I finally bought a copy of It Ends With Us. I resisted for awhile, but finally gave in because I was curious about the hype.
And now I’m 70 pages in and it’s….awful. So cringey. So simplistic. So rich doctor bad boy wants the humble wholesome good girl vibes. Blech.
I’m really not snooty with my reading. I read everything…fantasy, sci fi, YA, classics, historical fiction, non fiction, dystopian, biographies, poetry, etc etc. I’m a bonafide reader with no genre preference. I mean I love Jules Verne and Sinclair Lewis but hell, I also loved the Twilight series when I read it back in college.
I’m trying to force myself to finish it. I’m hoping it’ll eventually hook me in. I see potential with the homeless ex boyfriend. But y’all it’s a cringe-filled slog.
If you’re a Colleen Hoover lover, what is it about her writing that keeps you coming back? Honest question that I’m genuinely curious about.
EDIT: Feel like I need to confess something to keep it 100 haha. I posted this genuinely curious about others’ opinions on CH and this book. Someone posted a thoughtful comment a couple hours ago defending her (mild) enjoyment of CH with an interesting perspective on why she likes her books. So, I opened IEWU back up and gave it another shot. I’m now on page 203. I ended up reading a summary of it with spoilers and seeing how it ends, combined with that redditor’s thoughts, made me want to finish it. I probably won’t ever buy another CH book, but I’m glad I asked this question and that I ended up giving this particular book another shot. It took awhile to get mildly interesting but it’s not the dumpster fire bore I initially feared it would be.
EDIT #2: Well. What a wild weird ride today has been. I ended up binging the rest of It Ends With Us and I’m not sad to put it on my read list for this year. I liked it. Idk if I’ll buy another CH again. But I’m open to borrowing one on Libby or Hoopla if I get stuck in bed with the flu or covid one day. I did not expect my day to end like this. But here we are. I finished the book. I kinda liked it.
by honeyonbiscuits
45 Comments
I could not get into it. It read like a 16 year fantasy of what life was like in your 20s
I have only read one of her books, Verity, when it first came out and was in Kindle Prime and I didn’t like it. It was super predictable and poorly written, IMO. Many authors who churn out books like this follow a formula (Amy Harmon comes to mind) because they sell and the stories are all the same.
IMO of course.
I find her books annoying. There’s so much wishy washy inner dialogue. So much of the book is just the characters going on and on about their emotions. I’m like get to the plot already.
That said a lot of my book club friends like her so that’s why I’ve read more than one of hers. I think all the emotional stuff is just something some people like and identify with. They also tend to be easy reads, I think a lot of people don’t always have the time or energy to deal with something meatier.
For the same reason Reddit likes Sanderson, TikTok loves Colleen Hoover.
Mediocre writers appeal to people new to books because they’re easy to read. Nothing new.
I felt like this about so many books, but I learned to kinda just relax into it… if that makes sense at all? With very few exceptions I started off telling myself “eh. I’ve already read n pages so I might as well keep on”. This led to the soppiest most indulgent kind of reading you can imagine! Despite myself, I ended up enjoying many a bosom heaver. It’s kind of like hate-watching a TV show. I never read any Collen Hoover books but I absolutely plan on doing so at some point.
I am in my 30s and I read verity this year. No real reason, I kept seeing it everywhere. While I can’t claim to love her, I finished the book. It was a little cringey and predictable but I only had the mental bandwith for something like that. It scratched the itch without needing more of a mental commitment from me.
Will I read another one? Maybe, I don’t know.
It gets worse. Don’t finish it. She glamorizes domestic abuse. And then justifies because the person has some traumatic incident in the past. So now everyone is completely okay with them abusing others in their life. It’s disgusting. And it’s quite worrisome how many people love her books.
I read Verity and now I am done. And I actually deleted it from my phone so I never have to look at it again.
I saw the title and had to come say I loathe Colleen hoover. Hate is even a fine word lol. I can’t find a real person who actually likes her either but to each their own.
Because they’re easy and read fast? Idk. I read Verity and it was terrible but I read it in like a day which is what I needed then. All the characters are terrible and it’s all so preposterous, but sometimes you need a junk food book.
Don’t finish it if you don’t like it. It’s okay to DNF. And CoHo has always been DNF worthy.
I didn’t read her books, but I’m surprised when I see these kinds of posts. I’ve seen more people hate her writing than praise it.
She is to books what the Fast and Furious franchise is to movies: something entertaining enough that you don’t have to think too hard on. You go into it with low expectations. Yeah, it’s all pretty predictable and not very groundbreaking, but you can shut your mind off and know that you don’t have to try too hard to understand. I personally feel like she knows how to weave a story well enough to “hook” you in and get you to the end. Others very much disagree, and that’s fair.
