User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
You know where I draw the line when it comes to romances? At abuse and torture. Sigh.
When Leeds meets Layla, he knew immediately that she's the one. But soon into their relationship, Layla is attacked, leaving her with mental and physical scars. Leeds whisks her away to the place where they first met, in the hopes that that will bring them closer together. But soon, odd things start to happen. In trying to get to the bottom of it, Leeds grows close to Willow, a mysterious woman, and soon he's confused about where his loyalties really lie.
Whenever I see Colleen Hoover put out a book that crosses genres, I'm always salivating to get my hands on it. But it's not long into
Layla before it becomes apparent that this story would be bogged down by a problematic narrative, and nothing can save it.
The story is told entirely from Leeds' perspective, and I have to say, he is the most despicable character I have ever come across. He is extremely self-centered and morally corrupt. What first starts out as manipulation of his girlfriend soon turns into gaslighting, which then becomes full-on physical restraint and emotional torture. Through it all, he justifies it by saying he can't stop himself and it's because he cares for Layla.
Honestly, the whole thing was so horrifying and hard to read, I had to take breaks after almost every paragraph. I definitely did not expect to be reading, in detail, one person emotionally torturing another person, all in the name of love.
But the crux of the issue is that Leeds isn't written as a villain. He's the main character of the love story, and we are supposed to sympathize with him and cheer him on. And when we get to the resolution, it obviously tries to justify what Leeds did. But that's problematic too because he did not actually know of these justifications when he committed his horrible acts.
I appreciate Hoover's attempts to cross genres, and find the mix of different ones in this story to be interesting and unique. But when it comes to execution, I'm honestly appalled by the results. To read it as it's written, with Leeds being the protagonist we should cheer for, is repugnant and beyond what I can tolerate, even in a story. Perhaps the moral here is that love justifies all, but if so, that is disturbing indeed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
See also, my thoughts on:Verity
It Ends with Us
Regretting You
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Rating: really liked it
Layla hinges on threadbare theories about the afterlife in an attempt to justify a shitbag country musician’s choice to gaslight the fuck out of his girlfriend because he fell in love with a ‘ghost’ (blah blah blah soulmates blah blah blah). 300 pages + one convenient twist later, and you have an entire novel of women (woman?) being manipulated, held captive, and briefly murdered so that one sad yeehaw motherfucker can have his happily ever after.
yes, this review is dramatic and poorly written, but so is the book :) anyway...thx for the laughs colleen <3
Rating: really liked it
Okay! I am feeling like somebody pulled out my whole brain cells with tweezers and filled my head with rocks! When you google “dumb” word , you see my photo as salivas dripping down from my mouth, giving dumbfounded looks to the camera will appear on your screen! Because this is how I’m feeling after three long hours later I’ve finished Layla or let’s make a correction: the book literally finished me!
As soon as I started, I tried to go blind, not to relate with complex reviews which are somewhat true: yes, this book’s genre is not thriller or mindf*ck mystery like Verity. At least I have still my jaw at the right place at the time I finished this book. It didn’t drop! I’m not shocked, thrilled or truly impressed!
This is not also one of the angsty, tear jerker, whiny winey Colho romances( that’s me who gets whiny and need gallons of wines at every time I had an ultra emotional Colho experience)
I was okay but paranormal stories, if was blended with true emotions and heartfelt romance vibes!
But... let me tell you what really bugged me about this journey:
I didn’t like Leeds: our petrified hero from the beginning. I found him truly selfish, pitying himself, trapped with a woman he has no idea how to deal with her after she nearly died because of him! We have all rights to hate him, fantasize to torture him, punch him, kick him or declare him as the weakest boyfriend at Colho universe! But at the end of the book, we may sympathize with him when we learn the big twist. Actually I still didn’t feel anything good for him. But I stop thinking the worst ways to torture him for sure. But that’s it! He’s still not good enough!
And the paranormal parts: well, I have to say, the first third of the book was addictive. I didn’t want to put it down. My face was literally glued to my e-reader! I even stopped watching Bridgerton and kept reading and reading!
