Young Adult Contemporary Romance discussion

This thread is to discuss Without Merit. Please use Spoiler tags and indicate where you are in the book. Enjoy!!

Note: This book releases on 10/3/17.

OMG!! You guys are in for it!!! I'm almost finished and wow......not saying anything else!!

I have it on hold at the library, hopefully it gets herr quick!

I don't know if I am suppose to by the book now or at her signing??? What do you guys suggest?? Or maybe both then give one away, I heard it's that good!!

I downloaded it last night. I am leaving on a trip Friday. I might save it until then. If I do, I'll come post comments when I get back.

Deanna (A Novel Glimpse) wrote: "I downloaded it last night. I am leaving on a trip Friday. I might save it until then. If I do, I'll come post comments when I get back."

What?????? You are going to let it sit there for three days?????? OMG!!! Lol

Chapter 1 (view spoiler)[Oh my what a meeting!!!! Sound like Merit and Honor are complete opposites, but what is up with those names?!?! Lol (hide spoiler)]

Starting today!!! Can’t wait!!!

Erika wrote: "Starting today!!! Can’t wait!!!"

Yay!!!

I read the excerpt and I might read it this weekend!

It's on Netgalley........

Chapter 5 (view spoiler)[ Okay Luck is an interesting character....well everyone in this book is interesting/different. So many questions is this book. Why is Sagan living with them. What happened between Luck and his sister. I can't believe Wolfgang made his way back to the house after the Pastor died. All the names are crazy in this book, even Moby and his room is decorated with whales. LOL (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 10 (view spoiler)[Okay I'm a bit overwhelmed with this chapter. Can this family be anymore dysfunctional. It reminds me a little of the over the top show on Showtime called Shameless. Each secret shocks me. I'm a bit taken out of the story with Merit being out of school for 2 weeks and all we get is a call to her mother. I feel like the school would be taking more action on her absence. Also, I don't understand why Sagan initially kissed Merit when he thought she was Honor if, Honor and him and merely friends. Hopefully, that will be explained. The dad cheating on his new wife with his old wife...awful, Utah kissing Merit....awful, Honor's obsession with terminally ill people...disturbing and why is their mother's medication only a placebo. Is the dad keeping her sick. The whole attempted suicide was awful and all those letters being read and the title reveal and meaning behind Without Merit. Wow!! Sagan is the BEST. Love how he is taking care of her. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 13 (view spoiler)[First, the depression storyline is excellent! I’m so glad Utah explained and apologized and I loved the hug and the beautiful maquee quote. That’s going in the favorite quote thread. Now Sagan’s family....I just new that was where this was going when he said about the flag and never meeting his sister. That just broke my heart. What a different perspective to Merit’s disfunctional family. (hide spoiler)]

Chris wrote: "Chapter 5 [spoilers removed]"

Chapter 5:
(view spoiler)[ This novel is too bizarre and complicated in a good way. haha I really feel bad for Moby but if I were Merit, I'd burst that way too. lol that was an interesting dinner for once. Moby must be a reference to Moby Dick LOL. (hide spoiler)]

Finished and I loved it (view spoiler)[So much to say with this one. First of all my perspective with the family was all wrong too until all truths were revealed and all the crazy was understandable. What an amazing life lesson on perspective!!! I always say it may take becoming a parent, but once you get older you realize your parents are only human and do the best they can. Love the way Colleen presented depression in this story and Luck was an awesome character. My grandmother who has passed but was one of the most important people in my life was diagnosed Schizophrenic Manic Depressant. Mental illness is real and needs treatment like any other ailment. Loved the comparison to lactose intolerant, fair skin and needing glasses. Colleen Hoover you rock!! Absolutely loved all the quirkiness of the characters in this book and how the family all came together again in the end. Family therapy here we come! Colleen never disappoints. This was really a heavy story tied up in some quirky characters. Colleen Hoover is brilliant with getting her messages across in a surprising way. This story completely touched me!! (hide spoiler)]

Serah wrote: "Chris wrote: "Chapter 5 [spoilers removed]"

Chapter 5:
[spoilers removed]"

Love your (view spoiler)[“bizarre and complicated in a good way” comment. That is a perfect way to say it!!! (hide spoiler)]

Chris wrote: "Finished and I loved it [spoilers removed]"


I loved it too! It was an awesome read. This is the first Colleen Hoover book that became my favorite.

