Colleen Hoover, or as her fanbase calls her, CoHo, built her reputation on emotionally devastating romance novels. Having read Verity, you know that it is something else entirely. To feel a similar vibe again, choose your next read from our list of books similar to Verity.
This book list mainly includes fiction novels, but our app AdvanceMe offers one non-fiction title that is no worse than all other things here, and it’s I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. The ideas and events in it are as controversial as its name. If you want to go even further from twisted novels to twisted memoirs, this autobiography is the best first step.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Like Verity, The Silent Patient is built around a woman whose inner life is mediated through written documents and a man who becomes dangerously obsessed with uncovering her truth. Famous painter Alicia Berenson shoots her husband, Gabriel, five times in the face, and then never speaks another word. She doesn’t explain or defend herself. Will anyone be able to get Alicia to talk?
“We're all crazy, I believe, just in different ways.”
— Alex Michaelides
Who shouldn’t read it: If you work in mental health or psychiatry, be prepared that the portrayal of medical details doesn’t always make sense. Also, if you find it hard to follow deeply unreliable narrators, this novel may frustrate you.
The Silent Patient
The spoiler: The ending here is a revelation that changes the meaning of every scene you’ve read. Readers who thought they had it figured out are almost universally wrong.
The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose
“What is a woman capable of when she’s been pushed far enough?” Both Verity and The Perfect Marriage give their answers to this question. Sarah Morgan is a high-powered defense attorney in Washington, D.C. Her husband, Adam, is a struggling writer. Although their marriage already has cracks in it, it crumbles completely when Adam’s mistress, Kelly Summers, is found brutally murdered at their lake house. Adam becomes the prime suspect, and, surprisingly, Sarah decides to defend him herself. Is it her way of saving their marriage or an attempt to get revenge for betrayal?
“That’s the thing about relationships, you never really know what’s going on in them, unless you’re a part of them.”
— Jeneva Rose
Who shouldn’t read it: If you’re a legal professional, the courtroom details may seem unlikely.
The Perfect Marriage
The spoiler: Sarah didn’t just agree to defend her husband; there’s more to it!
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Gone Girl is essentially the godmother of the genre Verity belongs to. Here, you can also find an unreliable female narrator and written documents that manipulate the reader. The novel centers around Amy Dunne’s disappearance. Her husband, Nick, becomes the prime suspect. Then the novel does something that changed domestic suspense fiction permanently.
“It’s humbling, to become the very thing you once mocked.”
— Gillian Flynn
Who shouldn’t read it: If you need at least one character to root for, Gone Girl isn’t a book you should read.
Gone Girl
The spoiler: The real Amy is much more frightening than the woman in her diary entries.
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager
This novel shares Verity’s love for unreliable narrators and shocking plot twists. Casey Fletcher is a grief-stricken, alcoholic actress hiding from the press at her family’s lake house. To pass the time, she starts spying on her neighbors across the lake with binoculars. The woman from that house suddenly disappears. What will Casey do?
“No matter how much you look, something just beneath the surface will always remain hidden. I should know. I’ve been watching.”
— Riley Sager
Who shouldn’t read it: If supernatural or paranormal elements feel awkward in a thriller for you, proceed with caution.
The House Across the Lake
The spoiler: At some point, you’ll encounter a ghost in this story.
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
Once again, you will meet a female character, Amber Patterson. Tired of being a nobody, she hatches a meticulous plan: befriend socialite Daphne Parrish, become her closest confidante, seduce her wealthy husband Jackson, and take over Daphne’s entire life. But is she actually in control, or is she just somebody’s tiny pawn on the chessboard?
“She said the most important thing was for a woman to be independent and know what she wanted. Especially before she considers marriage.”
— Liv Constantine
Who shouldn’t read it: It’s not genuinely disorienting, so if you are an experienced thriller reader, you may find this novel somewhat predictable.
