Merit Voss is a 17 yr. old senior in high school. She lives in a small town in Texas, in the middle of nowhere. She lives with her large unconventional, dysfunctional, unusual family, & often feels insignificant in her household, and almost invisible. She’s grown apart from her siblings, & lives in a home of secrets & lies. With so many strained relationships, she doesn’t feel like she belongs, or fits in anywhere. She thinks everyone hates her, & constantly feels like her family is falling apart. Their screwed up & all have issues.

Merit’s family has a bad reputation in town, but she prides herself on being spontaneous, & doesn’t often think of consequences. She has a strange habit of collecting random trophies, & while out one day locks eyes with a random guy. Something about the way he looks at her makes her feel things she’s never felt before. There’s this electric connection between them, & she’s intrigued by him. His intensity catches her off guard & excites her. They share a kiss that completely rocks her world, & she can’t stop thinking about him, & wondering if he’s meant for her. When he unexpectedly pops back up in her life things get complicated as her two worlds collide.

This was a thought provoking book that has romance, but is mainly about the life & family dynamic of Merit. It deals with love, forgiveness & some serious subject matter. It is a reminder that we live in a society where our peers put pressure on us, but often nobody judges us as harshly as we do ourselves. Nobody is perfect, & everyone has their own problems. This book really makes you think about what’s right & wrong, and not judging others since you haven’t walked in their shoes. It also reminds us how important communication is with the ones we love.

I started reading WITHOUT MERIT right when I was supposed to be unpacking after moving once again! Needless to say, my husband was constantly yelling at me to stop reading! Obviously he has never read a Colleen Hoover novel because everyone knows once you start there is no way to stop. I devour her stories and everyone of them has crushed my heart and left me crying. WITHOUT MERIT does not disappoint. Colleen Hoover, you owe me a box of tissues! There isn’t a single thing about this book that I didn’t love. It was wonderful, mesmerizing, hypnotizing, heartbreaking and breathtaking.

This is going to be a shorter review because my honest opinion is that it’s best to go into WITHOUT MERIT knowing as little as possible about the actual story so I won’t tell you anything that’ll ruin the experience here. But I can say that I was hooked from the very first page and completely drawn into these characters’ lives. I loved that the story was serious but little parts made me laugh out loud which broke up the more emotionally charged scenes. I swooned, proclaimed my undying love for WITHOUT MERIT, and had to take many breaks to wipe the tears that were flowing freely down my face more than once.

Once I started reading WITHOUT MERIT I discovered that there’s even more to this story than meets the eye. There’s an added layer to it that I absolutely loved but that I won’t mention because discovering it as you read is honestly the best. One of the things I love most about Colleen Hoover’s writing is how deeply she makes me care for her characters and how strongly she makes me feel for them. Deception and pain, love and loss, secrets and truths, hope and redemption—they all twist and tangle together creating another unforgettable novel from one of the freshest and most trusted voices in romance.

Finally, you need to read this one. It will surprise, shock, impress, grip and absorb you into its story. And those wonderful characters, how happy I am for having ‘met’ them! They will stick with me for a very long time. I just know the same thing will happen for you…

4.5 Stars
I don’t even know where to begin. I absolutely loved this book and Colleen’s writing style. She has a way with telling a story about touchy subjects and keeping you invested in the characters. I am a huge fan of hers and always look forward to her next book.


I have to say I have never met a family like the Voss family. They are definitely unique. You will know exactly what I mean when you read the book. It’s crazy to live with not only your new step mom but for your mother to live there as well. That’s just crazy to me, but some how they manage to make it work.

You will fall in love with these characters and this story. I don’t want to give much away because it will take away from the experience of this story. Colleen did an amazing job in how she touched on the subject of depression. This is one book you don’t want to miss. Must Read

Here’s the thing about Colleen Hoover’s books. They are addictive. There’s no denying the way she has a way with words that just draws you into the world she’s created and makes you feel. WITHOUT MERIT, while maybe not my absolute favorite by her, is a gripping story about a girl and a family that need to heal. Mistakes made in innocence or ignorance have had a snowball effect and the repercussions are at an all time high.

I don’t want to tell you much about what happens in the book because, honestly, what’s the point? I’ll tell you how it made me feel. Just like with her last book, this was a thought-provoking read. Amongst the mess our characters find themselves in, it makes you question your decisions in their circumstances, your assumptions based on the evidence the characters see, and makes you understand the value of perspective. Because it’s so easy to brush that aside as something we all know we need to have but so few of us use it. We always jump to the most convenient assumption about everything and that may be the reason we end up hurt.