I felt the same way you do when I started and ended up changing my mind on it as I finished. I used her books as a reset and an easy win at reading. It gives me a sense of accomplishment to zip through them, but I will no longer be supporting her though because of the situation with her son.
I don’t think this sub does love CH!
But I think the books are widely loved for two reasons: easy-reading and sensationalist plots.
The plot of Verity incorporates illness, a creepy house, a lost diary, a vulnerable young woman, the miscarriage stuff, and multiple whiplashing twists at the end. Absolute catnip to anyone wanting to feel something.
It Ends With Us has the unusual choice to make the protag reject the abusive love interest (eventually). That too has caught on as a “surprising twist” and is the word-of-mouth hook for most people (“you’ll never guess what she chooses”). Most books with a woman leaving a man *start* with that rather than end. The weak characters (and the unbelievably lame Dear Ellen material) couldn’t stand on their own.
I heard someone once say that Colleen Hoover doesn’t really develop her characters all that much and all the relationships in her stories have similar aspects, which makes it really easy for readers to kind of just project themselves into the situation (why they want to do that I have no idea, as everything I’ve heard about her books seems to portray unhealthy, toxic and abusive relationships as normal)
Easy fast reads with romance/sex and often violence. It’s sloppy writing with tons of plot holes. I think she’s taken over book tiktok and is so mainstream because she writes easy reads for people who don’t read that much. No shade just my opinion
I can’t speak to those specific books, but I think sometimes people just want brain candy. I know for me personally, there is not a perfect relationship between how “good” I think a book is and how much I enjoy it. I’ve DNFed books this year that I thought were objectively good (Little Fires Everywhere, for example… just couldn’t get into it at the time) and I’ve devoured books that weren’t as well done but scratched the right itch at the right time.
I’m not a Colleen Hoover fan, but what I’ve heard from people who are is that her books are easy to read. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but after reading Verity I think it’s to do with the easy wording and predictable direction of the novels. It reminds me of watching reality TV in that it’s easy for my brain to focus on for short amounts of time because it ultimately doesn’t require that much focus to understand what’s going on.
For me, I was actively looking for a simple, silly, feel-good romance novel when I picked that book up. I don’t like reading too much of the description of what a book is gonna be about. I just read the first few pages and if I like the style I take it. So everything was going fine until the story veered into what makes it stand out. And it stands out because as someone who has been through this type of relationship it was like retraumatizing myself all over again. To me, it’s one of the first books that bring you into what it’s like to be in that kind of relationship and it does it without pretending to be deep. It does it by making you stupidly follow the cookie crumbs.
I read only verity. I liked the ending but yes the sex scenes were a bit much
Sounds like the Hallmark movies of books.
I don’t love Colleen Hoover but I’ll read her books.
Seeing as almost every other reply is agreeing that she’s awful, I won’t hammer that home but I’ll give you the positives.
They’re easy to read. Even if I don’t think they’re a good book (Ugly Love) I’ll still finish them in 1-2 days.
They’re pretty predictable so they make a quick read. It’s nice to break up other books. Her character development isn’t the best, but it’s enough that you have a decent enough picture of them in your head.
She includes “tough” topics and “complex” characters so people feel like they’re reading more than just pure romance fluff (which I also appreciate sometimes).
Honestly, It Ends With Us is one of her best, so if you don’t enjoy that, then maybe don’t try any others.
She’s not the best writer out there, but I don’t think she’s awful. Just mediocre.
I’ve never read a Colleen Hoover book and I probably never will. I understand she’s very popular but everyone says her books are tragically sad and I’ve seen some of the content warnings some of her books have and it’s safe to say her books are not for me. When I read, I wanna escape into happy ending, romantic and overall positive book. That’s just me. I don’t see myself giving her books a chance
Hate posts are by far my favorite form of content on this sub.
My wife often asks me why I like Jim Carrey movies. I suppose there is no universal answer but I think there’s something to be said for knowing what you are gonna get and those expectations met to make for a quick and enjoyable experience. If you’re expecting that type of writing I imagine somebody would enjoy it as much as I enjoy Jim Carrey meeting my expectations for a movie like Sonic the Hedgehog. Again, not universal but I’ve always felt it was similar in that regard.
I gotta say as someone who just got cheated on by a girl whose favorite author is colleen hoover this thread is so vindicating.
I hated *It Ends With Us* so much, the pick up lines were so horrible (the first chapter: random guy meets a random girl, wants to play a game of true confessions and his confession is, “I want to fuck you so bad” as if that’s supposed to be so super flattering and sexy and make you fall for a guy!)
