The ending of Verity explained after ambiguous twist leaves viewers confused

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Verity

Verity is one of the most talked-about films right now, with its divisive ending raising eyebrows among fans of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel and newcomers alike.

Based on Hoover’s bestselling novel of the same name, Verity stars Dakota Johnson as Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer hired by Jeremy Crawford (Josh Hartnett) to finish an unfinished book series belonging to his wife, Verity (Anne Hathaway).

While the film, directed by Michael Showalter, stays mostly faithful to the book’s main mystery, there are some notable differences in how the story unfolds, especially in its final moments.

In Colleen Hoover’s novel, Jeremy suffocates Verity and stages her death to look as though she died peacefully in bed.

However the film takes a more dramatic approach, with her body ending up in a lake in an apparent drowning.

The ending has had a mixed reaction (Amazon MGM Studios)

The biggest change is perhaps the aftermath. In the book, Lowen discovers Verity’s letter explaining her side of the story, only to tear it up and destroy the evidence, leaving readers to question whether Verity’s disturbing manuscript was a confession or a work of fiction.

A different approach is taken in the film, with Lowen keeping the letter hidden. It’s a subtle but important change that shifts the final dynamic and leaves audiences questioning what Lowen really knows and whether the truth will ever come to light.

But while the film makes a few changes to the book’s final moments, it leaves one of the story’s biggest questions unanswered: who is telling the truth: Verity or Jeremy?

It’s a debate that has divided readers since Colleen Hoover’s novel was first published in 2018, with both the manuscript and the letter Verity leaves behind offering convincing arguments for either side.

Fans who recently read the book are sharing where they stand regarding the ending.

One reader on X wrote: “I finished Verity. Was anyone else team manuscript, or undecided, and after reading the extra chapter became team letter? It's in this chapter that you can see that Jeremy is a psychopath. And Lowen will end up the same way as Verity, in the future. I've said it.”

Colleen Hoover has also weighed in on the ending of the film starring Anne Hathaway (Amazon MGM Studios)

While another fan simply reacted by asking: “THE ENDING OF VERITY??? WHAT THE F**K WAS THAT”

Someone else shared: “Omg Verity guys?! This movie. Was Verity truly the villain?”

A movie fan shared a positive review for the film’s final moments for including twists. “#Verity was an absolute mind-f**k. The twists, the tension, THAT ending. This is exactly why I love psychological thrillers. Easily one of those movies that sticks with you long after the credits roll.”

But not everyone is a fan of how we leave the characters. “The Verity movie was quite bad,” an X user opined. “How can you tell a story without a proper ending? Poor story telling. Wasted my time. Should have opted for the Brad Pitt movie instead. Anne Hathaway movies are like hit or miss situation. I haven't felt it that way about Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt.

Hoover has weighed in on the mystery. Speaking on Jenna Bush Hager’s Open Book with Jenna podcast in March 2026, the author admitted that she was largely writing from Lowen’s perspective and was never entirely certain of the truth herself. However, when pressed to choose a side, Hoover revealed: “I’m Team Manuscript.”

Hoover also said that several endings were considered before they settled on the final one.

“We got a lot of time to test it and edit it,” Hoover said “So, I feel like people will be happy with it.