The family members were definitely a group of interesting people and it was interesting seeing what motivated them, from her mum who suffers from agoraphobia, to her OCD brother and twin sister who likes to date guys with terminal illnesses. Indifference is also a sign of depression.” “I’ve found out that depression doesn’t necessarily mean a person is miserable or suicidal all the time. It was fascinating finding out what the circumstances were one by one, and the secrets everyone kept from each other. This isn’t the only relationship in her family that’s strained however, there’s a lot of quirky family history that has lead them to live in a church with her dads current and ex-wife under the same roof. That sparks a chain of events where she’s interested in him, but resents her sister for being with someone she is attracted to.

The start of the book definitely pulled me in, when a random guy kisses her and she finds out it’s her twin sisters boyfriend. She constantly stresses about the secrets and the lies from her quirky family who lives in a church, and takes the weight of everything on board her shoulders.

This book follows Merit, a girl with depression and anxiety but she doesn’t know she has it. Poignant and powerful, Without Merit explores the layers of lies that tie a family together and the power of love and truth. 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. 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. Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn’t earned and secrets her family forces her to keep.

They live in a repurposed church, the once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the mother’s former nurse, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.’ ‘Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Published by Atria, Simon and Schuster Australia on October 3, 2017Īmazon | Book Depository | Publisher | Barnes & NobleĪ moving and haunting story of family, love and the power of truth, by international bestselling author Colleen Hoover

Without merit colleen