This book tackles the difficult subject of mental health, and in many ways is not just about one character but a family as a whole. There are so many little details about all these peoples’ lives that need to be healed. At one point I started to wonder how much more one family or person could take because the surprises just kept on coming. But back to the subject of the book. I think Ms. Hoover managed to handle the portrayal of mental health in a way that is easy for people to open their minds to. It’s not done in a heavy way in my opinion, although there are some heavy moments in the book. I think the tone that’s used serves the narrative of this book very well and I think makes this book a great read for both young and adult readers alike.

I admit, though, that some of the stuff towards the end (especially when it comes to the romantic interest) felt like it was just piling on too much. I almost didn’t think that extra “hot button” topic was necessary for me. And if I’m being honest, I never fell in love with Sagan as a character and love interest. I actually liked that the message really focused on being strong for one self and not dependent on a love relationship but I wish his character would’ve pulled me in more.

I loved the way Ms. Hoover made you feel Merit’s despair… it was palpable because it was so real to her and I wanted nothing more than to give her a hug. And after that, quite frankly, send her and everyone to much needed therapy. But also we got to see Merit’s character in all her imperfections. Yes, there’s a lot going on externally that needs to be fixed, a lot of secrets and lies, but she also has a lot of things she needs to work on about herself to be better. To herself and to others.

I highly encourage you to take a look at this book, even if you’re not normally a YA reader. I’m certainly not a usual YA contemporary reader but I think that Ms. Hoover managed to transcend that genre and just delivered a poignant story with a great message that hopefully will touch your heart as well. I hope you let Ms. Hoover’s words take you on this unputdownable journey.

Holy moly, y’all. The day is finally here. My first ever Colleen Hoover (a.k.a my favorite writer) blog post/review.
I always said I would never, ever review a book by her because I love her books so darn much that the only thing I want to say is “I LOVE THIS BOOK. LOVE IT TOO PLEASE.” and my brain just shuts down and I can’t even find the words to describe how amazing her books are. In a nutshell, I get a brain fart every time I try to write a review of one of her books. But the day has come. I couldn’t not support my favorite writer! I’m going to try my best to make justice to this beyond fantastic book but I’m telling you know, no matter how many beautiful things about it, you HAVE to believe it is more amazing than it sounds. You might as well buy it right now.

Whatever it is I was hoping for when I picked up this book was not at all what I got… and I loved it. I loved the unexpected. Colleen’s books are usually full of angst, uniqueness, tear-jerker moments, it’s-getting-hot-in-here steam, laugh-till-you-have-abs scenes and a whole lot of toe-curling romance—like really, a lot of romance. But Without Merit is kind of a different side of Colleen, almost as if she let her teenager self take over and shine bright like a diamond. It’s still hilarious like only Colleen Hoover’s books can be and it still unique and we still get a very cute romance story; however, the main focus of the story is not the romance.

Merit Voss collects trophies she’s never won, secrets from her humongous family and lives in a church. Actually, it’s no longer a church but it used to be.
Anyway, she lives there with her twin sister, big brother, little brother, mom, stepmom and dad. Yeah, mom AND stepmom. That alone makes the situation extremely weird.
But wait… there’s more!
Sagan (her twin sister’s boyfriend) is suddenly always around, how come he’s there at her house ALL THE TIME. He’s not making it easy for her to get over her crush, with his mysterious facade and extremely dark drawings that she can’t seem to be able to stop stealing from her sister. Swooning after your twin sister’s boyfriend is wrong, wrong, wrong.
And then her stepmom’s brother comes barging into their house and he is a pain in the butt, with his accent from all around and promiscuous ways.
Can life get any worse for Merit?! Apparently yes, yes it can.
When Merit feels like she’s reached her limit as secret keeper, she takes matters into her own hands. She will not stay around to see how the world shatters when she opens Pandora’s box and everyone’s truths come out. She’s getting out of that madhouse.
But like that Murphy guy said, “everything that can go wrong, will go wrong”. Merit’s plan backfires and now everything is in even deeper crap.
Fortunately, the good thing about hitting rock bottom is that there’s nowhere to go but up.