Anyway, sorry to hear about your grandma. This book also became a bit personal for me as it delves heavily on family matters. Aaah. I so love this book.

Serah wrote: "Chris wrote: "Finished and I loved it [spoilers removed]"


I loved it too! It was an awesome read. This is the first Colleen Hoover book that became my favorite.

Anyway, sorry to hear about your ..."

Thanks, Serah!! So glad you loved it too!!!

Chapter 3 (view spoiler)[ I liked how this book started, but I have to admit I lost a little interest at Chapter 3. I think it's just a me thing. I set it down, but am going to go back and read it soon. (hide spoiler)]

Deanna (A Novel Glimpse) wrote: "Chapter 3 [spoilers removed]"

I hope you go back to it soon!!! Chapter 3 (view spoiler)[I don't think it's a me thing at all. I struggled with the book in the beginning too!! I was thinking at first this isn't up to Colleen Hoover standard. LOL
But changed my mind as I read. (hide spoiler)]

Chris wrote: "Chapter 5 [spoilers removed]"

I know right!!

Deanna (A Novel Glimpse) wrote: "Chapter 3 [spoilers removed]"

You have to pick it back up!!!!

Chris wrote: "Chapter 10 [spoilers removed]"

Yea(view spoiler)[ the whole school thing blows my mind I work at a school and we call every day a student is absent and send letters etc. etc. I love Sagan too. I just want to hug him. Her parents are just the worst!!!!!(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Chris wrote: "Chapter 13 [spoilers removed]"

yup(view spoiler)[ The Utah thing kinda still bothers me. I just feel that she was so tramutized by it and it got resolved so quick. Don't get me wrong I'm glad that she did but I don't know how realistic that is.(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Chris wrote: "Finished and I loved it [spoilers removed]"

This book was brilliant (view spoiler)[ First of all I loved that Colleen made and appearance in this book. The way mental illness was handled in this book was amazing. It is a disease like any other, the only difference is that it is not seen by the naked eye, like many others. It is taboo and needs to be acknowledge and excepted as a reality that plagues many people. I really appreciated how Merit didn't realize she suffered from depression. That is the case with many and not all are fortunate to have someone who catches it and encourages they seek help. I'm also glad that it wasn't a quick fix. It's such a misconception that as soon as you start treatment problems should go away and that's not the case. In the end I loved all these characters, even though I didn't love them all in the beginning they all in the end won me over. I also love the whole bury the dog with the pastor thing...creepy but hilarious. I agree Ms. Hoover is the best and never ever disappoints. (view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

Erika wrote: "Chris wrote: "Finished and I loved it [spoilers removed]"

This book was brilliant [spoilers removed]"

Yay, Erika I've missed you and am so glad you had the time from school and life to give us your views on this wonderful book!!! I completely agree with everything you said. It truly is brilliant. (view spoiler)[I also agree with you on the Utah issue. She was so traumatized by what he did and getting over that wouldn't be easy, but again the perspective. I was so taken with Utah's struggle of being gay, his confusion and how what he did was clouded by his own confusion. He never intended to molest her and she never said anything, so he had no idea what he had done to her. She had no idea he was gay or struggling and I'm not lessening what he did or how that would hurt her at all. It just makes me think about how many things in life we judge or without knowing everything can get the wrong perspective. This book makes me want to look more closely at everything and never stop to judge people I don't really no. Sorry to ramble, but I was so taken by this book I was dying for someone else to comment. hahaha (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ I am probably in the few on this one, but this wasn't my favorite read. I didn't like any of the characters except Sagan. Merit was so whiny, and I get she was depressed but I still didn't enjoy her narrative. I liked how revealing the secrets changed how everything in the book looked. I just hated that everything was glossed over so much. I didn't feel like any of the adults handled anything well. I don't know. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I wanted more resolve than just hearing that they were all going to counseling. I did think so many great topics were touched on, though. (hide spoiler)]

