Review: Without Merit by Colleen Hoover

“Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.”

The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptized Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the mother’s former nurse, the little half-brother isn’t allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, there’s Merit.

Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn’t earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into her—until she discovers that he’s completely unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines, when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix.

Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that she’s never been a part of before leaving them behind for good. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one boy she loves.

Poignant and powerful, Without Merit explores the layers of lies that tie a family together and the power of love and truth.

Review

5 out of 5 stars  

I am always a little terrified when I open a CoHo book.  I know it seems weird, most people will open their kindle as soon as it arrives and tear into it.  Not me.  I have to work up to opening it up.  It's not that I am scared it is going to be bad.  I know its not  - they never are! Colleen Hoover at her worst is still better than most books out there.  She just has a knack for pulling you in to her stories.  But I am always scared to read her new releases, fearing it won't live up to my unrealistic expectations.  LOL!  

I typically go into books blind.  I rarely read a synopsis if I know and love the author.  Without Merit was no different for me.  From her first introduction I instantly fell in love with Merit Voss.  She is the epitome of a perfect character - quirky, flawed, funny, witty and wonderfully human.   And it's not just her it's her entire family of supporting characters.

This isn't one of those reviews where you're going to find any pertinent details of the story or really even any kind of a synopsis.  All you need to know is this story is truly one of a kind and you will not be disappointed in any way.  Without Merit has a YA feel but it's not all rainbows and unicorns, this story tackles some pretty heavy themes, but it's handled with really beautiful storytelling as the author peels away layer after layer revealing what's beyond the surface. The pace is perfect, not rushed at all.  It's a gradual build-up where seemingly insignificant moments are muddled with life changing ones.  Colleen Hoover thru the Voss family really shows just how life altering perspective can truly be.  Simply put I loved reading this book, it reminded me all over again why I first feel in love with Colleen Hoover as an author.  She know's exactly how to string together a bunch of words that will have readers laughing and crying and feeling as though their life has been changed just because they spent money on a book for a pastime they love.