From the start alone, I knew easily I was going to love this one.
Rating: 5/5
At age twenty-one, Auburn Reed has already lost everything important to her. In her fight to rebuild her shattered life, she has her goals in sight and there is no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.
For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is keeping a major secret from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.
To save their relationship, all Owen needs to do is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin.
Just when I think I know what to expect… Colleen Hoover throws another curveball at me. She truly knows how to pull the strings to get you to feel. Because OMG I felt everything. I felt all the feels with this one. From the start alone, I knew easily I was going to love this one. And not only did I love it, this one earned a spot on my favorites shelf.
The premise follows Auburn Mason Reed, who lost the love of her life when she was only 15. Five years later, she’s determined to get her life back. Though she didn’t expect to meet Owen Mason Gentry when deciding to help out a studio for some quick cash. Auburn feels an instant connection that she hasn’t felt since she lost her boyfriend all those years ago. Auburn decides to take a chance and put her heart first. But Owen is hiding secrets, including one that could derail Auburn’s life. Can she cut him out?
Compared to her last book that I read, Ugly Love, I expected a much juicier story, filled with heat and lots of smut. This was very much not that. Confess was a much tender story, reminding me of her book, Regretting You. But even Regretting You had a very different atmosphere. I enjoyed seeing this being more tender than hot and steamy. I don’t think this would have been nearly as beautiful otherwise.
I expected a much juicier story, filled with heat and lots of smut. This was very much not that. Confess was a much tender story.
This was a relatively quick read. I was captivated by our main characters. I fell easily for Owen. Even when it came to his secrets, I still loved him. I was a bit wary about him halfway through when he didn’t quite reveal the whole truth with his secrets. But by the end, he redeemed himself and I was head over heels for him again. It was also entertaining to watch Auburn, I especially enjoyed it when she’d argue with herself internally. She reminded me of Tate in Colleen Hoover’s Ugly Love in that aspect. I thought both of these characters felt very real and relatable to follow. I can’t imagine their personalities being any different.
I thought both of these characters felt very real and relatable to follow.
This one was filled with quite a few twists. Most of them I didn’t expect, except for one that I was more of just hoping wasn’t what it seemed. It wasn’t until after the twists came out that the circumstances of the story made more sense for me. Things just didn’t add up until some of the secrets came to light. I won’t say too much otherwise it’ll ruin the story. But I found each of those twists to be so well written and nothing that was too far-fetched. I loved the secret that came out at the end, in particular. It really wrapped up the story as a whole for me.
I loved the secret that came out at the end, in particular. It really wrapped up the story as a whole for me.
I will say, I’m a sucker for books that involve art and artists. They also keep me captivated when they start talking about art. This one was no different, though it did have a surprise for me. Because not only was Owen an artist, but we got to see some of the artwork being talked about within these pages. It just made me love this so much more.
I need to say there are a few triggers I should warn potential readers about. There is a little bit of sexual and domestic abuse that could be triggering for some. These scenes were hard for me to read too. But I felt they made the story just that more relatable and real.
I thought this was an amazing story! Colleen Hoover does it again! I don’t think I’ll ever be able to know what to expect with her books, except that I should just expect to love them. If you enjoy fluffy romances, I highly recommend picking this one up!