While I'm sure there are readers out there who might enjoy or even love this book, I don't think it was the book for me. I didn't hate it, but it really did fall flat for me which is especially disappointing when dealing with heavier topics like mental health and dysfunctional families. I always appreciate when authors are willing to have these conversations in their books, but they're very delicate topics that need to be handled with special care and thoughtfulness, and I think that's where it missed the mark for me. I can see where Colleen was going with this, but it just didn't quite get there for me. Otherwise, it was a rather quick read!

I'm sorry, but this book wasn't it. There were too many underlaying issues that I just didn't enjoyed reading this book. Plus, there is no content warning whatsoever which is terrible since there are heavy topics in this book.

I adore Colleen so it’s no surprise that I enjoyed Without Merit, however, this was not my favorite. I found it hard to connect with the story and some of the characters. I never have trouble getting into a book by Colleen so while I still enjoyed this one, it’s not my favorite.

Okay.... Well, apparently the universe didn't like my review so it got deleted... I thought it was a good review.. So I'm sorry if this isn't as good. I promise my original review was so much better.

It shouldn't be a shock to see another 5 star book from Colleen Hoover. I haven't read all her books yet, there's just a couple I still need to read. So I knew going in, this was most likely going to be another 5 star book. Though, I do have to say, I wouldn't say it's a favorite from her... It's hard to beat Ugly Love, Slammed, and Maybe Someday... Those are some of my all time favorite books. But that doesn't mean I didn't love this book as well. I haven't given any of the books I've read by her less than a 5 star. I absolutely love her writing style and the stories she creates.
This one I feel I had a different experience while reading. Which was very weird. Very seldomly do I COMPLETELY connect with characters where I can feel their emotions. It's such a weird experience but also amazing because I can really feel how they feel. I hope I'm not the only reader to experience this in any type of book because that just makes me look like a weirdo. ;)
But I honestly experienced the emotions out main character, Merit experienced. All this week I kept wondering why I felt a little off. It wasn't until things started to get uphill for our main character that I realized the book was playing with my emotions. I love when a book is able to do that!
This I feel is a different side of Colleen's writing because I haven't really experienced a book like this. Every turn, something was happening. So many topics/issues were brought up while reading (which I won't mention any to avoid any type of spoiler).
I seriously loved this book... I mean, come on... It's Colleen Hoover. She's a fantastic writer and I adore her as a person. She's so incredibly sweet and talented!
Final verdict: Loved this book. Go read it now.

Here I sit having finished another Colleen Hoover book, trying to find words that I haven't used a hundred times before to describe how much her writing means to me. I'm sure we all have at least one author whose words reach us on a level above all others. For me Colleen Hoover is one of those authors. I love that she writes about topics that are relevant and real. Whether you can relate on a personal level or you just find her stories heartfelt, it's impossible not to be touched in some way.

Without Merit is full of quirky and flawed characters. They all reside under the one roof, and while the word I want to use to describe them is dysfunctional, I'm not sure that the word completely captures the fact that they're a family with a whole range of deep and complex issues. And rather than lean on each other they've stopped communicating and drifted apart.

This book touches on so many really deep topics. I don't want to give anything away by discussing them here. Go in blind. Your reading experience will be so much better for it. I will say that these topics really resonated with me. I thought that they were handled really well, even if some of them weren't delved into on a more deeper level.

Despite the quite heavy subject matter there were still moments of lightness. There were times I laughed out loud or swooned over the romance that was developing. It wouldn't be a Colleen Hoover book without those moments. And she binds everything together with seeming effortlessness.

Without Merit has a different feel to Colleen Hoover's recent books, but as with those books it was unputdownable. I'm sure that all fans of this authors writing will love this one as much as I did.

Thanks so much to @atriabooks for providing a digital copy for review.

