Review: Confess by Colleen Hoover

CONFESS by Colleen Hoover

March 10, 2015

320 pages

Atria Books

Genre: New Adult Contemporary

Contains: strong language and sexual references

Source: eARC and personal purchase

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 that Owen is keeping some 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…

Well, what I can I say? I loved Confess! I've loved Colleen Hoover's writing since I first laid my hands on Slammed when it first came out. While each of her books since has been special and unexpected and challenging and engaging, and I've liked or loved each in its own way, not all have been subject matter that I've been eager to return to right away after the first read. With Confess, however, I am excited to have another Hoover hit that I look forward to re-reading again and again, just as I have done with the Slammed series. This book is truly special.

Why was it special? Even with the twists and turns, Owen and Auburn, their personalties and choices, were entirely relatable. The way the story developed in Confess was an excellent example of youthful naivete and inexperience, with Owen and Auburn each having lasting consequences to past occurrences in their lives. Situations or similarities that are not unrelatable. Yet the consequences these two face, they could have lived more easily with if 1) others hadn't been taking advantage of their youth, inexperiece, trust, and insecurities, and 2) they had better support systems at home and people to advocate for them. Owen and Auburn could have been anyone, and that is what makes this story so relatable. Not that you've necessarily experienced all or even any of what they've gone through. But if you're like me, then even in your late teens/early 20s, or older, you've had your share of insecurities, self-doubt, trusting the wrong people, not trusting the right people, being taken advantage of, making mistakes; but also finding yourself, your voice, your courage, your strength, your hopes, your dreams, your love, and finding your way. And this story captured it all in the very special way that I've come to expect from Colleen Hoover.

Perhaps this doesn't tell you much about the actual story itself, but that's on purpose. Owen and Auburn's story is a special experience. I will tell you that I genuinely liked Owen and Auburn. I loved their hearts and their spirit, and they are a pair you can't help but root for. Their path had jags and bumps along the way, but the reward is worth it. There is also the incredible interweaving of art and painting in this story, used in conjunction with the theme of confession. Really, what a brilliant idea! And so well executed. And then the last chapter was my favorite. It was absolutely perfect. Now don't skip ahead to the end and read it out of order. Savor the story for what it is, and then enjoy the full circle effect and the beauty of this story, with its love, hope, tragedy, fight, happiness, and fate, to the very end.

Colleen Hoover is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Slammed, Point of Retreat, This Girl, Hopeless, Losing Hope, Maybe Someday, Finding Cinderella, and Ugly Love. She lives in Texas with her husband and their three boys. Please visitColleenHoover.com.


Find Colleen online:
Website: www.ColleenHoover.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ColleenHoover
Twitter: @ColleenHoover
Instagram: @ColleenHoover

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