#41 - Verity by Colleen Hoover (with J.W. Friedman and Chris Collision of I Don’t Even Own a Television)

Tune in as J.W. Friedman and Chris Collision hop over from the bad-book podcast I Don’t Even Own a Television to break down Verity, the 2018 psychological thriller novel by bestselling romance author Colleen Hoover (It Ends with Us, November 9). The chills never stop as the book follows broke thriller writer Lowen Ashleigh on the trail of dark secrets she uncovers while ghostwriting for comatose author Verity Crawford. But are said chills worth it in the end? On top of diving into all that, the hosts translate the numeral versions of their windup scores into letter grades, envision Dr. Frasier Crane as a Chucky doll, repeatedly compare Verity (the book, not the character) to The Push by Ashley Audrain and We Need to Talk About Kevin, and express their thoughts on the romance trope of wiping food off a lover’s lips with your bare thumbs/fingers—an extremely popular and cheesy trope for which Arthur has a soft spot. TW: child abuse, parental neglect, murder, suicidal ideation, fatphobia, ableism, abortion attempts, mention of rape (apologies for being remiss enough to forget to bring up that last trigger pre-plot recap) Spoilers start at 17:15 Additional spoilers: The Girl on the Train, The Boy Good Word: • J.: Showtime’s Yellowjackets • Chris: Licorice Pizza • Arthur: the What If It’s Us series (both the first book and its sequel Here’s to Us) by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera Reach out at [email protected] if you want to recommend things to watch and read, share anecdotes, or just say hello! Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or any of your preferred podcasting platforms! Follow Arthur on Twitter: @arthur_ant18 Follow the podcast on Twitter: @two_centscritic Follow Arthur on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144101970-arthur-howell