The Colleen Hoover Craze

If you know anything merely related to books, you know that popular author, Colleen Hoover, is the craze nowadays, and the craze is guaranteed to continue. Fusing romance with turmoil and confusion, these books allow you to enter a different reality, one that, at times, can be disturbing. Being a reader myself, I have read some of her best works including Confess, Ugly Love, November 9th, It Ends With Us (a classic), and Verity. Although all of these pieces are well worth a read, I am here to rank them from what I deem best to worst, in my personal opinion. 

Even though this may be surprising to some, the one that has to take my number one spot is November 9th. This novel takes the reader along the heartfelt journey between the two main characters, Fallon and Ben. At their time of meeting, inconvenience makes its appearance, and conflicts drive the two apart in several ways. Over the course of reading, I became so engulfed that I forgot it was fiction many times, which was always disappointing when I realized it wasn’t actually real. The main aspect I love about November 9th is its ability to make you feel as if you are witnessing this from an outsider’s perspective in real life.

My second-ranking spot goes to Hoover’s “rise-to-fame” novel,  It Ends With Us. If you haven’t already, this book is well-worth reading because it is heart-wrenching, complicated, and insightfully important. It Ends With Us develops a theme related to relationships and how jealousy has the power to make or break one. What makes this novel so special is that Hoover was inspired to write it based on real-life experiences that she and her mother endured. Although it is saddening, the novel’s theme is extraordinary, making it well worth a read. In September, Hoover is releasing her sequel to It Ends With Us, which is appropriately titled It Starts With Us. At first, I predicted this was going to be a prequel, so I am apprehensive, yet excited, to read how it could be a sequel. Nonetheless, I already know that Hoover is guaranteed to produce a piece of art, with a thematic lesson that is of definite importance. 

The next novel I highly recommend and enjoy is Hoover’s Verity. In contrast to her usual theme of romance and conflict, Hoover takes on the “thriller” approach, while also mixing in some romance. Verity is very controversial, as some may find it a little too disturbing, but personally, I loved the mystery and romantic mixture. One after the next, the thrills continue from the beginning to the end.  Although I understand how it may cause some to feel uneasy, I personally loved predicting what was going to happen next. If you enjoy mysteries and romances, Verity is perfect for you.

Even though it is my fourth-place spot, Confess by Hoover is still a great read. Confess takes you along the love story between Auburn Reed and Owen Gentry, two individuals who have both faced personal struggles. Although they may be categorized as two “broken” individuals, their love becomes one the reader immediately falls in love with. However, I feel as if Hoover could have increased the pace of the novel as it took quite a bit of time to get to the heart of the story.

Hoover’s Ugly Love takes my last place spot because I could not get into it as I did with the others. Ugly Love is ultimately about Tate and Miles, who are drawn apart from one another but can’t stand it. A thought I experienced was that some of the content was repetitive and slow, which could just be a personal feeling, but this caused me to not get into it like I did the other ones. Even though I did not enjoy Ugly Love, you could give it a chance, but I would recommend reading either November 9th, It Ends With Us, Verity, or Confess before it. 

If you are into a romance with a conflict, Colleen Hoover is definitely for you. This outstanding author captures the most meaningful underlying themes within her novels, which makes her work so special. After reflecting on the pieces of Hoover’s writing I have read, I may just have to pick another one up and get reading!