But when the paranormal parts start evolving, I slowly started to lose my interest. It starts to turn into some nonsense love triangle! And when the big revelation comes out, I turned into that dumb person I mentioned at the beginning of the book: I asked myself : who am I ? What am I doing here? Who is who? What? What? WHAAAATTTT?
Yes, the story turned into Paranormal Activity and Flatliners meet Ghost and worst season of American Horror Story!
That revelation was a little exaggerated for my own taste! I drank my whole bottle of Sauvignon Blanc but I was still giving blank looks to my e-reader, blinking nonstop and telling my husband : I solved the mystery, I’m Layla!
( I think I may have also sang Eric Clapton’s Layla at the top volume so he putted duct tapes to cover my mouth, see I already started turning into Layla)
And the final thing is the beginning of the book was too fast. It’s always a good thing to go straight to the point when you write a thriller. The fast pacing spins your mind and you are too hooked to learn what’s gonna happen next.
But the beginning part was about Leeds and Layla’s connection, showing us how they fell for each other. It was so instant and unreliable for me! I didn’t believe in their love. I didn’t connect with both characters. The book is about Layla but we didn’t learn more about her characteristics. As soon as we got some pieces of her, he got shot! And then we got trapped in Leeds’ head because he’s the narrator and you may imagine, being trapped in MC’s mind whom I didn’t like so much was not ideal experience for me!
Overall: I love paranormal stories. I loved mind bending books and I love eternal love stories but this book failed me with romance parts, confusing paranormal theme.
I’m giving 2.5 stars and of course rounding up to 3 stars for my love of Colho’s extraordinary writing skills and first third of the book which hooked me up desperately! But I was expecting sooooo muchhhh more!
This is the first I’m giving a Colho book less than four stars! Feel free to boo me , I don’t care! I like my place at the unpopular reviewers’ regency!
Rating: really liked it
4.5 starsAll I could think after finishing this book is
what the fuck did I just read? but like in a good way I think? This is unlike anything I’ve ever read before and it’s pretty bizarre and strange and I don’t think I’d necessarily recommend this to everyone... but I was very highly entertained by this. And my mind was blown many times. I know this book will probably get a lot of comparison to Verity, but this book is nothing like Verity, it’s a completely different monster. This is Colleen’s first paranormal romance, and I didn’t realize just how paranormal and creepy this book would get - I was kind of obsessed with it 😅
I would recommend going into this book knowing as little as possible because it’s quite the journey.
Rating: really liked it
SSBC pick for December 2020!"For Beckham. When I die, you'll be the first person I haunt. You are so much fun to scare."Am I the only person who lives for finding out the dedication in each Colleen Hoover book? No? Just me? Ok, let me start again.
"The supernatural is the natural not yet understood." -Elbert HubbardFinally! A PNR from CoHo, something I've been desperately hoping for and eagerly anticipating since she announced it forever ago, and if you're the type of person who isn't really into paranormal romance, you may still enjoy Layla. The story has a very mainstream feel and is surprisingly grounded for something containing a supernatural plot, while maintaining the author's approachable writing style. Two things before you glaze over and skim the rest of this review: 1) This book is not a thriller. It is a slow burning love story, and it does have a nice addition of some suspenseful build-up, but again,
this is not a thriller. Please do not go into this book assuming it is a thriller and then complain about it not being a thriller after you finish. 2) This book is not Verity, although I could definitely see fans of that book enjoying this one. But again, Layla is not the next Verity.
"I think about the idiots in scary movies that never run when they should, but I empathize with them now. The need to disprove the thing that's scary is greater than the need to run from the potential harm it might bring."When I finally picked up my arc of this book, I decided to go in as blind as possible. I didn't even re-read the synopsis, because I wanted to experience the story with as open a mind as possible and without any possible clues along the way. This was a smart move, because the story begins with "The Interview", and proceeds by alternating with these snippets of the present and flashbacks leading up to said interview. Once we catch up, everything is in the present tense and that's when the story really takes off in regards to action and conflict.