Deanna (A Novel Glimpse) wrote: "Finished [spoilers removed]"

Ahhh, I saw your review was only 3 stars on twitter and was bummed that you didn't enjoy it as much as I did. (view spoiler)[There was definitely a point in the book where I was going this isn't typical Colleen Hoover and I felt like all the characters where way over the top, but then as things revealed and I got the message everything changed for me. I even mentioned in one of my comments that it reminded me a bit of the TV show Shameless, which is pure shameless shock value. Don't get me wrong I watch the show. hahaha But in the end I loved all the crazy characters who may of been over the top, but were human and the message on perspective and forgiveness. It did resolve too easily and quickly even though it was set as only a beginning to their resolution, brought on by the trauma of Merit trying to kill herself. I did really liked the whole take on depression. I think I personally took this sort of over the top story with quirky characters as a way to give a message. (hide spoiler)]

Chris wrote: "Chapter 10 [spoilers removed]"

Yes!!!! Yes to everything!! I felt the exact same way!!

Finished (view spoiler)[ This was a favorite for me, simply because it touched on a topic few ever do...when you read about deoression it is almost always those that are sleepi g away the day in dark rooms secluding themselves, and constantly thinking about a world without them in it. I must say it was refreshing to read this and bring to light how truly sneaky depression can be....most people don't even realize they are suffering, and like lactose intolerance, fair skin, and eye sight, it isn't something they can control. It just is. I made my sister read this and she hated it!! She said it was dumb and she just did not enjoy it. So I get it that not everyone likes everything. I think depending on the subject matter each person hears there own story version. (hide spoiler)]

Vega_girl wrote: "Finished [spoilers removed]"

So glad you loved it too! I totally see how you're sister can get a different feel from the book. I think this one especially affects each reader differently!!

So I don't know if you guys picked up on the fact that this town is based off of Sulpher Springs, TX where she lives. Any way so I was there this weekend and I got a photo of the one way mirror glass bathrooms and of course we all used it!! Totally weird and cool all at once!!

Vega_girl wrote: "So I don't know if you guys picked up on the fact that this town is based off of Sulpher Springs, TX where she lives. Any way so I was there this weekend and I got a photo of the one way mirror gla..."

So cool! Did you go to her store?

Vega_girl wrote: "So I don't know if you guys picked up on the fact that this town is based off of Sulpher Springs, TX where she lives. Any way so I was there this weekend and I got a photo of the one way mirror gla..."

That is awesome, Barb! No I originally missed that is was based on her town and I totally missed her appearance in the book and it being the bookworm store. I signed up for the facebook group for Without Merit and found out all the things I missed. hahaha

Chris wrote: "Vega_girl wrote: "So I don't know if you guys picked up on the fact that this town is based off of Sulpher Springs, TX where she lives. Any way so I was there this weekend and I got a photo of the ..."

Haha, I guess because everyone on the facebook group talks so much about the Bookworm box I just naturaly picked up on it, although I wasn't sure if it was her or her sister Lynn in the story..

Deanna (A Novel Glimpse) wrote: "Vega_girl wrote: "So I don't know if you guys picked up on the fact that this town is based off of Sulpher Springs, TX where she lives. Any way so I was there this weekend and I got a photo of the ..."

Yes Deanna!! I got to go to last signi g of the without merit tour there in Sulpher Springs!!! It was amazing!!