Confess
"Auburn Reed has 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 Auburn loves most, 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. In her magnificent and exceptional style, Colleen Hoover delivers once again a deeply moving story about how true love and family ties that can never be broken."
Colleen Hoover's Confess gives insight into a lot of similar themes as It Ends With Us. This piece will, in typical Hoover taste, break your heart and put it all back together again. I did not expect to be so mesmerized by artwork, actual visual pieces, being included in the novel. Partway through the novel, there are laminated pages that feature the full-color versions of all of the pieces mentioned and shown in the book. It really brings Owen's inner mechanisms to life. The actual art is created by Danny O'Connor, who is wildly talented.
Speaking of Owen, I didn't like him at first. I was so adament that he was going to be this tortured, self-sabatoging artist who doesn't let himself get close to anyone. However, this isn't true. There is more to Owen than meets the eye, and he is more selfless and kind than I initially realized.
It wouldn't be a CoHo novel without a little steam, and this one does not dissappoint. The anticipation built between Auburn and Owen is more of a forbidden love situation (which isn't new for a CoHo novel) with everything on the line. I also appreciate the familiar theme of the strong single mom just trying to do what is best for her child.
The part that I enjoyed the most was the way in which Owen reveals to the reader how he knows Auburn. That really solidified my opinion of him as a truly selfless, beautiful soul.
CoHo has done it again and I would definitely add this to any TBR list including her work.