All the trauma inflicted by her family has begun to fester in Merit, and she spirals into a depression she refuses to acknowledge out of fear that her family will distance themselves even further from her.

Her father Barnaby left their family to marry his pregnant mistress, and her mother, who suffers from social anxiety, spends her days in the basement of their home.

Merit's twin sister Honor and older brother Utah barely speak to her. Much like the cover, the story is more than meets the eye: it's an new adult (NA) romance, yes, but also a searing portrayal of dysfunctional family dynamics and a teenager coping with mental illness.Ī pioneer of NA novels, the New York Times bestselling author's new book centers on 17-year-old Merit Voss, whose family is hanging together by a thread. Poignant and powerful, Without Merit explores the layers of lies that tie a family together and the power of love and truth.The cover of Colleen Hoover's new book Without Merit is not actually held together by pins and thread, though it appears that way when you pick up a hard copy. 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. 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.

Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines, when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix. 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.” The Voss family is anything but normal. “Not every mistake deserves a consequence. From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Ends With Us and November 9 comes a moving and haunting novel of family, love, and the power of the truth.

With merit colleen hoover