Confess by Colleen Hoover Book Review !

Confess by Colleen Hoover is a new adult romance novel that was published on March 10, 2015 by Atria Books.

 

I’ll be having a spoiler-free and a spoiler-filled section.

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Spoiler-Free:

 

Auburn Reed has everything planned out and is focused on her goals. There’s no room for distractions or mistakes. She walks into a Dallas art studio for a job, she doesn’t expect to find herself being attracted to the artist who works there, Owen.

Auburn finally takes a risk until she finds out that Owen is keeping big secrets from her just like she is. But, his past threatens everything she’s been working for so she has to cut Owen out of her life.

The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, so he tries to show her that the truth doesn’t always tell the full story.

 

I absolutely loved this book. Everything about it was just perfect to me.

I loved how the art had such a meaning in this book and also how Owen used confessions in order to paint these amazing drawings that are actually shown in this book.

Also, the relationship between Owen and Auburn was so special to me like I was addicted with their chemistry from the moment they met.

The problems felt so real like I would forget I was reading a fictional book.

It did stress me out at some points but I got over it and absolutely felt release went all their problems were solved and everything was okay again.

It does have some sex scenes but it’s only 2 and it wasn’t as graphic as it was in Ugly Love.

 

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Spoiler-Filled:

 

In the prologue, we meet Auburn who’s 15 and in love with Adam who’s dying in the hospital. I can never imagine being in Auburn’s shoes at such a young age.

First of all this is the beginning of the book and it’s already tore my heart out but I should’ve known that I wasn’t going to leave this book with my heart intact because it’s Colleen Hoover.

 

Auburn just moved to Dallas, TX from Portland, OR 5 years after the prologue and she sees a Help Wanted sign at an art studio. Next to the sign, there’s another sign that says “Confess” and that’s where people confess a lot of crazy things like having a child with her husband’s brother and hiding it from her husband.

Auburn finally meets the artist Owen and he immediately hires her because he’s desperate. He also mentions that they have the same middle name “Mason” which ends up being such a cute thing added to their relationship later on.

 

“Fits,” I say, walking towards him.

He lifts his eyes and stares at my shirt for much longer than it takes to acknowledge whether or not a shirt fits. He clears his throat and looks back down at the wine he’s pouring. “Looks better on you,” he says.

I slide onto the stool, fighting to hide my smile. It’s been a while since I’ve been complimented and I’ve forgotten how good it feels. “You don’t mean that. You’re just bitter over your breakup.”

He pushes a glass of wine across the bar. “I’m not bitter, I’m relieved. And I absolutely mean it.”

                                                                          -Auburn – Owen

 

So cute.

 

Something I liked about this book was seeing everything in both of their point of views because I liked knowing more than Auburn did in the beginning about Owen. When we first go into his point of view, he mentions that he’s seen Auburn before and he has been memerized by her.

I love the whole idea of Owen making paintings of the confessions random people leave him, it just became one of my favorite things.

 

Owen invites Auburn to the bar across the street and she has to call her roommate Emory and we’re introduced when Auburn called her about the bar and Em gave her a safe word “pencil dick” if she needs saving from Owen which made me laugh.

Owen gives her 10 seconds to dance with him and if she still doesn’t want to dance she can walk away and I was loving it, I couldn’t stop smiling because she was actually counting.

 

“It’s been ten seconds,” he whispers. “Do you want to stop?”

I shake my head softly.

I can’t see his face, but I know he’s smiling. He pulls me against his chest and rests his chin on top of my head. I close my eyes and breathe him in again.

                                                                        -Owen – Auburn

 

So freaking cute.

 

“You aren’t coming over,” I immediately say.

“Auburn,” he says, laughing, “it’s late. I’m offering to walk you home, not asking to spend the night.”

I inhale, embarrassed at my assumption. “Oh.” I point to the right. “I’m about fifteen blocks that way.”

He smiles and waves a hand in that direction, and we both begin walking. “But if I were asking to spend the night…”

I laugh and push him playfully. “I would tell you to fuck off.”

                                                                               -Auburn – Owen

 

I liked how they both wrote their own confessions but they didn’t show it to each other.

