By Mia Coley
Colleen Hoover. If you are on TikTok or have any interest in books you will have heard her name. She is a number one New York Times bestselling author of seventeen novels and novellas (as of Jan 2023) and has sold millions of copies globally. Her books tend to fall under the romance genre, filled with steamy sex scenes complete with intimate details; apart from one or two that sit in other genres such as her thriller novel Verity. Hoover deals with some difficult issues within her novels, such as abusive relationships, sexual assault, miscarriages, toxic masculinity, infidelity and more. By writing about these issues Hoover has had a lot of backlash for the way they have been represented within her writing.
So, are her books worth the hype?
Her novel It Ends With Us has gained the most popularity in recent years. It was the first of her books I read myself, drawn in by the hype it gained through TikTok. The book follows the main protagonist Lily as she navigates her way through an abusive relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle. Hoover has since stated that the novel was based on her own mother and fathers’ relationship and was a very difficult novel for her to write. Many readers had issues with the book being marketed as romance, and also with the ending of the novel. Spoilers ahead for those who have not read this book! It Ends With Us finishes with Lily giving birth to her and RyleÔÇÖs child; following this Lily divorces Ryle but wants to share custody with him, even after he has proven to have severe anger issues which are shown throughout the story. Many claim the novel romanticises abuse and does not deserve the popularity it has gained. Recently, Hoover announced the release of an It Ends With Us colouring book on her Instagram. Hoover has over two million followers, many of whom did not agree with a colouring book being made from a book about abusive relationships. The colouring book has since been stopped from being produced as Colleen told her publishers she did not want to move forward with the project. The novel is also being turned into a film with Gossip GirlÔÇÖs Blake Lively playing Lily and Jane The Virgin star Justin Baldoni playing Ryle alongside directing the film. The film is already in pre-production, but no release date has been unveiled yet. I think this one is definitely worth a read ÔÇô and the hype ÔÇô as it is a great introduction to HooverÔÇÖs writing style and usual tropes she includes in her books.
I have personally read 4 of her novels, all of them within the romance genre, but have friends who are completely obsessed with Hoovers novels and ones who completely detest them. The other novels Ive read by Hoover are Ugly Love, November 9 and It Starts With Us. Ugly Love was better than expected. I bought it as a short holiday read, along with November 9, and didnt expect much more than a typical easy romance novel that Ive come to expect from Hoover. However, yet again the book had a dark undertone and the main characters Tate and Miles clearly had some secrets hidden from each other. The book has a lighter outlook than It Ends With Us and mainly follows Tate and Miles learning how to deal with Miles issues from his previous relationship. Personally, I preferred It Ends With Us as Ugly Love felt less thought out and seemed like a teenage romance was being played out by adult characters. The female lead Tates personality was also fairly bland as she seemed to have little self-respect or self-control. It also didnt delve as deep into the problematic issues that were brought up like within Hoovers other novels. Not quite worth as much hype as It Ends With Us, but still a good read and I would recommend it to anyone wanting a way in to Colleens universe!Overall, Hoovers novels are a hit or miss depending on what your reading tastes are. For non  readers or those looking to get into reading, they are a great place to start. Her novels are easily digestible and short in length. For more experienced readers, they may seem a little underdeveloped or immature in tone but are still a good read and could possibly be the key to emerging from a reading slump? If you just want a steamy romance, then perhaps Hoover isnt the right author for you  her romances are always linked with a deeper issue that is usually delved into. For me, I think most of Hoovers novels, particularly It Ends With Us, are worth the hype but others just slightly miss the mark