Without Merit is very different from her last book, It Ends With Us. This story is more on the Mature YA side. Merit has a very unique family. She would probably even call her family dysfunctional. She struggles with depression and at times does things that could be seen as a cry for help. If anyone would notice her that is. There is a lot of family drama and airing of dirty laundry. Some of it can be expected when you have such a interesting and vocal group of people living under the same roof. But in a family that lacks good communication, how can they all coexist peacefully?

I liked Merit. She was a bit quirky and different. She’s basically your typical teenager. A 17 year old girl trying to rebel against her family and finding the consequences of her actions to not be what she expected at all.

Romance sort of takes a back seat in this book. And I have to say that I did not have a problem with that at all. Aside from that, the characters are unique and colorful. Colleens ability to write stories that not only entertain the reader, but have a sense of realness and depth to them amazes me each time I read one of her books. Without Merit took me on a emotional rollercoaster ride filled with highs and lows. It is definitely a story that will stay with me.


RATING: 3 out of 5

I have read all of her books and this is one of my top picks!

I really liked this story. The flow is like non other - one that only Colleen Hoover can provide. And yet I want more to this story.

Merit is sick of it all and writes a letter about her family. A family that she thinks is crazy and disturbing. She is tired of holding in all these truths that have becomes lies of omission. What she doesn't realize is that when she reveals all those truths, everything is out in the open.

All those truths that have splintered Merit has left her open and vulnerable.

A beautiful story written, where you can't put down the damn book (how I feel about every Co-Ho book). But this was more. A inside depth of human frailties and forgiveness.

Please, for the love of God, give me a book two. I need so much more.
----------
Well I am ashamed at saying this but its been a while since I have read a COHO book .. I know complete blasphemy on my part right! Well I am glad that I read this book as it was like a bright shining star into the mind of Mrs COHO. I would give this book a 4 stars and highly recommend to others.

This was a quirky read but I really did enjoy the whole story.. its quite different then what I would normally read but I knew I wouldn't be disappointed because HELLO CoHo wrote it! Not only that I liked that it was different and I actually had fun reading about Merit and Sagan and there journey they experience together.. and lets not forget all the side characters because there were awesome as well!

I will not divulge much on the story as you can read a book blurb just like I can... so no spoilers here.. sorry not sorry.. just know you need to pick up this book and dive right in!

My only hope for this book is that maybe??? Merit and Sagan have more to say?? I will be sitting her wishful thinking and wanting more! One Click Now!

I went in not knowing much about this book other than the author and I usually love all of Colleen Hoovers books, sadly I can't say that for this one. I had to force myself to read the first 100 pages and by then I was so unconnected that I had to put it down. I wanted to love this story, but couldn't. This won't stop me from reading other books by this author because I love her writing style, I just didn't connect to this one.

I absolutely love everything that Colleen Hoover writes. She is my go to author and she never lets me down. I was so honored to have received an ARC from Atria. Without Merit was so much different that what we normally expect from Colleen as it is more YA based but I loved it. Each book that Colleen writes gets better and better and I am always excited when she announces that a new one is coming.

Merit is a very unique character with lots of personal and family issues that she needs to deal with but she she is unsure how to go about it. She is a very closed off person that has lost herself throughout the years and is desperate to find herself again. It’s a long uphill battle but she keeps pushing even when things get uncomfortable and finally find what she is looking for in life. The secondary characters added lots of depth to the storyline.

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

Without Merit is a very unique, intriguing, intense story that kept me on my toes the entire time. It starts out slow and has a steady build as the story unfolds and then BAM huge surprise. There are many layers to this story and the message it conveys is a very powerful one.

I have Utah’s secret.

I have my father’s secret.

My mother’s secret.

Honor’s secret.

Luck’s secret.

I don’t want any of them anymore!

Maybe if I let all the secrets out, they wouldn’t make me feel like drowning anymore.

Without Merit is a definite must read book! Colleen Hoover never disappoints with her writing. This is one of my favorite books so far this year and I can’t wait to see what Colleen is working on next!!