 

And I like it. I like it when he stares at me, because it’s been a long time since I’ve felt beautiful in someone else’s eyes. And right now, he’s watching me so closely and with such a satisfied, heated look in his eyes, I would be fine if we spent the rest of the night just doing this and not speaking at all.

                                                                                 -Auburn

 

That was so beautifully written, like I really felt it.

 

I like how he said he wants to see her and she mentioned the whole mixing pleasure with business thing playfully and he fires her which makes her happy.

Trey shows up and warns her that Owen is a bad guy. We later find out that he’s Adam’s brother.

Owen’s been arrested for possesion and he bales on Auburn and their date.

 

She has a birthday date with Lydia which we later find out is the mother of Adam and Trey and Auburn is disappointed because she also stands her up.

Owen saves her from the bar and she hides in the girl’s bathroom so he goes in there to talk to her. Auburn is sad and drunk so Harrison doesn’t make her pay since it’s also her birthday.

She’s absolutely drunk and actually gives Owen a haircut while on his lap but he doesn’t hate it.

Auburn wakes up in Owen’s apartment and she overhears an argument between Owen and his father about shutting down the studio. She was about to leave but Owen refused to let her go until she fixed his hair from the night before.

 

I was mad at him three weeks ago. I was mad at him last night. But right now I don’t feel angry. Actually being near him and seeing how he looks at me makes me think he must have had a very valid excuse for not showing up, and it had nothing to do with how he felt about me. I just wish he would explain himself.

I shrug as I begin to work the shampoo through his hair again. “I was,” I tell him. “But you did warn me, didn’t you? You said everything else comes before the girls. So mad might be a bit harsh. Disappointed, yes. Annoyed, yes. But I’m not really mad.”

                                                                                      -Auburn

 

Emory mentioned “the other guy” which intrigued Owen and also Emory was loudly shipping them which made me laugh. She’s just like I know you guys want to fall in love with each other. She became one of my favorite side characters in this book.

Owen wanted the weekend to spend time with Auburn before he “moves” on Monday when really he has court on Monday and might end up in rehab or jail.

 

“It is the thought of spending the weekend with someone you barely know that’s making you doubt this? Or is it just the thought of spending the weekend with me in particular?”

“I’m not scared because it’s you, Owen. I’m considering because it’s you.”

                                                                 -Owen – Auburn

 

The first thing he decides to do during their weekend together is go to Target, Owen is honestly my kind of man.

She wanted to go home first to shower and it was so cute how nervous he was that she might change her mind.

This was when we find out that Auburn has a son with Adam named AJ and that’s why she was sad about the dinner with Lydia because she’s the one who’s looking out for AJ.

 

I hear the partition being unzipped, and then I feel a hand on my arm, followed by an arm sliding beneath my pillow. Owen pulls me against him and I immediately want to pull away, but at the same time I’m surprised at the level of comfort I feel wrapped in his arms. I close my eyes and wait for his questions to come. I’ll just lie here and enjoy the comfort until he strips it away with curiousity.

His hand moves up and down my arm, stroking me gently. After several minutes of silence, he finds my fingers and slides his through mine.

                                                                            -Auburn – Owen

 

Owen told her that his mother and older brother died in a car crash that he was driving in and his father almost died as well.

 

“You smiled at him the same way my mother used to smile at me. And I don’t care what that woman may think of you as a mother; I barely know you, and I could feel how much you love that little boy.”

                                                                                    -Owen

 

Gah, he’s so perfect. Obviously after he says that, they start making out passionately.

 

“I think the pizza is burning,” I whisper just as we hit the couch. He gently lowers me onto my back as he shakes his head.

“I’ll make you another one.” His mouth reconnects with mine, and I suddenly couldn’t care less about the pizza.

                                                                   -Auburn – Owen

 

Trey shows up and tells Auburn everything about Owen being arrested and Owen leaves her a letter that says to please meet him at his studio. She does and that’s where they have their goodbye kiss which literally tore my heart apart.

Trey’s in love with Auburn and I hated how throughout the whole story he used AJ as an excuse to get closer to her.

 

Owen finally goes to court and he decides on 90 days of jail instead of rehab.

