Book Review: Layla

 Layla is a fiction paranormal romance novel written by Colleen Hoover. Yes, you read that right, paranormal romance. Now, I have to be honest here and say that this was my first time reading a book in this particular subgenre, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I'd still like to discuss what I liked and didn't like about the book. 

The main character is Leeds, a singer/songwriter living in Nashville who is part of a band. When the band is playing at a wedding, he meets a girl named Layla... and they fall in love. Shortly thereafter, Layla suffers an attack that leaves her hospitalized and she never quite heals mentally from it. Leeds takes her back to the place they first met hoping it will help Layla get back to normal... but things start happening that are anything but normal... 

I have to be honest, I did really enjoy the plot of this book. And I particularly loved the writing style. Colleen Hoover really knows how to make the reader love certain characters and hate others. She provides enough details to make us feel like they are real people, but doesn't provide so many details that it's overwhelming or redundant. 

However, there is also a big thing that I wish would have been different: the way the story went back and forth between past and present. All chapters were technically written in present tense, so let me explain what I mean. Several chapters are thrown in that are called "Interview," and these chapters detail a conversation that Leeds has with a "ghost hunter" (but at the beginning the reader doesn't know who Leeds is talking to). These chapters start at the very beginning of the book, before the reader even knows a ghost is involved in the storyline. Then the other chapters go through the story (in present tense), until we finally get to the point in the story where we understand who Leeds is talking to and why he needs a ghost specialist. At first, I thought the "Interview" chapters were between Leeds and a police officer, and it took a while for me to understand what they really were, which is why I don't think they were necessary. I'm sure the author wanted these chapters mixed in to create ambiguity and suspense, but I think it detracted from the story overall. If the book was written to just tell the story from start to finish, I think it would have been much more clear, and still a thrilling story. But maybe that's just my opinion! I'd love to hear what others think, so feel free to leave a comment below.

If you want to read other reviews on this book, you can check out goodreads by clicking here. If you'd like to purchase this book, click here (it is also available on kindle unlimited!). As always, thanks for reading!