Colleen Hoover is one of my trusted authors. I barely read the synopsis before downloading or purchasing a new release of hers. It is pretty much guaranteed to be worth my time and coins. She keeps it real when it comes to emotions, family drama, friend interactions and relationships. Without Merit was no exception.

No family is perfect; however, the Voss family is far from normal. They live in what used to be a church. The mother lives in the basement and never leaves. The father is remarried to the mother's former nurse. And oh, they had a son who is not allowed to eat any treats. The eldest siblings appear perfect—maybe too much. And Merit is the secret keeper.

Along with keeping everyone's secret, Merit collects trophies she hasn't earned. That's right. She goes to antique shops and buys trophies for her collection. During a visit, she meets Sagan. He is witty, a good kisser and ideal. Too bad he is already involved with Merit's own twin sister. The more Sagan hangs around, the more Merit observes her family's behavior. Fed up with all the family lies, Merit explodes. She shatters the happy family illusion and comes daringly close to losing those she loves most.

Although the main character is a young adult, the author made her mature. Adults will not be bored reading this book and could actually relate. We all belong to a family that no doubt has secrets, triumphs and traditions that could earn a side-eye or two. I would love a follow-up sequel but if not, Without Merit is a great standalone novel that I totally recommend.

Without Merit is available now!

LiteraryMarie

"Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing a mistake deserves is forgiveness."

Merit. Such a simple word that carries the weight of a thousand books and lives. A word that means worthy. A word that defines each of Colleen Hoover's creative culminations, novels but more like EMOTIONAL JOURNEYS. Colleen Hoover writes WORTHY books—masterpieces of merit—the kind that bring battles to life and slay demons, the kind of heartfelt creations that take and leave pieces of hearts and souls inside each story that this creator touches. Without Merit is more worthy than gold.



Colleen Hoover returns to Young Adult romance in Without Merit, a tale that is as MOMENTOUS as it is MOVING. In a small-town Texas setting lives the extremely unusual Voss family, a group of eccentric, extremely complex, and emotionally numb members. Told through the perspective of the teenage daughter, Merit, this novel takes a deep dive into family dynamics, uncovering secrets and setting the truth free.

Without Merit is so personal that it felt like an invasion upon reading. Deep. Dynamic. Devastatingly beautiful. Without Merit connected to me from the start, one that tore at my heart. I WAS RENDERED POWERLESS to this story’s power—its force—that awakened everything inside of me.

Merit is the beautiful, bold, but jaded teen heroine. She is wise beyond her years. Stuck in a family where secrets are buried and truths need to be set free, Merit seeks an escape that she finds in Sagan.

"Of all the places we could be, we're right here. At the same time."

Sagan is gorgeous, smart, witty, and perceptive. He beacon of light in Merit's dark world. Sagan has a compassionate soul and I felt him soar through my soul. This hero has been through his own hell but is a survivor. Oh did I ADMIRE and love this young man!!!

He takes a step closer to me and it suddenly feels like I've swallowed his heart because I have all these extra beats in my chest.

Merit and Sagans' chemistry is UNDENIABLE. This hero and heroine are drawn together like a moth to a flame. Two broken souls searching for solace. Two broken hearts longing to become whole. Two beautiful souls connected by feels and perhaps fate.

He smiles and whispers, "You bury me."

Without Merit's wielding words BURIED ME—burying my heart deep inside them. I felt each one pierce me—penetrating me like a deep kiss. The intensity of this heartfelt book burned through me like fire. Poignant. Passionate. Powerful.

"I just wish you could like yourself as much as I like you."

These words ... they SHOOK MY SOUL! I was GUTTED, as Without Merit gripped my heart and tore it apart!!! Without Merit HITS THE HEART SO HARD, a tornado striking the soul.