I don't want to say a lot about the plot, because spoilers galore, but what I will say is this read like a supernatural locked room mystery in some ways. Dare I say that Colleen was twirling her imaginary mustache while devising her schemes? There is one clue dropped early on that allowed me to guess the "what and who" was going on, but I didn't know the exact why or how it would all play out in the end, so I was left with a satisfactory blend of feeling smart but also kind of dumb. The thing that sets this story apart from your average paranormal romantic mystery was the emotion behind it all; the sense of loss at the beginning of what was panning out to be an exceptional relationship, the burden of caring for those with not only physical injuries, but mental ones as well, and the conflict behind what we feel is right and the guilt that sets in for wanting something different, or more.
If you're curious about Layla, please give it a try. It stands well on it's own merits, it's a fast read, and this is the perfect time of year to cozy up with a creepy, but not scary, book by the fireplace.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
Rating: really liked it
UPDATE: holy crap you guys. i just got an email from the publishers letting me know i will be getting a new ARC
with an epilogue! i dont want to say im the reason for it, but i definitely feel like my wishes manifested it into the world. and its so, so good. so y'all are welcome. lol.
________________________
i am so here for CoHo branching out beyond her traditional contemporary romance stories. it just proves she can write human emotions so aptly, no matter the situation.
this story is a roller coaster of a journey. i am always amazed at how much CoHos writing can make me feel. whilst reading this, i was constantly contemplating how well two people can really know each other, how fast and genuine love can develop, how much effort is enough to show someone how things used to be and the best way to act when certain feelings have changed. i love that there are no boundaries to this story. its thought-provoking and emotionally compelling. even with the paranormal aspect!
my only minor critique would be the lack of epilogue. the ending is quite abrupt and it leaves a nagging feeling like the story is incomplete. i would love more than anything to see what the characters are doing sometime after the events in the novel, just to have more complete closure.
but regardless, this is another satisfyingly wonderful CoHo story and i would never expect anything less from the queen herself.
my eternal gratitude to montlake for the ARC! <3↠ 4.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
Hands down one of the best books I have read in a very long time! Where is the 10 star button Goodreads?? Give it to me now!!
You know that book that you open up and you instantly feel a connection to? The one that even if you put it down, you can't stop thinking of? That you carry around everywhere with you? THIS is that book for me! I have been in a bit of a book funk, taking at least a week to read a book...this was less than a day...I seriously didn't want it to end.
I went through so many emotions with this book. First I was curious, then furious, stunned, hopeful and on the edge of an anxiety attack during the last couple of chapters. WOW! Just WOW! This book was brilliant, creative, well thought out. The concept is so brilliant and captivating and it made me pause and think...could it?
I loved, loved, loved that Layla's sister was a nurse (nice touch CoHO, well done, I as a nurse approve)! As her bio reads, she doesn't like to be boxed into a genre....well she killed it!! Absolutely killed it! I have read only two CoHo books- Verity and this one and I can't sing enough praise for both!
Big huge shoutout to myself for asking for this book for Christmas! Well done self and thanks to my husband who bought it!
Rating: really liked it
I’m going to keep this one short and get straight to the point:
I hate liars, and I hate cheaters.If I wanted to read a book about a cheating or lying protagonist, I would have. The only story I have read with cheating as part of the plot is Forget Me Not by Q.B. Tyler. I knew there was cheating, and I knew what I was getting myself into, which is why I didn’t allow myself to be affected by it when I reflected on my final thoughts. Although I don't like and accept cheating at all, no matter what reason, fictional cheating I can stand
as long as I mentally prepare myself. If I am not ready to read a book with cheating characters or want to read it, I won't. In this case, cheating and lying were two things I didn't know were big on the plot, so my mood was completely faltered.
I’ve read two books by CoHo, those being Confess and It Ends with Us, which I didn’t like. Given that I was not too fond of this one either, I can see where my relationship with this author is going. Unfortunately, I am someone who needs to continue reading books from an author I have read. Yeah, it’s a curse, I know.
