Love her or hate her, Colleen Hoover is one of the most profitable romance writers in the business right now. As such, merch based on her works was an inevitability. However, the merchandise being produced continues to be somewhat questionable.
Hoover has released a clothing line based on her best-selling books. “These collections… are an extension of my books. They are an expression of love for these stories, characters, and the most incredible readers who have welcomed my world of fiction with open arms,” she stated on her website. The collection features lines from her novels It Ends With Us, Verity, Ugly Love, and November 9, many of which are Hoover’s most popular AND most controversial books.
I suppose that it’s less grotesque than the coloring book based on Hoover’s novel, It Ends With Us, which is canonically about an abusive relationship. Still, It Ends With Us collection is the first collection shown on the site and even features the quote from the book, “Naked truths aren’t always pretty.” Which feels like a pretty ironic quote to use for a line of merchandise.
The collection itself is also currently unavailable in plus sizes (the largest available size is XXL) and is on the pricey end for merchandise, with the sweatpants being $87 and the cheapest item being the $45 baseball caps.
They have an entirely separate collection for merchandise under $50, which includes T-shirts branded with the It Ends With Us protagonist’s flower shop, Lily’s Blooms, as well as swag boxes, posters, and prints.
It Ends With Us is getting a movie adaptation with Blake Lively in the leading role, which means the merchandising will probably only increase in the lead-up to the film’s release. Let’s hope that the film will stand firm in ending the romanticization and perpetuation of the abusive relationship.
(featured image: ColleenHoover.com)