I bled tears for the hero, Sagan, but mostly for the heroine, Merit, who is worth everything. This fractured family FELT REAL. A family with so many skeletons buried beneath the surface. A family with whom Colleen Hoover connects the reader so intimately. A family whose pain is felt. A family desperately needing to be saved. A family I wanted to save because they felt so close where I shared such a strong connection that the Voss members felt like mine...my close-knit clan that I rooted for until the end.

Through her powerful and poignant words, Colleen Hoover courageously uncovers social topics and serious issues like depression. This compassionate writer tackles tough matters rather than brushing them under the rug. I can't love Colleen Hoover more for slaying serious subjects through her writing—meeting them head on—and making them her muses.

I LOVE that Colleen Hoover doesn't write easy love. She writes complicated love, the kind that challenges you, the kind for which you have to work, stripping the soul bare, and laying everything on the line. There is no greater reward than reaching the end of a messy, hard-fought love story. Colleen Hoover is masterful at penning messy love. Colleen Hoover writes messy love at its best!

Without Merit is a family saga threaded with a coming-of-age love story, one I LIVED ... FELT ... LOVED. I felt every emotion that the hero and heroine felt; their devastatingly beautiful love story was MINE. I lost myself in Without Merit, vanishing into this life-altering story, SPELLBOUND, as it seized every part of me: body, heart, and soul. An evocative and emotionally-wound journey of heartbreak and healing, Without Merit leaves a lasting mark on the soul. I know my soul is marked for life.


I wanted it all. I wanted to feel everything.


WITHOUT MERIT IS WORTH EVERYTHING!!!!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 worthy and soul-stirring stars

A TOP 2017 ROMANCE!!!

I had a hard time getting into this when it first started so I had put it down. However I was thinking about the characters and decided to pick it up again and wow! I flew through it and it is a contender for one of my favorite books of the year! I absolutely loved the story, the characters and the message. I was attached to all of these people and I wish there were more stories of their life.

This was a very different type of book for me. I thought it might have been a romance book which, it did have some but it was not what I thought. With that said....

Merit had my full attention from the beginning and I wanted to see what secrets she was hiding or knew about. Now her family, that is another subject there!

Yes we all have family drama and crazy relatives, we don't get to choose who we are related to, unfortunately. Well Merit was no exception. As I read about her dysfunctional family there were somethings that had me saying, "What the H@ll"!!! My family is crazy but dang! And her sister Honor-well.....

Like I said this was a very different type of book for me and though it wasn't my favorite it doesn't mean I'll stop reading her books. ~3.5 stars

I read this in one day. Well technically, I started it the night before, read a bit before going to be bed and woke up the next day and read the rest. I literally spent an entire day reading Without Merit and it was so worth it. Colleen Hoover is easily one of my favorite authors and I was truly surprised with this book because it was unlike her others that I have read. Without Merit is YA and I wasn't sure what to expect, but I didn't know that the focus of this one would be so much on family, I absolutely loved that. Sure, it has some romance, but we get to experience the dynamics between Merit and her family.

The characters are the best part of this book, really, because each one is so realistic and dealing with their own issues that you find you can connect with all of them as well learn to love them. It was hard to understand why everyone was the way they were, but once the secrets start to come out, it's kind of shocking (which is something CoHo always does so well) and we can't help but love these characters more.

Like so many others, I find it best to go into her books blindly because you don't really know what to expect from the synopsis. CoHo always throws a curve ball in there and when you think you know everything, BAM! You're hit with something else. This is definitely the most unique of her works that I've read, and I loved every page of it. Without Merit is odd and memorable to say the least, a little different than anything I've ever read and I definitely recommend it to everyone.

Her books just keep getting better and more complex! I’ve found some of her previous stories to be vey problematic, and yes, this book isn’t perfect, but I loved the rep, loved the family, and I loved all the problems they faced.

Wowowow! I'll definitely write a coherent and full review once I have electricity again after the hurricane...

I love It Ends with Us. I love Maybe Someday. I love November 9. I love so and so and so. Basically, I love all of her novels. But Without Merit is that book that spoke to me in a different kind of level. It was released at a time, the perfect kind of time, that I truly needed it the most.


