Colleen Hoover is among the fastest rising authors in the Young Adult and New Adult romance genres. She wrote her first novel, Slammed, in 2011 with no intention of publishing it. Hoover ended up self-publishing it in 2012 just so that her grandmother, who had gotten an Amazon Kindle, could read it on her new tablet. However, the book received a five-star review by blogger Maryse Black, propelling Hoover into the literary scene. It didn’t take long for her to quit her job in social work and begin writing full-time.
In just 10 years, she has written 23 novels and novellas. Her books span YA, New Adult, contemporary romance, and psychological thriller works. Of her books, 11 have risen to become New York Times Bestsellers. One of them, Hopeless, also became an Amazon Best Seller in 2013 and a #1 New York Times bestseller. Hoover has also racked up several impressive literary awards.
Her books are the kind that readers find difficult to put down once they start. Hoover has established a signature style characterized by heartbreak and unpredictable twists and turns that draw readers in. However, several of her books have stirred controversy due to a lack of awareness and delicacy when writing about serious topics, such as domestic abuse. At times, her works have been accused of romanticizing toxic masculinity and abusive relationships. It’s essential to be aware of harmful tropes that sneak into chick lit and romance novels, as well as to understand that these relationships are fictional and don’t demonstrate how real love looks.
As long as you are aware of the problems, though, many of Hoover’s novels are unproblematic and make for fun, light reading. Here are Hoover’s 13 best books.
Verity
Verity was published in 2018 and marked an unusual deviation from Hoover’s typical contemporary romance into thriller territory. The book follows writer Lowen Ashleigh, who has been hired to ghostwrite the remainder of a book series that a woman named Verity started before she became injured in a horrific accident. However, while searching for Verity’s notes, Lowen finds Verity’s chilling, unpublished autobiography filled with shocking and terrible secrets. She soon becomes burdened with Verity’s secrets as she struggles to tell Verity’s husband, Jeremy, what she knows of his wife. Another layer of complication arises when she realizes she’s attracted to Jeremy.
Verity is Hoover at her very best. She masterfully takes all of the best elements of her romance novels—passion, lust, tension, heartbreak—and winds them into a shocking psychological thriller. Engaging in a romance with a married man whose wife is in a coma is spicy enough. Now, add that the wife has committed unspeakable acts of evil, along with Lowen’s visions of the wife appearing in a window or camera, alert and awake, and we get something unfathomably thrilling. It’s a deliciously creepy, juicy, and horrifying romance thriller with a twist at the end that will leave you shaken to your core.
It Ends with Us
While Hoover is known for writing heartbreaking romance tales, none of her novels reach the level of heartbreak that It Ends With Us does. It Ends with Us follows Lily, a young woman who fled her old life and her father’s abuse and believes she has found true love with Ryle Kincaid. When a piece of her past returns, though, she is forced to confront who Ryle is and the reality that the abuse she witnessed from her parents may be repeating in her relationship.
It Ends with Us is quite a moving story on domestic abuse. The book covers two stories—Lily’s present and her past. Her past is captured in diary entries she wrote and tracks the heartbreaking tale of her father’s abuse toward her mother. What makes the book even more devastating is that it is based on the relationship of Hoover’s parents. Your heart will break as you read Lily’s tragic past and see her present slowly morphing into the past she tried so hard to run from. Unfortunately, the book has been misinterpreted by some readers as romanticizing abuse, but it’s ultimately a reasonably hopeful tale about refusing to continue the cycle of generational abuse.
It Starts With Us
It Starts With Us is the sequel to Hoover’s bestselling novel, It Ends With Us. It follows Lily as she balances being a single mother and delving into a relationship with her childhood love, Atlas. However, her abusive ex-husband, Ryle, continues to be in her life due to being her father’s daughter and poses an obstacle to Lily moving on and truly breaking the cycle of abuse.
It Starts With Us isn’t as poignant as the original novel. Still, it is interesting to see Lily’s and Atlas’ story continue and how a survivor of domestic abuse cautiously finds love again. The subplot with Ryle continuing to be an issue is difficult to read. While it does capture the reality of domestic abuse, one can’t help but feel like the characters don’t take enough action against Ryle, and it presents a troubling false argument that victims of abuse don’t have any options or that they’re obligated to keep an abusive individual in their life if they share a child. If readers remember that Lily’s situation doesn’t reflect every domestic abuse situation, though, they may find that It Starts With Us contains quite a compelling love story, providing a good deal of closure for Lily’s story.