It turned out that his father who’s a lawyer has the addiction after the car crash and Owen is just taking the blame for him so it wouldn’t jeoporize his career.

During those 90 days, Auburn gets to see AJ more and it’s because she’s “dating” Trey.

Owen got out of jail and goes to see Auburn. Their hug had more passion than both of the kisses she shared with Trey combined. At this point, I honestly just wanted them together but she chose Trey because it keeps her closer to AJ.

It also really pissed me off when Owen’s dad didn’t go to rehab even though Owen spent time in jail for him. Like you can’t just do this simple thing not only for Owen but for himself.

Owen had enough with his father and he throws away all of his pills and tells him that he isn’t a good dad and he compares their relationship to the relationship Auburn shares with AJ.

 

“Auburn,” he says, his voice a deep, threatening whisper. “He’s been inside your apartment. He’s been in your bedroom. He was in that stupid fucking tent with you. Now I need you to tell me if he’s ever been inside you.”

                                                                              -Trey

 

Honestly, he’s so fucking disgusting like I just can’t with him.

 

Trey’s being angry and physical which is definitely a red flag and I was just afraid everytime that he was going to abuse her or something.

I found it so freaking cute how Auburn still walked by the studio and left confessions.

 

~I think about you everytime he kisses me.

~He’s out of town this weekend.

~Ignore that confession. That wasn’t an invitation. I don’t know why I wrote it.

~You really should have a way for people to retract their confessions, Owen. Like maybe a twenty-second return policy.

                                                                             -Auburn

 

Owen showed up at the salon she works at and asks for another haircut. He pays her $50 and on those $50 he asked for one more night with her.

They made love to each other that night.

After she leaves, Owen finishes the painting of Auburn which turned out so nice.

Someone (AKA Trey) snuck into the studio and ruined everything before taking the Auburn’s confession about the night they made love to each other.

Auburn literally didn’t let Trey use her seashell soaps because Owen (in the beginning) said that he’ll be really hurt if another man uses those seashell soaps. So she takes them from the bathroom while Trey’s in there and carries them to somewhere else. That just made me laugh, she’s so cute.

Trey tried to rape Auburn but Emory showed up with a gun and I’ve never been so thankful.

 

Emory looks at me but keeps the gun aimed at Trey. “Who’s do you think will be in trouble? The officer who was forcing himself on you or the roommate who shot his dick off?”

                                                                                  -Emory

 

Owen showed up once Trey left and he just knew what happened just by looking at her and he was so heated.

Auburn refused to report Trey until Owen told her everything about his father and how Trey knew it was his father’s drugs and still arrested him just to get rid of him.

Auburn’s so insecure and turns the lights off in the bathroom when he’s showering and he turns it back on and makes her go in the shower with him. I loved how she was so nervous and he was just discussing sandwiches and how she washes his hair, I’m so in love with him.

 

They went back to Owen’s place and Trey was there waiting for them. He put Owen back in jail after he attacks Trey for touching Auburn and Auburn goes to Owen’s dad for help.

She recorded Trey threatening them and she used it as blackmail to get custody which worked and now she has her son and Owen’s out of jail.

 

It goes to 5 years earlier and Adam is done with art and Lydia gives Owen the supplies when he asks for it. Owen eavesdropped on Adam and Auburn and their family just because he didn’t have much to do while his father was in a coma.

Auburn and Adam also got to have a second goodbye because of Owen which made me smile so freaking hard.

Owen is so sweet. He made a painting for Auburn and Adam and shows Adam who finds it incredible and asks him to send it to her.

 

I smile and run my thumb over the letters in her middle name. “We have the same middle name.”

I look back up at Adam, and he’s lowering his bed again with a faint smile on his face. “That could be fate, you know.”

I shake my head, dismissing his comment. “I’m pretty sure she’s your fate. Not mine.”

His voice is strained, and it takes a tremendous amount of effort for him to roll onto his side. He closes his eyes and says, “Hopefully she has more than one fate, Owen.”

                                                                 -Owen – Adam

 

I just loved that ending so much. Just because we get to see not only did Adam have an effect on Auburn but on Owen too when it comes to art and Auburn.

 

This book was so amazing, I’m so happy that I finally read it.

 

-Angie