Man, the characters in this story. There’s so much going on in the Dollar Voss house. Every single character is like no other character you’ve read before. We have a girl who collects trophies she’s never won, a boy who draws very disturbing but fantastic images (that you can see in the book! How cool is that!?), another girl who dates only guys that are basically on their deathbed, a mom who never leaves the basement, a big brother who tries too hard and that’s just a sneak peek.
I’m still wondering how one person can come up with such unique characters. If only you could’ve seen my face while reading Without Merit, my jaw was about to fall off. I will never forget the Voss family.

Let’s talk about that one moment Colleen appeared in the book. Yes, you read correctly. She’s in there somewhere as an actual character in a book she wrote—I think it’s her but I could be an idiot and it could be another person. She even included The Bookworm Box. She’s a fictional character standing in her fictional Bookworm Box bookstore in a book she wrote. Is that the coolest, dumbest thing you’ll ever read? Probably. But it is definitely funny.

Without Merit is a fantastic coming-of-age book that will keep you up until four in the morning if you decide to start reading in the afternoon. It has super glue in the cover and you will not be able to put it down, even if you need to take a wee so beware. It is also a book that will give you the ugliest bags under your eyes so brace yourself when you look in the mirror or avoid them at all costs. I guarantee you’ll laugh, and swoon a little and hate Colleen and love Colleen and cry a whole lot (that if you’re a cry baby like me). And most importantly, go into it knowing it is like nothing Colleen has ever published before but hopefully you’ll love it as much as you did her other books.

***Review published at www.alleskelle.com/withoutmerit
Thought provoking is how I would best describe Without Merit. Coming close would be engaging and oddly charming. Emphasis on odd. No, emphasis on charming!
A coming of age story set in a finest eccentric family makes for the most unconventional yet touching tale I’ve been given to read this year!

In Without Merit, Colleen Hoover sets the parameters of teenaged self acceptance and incertitude with keen sensitivity, delivering a powerful and deep-felt message without overwhelming the reader with gloomy thoughts. Quite the opposite actually.
The outcome? Beautifully up-lifting and heartfelt, what a performance!

I had no idea what I was going to find in this book, I didn’t even read the blurb. I just trusted Colleen Hoover to take me on an adventure and hoped to meet her peculiar brand of characters.
And peculiar I’ve been served! From page one, I was seduced by Merit’s voice, her quirkiness, her snark and cynicism made of this young girl someone I could identify myself to instantly.
And isn’t that the way into a reader’s heart? Being able to make us connect with a character in a blink of an eye? I felt concerned by Merit’s point of view and it had barely just started. Without Merit started full of promises and never wavered.

The feeling is confusing to say the least, It felt like being coerced into Merit’s story, the narration so on point, heartfelt and genuine, it had the ensnaring effect to make me read through the night, eager to know what would happen to her. I couldn’t look away!
The real and astute descriptions of a dysfunctional family hitting a little close to home, I was already involved and I found myself relate too much too quickly to the heroine’s situation.

The angst, the incertitudes and insecurities of being a growing young adult, all of which I remember loving reading in Miss Hoover’s first books, was a treat to read about through Merit’s voice. Her depiction of each family member captivating and entertaining, the portrayal of each character through Merit’s eyes, a delight of cynicism and acrimony. Merit is every teenager you know of—surly and testy. She actually reminded me a lot of myself as a teenager!
Her version of the facts largely colored by her own emotions, the world through Merit’s glasses is not what it seems to be.

It would be much too complicated and probably ruin your reading experience to even try telling you what this book is about exactly. I won’t tell you about all the entanglements, I won’t give you much really as in my opinion it’s best to dive in blind.

If you are looking for some romance, the answer is yes, there is a romance within the pages of this story, it’s woven tightly into a much serious theme and it’s also filled with little surprises and odd little gems. The romance is sparse but written like a life line, I know it hooked me through the whole story, wanting to know what would result of that life altering kiss.

I can’t recommend this book enough, it was a pleasure to read, a pleasure to experience, a pleasure to feel and a pleasure to reflect on a matter that affects so many and can be often kept silent or ignored until too late.

Colleen Hoover cleverly addressed a heavy theme with discerning astuteness and perceptive manner, and I’ve no doubts this story will be eye-opening to many, inviting reflection and discussion between readers.
Grab this book, enjoy it, and talk about it with someone! Feel free to drop by and talk to me about it, I’d be delighted to!

I just don't know where to start with this review. As always, Colleen Hoover has given the masses a story that will move you, challenge you, and wow you in more ways than you can happen.

The characters in this story are flawed and complex. Their story is flawed and complex. It is unconventional. It is fictional and real. It happy. It is sad. It is full of dry humor. You will smile. You will frown. You will finish the book with a sense of bewilderment of the story and Colleen.