Ugly Love
Ugly Love is an aching yet electrifying story of two lovers in over their heads. The novel follows Tate Collins and Miles Archer, two people who are attracted to each other but don’t necessarily like each other. So, they strike up a friends-with-benefits agreement that stipulates they can’t inquire about each other’s pasts or expect a future together. Of course, the arrangement is easier said than done, and things get messy very quickly.
Ugly Love is sometimes an infuriating book, but it’s also a bold portrait of just how messy love can get. The book alternates between Miles’ and Tate’s POVs, with Miles’ being set in the past with his former love, Rachel, and Tate’s being placed in the present. Of course, feelings are bound to arise between Tate and Miles. This makes their agreement to be nonchalant and to have zero responsibilities especially painful, as the emotions rise disproportionately. Meanwhile, the involvement of a past lover only makes the ache deeper. It’s a sad, messy, ugly, frighteningly realistic portrayal of love gone wrong.
Reminders of Him
Reminders of Him is a standalone novel from Hoover released in 2022. The novel follows Kenna Rowan, who has just served a five-year prison sentence and wishes to renew her relationship with her daughter. However, few are willing to let Rowan forget her past mistakes, thus keeping her from her daughter. The only person ready to help her is a bar owner named Ledger Ward, with whom she slowly forms a relationship. Unfortunately, he bears a connection to her past, which means their relationship could bring more pain to those already hurt by Rowan’s mistakes.
Reminders of Him boasts a little more depth than most of Hoover’s works. It really delves into the pain these characters are feeling and what it’s like to have their world shattered by a single decision. While it’s pretty heartbreaking to read, it does an excellent job of delving into the topic of forgiveness and how it’s important to forgive others, as well as oneself. The love story at the center is also quite powerful. It revolves around one man being able to change his negative perception of someone else and accept them for who they are. As a story filled with themes of forgiveness and acceptance, Reminders of Him stands apart as one of Hoover’s most positive works.
All Your Perfects
Hoover’s 2018 novel All Your Perfects is loosely connected to the Hopeless series. Although it features some of the same characters from the series, it can also be enjoyed as a standalone novel. Meanwhile, All Your Perfects follows Quinn and Graham, a couple who started with the perfect love story but found their connection challenged by all the trials of married life.
All Your Perfects boasts a pretty simple premise and is quite a standard Hoover book, as many of her novels follow a love story with a bump in the road. What sets this novel apart from the others is the deep dive it takes into marriage. It explores what it means to contemplate ending a marriage when the couple is still very much in love. It’s a relatively raw and honest book that normalizes that marriage is hard and tackles some of the biggest challenges that arise. All Your Perfects is emotionally taxing, but some readers may strongly relate to its story.
Slammed
Slammed is Hoover’s first novel, and there’s a reason it propelled her into the literary world. The story follows 18-year-old Layken, who recently lost her father. While she puts on a brave front to take on the role of head of the household, she’s genuinely not alright inside. Everything changes when she meets 21-year-old poetry slam enthusiast Will, who she falls head over heels for. As things start looking up, though, the pair are “slammed” with a shocking revelation that leaves them reeling and struggling with moving forward.
Slammed is gut-wrenchingly beautiful and reads much like the poetry that binds Layken and Will. It’s a typical doomed love story, but Hoover manages to work her magic on it. The underlying subplot will break your heart numerous times, and you will also feel like you know both Will and Layken personally. You will understand their heart and passion and feel butterflies in your stomach as they describe their feelings for one another. It is a love story that is always tragic, refreshing, electric, and intense.
Point of Retreat
Point of Retreat is the second novel in Hoover’s Slammed series. It sees Will and Layken struggling to defy the odds and make their doomed love story work. However, the pair face another obstacle when something from Will’s past resurfaces, threatening their relationship once more.
While the Slammed series ended quite well, Point of Retreat is an excellent book for those who just want more of Will and Layken. They are such a compelling pair of characters, and it’s nice to get a continuation of their relationship. At the same time, the story isn’t quite as moving as the first book, and the source of trouble is quite silly. Still, the story illustrates how small things can sometimes spiral into big things to cause relationship problems. Additionally, delving into two couples learning to communicate and prove their love through poetry is lovely.