Layla follows the story of Layla and Leeds, who meet during Layla’s sister’s wedding and instantly feel a spark between each other. However, while their relationship is off to a good start, a tragedy strikes them both and causes Layla to fight for her life. After some time, Layla has recovered physically, but she is still struggling with her emotional health. To help this, Leeds decides to take Layla back to where they met, but strange things start happening around the house and with Layla. It doesn’t help that Leeds begins forming a connection with Willow and makes him reflect on his feelings towards Layla.
Back to my point:
I hate liars, and I hate cheaters.While it was one of my first times reading a romance novel with the pov of a male character (which I didn’t mind, to be honest. I like the change), Leeds has got to be one of the most pathetic characters I’ve come across reading. This man is an example of why I question love and loyalty. Emotional cheating is defined as
"a particular type of secretive, sustained closeness with someone who isn't your primary partner. It's one person making a unilateral decision to cultivate nonsexual intimacy with someone other than their primary romantic partner in a way that weakens or undermines the relationship." (Source)
In my opinion, what Leeds does is emotionally cheat. To start off, here are some quotes as to why I think Leeds emotionally cheated:
I’m supposed to crave her, to want her tongue in my mouth, my hands on her body, to push myself inside her. But it’s not what I want right now. All I feel right now is overwhelming impatience.
I’m not soaking up any of the words because I can’t stop thinking about Willow. Layla did agree to give me a few more days in the house, but we’ll still eventually have to leave. Willow will be alone.
Neither of us speaks for a moment after she says that. It’s tough, because we both know this is wrong, but I think we’re both hoping the other one doesn’t put a stop to it. We obviously enjoy each other’s company or we wouldn’t be doing this night after night.
Sometimes, when I look at Layla, I wish she were Willow. At breakfast, I catch myself wishing I were chatting with a cheerful Willow over coffee, rather than Layla complaining about her headache.
During the day when I’m chatting with Willow on the computer, I spend that time wishing she could take over Layla and I could talk to her face to face.
And now . . . as Layla slides her tongue up the length of me, I kind of wish it were Willow doing this to me.
It’s easy to pretend Layla is Willow because Layla’s face is the only one I can attribute to Willow when I think about her. I wrap my hand in Layla’s hair and watch her for a moment . . . wondering what this would feel like if it were Willow inside of Layla right now. Would Willow use her tongue like that? Would she make the same noises Layla makes?
I imagine how Willow’s kiss would feel. Would it feel the same as Layla’s kiss?
Would sex with Willow feel different than sex with Layla?
Would she arch her back the same way Layla does when I push into her?
Everything about this moment is wrong. Layla thinks she’s pleasuring her soon-to-be fiancé while I’m pretending she’s the ghost I’ve been slowly falling for.
Now all I feel is remorse, because it wasn’t until ten seconds ago that I realized I’ve already moved on to another cycle.
I’ve moved on to Willow.
It’s Willow I want to talk to when I wake up. Willow I want to see before I close my eyes. Willow I want to spend all my time with during the day.
I prefer Willow over Layla now, in almost every way, and it’s a heavy, appalling, shameful realization.
“Do you think what we’re doing is wrong? Using Layla like we’re doing?”
“Of course it’s wrong. Just because we’re able to do this doesn’t mean we should be doing.”
I’ll still pretend Layla is Willow every time I kiss her.
I never thought I’d feel more for someone than I felt that night. But right now . . . I’m feeling everything I can feel in this world, coupled with everything I could feel in Willow’s world.
If she leaves, I won’t get to see Willow again.
“She’s prettier when you’re inside of her,” I say.
“I don’t want to marry her, Willow.”
“Then you shouldn’t have proposed,” she says quickly.
“What was I supposed to do? Let her leave?”
Willow rolls over and sits up. “Yes.” She makes it sound so simple.
But is it right to let her think she’s losing her sanity?
