By Lia Iacona

(Editor’s note: This review contains mild spoilers for both the novel and the film.)

Colleen Hoover’s 2018 novel, “Verity,” arrived in theaters Oct. 2. This bone-chilling mystery-thriller has received praise for its unpredictability, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats while questioning their own morality and values. Those who love books will always advocate reading before watching, and for this flick, it’s a must. The movie features A-list celebrities portraying the main characters, including Anne Hathaway as Verity Crawford, Dakota Johnson as Lowen Ashleigh, and Josh Hartnett as Jeremy Crawford.

We first meet Lowen (Johnson) in a bookstore reading to very few patrons of her newest release. Though she is not a well-known author, she is recognized for her capability as a writer and is hired by Jeremy (Hartnett) to finish his wife Verity’s (Hathaway) mystery-thriller series. As Lowen moves into the Crawford household, she discovers more than what lies on the surface: a private, detailed, and maniacal autobiography that Verity wrote, confessing to all the horrible and unspeakable deeds she committed throughout her life and relationship with Jeremy.

Hathaway gives a chilling performance as the main character. She upholds the insanity the character possesses and delivers excellently throughout the film, letting the audience hate her while simultaneously making us feel sympathetic for the situation and state she is in. She deviously delivers the character from novel to screen. Though catatonic in the present scenes throughout the film, Hathaway performs brilliantly in the flashbacks when Lowen reads the autobiography.

Johnson and Hartnett give mediocre performances, which was unexpected from their previous work. When reading the novel, you form sympathy for the two and catch yourself cheering for their problematic affair. In the film, however, both lack that quality, and instead make you gravitate toward feeling sorry for Verity, even with the autobiography.

In one particular scene, the two are getting ready to go out to dinner for Lowen’s birthday when Jeremy tells her she is more than welcome to wear anything of Verity’s. She picks a sexy red dress mentioned in the beginning of Verity’s autobiography—the very dress that made Jeremy fall in love with his wife. Choosing that dress foretells Lowen’s intention to tempt a married man while actively living in the Crawfords’ house and getting paid millions to write the rest of Verity’s series.

The film also has some mishaps with details the book included. For example, the opening scene changes how Lowen is introduced, overlooking that she does not use her real name when publishing her books. In the novel, the Crawfords also have three children (a son and twin girls), while the movie knocked them down to two (fraternal twins). These are slight changes that simply did not need to happen and could have kept the film closer to the book.

Amazon MGM Studios produced the film, and it has already crossed $72.8 million worldwide despite mixed reviews. While the box office has performed well, the audience got shortchanged on the suspense missing from the novel. If you want the authentic, stomach-churning version of Verity Crawford’s world, read the novel first and wait for it to stream. The movie isn’t worth the price of a ticket or trip.