This Girl
This Girl is the third and final installment in Hoover’s Slammed series. It takes readers on one last adventure with Will and Layken, who are now married. As they face obstacles in the marriage, they decide to delve into the past, from Will’s perspective, to determine if the future is worth fighting for.
Like Point of Retreat, This Girl wasn’t a very necessary addition to Will’s and Layken’s story. However, for fans of the series, this book will be a real treat. Viewers who loved the switch to Will’s perspective in Point of Retreat will love this book because they’ll also get to revisit some of Slammed‘s best moments from his perspective. Plus, it goes beyond Slammed to truly dive into Will’s story and who he was before and during the series. This Girl will bring their love story full circle and work out some lingering problems in their relationship.
Hopeless
Hopeless is another doomed-love-type story, but it is made more heartrending with its unique protagonist. 17-year-old Sky was adopted and has been homeschooled and isolated her entire life. However, her life changed when she entered public school for the first time during her senior year. It is there she meets Dean Holder. She knows he’s a typical “bad boy” but can’t resist her attraction to him. However, when she learns the secrets that Holder has been hiding, her life falls apart, and their love is deemed hopeless.
As someone who was homeschooled as a kid, this book especially spoke to me. Homeschooled kids raised in isolation with little-to-no social interaction need to get more attention. It adds a layer of pain to the story and makes her first love all the more severe and intense, given her isolated past. Also, the true story of her past will eventually come out, and it is even more tragic than you’ll initially think. It’s a book that examines child abuse, homeschooling, and love in a balanced and nuanced way. Readers will be shocked by the plot twists but will also walk away knowing the book is surprisingly hopeful for being titled Hopeless.
November 9
November 9 is a fun book with a wonky ‘story within a story’ to mess with readers. November 9 follows Fallon, who meets an aspiring novelist, Ben, on November 9. The two have a magical day together but are forced to depart at the end of it. They continue to live distanced lives but always meet back on the same day every year. However, as time passes, Fallon begins to question how much she knows Ben and whether he is manipulating events to find inspiration for his novel.
While November 9 is classified as a romance novel, it actually plays out closer to a psychological thriller. Basically, just as Fallon begins questioning what’s real and fiction when it comes to Ben, readers will start to question what the real story is here. Filled with heated romance, odd coincidences, and unexplainable actions, there is a feeling of some underlying story you can’t put your finger on. However, no one can guess how surprising and disturbing the ending actually turns out to be. This isn’t your typical romance novel, as it’s dark, creepy, and twisted, and Ben should absolutely not be your dream man. However, it will be worth the read if you can stomach it.
Layla
Layla is another one of Hoover’s books that is outside her usual work and blends the paranormal fiction and romance genres. The novel centers upon Leeds, whose happy life with his love, Layla, is shattered when Layla is attacked and badly injured. In hopes of aiding her recovery, Leeds takes her to the bed and breakfast where they first met. However, Leeds starts developing a connection with another guest there, Willow, which further threatens Layla’s well-being.
Layla is a novel that is unlike anything else you will read. It doesn’t have the major plot twists that most of Hoover’s books have, but it’s a shocking tale nonetheless. Layla is a slow-burning love story with a paranormal twist to it. Now, when you hear “paranormal,” you’ll think of a haunted house or other paranormal activity, but you certainly won’t expect the part of the book that Hoover makes paranormal. This kind of book is so original and absurdly dark that you will be captivated until the very end and have the story stewing in your head long afterward.
Without Merit
Without Merit takes the concept of a dysfunctional family to a new level. Merit Voss, the protagonist, is weighed down by horrific secrets. Eventually, she decides to break free of her family, escaping their lies and speaking her truth. However, it comes with numerous heartbreaking consequences she may not be prepared to face.
Hoover truly doesn’t get any bolder than Without Merit. She unflinchingly covers a wide range of sensitive topics, including depression, infidelity, family roles, sexuality, and alcohol and drug abuse. Additionally, she isn’t afraid to shock readers by creating a dysfunctional mess of a family. However, her tale is oddly realistic for those who live in less-than-ideal families. It’s honestly more of a family saga than a romance novel, but it really works. It is an honest and open portrayal of the disappointing side of humanity and the necessity of truth.
(featured image: Montlake, Atria Books)
