'Verity' Stars Share the Books They Can't Put Down

As their Colleen Hoover adaptation tops theaters, the 'Verity' cast reveals go-to reads in an exclusive Amazon Q&A shared with Variety.

With Colleen Hoover's 'Verity' in theaters and projected, per Variety, to be the latest Hoover book-to-screen adaptation to top the box office, stars Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett sat down with Amazon News for a rapid-fire Q&A about the books they love. Variety published the exclusive clip on Oct. 3, 2026. Hathaway framed the game around the novel's own theme: 'Since Verity is all about finishing a story, today we're finishing a few sentences about the kinds of books we can't put down.' The answers ranged from what makes a great villain to which trusted sources the actors turn to for recommendations.

According to Variety's exclusive clip, Hathaway said a great book villain requires 'a great inner monologue,' adding that 'it has to be somebody even if you're not agreeing with what they're saying, you want to listen to them.' When asked what 'Verity' will have readers questioning, Johnson's blunt answer was 'your sexuality,' while Hartnett suggested the story could leave you questioning 'your partner' or sparking 'some debate' by the end. On recommendations they trust, Hathaway named anything on the Man Booker Prize shortlist, and Hartnett shouted out a good friend who 'knows me' and 'knows things.'

Building on the actors' answers, Variety relayed Amazon Books recommendations matched to each response. For great villains: 'First Lie Wins,' a Reese's Book Club pick and No. 1 New York Times bestseller following Evie Porter, whose identity and shadowy boss 'Mr. Smith' hide a murky past. For questioning your partner: Freida McFadden's BookTok favorite 'The Housemaid,' adapted into a 2025 film starring Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney, in which housekeeper Millie Calloway uncovers lies and secrets in the Winchester household. For questioning your sexuality: Taylor Jenkins Reid's 'Atmosphere,' following NASA scientist Joan Goodwin through forbidden romance and a present-day space mission.

Hathaway's Booker Prize answer anchored two more Amazon picks relayed by Variety: Susan Choi's 'Flashlight,' a 2025 Booker shortlist title in which ten-year-old Louisa is found alone after an evening walk with her father, leaving the family to piece together the night while navigating cultural identity and generational trauma; and 'The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny,' named one of the New York Times' 10 Best Books of 2025, about a chance meeting on an overnight train in India that resparks buried feelings. Variety notes the latter was listed as a favorite by Barack Obama — fitting Hartnett's trusted-recommendation rule.

The novel itself is back on top of the charts following the film's release. Variety reports the 2018 Hoover novel has returned to bestseller status, with the hardcover collector's edition discounted on Amazon and the book available through Kindle Unlimited, including three months free for Prime members. The timing matters for readers' queues: the cast's picks lean into exactly the qualities 'Verity' is known for — unputdownable twists and morally complicated characters — just as Hoover adaptations keep proving their box office pull. Readers can browse the discounted titles in Amazon's book hub during Prime Big Deal Days.