Without Merit: A Novel

This is unlike anything I have ever read from Colleen Hoover. In fact, I think that she can write anything regardless of genre and still have a major hit on her hands. She proves this in Without Merit- a quirky, somewhat dry and emotional read that dives deep into mental illness. When I first began reading this I remember thinking to myself, this is not Colleen Hoover! There is no romance or plight! But there is. It's just underneath all the important stuff that many authors fear to touch upon. And then, I continued reading the poetic words and brilliancy behind character motives and I thought, yup! It actually is work by Colleen Hoover. For some reason, her words and the way she puts stories together really set her apart from others. Readers feel like they are a part of the story in some shape or form and become emotionally involved and invested in what happens to the characters. At first, it is a bit tough to become emotionally invested in Merit because she is very DRY. She is also one dimensional, see's everything as if it were only one sided, and literally only knows how to judge based on her own perspective. Some readers may not like her character and I can understand why. But when the emotional journey hits it peak and things begin to slowly change within her eyes then YOUR perspective of her character is bound to change. For me, this is one of the most impactful books I have read by Colleen and I think she does a wonderful job at bringing dysfunctional and somewhat unlikable characters into human beings right before our eyes. I commend her for this, and I commend her bravery at bringing mental illness into a book because it's something we as readers seek more of (it makes them more realistic, right?). With that, readers are going to experience something very different with this book. I myself absolutely LOVED it for reasons that I mentioned above PLUS the fact that we got to get a good look at how depression can affect a person- especially someone who is YOUNGER and more prone to act rashly. I won't dive into the plot because there is no way that I can do it justice, it just needs to be read and felt by readers. But I will say that it is different than Colleen's other books as this is more of a young adult drama novel than a romance. There is also a ton of dysfunctional things going on within the Voss house that is all sorts of messed up as well, but that's for you to find out on your own. If you’re a fan of Colleen Hoover- grab this one! I know you probably will anyway because she is a #1click author for many. If you like young adult, domestic dramas that discuss mental illness then this would also be a great book for you. I assure you, it will open your eyes to a totally different world.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a CoHo book, but I’m glad I decided to read this one. She knows how to write an addictive read that really tugs at your emotions. None of her books are safe and she always tackles tough topics and Without Merit was no exception. Without Merit is very different from a lot of her other reads. For one, the romance is not the central aspect here. It’s a very small part of the story and is very much secondary to the overall plot. This is Merit’s story and is focused on her and her family life. There is a lot going on in Merit’s house and nobody deals with their problems. My heart broke for Merit because she just wanted to be heard. I wanted to reach into the book and help her so badly. There were so many secrets in this family and when it all comes out things come crashing down. What’s so interesting about this book though is that while I was fully invested and felt so much for Merit, I’m not sure I actually liked any of these characters. Like Sagan, he had some valid points but I didn’t always like his delivery. I also didn’t like how he pushed people to talk but didn’t really talk himself. I also had some serious issues with Honor. She has her own issues, but she treats Merit horribly and there is a thing I’m not cool with. I won’t even touch her Dad or Utah because ill rant for days. Even Merit, who I truly sympathized with, I don’t know if I liked her. The only ones I liked were Moby (who is four) and Victoria, which is weird because she is the one most of the characters hated. I just think she got a lot taken out on her. But I don’t think the point of the book is for me to like these characters. They all have their flaws and that makes them real and kind of what makes the story so captivating. People in real life aren’t always likable but it doesn’t make them any less valid and that is the point here and that is what resonated with me and what I liked so much about this book. So yes it’s weird that I didn’t like the characters but I still really liked the book and I’d recommend it. All in all, Without Merit is one of those books you really need to digest and process and the kind that stays with you. This book isn’t safe, but it makes you feel and realize that everyone is going through something and that it’s worth it to take time to notices those around you.

This novel is just addicting, The story plot, the characters and everything. It was just so amazing. I am absolutely in love with this novel. Must buy!

è decisamente uno dei migliori libri della Hoover, e anche il più originale, sia per quanto riguarda la storia che i personaggi. La protagonista è una ragazza in cui molti ci si possono rivedere. La famiglia è di certo una delle più strane e particolari mai lette, e mi piace come la Hoover riesca sempre trattare tematiche molto forti e serie in modo molto leggero e coinvolgente. L'ho letto tutto d'un fiato!

I am a massive Colleen Hoover fan but for some reason waited a while to read this book. M”now I am annoyed I did because it was amazing. Loved the story. Merit is such a unique character. There isn’t another book out there like this. Colleen did it again as usual. Hurry up with your next book.

It’s good to read to pass time

✨ Book Review ✨ Without Merit by Colleen Hoover 🐕 🫶 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Merit lives in a very chaotic family- the Voss family. She has a twin sister that looks exactly like her. They share their looks but have two very different personalities. One is popular and intelligent, the other is the shy poor thing. Merit holes her family's deepest secrets. She accumulated these secrets over the years until one day she explodes (with a letter). 😧 I love everything about this book for sure. From the characters to the strange setting and to the conversations that have a deeper meaning. In the book you see the characters building up and how they come to realisation and acceptance. You see the importance of taking care of friendships and relationships in general. And you come to a conclusion to look at things from a different perspective and point of view (the ones who read it will understand this clearly😉). The book has a deeper message that every reader should know about and extract the message by themselves. 🫶 Beautiful quotes💖🥹 -“Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.” -“If silence were a river, your tongue would be the boat.” -“So many people dream of living in a house with a white picket fence. Little do they know, there's no such thing as a perfect family, no matter how white the picket fence is.” I’d recommend this book to anyone who never read anything written by Colleen Hoover, because this was my first time reading a book by COHO and I genuinely enjoyed it. 🥰