Anne Hathaway's 'Verity' Is a Mostly Faithful Book Adaptation That Still Plays It Too Safe | Review

Published Sep 30, 2026, 9:00 AM EDT

Carly Lane is an Atlanta-based writer and critic who has been with Collider in some form or fashion since 2021. She considers herself a television nerd, diehard romance/sci-fi/fantasy reader, and nascent horror lover. Her fondness of books is only eclipsed by the towering TBR that her shelves can't possibly contain.

She is the author of A REGENCY GUIDE TO MODERN LIFE: 1800s ADVICE ON 21ST CENTURY LOVE, FRIENDS, FUN AND MORE, published through DK Books (an imprint of Penguin Random House) and currently available wherever books are sold.

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Colleen Hoover has had an almost inconceivable rise to fame as an author, with most of it happening just within the last several years. After self-publishing her first novel in 2012, Hoover spent the next several years writing (and largely self-publishing) her books to acclaim and very strong sales, but she experienced her biggest surge in readership yet once her titles began making the rounds on BookTok in 2020. By 2022, she had become one of the U.S.'s bestselling novelists of all time, reportedly selling more books than James Patterson and John Grisham combined. Since Hoover is most widely known for writing contemporary romance and women's fiction, her 2018 psychological thriller Verity represents a major deviation from her work. It's a sinister, suspenseful story about undeniably messy characters — all of whom become even messier and more complicated as the tale goes on, with one twist stacked on top of another forcing the reader to grapple with the notion of truth, betrayal, and perspective.

Verity is actually the fourth CoHo novel to earn a movie adaptation, on the heels of It Ends with Us (the less said about that, the better), Regretting You, and Reminders of Him, but it's arguably the biggest and most star-studded one yet. Given the pedigree behind the film, with Nick Antosca (Cape Fear) penning the script and Michael Showalter (The Dropout) directing, any curious viewer would probably have the impression that they're the ideal creative duo to bring Verity's twisted tale of lies and manipulation to the screen. While the movie itself is unquestionably buoyed by its leads Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett, there's a looming sense that Verity isn't nearly as creepy, campy, or sexy as it could have — and should have — been.

What Is 'Verity' About?

Lowen Ashleigh (Johnson) is a moderately successful writer living in New York City — but even after publishing two books, she can barely get anyone to show up for her readings and doesn't have much confidence in her own work. All of that changes when her publicist, Cory (The Rings of Power's Ismael Cruz Córdova), summons her to a meeting with Jeremy Crawford (Hartnett), the handsome and charming husband of bestselling thriller author Verity Crawford (Hathaway). After signing an NDA before proceeding any further, Lowen learns that Verity has been in a car accident, and the resulting injuries have left her unable to continue writing her most popular book series, Noble Virtues. Lowen initially balks at the idea that she's even remotely qualified to pick up where Verity left off, concerned that the author's most loyal fans will be able to recognize someone else trying to write in her voice. But Jeremy finally wins her over with the claim that Verity herself believes in Lowen's abilities.

Once Lowen arrives at the Crawfords' Vermont lakeside home, she discovers that Verity has been bedridden and catatonic since the day of the accident, and Lowen will have to continue Noble Virtues on her own. While digging through Verity's notes and outlines for her upcoming novels, Lowen stumbles upon a secret manuscript hidden on a flash drive that leads her to question the truth about the woman who has made a name for herself writing the most depraved characters imaginable. Has Verity just been that inventive a writer all along, or are her most twisted creations actually rooted in her real thoughts and feelings about the people closest to her? The longer Lowen remains within the Crawford house, the harder it becomes for her to discern the difference between fact and fiction — or deny her growing attraction to Jeremy.

'Verity' Faithfully Sticks to Colleen Hoover's Book, but Should've Pushed the Envelope Further

Image via Amazon MGM Studios

As a book adaptation, Verity checks all the boxes, with the basic beats of Hoover's novel practically followed to the letter. If you're going into a watch expecting any major deviations, there are very few to be found. The biggest one, likely only obvious to those who have read the book ahead of time, is that Verity and Jeremy only have two children in the film, twins Harper and Crew (Brady Wagner), as opposed to the three that Hoover's novel introduces. It's a change that doesn't really have any major impact on the story as it plays out and may have even been for the better, since it would have overcomplicated a plot that's already making several entertaining swerves. Children in thriller movies are typically more memorable for being unsettling, but Wagner brings a guileless sincerity to his performance that manages to be endearing and occasionally even funny in the midst of the adult characters' machinations.

