But I was born second, which just makes me a faded copy of the original.” “No one in this family notices my presence or my absence. Their stepmom has the same name as the mom, and really only tries to mother Merit’s little half brother. Their mom lives in the basement and doesn’t come out. They are an odd bunch, Merit is a high school senior and has a twin sister, Honor, and an older brother who changes the church marquis daily to another quirky fact. Merit’s family lives in a converted church in a small town in Texas. No one has a clue what’s going on with anyone around here.” We have a mother living in our basement and a father living in his own world. It’s idiosyncratic, and it totally brought me out of the funk I was having from too many similar books. This young adult novel isn’t an epic romance like we are used to from Colleen, though there is a budding romance, it more of a journey of one of the quirkiest families I have ever read about. She never follows the trends and always brings us a unique, emotional story. In fact, she came to the very first Wicked Book Weekend back in the beginning of 2013! Every single book of hers has been amazing. She was one of the reasons I started my blog, to share books like hers. Poignant and powerful, Without Merit explores the layers of lies that tie a family together and the power of love and truth.Ĭolleen Hoover has been a favorite of mine since she released Slammed. 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. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines, when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix.įed 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.

His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into her-until she discovers that he’s completely unavailable. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn’t earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. 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.

They live in a repurposed church, newly baptized Dollar Voss. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.” “Not every mistake deserves a consequence.

Without merit colleen hoover review