Dear Colleen, how do you come up with such unique and page-turning stories? How do you keep creating characters that your readers can't help but to love, yet despise in ways that makes us question our sanity? How do you keep us coming back for more?

This book is definitely going to spark more conversation, just like her last few. Some are going to love it. Some are going to like it. Some are going to feel so conflicted with their emotions and thoughts, they won't know exactly how they feel. That right there is the clear indicator of a well-written book!

Colleen Hoover is a gifted writer who never fails to provide an emotional rollercoaster read. Nothing is as it seems in Merit Voss’, life. When she reaches her last straw Merit takes matters into her own hands in a very dramatic way. In Without Merit, Colleen Hoover explores family dynamics, mental health, and the power of honesty and forgiveness. If you think your family is dysfunctional, you haven’t met Merit’s family yet!

The title, Without Merit, does lend itself to a sense of foreboding. However, Ms. Hoover’s latest novel is not all doom and gloom. This story is filled with an amazing array of quirky family members who compliment each other perfectly. The motley cast of characters will draw you in and capture your heart. Main character and narrator Merit Voss is timid and uncertain; she lives in the shadow of her twin sister, Honor. Whether a family member or a guest in the Dollar Voss house, the young adults’ problems are representative of most teens’ issues. Some characters are instantly empathetic and lovable, and the rest I fell in love with by the end. This odd family will wreak havoc with your heart.

The well-paced story takes place over a short period of time, but the meat of the plot involves the years and years of secrets each family has kept from one another. These secrets and half-truths involve each family member. When Merit exposes her secrets and assumptions she essentially opens Pandora’s box. How does the truth impact the fractured family? You will have to read this creative, unique coming-of-age book to find out.

I loved this young adult, coming-of-age story. There are so many little details in the story that make it a gem. Ms. Hoover respectfully addresses tough subjects, sprinkles in hope, and added in one of the best bookstore scenes ever. Without Merit is on my top read for 2017 list.

I’m not quite sure what I expected Without Merit would be like, but this wasn’t it. Not that that’s a bad thing; it was just unexpected.

Colleen Hoover’s characters a typically pretty unique and kind of quirky, but every character in this book took the cake. The quirks were so rampant that it almost made them weird. In a lot of cases it just made for some hilarious comic relief, but it also made the characters seem a little bit less authentic and real.

I appreciated how much Hoover based the setting off of her own town, since I’ve been there a couple of times myself. It made the story feel familiar and it was cool to recognize some of the landmarks. She even wrote herself into a little cameo that was pretty amusing.

The writing, as always, was superb and I appreciated her tackling the issues of anxiety and depression, among other things. Those aren’t easy to address, and as someone who’s familiar with both, I thought it was really well done and didn’t cross over to the point of pandering or patronizing.

I was pretty absorbed in this story for the majority of the book, and at one point stayed up into the middle of the night reading because I couldn’t put it down. I appreciated the character growth, though for a couple of them I would’ve liked a bit more resolution.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. It was a bit heavy at times, but like I said, I appreciated the spotlight on some of the issues. My only real critique is how odd the characters were. Even when they made me laugh, I couldn’t help but think to myself that people like them couldn’t possibly really exist. If you’re a fan of Colleen Hoover’s books, you should expect a bit of a departure from her other stories. But it still has her signature touch and is really well-written, and I definitely recommend it.

MY THOUGHTS......

I cannot, nor will I, pretend to try to give this a starred rating. I base my ratings off the ability of the author's words to evoke emotion, and the emotions I get following the story, the feeling I get falling in love with the characters, and the eventual culmination of their relationship. I got none of that. Because this was NOT a romance, it read more like an after school special, to borrow Luck's words. This almost felt like it was a PSA that was geared towards 15 year old girls, and that I am not. So, having said that....

I hemmed and hawed about this book review and was really concerned about posting it because this wasn't a typical book I'd read had I truly known what it was about. Sad enough to say, I almost felt like I wasted my time. I know that sounds horrible, but I only pushed on because a,) it was CoHo and b.) I wanted to see it through. I tried to DNF this book three times, but the story intrigued me. I figured I just needed to know what everyone's deal was. I thought the writing was really good -- typical CoHo style that intrigues you and keeps you turning the pages, but the story itself was b o r i n g as hell to me. Why? Probably because I was hoping for a little romance and a lot more action. I am not sure why I expected that because it wasn't really marketed that way, but I sort of expected it since CoHo writes epic romances. I just assumed, and well...you know what they say about assuming. Lesson learned. So instead, we had a day in the life of a depressed and misunderstood teenaged girl that was too young/immature to really be able to try and figure life out so she lived with a life full of assumptions, all the while having a crazy family dynamic surrounding her in every way. I had some sort of problem with the dad, the mom, the step-mom, the step-uncle, the friend, the sister and the brother.....but Moby was a cutie. And Wolfgang was cool too. And they were all under the same roof!! Literally, every.single.character. had issues.

