I had mixed emotions reading this book. It's not the usual full-of-bed-scenes like her previous works. I had a lot of WHAAATs and stuff as I read the chapters because of the twists and turns of the story of each characters in this book. I loved it!

Loved this sneak peek into Colleen Hoover's newest book. I will be getting it and reading the entire thing

This was an amazing introduction to the book. Colleen has a magic touch and you will get immediately drawn into the story. I purchased a signed copy can't wait to get my hands on it to see what happens.

I have chosen to wait and read the book in its entirety. I have ordered it through Barnes & Noble and it's expected to be delivered within the next few weeks (I had a few other pre-orders so for shipping purposes it's delayed). I look forward to reading Without Merit when I have the book in hand will review on all the appropriate outlets. Thank you!

When you settle in with a Colleen Hoover book, you know that you will experience three things:

You will laugh, particularly at things you think you shouldn't find hilarious;
1. You will cry. A LOT. A whoooooole lot, even at times when your heart is full of joy.
2. You will emerge from this book feeling altered somehow, as if you both better understand the world and are also more confused by it.
3. In other words, reading Colleen Hoover's books is akin to living a paradox.

Without Merit introduces you to Hoover's quirkiest cast to date: the Voss family and their associates. You have patriarch Barnaby Voss, whose agoraphobic ex-wife lives in the basement of the repurposed church the Vosses inhabit while he current wife lives upstairs with his family, which consists of oldest son Utah, youngest son Toby, and identical twin daughters Honor and Merit. Two more people come to live with the family, but you need to read the book to find out about them.

Merit narrates this story, and it is hers to tell. She is quirky in her own right, but, at seventeen, she can't quite see how her quirkiness contributes to her family. She lacks, as her new friend (and the possible boyfriend of her sister) points out, perspective.

As Hoover shows, you must acknowledge that perspective differs from person to person, and no one's perspective is more correct than another's. In order to understand each other, we need to understand our varying - sometimes contradicting - perspectives. For instance, Merit buys trophies. Her perspective is that they represent validation she does not receive within her family, but someone else's perspective may be that Merit is a little nuts.

Perhaps the greatest lesson in perspective comes within the various romances Hoover develops. The romances - platonic and otherwise - within a family, both with established and new additions. The romances of a girl trying to ease the sufferings of others. The romance of self-discovery. And the romance of a girl trying to figure out her place with the guy who understands her perspective better than she does.

I loved this book so much. I loved the Voss family, I loved how ostracized they felt within their family, not to mention within the community. And I loved how Hoover showed that varying perspectives make a family, rather than break it.

Yes, this is a Young Adult book, but its appeal cuts a wide swath. When you read it - as you should  come back and let me know your thoughts. What did you think of Merit Voss and her family?

I love Colleen Hoover! Her books make me happy. I can't wait to read this!

Well this was...different. It took me a minute to get into it after the first chapter. I was just trying to figure out what french toast was going on. But once I got more into it, I thought it was a pretty decent story. There was never a dull moment at Dollar Voss. Of course you have all the very interesting characters. I was however on the fence with Merit, I’m just not sure if I really like her. I did really like Sagan, I think he was my favorite. I don’t know, it didn’t blow me away but I am glad that I finally read it.

I have had Without Merit by Colleen Hover, on my book to buy list for weeks now and I can’t wait to buy it. So when I found a Sampler chap on Netgalley, I was like it can’t hurt to see if I like the book. I downloaded the sampler immediately. So here are my thoughts and feelings on the story so far.


The first things I notice about the sampler is that Colleen draws you into a very raw story like many of her other books. I love the way Colleen writes all of her books, it makes me want to read all of her work. I could tell from the beginning of the sampler, that this story was about how a raw and painful family can actually be. Colleen writing was so good that I read the ebook sampler in one sitting, I can’t wait for the actual book. I really love this book sampler, it attracts me even more to reading the actual book. Of course, I will have a better review up when I have read the actual book.(Personally, I retain more information from an actual book.)


So as for this sampler, right now I would totally give it a three out of five stars. I love the cover of the book, with the safety pins and string. As I said I will be back with a bigger review when I've read the book.

Loved this book...I ended up buying the whole thing when it came out!

Excerpt was good. Can’t wait to read! Colleen has never disappointed!!

I read this excerpt for an honest review. It is not enough! I need more! I loved everything about this book! A must read!

AHHHHHHMAZZZING!!!! Just enough of a tease to make me want more...

I need to read this book !!! I loved this !! Iam so excited to read Without Excerpt

I was on the fence about reading this book but after read8ng this little snippet I find myself drawn in. I have a love/[
hate relationship with Merit but I find her to be interesting and I can’t wait to purchase the book and read it in its entirety.

Is there anyone or anything better than Colleen Hoover? She's magical. Her words are perfect. The feelings she evokes are deep and tormented.

Two chapters. That's all this is.
But it's two chapters that have me wanting more and one-clicking Without Merit right now.

Colleen Hoover will not disappoint. She never does.

I loved getting a quick excerpt of this book. It got me so excited about Without Merit coming out, and I had to go pick up a copy once it released, after this small taste

But I would totally be up for more small excerpt releases on here to give you a taste of new books.

Cannot wait to read the whole book!! It definitely has my attention now, I’m sure a huge Colleen Hoover fan and I just know this will be another amazing read.

This excerpt was definitely just enough to tease of a story but not enough to give anything away. I can’t wait to get the book to read the entire story.

I love everything Colleen Hoover writes. She is one of my go-to authors when I'm wanting something that goes straight to your heart.

Without Merit is something totally different than what she normally writes. I love when an author steps out of their comfort zones and isn't afraid to write what they want. It just shows how great of an author they really are.

I love the characters, their unique and quirky personalities.
Can't wait to read more.

After immediately finishing Without Merit I thought it was going to be the first Colleen Hoover book I rated fewer than five stars, but upon reflection and discussion with my boyfriend I realized how much I enjoyed it and what it was trying to accomplish.

Without Merit follows Merit as she attempts to navigate the minefield of secrets that her family is while also trying to discover who she is as an individual. Without Merit is a snapshot of Merit’s life. There is a lot of context Hoover has to catch the reader up on, but it never felt like an info dump. Merit as a character has an interesting voice. She’s funny, a little morbid, and real. This combination adds a little lightness to an otherwise bleak story.

Without Merit is very different from Hoover’s typical choice of story. The only comparison that can be made is that it’s similar in theme to It Ends With Us, but without the romance heavy plot. There is a bit of romance in Without Merit, but it’s very minor because its primary focus is on Merit and her growing discontent with her life and family. The story builds up until everything comes to a head and Merit shatters the illusion her family has carefully crafted. They’re all forced to see each other and all their flaws and find a way to forgive.

As I mentioned previously, Without Merit is very much a snapshot of Merit’s life and this snapshot is what makes the story so successful. Seeing a glimpse into the family’s discord, their fallout, and aftermath isn’t an easy task to accomplish. Hoover’s writing is flawless as she navigates each of the characters’ personalities and complexities with ease.

Overall, I would recommend readers to dive into this novel blind and experience Merit and her life without expectations.