Book Review — Confess by Colleen Hoover

“I could tell her how I know her. Make her realize why I have this overwhelming urge to protect her. But some secrets I’ll take to my grave, and this is definitely one of them.”

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Exquisitely heart-wrenching and absolutely unputdownable, Confess is another unique Colleen Hoover masterpiece and one of the must-read books of this year!!

From the moment I read the blurb, I was intrigued by the story! And once I started reading, I discovered that there’s even more to this story than meets the eye. There’s an added layer to it that I absolutely loved but that I won’t mention because discovering it as you read is honestly best. This review is spoiler free.

I can honestly say that this was the first time ever that a book made me completely break down crying (like real tears-pouring-down-my-face tears) in the very first chapter. The pain and loss and love were so achingly profound that I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the emotions.

“How can a fifteen year-old-girl defend her love when that love is dismissed by everyone?”

But, true to Colleen Hoover’s amazing ability to make you feel a range of nearly every single human emotion possible, just a few pages later, I was laughing right out loud.

The story is about a heroine named Auburn who, by the age of 21, had already lost the most important thing in her life and was now just struggling to make ends meet. Faced with an impossible situation, she was desperate for any income she could get. When she came across a curious building, quite literally covered in scraps of paper with people’s deepest, darkest confessions written on it, she had no idea what she’d find inside. She certainly wasn’t expecting to find a quirky, ridiculously handsome, and very talented artist who practically begged her to work for him.

What she didn’t know was that he was keeping a secret. He remembered her… knew her from before but couldn’t tell her how. So the balance of their dynamic was very interesting as they both fell for each other while each respectively keeping back huge personal secrets that could change their lives…

“They are the past and this is the present, and Auburn is… somehow both. She would be shocked if she knew how much of her past has affected my present, which is why I won’t be sharing the truth with her. Some secrets should never turn into confessions.”

I read this book as slowly as I could to prolong the experience. The story was completely unpredictable. Most books give you a vague idea of the direction they’re heading in but not Confess. I read each page with no idea what would happen next and I honestly loved that about it. I have such complete trust in Colleen Hoover’s writing that I never once doubted that she would take the story exactly wherever it needed to go. So I just sat back and enjoyed the ride!

“I’m losing track of the lies I’m telling her, and lying to someone like her isn’t normally something I would do. But I don’t know how to tell her the truth…

I’ve never felt stronger than I feel when I’m with her. I’ve never felt like I had a purpose like I feel when I’m with her. I think about the first words I said to her when she showed up at my door. “Are you here to save me?”

True to CoHo style, Confess is completely different than anything else she’s written. And, like I mentioned, there’s an addition to the plot that added in just the perfect measure of heart-warming depth and heart-wrenching angst to the story. I loved the way it was introduced. It all felt so incredibly real.

One of the things I love most about Colleen Hoover’s writing is how deeply she makes me care for her characters and how strongly she makes me feel for them. The opening chapter of this book (the one that had me break down crying) was the perfect representation of that because if she could make me feel that much for new characters in just a matter of pages, just imagine what she can do with an entire book.

While this book is certainly sexy, it’s not overly steamy. However the circumstances of these characters’ lives forced them to grow up fast, and this felt like a very mature book. The emotions and pure, raw intensity poured into even just a single kiss took my breath away over and over again.

“The more we kiss, the more we realize what we’re losing…He pulls back and looks me in the eyes with a pained expression. He moves his hand from the back of my head and brings it to my cheek, brushing a thumb over my bottom lip. “This already hurts.”

All in all, reading Confess was a truly magical reading experience. Because of all the layers in this story, there were actually three completely separate but intricately entwined storylines happening. I know that might sound a bit contradictory but it’ll make perfect sense as soon as you read it. I promise. I felt fully and equally invested in all of them and couldn’t wait to see how they’d all come together.

This book is most certainly a romance, but it’s also so much more. It’s a story of survival, courage, unexpected chances, fate, sacrifice, confessions, lies, love, and healing. It’s deeply emotional and very fast paced. I flew through the pages and was unable to put it down.

When he feels my tears falling against his chest, he doesn’t do anything to stop them. Instead, he simply holds me with a much tighter grip and presses his cheek against the top of my head…”I know, baby,” he whispers. “I know.”

If you follow my blog, you’ll know I’m a huge Colleen Hoover fan. I’ve loved everything she’s ever written most especially because of the uniqueness of her stories and her ability to make me care so much for her characters. I feel like if she wanted to write a detailed account of the paint drying on her walls, I’d read it in a heartbeat. And I bet you she’d end up making me emotionally attached to that wall too!

Ooooh!! AND. This book has real artwork incorporated into it that was commissioned especially for Confess. As you read, you’ll see these pieces inserted in the story in relevant places. In my advance copy, they weren’t there yet but I read the descriptions of these paintings and I cannot wait to see them!

Guys, this book was truly fantastic. Highly recommended!

Rating: 5 stars! Standalone contemporary romance.

• Buy CONFESS (Kindle)
• Buy CONFESS (Paperback)
• Buy CONFESS (TV Show Tie-In Paperback)