One thing I know after reading many of Colleen's posts on Facebook and in her Cohorts Group is that she has a very different sense of humor and that came out ten-fold in this book. Very much so. There were some giggle worthy moments, for sure. But there was a deeper message she was trying to convey in this one but again, it's not something I would have willingly picked up. It just wasn't for me. Am I saying this was a bad book? No. But it's not something I would recommend to anyone to read....I am not sure I enjoyed it, even though I couldn't put it down. Weird, I know.

I am not entirely sure my review on this one will be valid in any way. I am not normally a YA reader by choice, and this book was honestly the exact reason I am not. This one was on the very innocent and young side of YA, and not to say that is bad, on the contrary. This one was very well written, but very kooky. Yes, kooky. Again, between the family dynamic, the names of the kids, the living situation and a whole bunch of other little things, this one was a tad bit off for me. I don't know what was more frustrating; the fact that I wanted to put it down, or that I just couldn't put it down. Of course, this will not deter me from reading another book by Colleen, but I will be making sure it is a more mature book with some romance in it.

"Not every mistake deserves a consequence, some just deserve forgiveness."

"Don't make your presence known. Make your absence felt."

What a dysfunctional set of characters!! I can say one was more interesting than the next one. From the first scene, I was hooked! CoHo never disappoints this reader, she grabs my attention from the very beginning and she never releases it until I'm done with the last page.

The main character is Merit Voss. She's a 17-year-old woman who's dealing with a lot of family issues. Her father cheated on her mother with her mother's former nurse Victoria. Then he proceeds to divorce Merit's mother (also named Victoria) and marries nurse Victoria. Yet, the ex-wife stays in their home and lives in their basement. Not only that, but they live in a building which used to be a church.

Merit doesn't have a good relationship with two of her siblings Utah and Honor, despite one of them being her own twin (Honor). Merit does love her half-brother who's only four years old, Moby. Soon, two intriguing male characters will make the family tension even worse. One is Sagan. Merit is very attracted to Sagan but she's forced to keep her distance (you'll learn why) and the second one, is someone whom Merit gives a ride home and will be the trigger to make some very guarded truths see the light.

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

I can tell you that I enjoyed this book thoroughly. It had a lot of shocking moments and the quirkiness of the characters I have come to expect from CoHo. However, I wouldn't categorize this book as a romance. Overall, it plays a small part in the big scheme of things.

I'm glad, Colleen is always changing her formula. It's refreshing and the reader never knows what to expect. The issues Colleen brings out in this novel are all important and unfortunately, quite common in Merit's age group.

My one complaint (yes, I have one) is that my romantic heart wanted more Sagan and Merit.

"You bury me."

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

"Far from ordinary" according to the synopsis, but I would say the Voss family puts the D in dysfunction.  With every CoHo book I read, I become more and more aware that living in her must always be an adventure.  Her imagination knows no bounds.  I'm thinking that Without Merit must be the embodiment of what a typical day in Ms. Hoover's daydreams HAVE to be like.

The challenge with a story like Merit's, is to balance the heavy subject with fairness, light, and objectivity.  While Merit may seem like a normal teenager, her life is anything but and the beginning of the story digs right with Merit purchasing a trophy and meeting Sagan.  The unconventional meeting sets the tone for the entire story, and it was one that I could not put down.

The Voss family is not perfect.  Each character carries baggage, each bag carries garments that belong to other family members.  There are a lot of lies, misunderstandings, and defiance.  It takes Sagan to bring to light the darkness that Merit truly feels.  The more she falls for him the more bleak her life and her family appear.  Eventually, it all has to come to a head.  The journey is difficult for Merit but she has Sagan to lean on right?  Ha!  Not so fast.  It's never that easy.

Even though I kept thinking how crazy, quirky, weird this Voss family was, I eventually realized, they really aren't that much different from all of us.  They're just wrapped up in a different package.

* I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader’s Copy of this book *

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: An honest and witty look into growing up in a dysfunctional family.