In Without Merit, Hoover went back to her YA roots and touched situations that most of us are facing and battling today. Knowingly and Unknowingly.

Already saying this right here, Without Merit is way different from Colleen Hoover’s previous releases. I mean it still is a Hoover novel with her quirkiness all over it but it isn’t a couple-getting-together centric novel. It reminded me of Slammed but with a heavier tone to it, more complicated and dysfunctional family set-up. Yes, there are a lot of family stuff that the book dealt with. Also highlighted in this book are the teenage angst and emotions that were neatly channeled through Merit’s character.

I won’t dwell on talking about Merit, her family and the events that transpired in Without Merit. I want you to get to know all of them through Merit’s eyes, the same way I did. You’re surely guaranteed to know tons of things about them because Merit talks about them like 24/7. There were times wherein I got so overwhelmed with all the information Merit shared and even pissed on how she couldn’t stop talking about them. I want to know more about Merit and not that much about them. But then … things made sense later on in the book.

I want you to take all the bombs that Hoover dropped in every page and every chapter on your own. I want you to take it all in by yourself and fully immerse in it.

What made Without Merit special, for me? Colleen Hoover wrote about depression in a way that it’s not too broad, scientific and just the plain illness labeled as depression. She wrote about it in its simplest and sneakiest form. That’s how depression is, it sneaks up on us and doesn’t need for a big moment to happen to set it off. We either deal with it early on or brush it off yet at the same time it is starting to grow and fester inside of us. Sometimes…its too late for people to do something about it or for the people around them to save them.

Just like how depression is sneaky, Without Merit has that slow build up but in actuality is carrying a powerful message enough to knock you off kilter. I love that she wrote Without Merit this way, it feels the closest to reality considering Merit’s situation and kind of thinking.

“…depression doesn’t necessarily mean a person is miserable or suicidal all the time. Indifference is also a sign of depression.” – Luck, Without Merit by Colleen Hoover
When we read books, we either put ourselves in the shoes of the main character or by chance we see something in them that reflects even just the tiny bit of ourselves.

I’m on the latter.

I may not have the exact life experiences and situations that Merit went through but I can see bits and pieces of myself in her. Merit is so real and flawed. There were times that it felt like I was reading something about myself. I’m sure people who will read Without Merit will one way or another identify with her character (or any of the characters in the book). As for me, I identify with Merit so much that it scared me to continue reading. But then, I have to know how things fared with her.

Without Merit is an eye-opener. It raises awareness about depression yet at the same time touching the readers’ hearts. Honestly, the depression check list hit me so hard. I never acknowledged that I have depression. Me? depression? Well not until I read that check list and this book. Whenever I have dark thoughts (there were a couple of moments wherein I was already eyeing for objects…), I brush it off and just go about my happy ways. Fangirling or reading books all day and all night and being indifferent with the things that are happening around me. I’m normally a happy person. In which makes me think that it really is true, sometimes the happiest people you’ll see…could also be the saddest ones you’ll come across. Not to worry, I’m starting to talk about it with the people around me. Talk about the emotions that I’ve kept inside me. Letting my thoughts and feelings out.

Last point, I’m sure you are curious if there’s romance thrown in the book. There is. But nothing to be afraid of because not one bit did Hoover use it to romanticize depression. Sagan is the perfect boy for Merit and he handled everything perfectly.

I’m leaving you now with… Without Merit is important and definitely needs to be read by everyone. By everyone.

READ WITHOUT MERIT BY COLLEEN HOOVER, PEOPLE!

I have never been let down by a book by this author. She continues to surprise and delight me with her incredibly unique stories. Stories that have simply never been told. Without Merit is both a romance novel and a women's fiction novel wrapped up together. The story is just as much about the heroine's relationship with her family and how it has shaped her and her decisions as it is about falling in love. I simply adored it.