Confess follows Auburn Reed, a twenty-one-year-old mother trying to regain custody of her son, and Owen Gentry, a Dallas artist who turns strangers' anonymous confessions into paintings. Their attraction is immediate, but Auburn's dependence on her late boyfriend's family and Owen's habit of taking the blame for other people make honesty unusually dangerous.
The 60-second answer
What is Confess about?
It is a contemporary romance about two people whose apparent secrets hide acts of loyalty. Auburn is not simply rebuilding after losing her first love: she is fighting Lydia and Trey for a life with her son, AJ. Owen's arrest does not tell the full story either. The novel asks when sacrifice is loving, when it becomes enabling, and when speaking the truth is the only way to recover agency.
Main characters
- Auburn Reed
- A young mother who returns to Dallas to fight for custody of AJ while supporting herself as a hairstylist.
- Owen Mason Gentry
- An artist whose gallery, Confess, displays paintings inspired by anonymous secrets. He recognizes Auburn before she recognizes him.
- AJ
- Auburn's son with Adam. Auburn's need to be part of his life shapes nearly every decision she makes.
- Adam
- Auburn's first love and AJ's father, who dies as a teenager after a serious illness.
- Lydia
- Adam and Trey's mother, who raises AJ and uses Auburn's unstable circumstances to restrict her access to him.
- Trey Taylor
- Adam's brother and a police officer. His promise of access to AJ hides an escalating pattern of control and abuse.
- Callahan Gentry
- Owen's father, an attorney whose addiction is the truth behind Owen's first arrest.
- Emory
- Auburn's outspoken roommate and an important witness when Trey's behavior turns violent.
The setup: a goodbye that is not the end
The novel opens five years before the main story. Sixteen-year-old Auburn is forced to say goodbye to Adam, her terminally ill first love. Trey interrupts their final minutes together, creating a painful memory whose missing witness will matter much later.
At twenty-one, Auburn is back in Dallas, working at a salon and looking for extra money. A help-wanted sign leads her to Owen's gallery. He pays her to assist at an opening, where visitors read anonymous confessions beside the paintings they inspired. Owen already knows Auburn's name, although he refuses to explain why.
Why the confession paintings matter
Owen's art gives private shame a public form without identifying the person who submitted it. That idea becomes the novel's structure: Auburn, Owen, Lydia, Trey and Callahan each manage a truth that could change someone else's judgment of them.
- Auburn initially hides that AJ is her son because custody makes every relationship feel legally risky.
- Owen accepts punishment for pills that belong to Callahan.
- Trey uses the authority of his job and family access to disguise coercion as protection.
- The final painting carries a confession from Adam that Auburn has misunderstood for five years.
Content note
Before revealing the full plot
The spoiler section discusses terminal illness, parental separation, addiction, coercive control, sexual assault, physical violence and abuse of police authority.
Ready for the complete plot?
The next section reveals AJ's identity, Owen's arrests, Trey's abuse and the final connection between Owen and Adam.
Does the TV series tell the same story?
The 2017 adaptation keeps Auburn, Owen, the confession-based art and the central conflict with Lydia and Trey, but moves the present-day story from Dallas to Los Angeles and compresses the novel into seven short episodes. This summary describes the book; the adaptation page keeps screen facts separate.
Quick questions
Who narrates Confess?
Auburn and Owen alternate first-person viewpoints. The final flashback is told by Owen.
Why was Owen arrested?
He initially accepts responsibility for prescription pills that belong to his father. Trey later arrests him after Owen intervenes to protect Auburn and threatens him with planted evidence.
Does Confess have a happy ending?
Yes. Auburn regains custody of AJ, Owen is released, Callahan seeks treatment, and Auburn and Owen choose a future together.
Editorial note
How this guide was checked
This is an original plot summary, not a reproduction of the novel. The official synopsis and adaptation status were checked against the author's site; detailed plot sequencing was cross-checked against independent chapter summaries.
- Colleen Hoover — official Confess page
- Colleen Hoover — official books and age guidance
- SuperSummary — final chapters and flashback
- The Literary Lifestyle — full plot and ending cross-check
Last source review: August 9, 2026. Screen adaptation details are verified separately on the TV series page.