We’re supposed to sympathize with Leed’s character and actions, but I don’t understand how. When we first meet him and are introduced to his relationship with Layla, we find out he has her wrists tied up, and she is locked up in a room. We don’t know the reason why, we don’t know what’s happened, and we don’t know what’s about to happen. All we know is that he is having an interview with a man who is recording what he is about to say.
I knew then that Leed would be too problematic for my liking.We’re then thrown into how Leeds and Layla meet. Her sister's wedding, some horrible dancing with a horrible band, instant attraction, talking, sex, and then back to the interview. The cycle repeats except, of course, the events change.
After the accident (which was a shooting where Leed’s obsessive ex shot Layla), Leeds decides to take Layla back to where they met. He never told her this, though, because he wanted to keep it a surprise since he also planned to propose to her. Not only that, but according to the doctor, it could have helped Layla with her memories or overall health. While this is true and believable, I believe Layla had the right to know she was going back to a place like that. It would have helped her prepare and not get a panic attack on her way there, as well as avoiding feeling dizzy and not well. Still, he didn’t mention it to her. This is where the lying started, and I found myself questioning how these actions would be justified. They didn’t really get better, and when Willow entered the room, it made things worse.
Willow is a ghost Leeds forms a friendship with and begins to develop feelings for. Part of this has to do with the fact that Layla “feels distant” to him, as if the psychological trauma she endured never happened, as if her memory loss isn’t taking place, as if she’s not struggling to try to accept the fact that she was brought back to a place filled with dark memories without her even knowing beforehand. See, Willow is a ghost who can snap into Layla's body. Leed finds this out and begins talking with her through that switch. It literally became something he wished was real.
This is where I saw the second red flag. His actions, later on, didn't help at all. From lying to Layla about who he is talking to, to lying about why she appears in places she doesn't remember, to even going out of his way to try and drug Layla by putting a sleeping pill in her wine so she can fall asleep quickly so Willow can snap into her body. He thought about Willow, wished he could talk to Willow instead, and wished Layla wouldn't leave because then Willow would leave.
This all happened all while dating Layla, all while not knowing the truth, which is why I found everything unjustified and overall terrible.
Hence why he ties her wrists.
Well, not entirely, but part of it.
From how I see it, Leed’s emotional cheating is justified in the end with the truth. He knows his actions are wrong, but he does them anyway. He lets Willow snap into Layla's body and talks to her that way. He continues lying to her when she snaps back and is confused about where she is.
I found nothing justified, but instead, I found Leed to be toxic. He played with Layla and used her emotions, her body, and her sanity. While still recovering from trauma and physical injuries, Leed’s actions are done to show that he cares and loves her. Regardless of the ending and
plot twist, I felt his actions unforgivable. I felt pity for Layla throughout the entire book (after the accident) because of how she was being used. I thought she was being held against her free will, even though both Leeds and Willow say that isn't the case.
I disagree. Her body was literally borrowed by Willow against her free will. Willow would snap to her body, and this was something Leeds preferred. Layla would appear from one place to another and be confused as to why she was where she was at. Leeds would lie to her or pretend nothing
strange was happening. In fact, he found himself becoming attracted to Willow (did I mention she is a fucking ghost?) because of how easy it was to talk to her. He and Willow both knew what they were doing was wrong, yet neither did anything stop them from continuing.
And the whole "I'm doing this because I love you?" bullshit? Yeah, I didn't buy it.
Not only that, but I couldn’t sympathize with any character whatsoever, especially Leeds. As the reader, we’re supposed to feel some positive emotion, yet I only found anger towards him. What started as a solid and mediocre relationship turned into lies, manipulation, and gaslighting.
It all became a repetitive cycle of emotional playing. Not only that, but I found the story boring as a whole. Even the plot twists were something I shrugged off and read through as if they didn't mean anything (because, really, they didn't).
