the one at the edge of town. Spooky and maybe haunted. Something worse than haunted. And Gavin is trapped by its secrets.

Delilah and Gavin can’t resist each other. But staying together will exact a price beyond their imagining.

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Verity
by Colleen Hoover

And, of course, a reread of VERITY is always a fun time!

Nicole says: This is without a doubt, one of the darkest and most unsettling books I’ve ever read, and I would absolutely read it again. The book follows Lowen, a struggling author, who agrees to accept a new project involving taking over a successful book series because its author, Verity Crawford, is injured and unable to finish it. Lowen heads to the Crawford estate and begins poring over years of Verity’s notes in hopes of familiarizing herself with the material. What she finds, though, is an unfinished autobiography that one can only imagine Verity hoped stayed buried. The pages feature confession after confession, including what really happened surrounding the deaths of Jeremy and Verity’s children. Lowen develops feelings for Jeremy during her time at the home, so she decides not to tell him about the manuscript. What ensues is nothing short of chilling, and I still don’t know who or what to believe. That’s all I can say without spoiling the plot, so if you’ve read Colleen’s other work and haven’t gotten to VERITY yet, please do. While I know her romances differ wildly from this title, I will absolutely be continuing my Colleen Hoover content binge.

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Verity
Colleen Hoover

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Photo credit; Istock / jacoblund

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