Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy; it was an absolute pleasure to provide my honest thoughts here. Uno de los dramas principales de la historia son los sentimientos de culpa de la protagonista al sentirse atraída hacia el novio de su hermana, PERO, yo veía claramente que Sage no era novio de Honor, era bastante obvio, al igual que la homosexualidad de Utha, aunque eso no era tan obvio, yo ya lo suponía. I would like to take a moment and say that I appreciate the fact that there are authors out there who are willing and motivated to write about issues close to their heart and issues that are happening in the world today. CoHo does this and once again, I feel like this book will have a great impact. With that being said, and the fact that I'm a huge Colleen Hoover fan (I've read them all except Too Late -- I'm getting there!), I don't have a problem with saying that this was not my favourite book of hers. And you know what? That's fine. Cool, even. Not every reader is going to like every book and that's just dandy. Doesn't mean she's not a fantastic author or I'm suddenly not a fan of hers, it just means that this story didn't work as well for me as it may for some other people. wasted over being disappointed that no one hasn’t invented a restart button. To be honest, how long do we have to wait? Until 3017? Because I want to read this again. Now.

I had the pleasure of receiving this book a week before the official release date. I’m not even going to deny the fact that I did this as soon as the book was in my hands. As I said, this book is unlike anything else Colleen Hoover has written. It's a new direction for her and, like all her other books, it's a strong and stellar read I whole-heartedly recommend. If I had to describe it, I'd say it's very much like It Ends With Us in feeling, but instead this book is targeted at the teen age range rather than adult. But again, I do believe this is a book that everyone will enjoy! It's easily one of my favorite books of the year! Creo que es la primera vez que leo un libro de Colleen que no gira en torno a una relación romántica. Se los aviso, para que no empiecen el libro con una idea equivocada, que, si la tiene, desde el inicio tenemos el tan usado amor a primera vista entre dos personas que se acaban de conocer, típico de sus libros. Pero NO es el eje de la historia, la línea central es una familia, una familia llena de problemas, circunstancia desfavorables y complicaciones que tienden a sentirse en algunos momentos exageradas. Todo inicia cuando Merit una chica de 17 años decide ya no ir a la escuela, no por nada trágico o especifico, ella simplemente tiene el sentimiento de ser invisible. Vive en una casa que solía ser una iglesia y toda la historia sobre cómo termino viviendo ahí es muy peculiar y ridícula, cuando leí esa parte no entendí porque la autora le daría tanta importancia a eso, pero por supuesto como en todo libro de CoHo, cada detalle tiene un papel importante.

Creative Play

Having depression is no more out of your control than Sagan’s intolerance to milk, or Utah’s paleskin, or Honor’s bad vision. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. But it’s not something you can ignore or correct on your own. And it doesn’t make you abnormal. It makes you just as normal as these idiots,”

So many secrets in this house. And yet, the one secret I should have told years ago is the one I’ve kept the quietest. I also just don't understand why no one on the editing team is catching the homophobia, biphobia, ableism and slut-shaming in here. And it's straight from the mouth of our narrator who we are supposed to feel sympathy for! How do you like someone who says this when outing someone as bisexual: In all seriousness. You will find depression, suicide, etc within this book. I decided to add trigger warnings because everyone is different. Some people are perfectly okay with going into this book without knowing anything but other people may want to be prepared for what's in store for them. Don't worry, it's not the "focus" and makes you feel like the author went over board. I believe, y'all shouldn't know too much info about the plot because it's 3000 times better to watch it unravel. Makes the experience way way WAY better. Trust me, from one reader to another, i felt like this book hit me in the face and was like, "listen you will love me or love me?" Es complicado entender a la protagonista y es lo que más le aplaudo a Coho en este libro, que nos hace detestarla tanto en algunos momentos, también nos hace sentir mal con ella, nos hace querer ayudarla, nos hace entender, pero no entender lo que sucede. Si ya sé que lo que acabo de decir no tiene sentido, pero las enfermedades mentales raramente tienen sentido para los que nunca las has pasado.This character driven book definitely takes you on a rollercoaster of emotion and it is absolutely a ride I am thrilled I took! Highly recommend two fans of this author and anyone else who enjoys a book with amazing characters young or old! It'll change your life." He hands me the cookie and I take a bite. And then another. It really is the best cookie I've ever eaten, but he exaggerated. This was a story about depression. The ins and outs and in betweens. I love that over and over it's written that depression can take so many different forms of exhaustion. That it's not as visible as we may think. That it can take so many different forms that, more often than not, the person with depression has no idea they're going through it every day. I think it's very eye opening to see it written in a way that makes it clear depression is more than just being very sad. It's a sum of so many different, contrasting feelings put together.

Without Merit started out very well, I was hooked by the end of chapter one – there was already drama. YES! I love me some good old story time drama. I found Merit personality intriguing – at first. . . after awhile she just came off as crazy and annoying. I don’t have a little sister or brother, but I could imagine her as being the annoying little sister that gets on everyones nerves. The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptized Dollar Voss.

Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn’t earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into her—until she discovers that he’s completely unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix. I love books about family. Forgiving family. Working through family pain. I love knowing that we all feel so similarly about the lives we start with, and I love knowing that (even if it's fictional) enough people fight for their family afterwards that it's written about so much... and so kindly, after. What's the point of all this, you ask? I think anyone can write a book. But some people, like Coleen Hoover, have a special ability (it's sorcery, people) to create characters that are so completely chaotic, disjointed and flawed but somehow unite to create one amazing, cohesive story. A story that not only sends a powerful message, but that can also make you feel giddy at one moment and sad the next. I don't really think I could do that even after a lot of puff puff. I like that there was a specific focus on family and mental health rather than just sex and boy-drama. It made for a nice change. So what can I tell you about this CoHo novel? Again, it was totally unexpected. I have been kind of going in blind as of late with almost every book I read, that way all books are surprises. So yes, CoHo kind of has a style, but she also kind of doesn’t. None of her books are all that alike. Yes, some have romance in them, but lots aren’t entirely about that. Such is the case with “Without Merit”.

I think, because of where I am in my life right now, this book felt like one big book of validation and comfort. It felt like that hug that Merit needed from her dad. And I loved it. Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that she’s never been a part of. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one boy she loves. Overall, this book wasn't what I expected. It isn't a romance, but more of a family drama story with a love aspect thrown in. It is also very depressing and bleak, so know that going in. Colleen Hoover is a very popular author, and it isn't hard to see why. I've hated as many of her books as I've liked, but there is something compulsively readable about her stories. I think if she gets anything right, it's her pacing, which is nearly always spot on. I can read one of her books for hours without getting bored. Angry, maybe, but not bored. Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn’t earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into her - until she discovers that he’s completely unavailable.En algunos momentos yo veía claramente lo que sucedía, pero la protagonista no lo veía porque estaba demasiado encerrada en su propia cabeza, que no se permitía verlo. This book is different from any CoHo book I’ve read before..... but definitely in a good way.... this book was about family, dysfunction, love, and secrets....