on October 3, 2017
Genres: Young Adult
Buy on Amazon|B&N|Kobo
The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptized Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the mother’s former nurse, the little half-brother isn’t allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, there’s Merit.
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.
Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that she’s never been a part of before leaving them behind for good. 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.
Poignant and powerful, WITHOUT MERIT explores the layers of lies that tie a family together and the power of love.
Even when Colleen does a light, fun read, it’s not without a lesson. Through her words, Colleen is always teaching us with hidden thoughts and facts that hit you way after you finish the last chapter.
Without Merit started with a slow build. The backstory and character content was extensive. Merit is fighting for her voice among her modern day family. Feeling her voice was lost in a sea of people, Merit retreats into herself. It takes one boy and a string of unpredictable events to bring out the truth for not only Merit, but her whole family.
This simple story line is more than meets the eye. The use of imagery to convey feelings throughout the book pours off the pages, seeping deep into your soul. Once the slow build completed, the story took off with just about every range of emotion possible. Colleen has this gift for turning the simplest of words, thoughts, or feelings into works of art. This family was like most that I know, full of misunderstandings but at the core, love. No one will ever fully understand another’s actions. It’s only when you peel back the layers, ask the questions, and take the time to understand the answers, will you truly understand one another. Without Merit was the perfect lesson in taking these steps to understand the people you love. This story was quirky, with a powerful punch. The best lessons are the ones you never see coming and Colleen’s ability to school you through words has been proven time and time again.
SEATTLE, WA
Monday, October 2nd
THIRD PLACE BOOKS
7:00 PM
https://www.thirdplacebooks.com/event/colleen-hoover-without-merit
RSVP and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/137295906877328/
LOS ANGELES, CA
Tuesday, October 3rd
CHEVALIER’S BOOKS
7:00 PM
RSVP and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1911946199130358
KANSAS CITY, KS
Wednesday, October 4th
WOODNEATH LIBRARY CENTER
7:00 PM
http://www.mymcpl.org/events/calendar/story-center-speaker-series-colleen-hoover
RSVP and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/174560183089713
CHICAGO, IL
Thursday, October 5th
ANDERSON’S BOOKSHOP – LA GRANGE
7:00 PM
http://hooverandersons.brownpapertickets.com
RSVP and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/264445024062577
CINCINNATI, OH
Friday, October 6th
JOSEPH-BETH BOOKSELLERS
7:00 PM
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3081217
RSVP and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/113057092698266
POTTSTOWN, PA
Saturday, October 7th
BOOKS-A-MILLION
6:00 PM
Coventry Mall
351 W. Schuylkill Road Ste G16
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/meet-colleen-hoover-at-books-a-million-pottstown-pa-tickets-37311651153
RSVP and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/352249878530498
NEW YORK, NY
Sunday, October 8th
NEW YORK COMIC CON
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Hudson Mercantile
New York, NY 10018
https://www.showclix.com/event/ColleenHoover5yf6nuy
RSVP and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1979991848924145
DALLAS, TX
Tuesday, October 10
SMU BOOKSTORE
7:00 PM
B&N College
Southern Methodist University Bookstore
RSVP and details: https://www.facebook.com/events/746877452165014