WITHOUT MERIT is a quirky and candid look at a family through the eyes of a teenage self-imposed outsider, Merit. There is a blunt honesty that is woven throughout this book which instantly pulled me in. I will not reveal too much of the story, but the evolution of Merit and her family combined with the pure quirkiness of the story is what made me keep reading.

There is emotion, humor, and a reality to all the characters that only Colleen Hoover can bring to life within this narrative. The author always manages to deliver a story that I enjoy. However, with Merit, there is also the pushing of boundaries of what is depression and what is just a normal reaction to a life she is living. The author gives us kernels of hope, and then takes them away only to give the reader another layer which will lead to what I saw as the inevitable outcome of the book.

All in all, I think that Colleen has given her readers something fresh and real. Fans of the author will no doubt devour her latest. I know I did.

It’s no secret that Colleen Hoover slayed me with her release of IT ENDS WITH US last year. If you’re familiar with Colleen Hoover she has an uncanny ability to handle complex subject matters and weave beautiful tales of angst and love. WITHOUT MERIT has Hoover returning to her young adult roots in this new instalment while tackling the challenges of mental health and the consequences of such an illness in this coming of age story.

Characterization is key to every good romance story; the tone and extensive detail about our main character Merit Voss and the dynamics of her family environment are set from the first chapter. Life for Merit is somewhat typical of a teenager struggling to find how she fits in the world, coupled with an oddly interesting mixed home life. The Voss family resides in a repurposed church that houses her mom, father, father’s wife (yes, not her mother but her mother’s former nurse), half-brother and of course older siblings. Plain and simple, the Voss family gives new meaning to the family unit.

Because the story is told entirely from Merit’s point of view, we are filled with her perceptions of the people she is surrounded with. How she feels she is perceived by her others is the main reason for her challenges. Let’s remember, perception is reality and when you try and function in a family unit filled with secrets and your personal ideology around the truth; the four walls of your brain could be an ugly place to be.

Despite the heaviness of this subject matter, there is so much to love about this story. Merit’s quirkiness reminded me a lot of my teenage years and balancing the burden of her family’s secrets while trying to portray a happy family unit to others is exhausting. Her isolation and feeling invisible are true for so many young adults that one can not help but feel that this story could serve as a manual to young adult life. Humour is huge neutralizer for many of the challenging plot points and are filled with pure CoHo goodness. If you follow her on any of her social media platforms you will get and appreciate the inside jokes. Mistakes are made but some readers may feel a lack of resolution to certain things that occur. At the heart of it all, the story reads to be emotional, relatable and definitely filled with heart.

“Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing a mistake deserves is forgiveness.”
Is this a romance? Well, there is a boy Sagan that comes into Merit’s broken life but his purpose feels a tad secondary to the journey Merit embarks on, plus her life portrayal is so full with her family and journey, you may feel a slight lack of the romantic nuances you may be accustomed to reading.

All the same, Colleen Hoover continues to push the boundaries of her writing by leaving us with thought-provoking tales, haunting characters and a message of hope. This tale will appeal to young adults and adults alike. I hate to make comparisons but IT ENDS WITH US had such a personal relatable message to my life that I connected differently to it than I did WITHOUT MERIT. It’s been close to a week now and I’m still thinking about Merit and her journey and for me is a sign of a great book.

Thanks to Atria Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I'm ashamed to say that this is my first time reading Colleen Hoover. I'm so mad that it's taken me so long! I went into WITHOUT MERIT blindly and I'm so glad that I did. I truly got to be pulled in by Hoover and I loved it!

This is a hard one to review without giving away any spoilers, so I'll give you the basics. We meet the Voss family, they aren't exactly your typical or picture perfect family. Everyone in the family is quirky in their own way. We meet twin sisters, Honor and Merit (our narrator), their father, his ex-wife (the agoraphobic living in the basement), his mistress turned wife (Victoria), their brother, and then Honor's boyfriend and Victoria's brother join in later on. Sounds like a mess, right?

This story is told through the eyes of teenager Merit. Her struggles and feelings of being unwanted or not good enough when compared to her siblings. There are some dark secrets that come to light before she decides to leave her family - but nothing ever goes according to plan. Hoover does a great job focusing on topics such as depression, suicide, and mental health, but she does it in a lighthearted and humorous way.

Overall, this does have a YA type feel to it, which is partly due to the narrator being a teenager. While I'm not one to having any overly emotional reactions to books, I have seen from other reviewers that there were tears and lots of laughs. If you want a book that you will find yourself fully immersed in, then I'd highly recommend picking up WITHOUT MERIT. I'll be grabbing Hoover's other books for sure.

