Confess: an emotional and gripping novel from #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of IT ENDS WITH US

by Colleen Hoover

‘This book will consume you - rip out your heart and piece it back together. I absolutely loved it!’ Paige Toon
‘Hoover will pull heartstrings in this second-chance love story… edgy, sexy’ Booklist

From the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of It Ends with Us, a novel about risking everything for love and finding your heart somewhere between the truth and lies.

At age twenty-one, Auburn Reed has already lost everything important to her. In her fight to rebuild her shattered life, she has her goals in sight and there is 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 chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is keeping a major secret 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.

To save their relationship, all Owen needs to do is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin.

• ISBN10: 1471148599
• ISBN13: 9781471148590
• Publish Date: 10 March 2015
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Edition: Paperback Original
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 320
• Language: English

Reviews

[liz089]

I'm not really that happy with this one. I dunno... It was not bad, but it was all so.. Unrealistic.
If I want unrealistic I'll read a fantasy book or something, not a NA.

Of course it should be MORE then the real world, more drama, more romance.. But this was all just a bit too much for me. I had a couple of moments that I thought were really weird and NOT within the realm of realistic or at least possibly. Just too much drama for the drama of it (and yes I normally like that, but with this one I didn't. It made the plot kind of unbelievable. And I want my NA to be at least believable to get into it.

Also, I've seen this multiple times in NA books, but when someone harms you, abuses you, you should never let them get away with that. Yes, yes, there were circumstances, but still. I do not think it is right. The way they handled it made it only right for her (mostly), but that man is still out there. He can still do that all over again to someone else, hell, he can still do his job while he really should not be doing it anymore. That is just selfish.

But apart from the problems I had with this book I did enjoy reading it. The main characters were nice, if not slightly dull.. But I liked them good enough. They has some depth (though not that much as I would have liked..)
You know, I think I got a bit spoiled with This Ends with Us. I thought it was an amazing read, just beautiful, but this one is not as good.. I can't help to compare then and find this one lacking..

So well, 3 stars, because even though it was not that believable, I did enjoy reading it.. Though not as much as This Ends with Us XD

[anastasia]

Full Review on my blog!

I don’t even know where to start. Confess is definitely one of favorite Colleen Hoover books since I’ve started reading her work. This one is right up there with her Slammed series, Hopeless series and It Ends With Us. Everything about Confess was so intense. I was pulled in from start to finish. The characters and plot were well-constructed, and the writing, as always, was dead-on.

Auburn Reed has had an average life and you can definitely say things haven’t went according to plan. Auburn is a very resilient character and she isn’t going down without a fight. Auburn is desperate for a second job when stopping in front of a studio covered in anonymous people’s confession she never thought things would turn out the way they do. She gets offered a job by Owen Gentry, an artist looking for an assistant for his show. Both Auburn and Owen are perfectly written characters. Always revealing the perfect amount of themselves at the perfect time, always giving banter at the right moments, and always pulling out all the romantic stops at the right time.

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 cannot recommend this book enough. It has so much heart and soul, and the story is beautifully delivered. I highly recommend it!

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[catiebug]

This book...especially that ending...all the feels

[cornerfolds]

Confess is my second Colleen Hoover attempt and probably my last. After quite the fantasy binge, I decided to read something a little more contemporary. Since I'm not a fan of YA contemporary, I went with a NA read. Considering Confess won a Goodreads award last year, I thought maybe it would be the book to win me over. Nope.

Confess is a story of secrets. It's the story of Auburn and Owen and the secrets and romance between them. To be completely honest, the first 30 or so percent of this book had me smiling non-stop. Then it didn't anymore because then the drama was out of control and that makes me really sad.


**From here on out there are going to be some spoilers, so read further at your own risk.**


Auburn, from the beginning of this book, seems like a pretty likable protagonist. The backstory was cute. I enjoyed getting to know her. I liked following her around Dallas and through her first meeting with Owen (except for this one really dumb comment she made about how she was a whore for letting him inside her apartment to use her bathroom). But then the truth came out.

Now, I want to preface this by telling you I have absolutely no issues with teen moms, single moms, moms in general, etc. However, if I'm going to be reading a book about a single/former-teen mom attempting to get custody of her son, THAT is something I'd like to know from the get go, because that is not the kind of book I usually (ever) read. So strike one: the cute, light NA read I was expecting is now primarily about custody battles.

Which brings me to the romance in general. Oh, did I say romance? I meant insta-love. Complete, 100% insta-love. The characters even mention how they've only seen each other for two days and they're both completely obsessed over each other and having affairs and making life decisions and being generally completely INSANE for people who have known each other for five minutes.

But really, there was just So.Much.Drama. Cancer, teen pregnancy, psycho uncles-who-want-to-be-daddies, near-rape, custody battles, drug-addictions-that-aren't-really-drug-addictions, POS fathers, drunk drivers, blackmail. It's just out of control. If I wanted this kind of drama... Never mind, I wouldn't.

I wanted to like Confess so much! I had heard such great things and the art was so pretty and... it was just a huge let down. I really feel like if this story had left out about half the drama and, honestly, the whole custody thing, it could have been a lot better. Maybe I'm just going to the wrong author for good NA reads though. This has been my second two star Colleen Hoover book and I don't think I'll be giving her third try.

[Leah]

This book was SO good. I genuinely read it all in one go, because it was just that good and I just couldn't put it down, and when you read a synopsis that promises confessions galore, well, my curiosity was well and truly piqued. And Colleen is such a good writer. Why did I wait so long to read my first book from her? WHY. What a silly decision, I could have been raving about her books for years! But I am now going to make it my mission to read ALL THE COLLEEN HOOVER BOOKS. Starting with November 9, which I also got from the library. Then Ugly Love, which I've got a paperback of somewhere, and then the rest.