With most of Hoover's novel pretty faithfully translated to the screen, it's a shame that Antosca and Showalter's take on Verity doesn't really raise the bar much further than that. Many sequences are dedicated to Lowen poring through Verity's hidden manuscript, unable to tear her eyes away from the author's increasingly twisted prose, and Hathaway's voiceover narration hoists what would have otherwise felt like rote presentation into a captivating yarn. Yet even as Verity's increasingly explicit words fill the screen, the movie stops just short of spotlighting some of its naughtiest passages.

This feeling of reticence extends to the rest of the film itself, with only mere glimpses of bolder, more thrilling visual and narrative choices that barely seem to take advantage of its R rating. When Lowen fantasizes about kissing Jeremy, only to realize she's become so swept up in her own imagination that she's picturing herself sharing a brutally bloody kiss with Verity instead, it's a flawless crescendo of eroticism, paranoia, and fear, but it's one of the only moments of its kind — and it's such a standout that it renders the movie's increasingly safe and more conventional choices all the more disappointing.

'Verity' Is Ultimately Saved by Its Leading Trio

Despite all of that, the reason Verity remains a largely entertaining watch lies with its leading trio of actors. Hathaway, who's winding down from one of the biggest eras of her career with five different movie releases in 2026, continues to prove she's still at the top of her game. She's clearly having a blast playing the eternally complex Verity Crawford, a woman whose true motives are constantly called into question as she struggles to balance her roles as a successful writer and a devoted mother. What makes Verity the novel so unputdownable is that we're privy to the titular character's darkest inner thoughts and feelings, but still have to consider whether she's a wholly reliable narrator herself. Hathaway impeccably walks this tightrope between master manipulator and tragic figure.

Johnson seems perfectly cast as a CoHo heroine — defined by personal tragedy, prone to ill-timed quips, helplessly awkward yet still engaging. While she's not given nearly enough opportunities to showcase her knack for dry humor, which has become a delightful trademark of hers over the years, Johnson proves herself up to the task of portraying a woman whose self-effacing exterior gradually gives way to something that lives within the morally gray. Meanwhile, on the heels of a tremendously fun performance in M. Night Shyamalan's Trap, Hartnett initially has a more straightforward role as Jeremy, Verity's publicly devoted husband who increasingly yearns for more with Lowen. But the film's conflicting narratives allow him to peel back more layers on a character who, in the hands of a lesser actor, could have easily been one-note. The rest of the cast is somewhat forgettable by comparison, but when you're watching Hathaway, Johnson, and Hartnett play in each other's space in any combination, the results elevate the viewing experience into one that successfully holds your attention until the credits roll.

Not every book adaptation needs to transcend the source material or reinvent the original story for a new generation of fans, but it's hard to shake the lingering feeling that this version of Verity needed to push the boundaries in a different medium. Devoted readers may be pleased to find that much of Hoover's novel has been rendered here, but the film itself almost seems afraid to go too campy, creepy, or even overtly erotic with its visual styling and script choices — all of which would have resulted in it having a stronger identity. As CoHo adaptations go, it's definitely leading the pack, but it frustratingly stops just shy of plunging into the true darkness that Verity herself ominously warns us about from the very beginning.

Verity premieres in theaters October 2.

Cast

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  Verity Crawford

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  Lowen Ashleigh

Verity is a psychological thriller centering on Lowen Ashleigh, a writer hired to complete novels for Verity Crawford, a bestselling author incapacitated by an accident. As Lowen works at the Crawford residence, she unravels unsettling truths about Verity, intensifying the tension within the household.

Pros & Cons

• Anne Hathaway skillfully inhabits the multilayered and complex Verity Crawford.
• The scenes where the film actually leans into more creepiness and chills are when it's strongest.
• The movie follows the beats of Hoover's original novel pretty closely.

• The film almost seems afraid to go too campy, creepy, or erotic, all of which would've given it more of an identity.