I give this 5/5 stars!

Well well well.. what have we here??? I have avoided Colleen Hoover for AGES. I keep hearing she's wonderful. I keep hearing I HAVE to read her books. I read ONE (well technically three, since there were three separate parts) book of hers that she did a collaboration with and it was just OK. I have a couple of her books on my shelf and on my Kindle but SOMETHING kept me from opening page one of any of them. Why? Why did I wait so long? This book is fantastic. And at the expense of not sounding like my age, IT GAVE ME ALL THE FEELS.

How do you write a review about this without giving away any spoilers? Well, I'm going to do my best so read on with no worries. Merit is a high school drop out who lives in a house with a dysfunctional family. Her father, his new wife, his ex-wife, her twin sister, her twin sister's boyfriend and her brother. Did you catch all that? As the synopsis states, she reveals some dark secrets that have been plaguing her for quite some time before leaving her family behind. Things, as usual, never go according to plan and now she has to deal with the repercussions.

Look, I expected pure romance from this book as that is what I have heard a lot about this Hoover woman. What I got was a book told through the eyes of Merit. A teenager dealing with always feeling like an outsider, even in her own family, and not feeling wanted by anyone. She struggles daily with not caring to not caring about not caring until she ultimately explodes. Hoover brings mental health, depression, suicide and teen angst to the forefront and does it in a humorous and loving way. I had some laugh out loud moments, some moments where my eyes threatened to leak and then feeling my black heart swell a bit as we realize everyone is human. No one is perfect and we all struggle with things. Some just deal with things differently than others. Ultimately we have a story about family - dysfunctional maybe, but one where love prevails. Dammit, Hoover, now I'm going to have to read your other books. Sigh..... And by the way guys, her dedication and acknowledgements are just as cute as she is. I've been sucked in by this Hoover. Done. <3

I've gotta be honest, I'm not sure what to say about this book. It felt like a different kind of Colleen Hoover book. (I don't mean that in a bad way.) I'll admit I never actually read the blurb for this book before I started reading. I rarely do with Colleen's books. I just know I'm always going to read them. To me, she's at her best when writing complicated love that seems... hopeless... Without Merit wasn't that book. Yet still, it was as engrossing and emotional as those books.

I'm not going to get down into the details of the story in my review. I don't think there's any way I could do it justice. This was at it's heart, to me, primarily a story about the complicated relationships between family members and a coming-of-age story for Merit. It was ugly and messy and tough to read at times. It had raw, sad moments that left tears in my eyes, but it wasn't TOO heavy, still delivering a few smiles and chuckles. There was a beauty in the overall story that I don't think anyone but Colleen could pull off successfully.

Without Merit isn't my favorite of Colleen's books — it's hard to compete with Maybe Someday, November 9 and Slammed — but it's still an important book. It was also a very good one. Don't expect a lot in the way of romance in this one if you do read it. Honestly, I don't think it needed it though. That wasn't the point of the story. It's far less about happily ever afters and more about finding yourself, accepting others and finding a way to move on.

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

FAVORITE QUOTES

"I've met a lot of people in my life, Merit. But you might be the strangest of them all."

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

"So many people dream of living in a house with a white picket fence. Little do they know, there's no such thing as a perfect family, no matter how white the picket fence is."

"It annoys me when people try to convince other people that their anger or stress isn't warranted if someone else in the world is worse off than them. It's bullshit. Your emotions and reactions are valid, Merit. Don't let anyone tell you any different. You're the only one who feels them."

You will never meet a family more unique than the Voss family. You will never meet more quirky characters. There's a ton of kids, an agoraphobic mother who lives in the basement, a step-mom that lives upstairs and a bunch of kids who really just don't know what the hell is going on.

There is Merit and her twin sister, Honor and their brothers and father who round out the story. There's also a really pissed off neighbor and a couple terminally ill people in the mix as well.

I think my favorite part of this book was the very beginning (even though whole book is one great scene after another) when Merit is browsing an antique shop for her next trophy to add to her collection (see what I mean about quirky?) when she unexpectedly ends up kissing a stranger out on the street. That escalated quickly, I bet you're thinking. And you're right. That's how this book goes. Just one quick, funny, interesting, "Wait, what?!" moment after another.