Confess was literally a blast. Which is a weird thing to say considering it opens with fifteen-year-old Auburn saying goodbye to her boyfriend Adam, who's dying. That's hardly a cheery opening, and while there were sad moments and bits that made me want to cry and scream for Auburn, it was a blast, because Owen and Auburn made it a blast. Their chemistry literally flies off the pages. It's immediate, and amazing and I liked the little touches - that Owen kinda maybe knew Auburn, but we didn't know why; that Auburn just happened to be standing outside Owen's studio the day of his event, when he needed some help; that they both had the middle name Mason. It just set the stage for such awesomeness.

They were such good characters, too. I felt like I knew them both and their secrets from each other, from the reader, drove me insane because I'm always curious, I always want to know the secrets immediately, and they were shocking, but they seemed right. The whole entire read just made me feel quite happy, that these two seemingly lost souls had managed to find each other and no matter what else was going on around them, their connection was something else entirely. I enjoyed every single page of the book, I couldn't get enough and I was freaking gutted to reach the end, because I could have read about Auburn and Owen all day long. I loved Confess. So much. I'm now off to read more from Colleen because she is AMAZING. And you should read her books. Don't be like me, don't wait, just read them NOW.

[Chelsea]

Initial Thoughts

This was my first Colleen Hoover book. Also my first new adult book. I had no expectations at all and didn’t even read the summary before starting.

My New BFF

Auburn was a wonderful character. She has all these struggles in life and I thought she was doing a really good job at fixing herself up so that she could be a normal person. I admired her strength at losing a loved one but at the same time I found she took way too long to put him in the past. I’m not saying forget about him but she was in love with him for most of the book. Either way I thought she was a very interesting character and I found myself being able to relate to her in certain situations.

My Crush

Owen was easily my favourite character in the whole book. I especially loved how he was inspired for his art. I was able to relate to him a lot more but I could tell there was more to him than what we originally thought. I’m glad I was proven right. I fell completely in love with him and I got a little mad when Auburn never really listened to his story. They could have saved so much trouble.

Writing Style

I found myself sucked into this book quite easily. The writing flowed nicely and there was a ton of character development. Even though this isn’t a high action book, there was still some crazy things going on to keep me hooked. I feel in love with the characters and the couldn’t put the book down.

Closing Thoughts

I’m absolutely in love with this book. My favourite part was that we got to see some of the art mentioned. I loved that! I feel like everyone should read this book because I think you’ll all love it as much as me. I need to go out and buy 10 copies just so I can put them all on my shelf. I feel bad for not going into too much detail with this review but even though some of these things might not be spoilers, I still think you should find them out on your own. It’ll make reading it so much better.

[whisperingchapters]

Colleen Hoover is queen. My gosh, this book was beyond anything magical, especially Owen. I fell in love with him. 4.5 stars!

[zarahoffman]

I love Owen, I wish Auburn stood up for herself from the beginning and didn't trick herself into staying with Trey (I mean I knew he was bad news from the moment he steps into the page). I think the only characters I totally liked were Owen and Emory and AJ and Adam.

[boghunden]

Very disappointed. That ending though...

[e_rodz_leb]

I have yet to read a book by Hoover that I didn’t like and Confess is not the exception. It is a little different to her other books, but not less wonderful.

I apologize right now for the vague aspects of this review, but there is a fine line that you need to cross yourself and I don’t want to spoil it for you.  The synopsis leaves a LOT to the imagination and honestly I’m struggling on what I CAN tell you in this review.

“I'm afraid if I listen to my heart once, I'll never figure out how to ignore it again.”

Auburn fell in love at a very young age and it had a tragic ending (vague enough for ya?)  Years later, she moves to Texas with a very specific plan in place.  It is at this point in her life that she meets Owen by chance.  He’s a budding, your and talented artist that uses confessions people leave at his door as inspiration for his paintings.

“Selflessness. It should be the basis of every relationship. If a person truly cares about you, they'll get more pleasure from the way they make you feel, rather than the way you make them feel.”

Auburn is so… young.  I’m not sure how to describe her, but she has been raised without her parents support and made to feel unworthy and worthless for a big part of her vulnerable teenage years.  I know that is the root cause for her decisions, behavior and desire to please others.  She is afraid to displease others and in turn creates ways in her mind to justify injustice toward her.  This drove me crazy! I understand it, but I wanted to scream at her sometimes.

On the other hand, Owen was mature beyond his years. He is no stranger to heartache either, but he has had a lot of time to deal with all his problems in the best way he knew how.  The relationship between Owen and Auburn burned hot very fast.  I understand why and you will too when you reach the ending of the book!

“Some secrets should never turn into confessions. I know that better than anyone.”

Lydia was such a horrible human being that pray on Auburn’s vulnerability and ignorance of the world.  I have no idea why Auburn’s parents weren’t more involved in her life.  Trey was awful too!  Such a a-hole, such condescending manipulator!

All the confessions in the book are true. Some are sweet, some are horrific, and some are heartbreaking.  It is amazing how Hoover created a book about confessions that are turned into art.  Such an original idea within a book that is riddle with (I’m sad to report), a few clichés.  Needless to say, Hoover writing is a compelling and beautiful as always, If you haven’t read any of her books, I highly recommend that you start right away :)

Overall, Confess was a great example of what makes Hoover one of the best NA writers out there. It is sweet, intense, beautiful and so much more.This review was originally posted on Reading With ABC