Friday, April 24, 2015

Review: Confess by Colleen Hoover

Published: March 10, 2015
Publisher: Atria Books
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a new novel about risking everything for love—and finding your heart somewhere between the truth and lies.


Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin… 

My Thoughts
“There are people you meet that you get to know and then there are people you meet that you already know.”
Emotional and full of heart! A Hoover book that reminds me why I fell in love with her writing so long ago.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a book by Colleen Hoover that shot straight to my heart. I remain an avid fan of Slammed and Point of Retreat because those books were pure magic. As I’ve witnessed Hoover become a seasoned writer with a crazy avid fan following, I’ve waiting patiently for her next book to move me like her debut novels.

Thankfully, after a few years of waiting, I can sigh with relief in knowing that she hasn’t lost her touch when it comes to crafting characters that slip into my heart and affect my psyche. I finished this book a few days ago, and I’m still thinking about Auburn and Owen. I’m glad I waited a few days to let this experience process because where I might have given this book four stars and just moved on, forcing myself to wait, process her story and then review and rate it proved to me that Confess was more than just a story. It was an experience in and of itself.

Confess is told in two different perspectives, which I believe is a style of writing Hoover excels at. She starts off with Auburn Mason Reed sharing her experience with a tragic loss that happened at the age of fifteen.

Forward five years later and Auburn finds herself back in Texas on a quest to right some wrongs. In need of money and stumbling upon a “Help Wanted” ad she lands a job at an art gallery of sorts where she helps Owen Mason Gentry (yes, cute initials that were well played in the book – OMG), the artist, sell his confession paintings. These paintings are inspired by peoples’ confessions and every first Thursday of the month he opens his gallery for the public to come and purchase his artwork.

As Owen and Auburn realize the undeniable attraction between each other, they are faced with obstacles that keep them apart.

I’m going to stop there for fear that I’ll give something away. This story had a series of delayed revelations that unfolded in the later chapters, and as each twist revealed itself, it added to the depth of the novel. How the small details of the story came together at the end reminded me how clever Colleen Hoover can be in her story-telling.

Overall, I enjoyed just about everything in this book. Auburn and Owen commanded the stage with their voices. I loved the red-hot chemistry between these two, and I appreciated the deliberate care they took in fostering their relationship. Owen was sheer perfection. I think Will from Slammed has a little bit of competition! ☺

Confess is unique in its own right and amazing by default. A novel I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend. Loved it!
5 Snowflakes

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