Review: Layla by Colleen Hoover

BOOK STATS

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Title: Layla
Author: Colleen Hoover
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Audience: Adult
Format: ARC
Length: 301 pages
Publisher: Montlake
Release Date: December 8, 2020
Source: Bookish Ladies Club VIP Giveaway; Netgalley; Amazon Publishing
Recommended for fans of: paranormal & psychological thrillers
Content: gun violence, emotional cheating

SYNOPSIS

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover comes a novel that explores life after tragedy and the enduring spirit of love.

When Leeds meets Layla, he’s convinced he’ll spend the rest of his life with her—until an unexpected attack leaves Layla fighting for her life. After weeks in the hospital, Layla recovers physically, but the emotional and mental scarring has altered the woman Leeds fell in love with. In order to put their relationship back on track, Leeds whisks Layla away to the bed-and-breakfast where they first met. Once they arrive, Layla’s behavior takes a bizarre turn. And that’s just one of many inexplicable occurrences.

Feeling distant from Layla, Leeds soon finds solace in Willow—another guest of the B&B with whom he forms a connection through their shared concerns. As his curiosity for Willow grows, his decision to help her find answers puts him in direct conflict with Layla’s well-being. Leeds soon realizes he has to make a choice because he can’t help both of them. But if he makes the wrong choice, it could be detrimental for all of them.

MY THOUGHTS

WHAT A RIDE! Wow. Not what I expected from a paranormal romance, but just what I expect from Colleen!

When I hear paranormal romance, I think vampires, werewolves, or other creatures of the night. This is not that. With lots of thriller-esque twists, Layla will appeal to fans of Verity and other psychological thrillers. I can’t say more without spoiling, but just know that Colleen’s venture into this new genre is unique and unexpected.

This is not five stars for me because the storyline made it really hard to like the characters. I’ve enjoyed plenty of stories with unlikable characters in the past, but this plot line made it difficult to connect with the characters’ motivations. The things that didn’t make sense to me all added up in the end, but it was an issue for me throughout most of the book. I also just don’t think this was as well-written as other books from Colleen Hoover.

Still, I enjoyed the book overall. I thought it was bingeable and twisty and I couldn’t put it down. The ending left my jaw on the floor, and I totally need to catch up on CoHo’s backlist now.

CW: gun violence, emotional cheating

Thank you to Bookish Ladies Club VIP, Amazon Publishing, and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.