When I heard this was paranormal, I thought it would be about a ghost or someone haunting the couple's house, making their life complicated in ways. While
it is, it isn't how I expected it to. I didn't think Leeds would become attracted to Willow as if the past 8 months with Layla were nothing to him. Seriously, this man really started imagining Willow blowing him when it was Layla, yet he doesn't even know what Willow looks like. But, one way or another, he managed to hope. He even admitted that his feelings for Layla were basically gone and moved on to Willow.
There was nothing I felt towards this book, the characters, and whatever the book's message is. I don’t even remember what I thought I would expect from this book, but what I got was definitely not it.
Side note: Not sure if this counts as a spoiler or not, but this book starts off with part of the ending and plot twist. Layla is tied up, and while the characters know the truth, we don't. You question why Layla is tied up. This is something that definitely impacted my overall feelings as well because I started feeling bad for Layla with what Leed was doing, so after finding out the truth, it didn't really change much, which is why his actions weren't justified for me.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars!! SO many twists and turns that I didn't see coming at the end. And such a unique plot. I don't think I've ever read a book quite like this one. Romance Thrillers are quickly becoming one of my favorite two genres paired together. Another great CoHo book!!
Rating: really liked it
The first 70% had my sense of loyalty warring with my guilt (👎), and the remaining 30% had me feeling all sorts of mushy (👍).
“The only thing Layla did wrong is fall in love with me.”
Typically in a normal romance, it’s the other way around—y’know, when you’d lower the rating because something you didn’t like happen somewhere in the last 1/3 of the book. This is not your avarage romance. It’s . . .
peculiar. There are creepy elements, but it’s not scary. It’s compelling and emotional, which basically sums up anything CoHo writes.
Vague Spoiler
I had an assumption as to what was going on. For a time, I thought I had it right because the characters thought so too. But then the plot twist . . . BAM! And I was . . . relieved. When I thought about it, the twist was pretty self exlpanatory. I couldn’t catch on to it because I was too busy fretting and seething that Leeds was practically cheating on Layla with Willow.
“Sometimes, when I look at Layla, I wish she were Willow.”
So yeah, Leeds actions didn’t sit well with me for the majority of the book. I was genuinely concerned for Layla. I found Leeds and Willow’s constant togetherness distasteful despite the fact that I also thought they were sweet. At this point, I was questioning why the book was called Layla instead of Willow. LOL, if only I’d paid more attention. I’d make a terrible detective.
The characters aren’t fully developed, and the romance doesn’t feel organic. However, the mystery keeps you invested, the paranormal element is fascinating. I guess, it’s kind of the point, which is that all of those things are meant to be complementary to each other rather than having only one as the main focus while the rest supports it, if that makes sense.
“Every single second with her felt like an awakening. Like I’d never really opened my eyes until she came along. I was blind but now I see.”
The book is told from the male character’s (Leeds) point of view. He asks someone whom you’ll know as the
interviewer to help him make sense of what he’s experiencing. Imagine this person is sorta like Sam and Dean from
Supernatural. Except, less cool and this book is actually less fun. Regardless, this could totally be an episode on the show.
“Perhaps what we desire can sometimes be so strong it overpowers our fate.”
In short, I hated the first 70% but loved the remaining 30%. If you’re looking for a similar type of romance, I recommend
Chase the Butterflies by Monica James.
(Read as an Audiobook)
Rating: really liked it
2.5 ⭐ rounded up because the ending saved it a little.
The GOOD
- I love that Hoover blends genres and I appreciate the uniqueness of this book. I'm sure I've never read anything like it and the way she thinks outside the box is awesome.
- the overall message of the story.
The BAD
- I couldn't take the plot seriously so I never really felt interested or invested it what was happening.
- too many bland, flat sentences that repeated themselves.
'𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙠𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙇𝙖𝙮𝙡𝙖 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮. 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙩. 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨'
'𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨, 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙗𝙨. 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙨-𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙤𝙬𝙡 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙗'
The UGLY
-Leeds. He's the leading man in this 'love story'. He's also manipulative, abusive, selfish, judgemental, unsympathetic, a liar who routinely gaslights his girlfriend yet seems to consider himself a victim in everything.
