I added the novel “Confess” by Colleen Hoover to my “books to read list” when it was selected as one of the Goodreads Best Books of 2015.  I put it on my library list and waited for it to come up as available.  When it was my turn to check it out, I downloaded it and read it a few days later.

From the title, I confess that I expected it to be a mystery or thriller.  That is the kind of book I usually make note of and read.  I forgot that it was was selected as the best book in the Romance category.  “Confess” turned out to be a mystery of sorts, but most of all it was a wonderfully satisfying romance – one of the best I’ve read in years.

Auburn moved to Texas to regain custody of the son she had when she was 16.  She gave her son up to his paternal grandparents and was active in his life until the grandfather died and the grandmother, Lydia, moves back to Texas.  Auburn follows when she finishes cosmetology school but Lydia has decided that Auburn isn’t fit to be a mother and restricts her access to her son.  Auburn takes a second job in an art studio to make some extra money to pay a lawyer for her custody case.

Auburn meets Owen, the artist and owner of the studio, in one of the quirkiest meet-cute scenes I’ve ever read.  Owen’s art is inspired by anonymous confessions that people drop through a slot in his door.  These confessions become the titles of the paintings.  Auburn and Owen feel an immediate and deep connection that pulls them together despite secrets buried in their backgrounds that they need to confess to one another.

But Lydia thinks Owen is a bad influence and won’t allow Auburn to see her son if she continues to see Owen.  Added in the mix is the grandmother’s son Trey, a police officer, who wants Auburn for himself.  Trey will do anything to keep Auburn in a relationship, including abusing Auburn and setting Owen up.

Will Owen and Auburn end up together?  How will they get around Trey and Lydia?  Will Auburn regain custody of her son?  What secrets do Auburn and Owen need to confess?  Can Auburn and Owen save each other?

Colleen Hoover has written seven novels, all in the Young Adult Contemporary Romance category, but that doesn’t mean you have to be a young adult to enjoy “Confess.”  All of her novels have been #1 New York Times bestsellers.  Her writing was fresh and made the characters seem completely real.  One of the hooks in “Confess” is that it actually contains paintings done by artist Danny O’Connor.  The paintings were evocative and added to the realism of the story.

If you believe in love at first sight and that true love conquers all, then “Confess” is a novel you won’t be able to put down.