This story is quirky. It reminded me a bit of a few independent family dramas I've watched on screen. You know the type. Those movies that feel a little weird right from the start, the kind that confuse you with the bizarre dynamic between the characters, the movies that have you feeling completely unsure where the storyline is going, but despite all of it you can't look away. Without Merit is just like those movies because amidst all the weirdness is a hidden message about humanity, about hope, about family and what we call home. The Voss family is odd. Everything about this book is odd and strangely addictive and I just couldn't look away. And the messages Colleen Hoover allows the Voss family to deliver to readers are pretty unforgettable, especially when they're set against the unorthodox backdrop that is Dollar Voss.

Merit's family functions seamlessly in their dysfunction. Everything about their life is so strange, but they go through the motions, ignoring their problems, accepting that they're social outcasts. Merit's day to day interactions with a colorful cast of characters had me equal parts intrigued and confused straight out of the gate. This is a story that is unlike anything else Colleen Hoover has written, truthfully it's unlike anything else I've ever read. This story is fascinating in all of its dysfunction, in all of its quirks, and you really just need to buckle in and see where Hoover takes you because the destination is an important one. It's unpredictable and riddled with curveballs, always entertaining, always a bit strange, often funny, sometimes emotional, and it's profoundly important in the end.

What starts out lighthearted and quirky certainly becomes much heavier and more emotional when the Voss family secrets start coming to the surface, when each turn of the page brings new insight into the dysfunctional dynamic that is this family. At the heart of it, Without Merit is a thought provoking story of an eccentric family struggling to come to terms with the rifts and resentment that lies between all of them. While I can't say I necessarily connected with any one character in particular on the level I typically do while reading a Colleen Hoover novel, I was certainly fascinated by the refreshing dynamic in this book. I was fully invested in where Hoover was taking me even though it was difficult to see the path at times. These characters aren't the most relatable and I think Colleen Hoover deliberately made them feel a bit quirky, a bit outside the box because who can define normal anyway? But their issues are certainly relevant, certainly the kind of issues we can each relate to in some way. I didn't always understand the Voss family but I did understand their fears, their sibling rivalry, their quiet resentment, their family secrets, their need to be seen and understood.

This was such a different book, such a different reading experience for me, and I absolutely enjoyed it. Without Merit is a refreshing change for this author and it offered a refreshing change for me as a reader. If you need something different, something outside the box, something entertaining that'll make you shake your head at times and laugh and feel, but that will also stun you with it's twists and turns, with it's important message, Without Merit is that book. This is a book that will make you think. It's certainly a bit out there, in the same way some artsy, dark indie family dramas are in the movies. But amidst the quirks and the eccentricities and the family secrets are some perfectly placed messages about forgiveness and acceptance and love that I truly appreciated.

I love Colleen's work. I have read most of her titles, and a few of them many times or even on audiobook. She is one of my favorite authors. I have come to anticipate that the books she puts out are going touch my hard book heart, in a place where other books rarely do. This book deals with mental illness, and by no means is it padded or censored. It is full on, in your face and heart breakingly real.

Without Merit, is another example of Colleen's amazing story telling, with a subject matter, few authors dare to delve so deeply into. Like all of Colleens books, I didn't read the synopsis, and didn't look at any early reviews. It is difficullt to say much about the book, without tipping off a ton of spoilers. This is not a sunshine and roses tale. This is a story full of heart ache, family disfunction, miscommunication, and is generally pretty dark in tone and mood. . The one thing I particularly love about Colleen, is her slow burn character development. These people who all live together, but really don't communicate very well with each other, have all this back story baggage. The baggage is deliciously twisty and never quite what you anticipate it to be. I love that her books are unpredictable, and never the same. If she writes to a formula, I couldn't even begin to tell you what that might be.

The hard truth of this book, is that it took me a while to get into this. I read up to about 35% and let it sit for a week or two. I was just not into the headspace of Merit, and her depth of feeling. Finally under the deadline gun, I finished it in one day. It wasn't until about 60% where I finally got on board with the story. Once things got rolling, I did enjoy it. I realize that all that storyline/arc needs to be constructed in order for things to play out the way they did. It just took too long in my opinion. I really wanted to like Merit, but I was with Sagan. Most days I didn't really like who Merit was or who she became as the story progressed. It was difficult for me to like her. Granted I was won over in the end, but it's hard to keep going when you really can't stand the lead character in a book.

Without Merit didn't speak to me like it did for others, but I would definitely recommend it. I will definitely give the audiobook a listen, when it becomes available. The listening experience may make me change my perspective.

An ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review