The entire book is written from his first person narrative and I found it to be an unpleasant experience.
Rating: really liked it
4 stars 
She’s the victim now, even though she’s unaware of it. The only thing Layla did wrong is fall in love with me.
Layla is the perfect creepy read for readers like me. I don't want anything too scary, but this is just spooky enough- especially great for fall.
Leeds and Layla meet at a wedding and they're smitten with each other from the start. They develop a strong connection and bond. Something happens that turns their lives upside down and their relationship hasn't quite been the same since. Leeds decides to go back to where it all began. The bed and breakfast where they first met. There he meets Willow, someone who needs his help. But helping Willow could come at the determent of Layla and he's not sure what to do...
Colleen Hoover always writes the best twists and this one threw me for a loop. Honestly, there was a time where I wasn't sure if I was liking it or the characters, but then BAM. It got me. It gave me just the right amount of feels and the ending, though I wish it gave me a bit more, was still satisfying.
Even though I wouldn't personally classify this as a romance, it had a strong romantic element that drew me in. I truly enjoyed figuring out what was happening along side our leading man, Leeds.
If you're a fan of paranormal stories on the ghostly side that are completely intriguing and compelling, this is the book for you. Hoover is one of the few authors that can get me to read something out of my comfortable romance zone, but I'm glad I picked this one up. I definitely didn't see it going in the direction it did, but I loved the twists and turns it took.
Rating: really liked it
WTF did I just read?Hmmm… now that I've finished, I'm not even sure what genre to categorise
Layla as? I would've said psychological thriller until the last 20%. And, Leeds made me too uncomfortable to view him as any type of romantic leading man, so not a romance either? And saying he made me uncomfortable isn’t a spoiler as the first sentence will likely make you feel the same way. And if that's not enough to convince you that Leeds is a creep and a weirdo then the fact that he was utterly consumed with Layla from the moment he laid eyes on her in chapter one, and that he freely admitted he had nothing in his life pre-Layla should’ve sent Layla running for the hills.
Leeds way of loving wasn't cute, it wasn't sweet – it was smothering and all kinds of wrong. He wanted a relationship where life was perfect, and his partner was happy and upbeat 24/7. But as we all know, life is not like that, and neither are relationships, people are complicated, therefore it wasn't long before things fell apart, and quickly spiraled out of control… and, naturally, I relished every bat-shit, crazy twist. Yep, you guessed it, I loved it.
Since Leeds was the sole POV, we were privy to his innermost thoughts (most of which made me want to gag), and
Colleen Hoover impressed me no end with the way she had his character justify and dismiss his obsessiveness and unhealthy behaviour. I was on the edge of my seat wondering how he was going to act and react, and just how nuthouse the plot was going to get. The answer – insanity times infinity.
There was a supernatural aspect to the story as well, which upped the bizarreness, and I was blown away by how clever and uniquely executed it was and how seamlessly it gelled with the plot without being too out there. The isolated setting also increased everyone’s paranoia, and my nail-biting. In my eyes,
Layla has superseded
Verity. Honestly, I've never read anything quite like it. How does
CoHo come up with this stuff? I raise my glass to this incredibly versatile author.
Rating: really liked it
Well that was Different! A Fresh, Wholly Intriguing Storyline unlike any that I’ve EVER Read!Way to change it up CoHo! Thank you for continuing to push the envelope.
So what is this about? A musician named Leeds and a woman named “Layla” (no, not that Layla, though I can’t get the Eric Clapton song out of my head and I’m not sorry about it!).
All I can say is that this is NOT what you think it is.
Interesting, intriguing and well, strange, it kept my attention throughout. At times, admittedly, I was shaking my head and yet, I could not tear my eyes away, swiping the pages of my kindle as quickly as possible to get to the satisfying end. Colleen Hoover ventured into a new genre with this one and she did so with gusto. Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake Romance and Colleen Hoover for the arc.
Published on Goodreads on 7.2.20.
Rating: really liked it
3.5 Stars