The Last Mrs. Parrish
The spoiler: Daphne is not the naive victim Amber assumed.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
This novel shares Verity’s deep interest in what a woman is capable of when she has been hurt badly enough. Kya Clark was abandoned by her entire family at age six. She grows up alone in the wild marshes of North Carolina, raising herself among birds, tides, and silence. But one day, she is accused of murdering Chase Andrews, a prominent local man. Is she really the one to blame, or is somebody plotting against this already broken soul?
“Why should the injured, the still bleeding, bear the onus of forgiveness?”
— Delia Owens
Who shouldn’t read it: Where the Crawdads Sing is a slow, more literary, more nature-forward read, so if you’re not into long descriptions, put this book aside for when you’ll be in the mood.
Where the Crawdads Sing
The spoiler: The ending reveals something about Kya that completely changes the way you see the story.
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
Both Verity and Behind Closed Doors show that a marriage that looks impeccable from the outside might hide many unsettling secrets. Grace and Jack Angel look like the perfect couple, but it’s not all sunshine and roses. Behind closed doors, Jack has built a meticulously designed psychological prison for his wife. Will she eventually lose herself behind those doors?
“The door opens, and he stands in the doorway, my handsome, psychopathic husband.”
— B.A. Paris
Who shouldn’t read it: Readers with personal experience of controlling or abusive relationships should go in prepared for content showing detailed psychological abuse.
Behind Closed Doors
The spoiler: Vengeance shall be taken.
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Perhaps you’ve heard about this novel’s movie adaptation. But the novel itself is on another level. If we compare it to Verity, one attribute they share is that you’re not sure who the real monster is. In this story, there are a few choices: Millie Calloway, a homeless, broke girl; Nina Winchester, a brittle and cruel wife; Andrew, a caring husband; their daughter, and a strange gardener. The setting is the Winchesters’ home, creating a bit of a claustrophobic atmosphere.
“That will be the end. I’ll die in this room.”
— Freida McFadden
Who shouldn’t read it: If you have graduated beyond the basics of the thriller genre and are looking for something genuinely literary, you may find The Housemaid more crowd-pleasing than challenging.
The Housemaid
The spoiler: The novel is the first in a trilogy, so it has a kind of open ending.
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
This novel will use everything to manipulate you, as Verity does. So, assume nothing here. The story begins with what appears to be a fairly standard setup. Vanessa, a jealous ex-wife, has become obsessed with Nellie, the younger woman about to marry her ex-husband. Vanessa watches Nellie, follows her, tries to warn her, but what will happen in the end?
“In my marriage, there were three truths, three alternate and sometimes competing realities. There was Richard’s truth. There was my truth. And there was the actual truth, which is always the most elusive to recognize.”
— Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Who shouldn’t read it: The events in the story unfold pretty slowly, so some readers find the pace of the early sections frustrating.
The Wife Between Us
The spoiler: The relationship between Vanessa and Nellie is not what it appears to be.
Layla by Colleen Hoover
Layla is another one of Colleen Hoover’s books that takes a romantic relationship and turns it into something dark, creepy, and morally wrong. The story begins when Leeds and Layla meet and fall instantly in love. They survive a violent attack by Leeds’s stalker, and everything changes for both. To reconnect, they go to the B&B where they first met, but what if one of them turns into something else?
“I want her so much I’ll be the Romeo to her Juliet and take whatever the hell kind of poison she wants to put on my tongue right now.”
— Colleen Hoover
Who shouldn’t read it: Paranormal and supernatural elements are central to this novel — if that’s not your thing, this isn’t the Hoover for you.
Layla
The spoiler: The soul swap at the center of the novel reveals that people aren’t always the ones we believe they are.
These books reveal that we may not know someone's true intentions, that marriages are their own sealed worlds, and that the most dangerous person in a room is often the one who appears most composed. If you’ve found something to add to your reading list, we’re glad! Let us know how you like the story!