I chalked it up to being too old to find today’s pickup lines and pick-up culture exciting. Also, I figure a lot of people like easy, mindless books they can read quickly but don’t have to think much.
After bitching about how much I disliked *It Ends With Us*, a friend begged me to read another CoHo book, *Verity*, which she insisted was better. To be fair, it was better (but only because “It Ends With Us” was so awful), but not by much (at least there was a storyline/mystery in *Verity*). But I didn’t enjoy it.
Fun fact: there are two different endings for *Verity* depending on which edition you pick up! (It turned out I read a different edition than the one my friend read, so when I finished and she wanted to discuss it, she was talking about a completely different ending!)
I think that’s because they are easier to read and understand. For people who English isn’t their fist language also can easily read and understand those books. Plus she always go with a problem that many people can relate, so it makes them sympathise with the book. And also she have dual perspective narrating which makes easier to understand things. Mostly for romance, she always go with some kind of traumatic experience that the main characters go through. I think when people can relate to such things, they tend to like them more. This is just my opinion, obviously there might be so many reasons than these.
I am not a die hard Colleen Hoover fan by any means. I have read maybe 5 books of hers, and it was purely coincidental after my fiancé gifted me one of her books (not because I initially actively sought to read her books).
Not all of the ones I read were great, but I did like them for a simple reason – they felt real.
Let me explain. I love HEA’s. Seek them out because I want to feel good at the end. I love romance novels that are predictable, any trope but predictable. Likeable MMC and/or FMC, full of misunderstandings and coincidences, hopefully some good side characters for the next book, and that pesky HEA. Most of what I read about doesn’t feel real – for example, grand gestures like a man arriving at a train station and being allowed to find his woman on the platform just before she boards and leaves him forever? How did he get in without a ticket? What about security? How did the timing workout so great? How come everyone cared and started clapping? *major eyeroll* I love to read it, but it doesn’t feel real. Colleen Hoover’s books, the characters, their narrative, inner dialogue, journeys – they are written in a simple way, but it feels real. She tackles topics that many romance novels stay away from because they’re too heavy to make for a fun, light, easy read. It Ends With Us for example, the violence denoted, this is usually where a romance might start, post-trauma, not expose the journey going through it. Maybe Someday is another example of how she tackles infidelity and how the constant proximity with someone who shares parity with another can cause feelings to spiral out of control. They’re not my go-to books, but I do appreciate that they make me feel like I’m hearing about a real life story vs. simply the fantasy of falling in love. Love and life are sticky and messy and are often more complicated than simple misunderstandings that clear themselves up within a day and CH’s stories capture that well.
So, that’s my long winded explanation. Good luck reading! 🙂
The only positive I can give to CoHo is that her books are easy to read and digest.
Besides that, I think most of her writing is extremely weird. Like in every book someone dies from cancer or has had a traumatic event happen to them. There is always a baby involved. She has weird relationships with siblings/ step siblings/ in laws, it’s not incest but I get that vibe. & there is always a cringe scene that doesn’t need to be there, November 9-tattoo sitting scene, It Ends With Us- party over the shoulder scene, It Starts With Us- bedroom make out shirt scene. Mind you, I have only read 3 of her books but I work at a library so I’m always told by patrons how odd her work is. It’s always “I liked it but…”. Personally, I don’t see myself picking up her work again.
Few here in r/books like Colleen Hoover, or at least admits to it here. I see this same post almost verbatim about once a week or more.
She is popular on the bestseller lists. Just like Dan Brown, Dean Koontz, and James Patterson.
All their books are basically fast-food for readers. Like fast food, they are predictable, mostly bland, inexpensive, not challenging to read (or eat), and available everywhere.
However, I am not sure why I rarely see posts on this forum saying “What is the big deal about James Patterson?”, or “Why is Dan Brown so popular? I don’t get it.”
Why all the criticism specifically for Colleen Hoover over these other authors, who also write thinly characterized books, with predictable plots, for mass consumption?
Is it a gender thing? Is it something else which makes Colleen Hoover’s books especially risible over these other authors?
I am honestly curious.
I hate to be ~this person~ but I read it ends with us in 2018 before it blew up. At the time none of my friends knew who coho was and I really liked the book bc it was really easy to dive into, however, I did feel it was cringe at many different stages of reading it.
I think If I were to read it ends with us now in 2022 with the huge hype, I would be like wtf??? Why is this so popular?
It’s good but I still get amazed how hyped up it is lol
Hopeless was definitely a great book. It’s the only book I’ve read from Colleen Hoover and I’m willing to read more from her. I can’t really say if I will like her other books, but Hopeless was *amazing.* I like the style and everything. Maybe the style/genre just doesn’t “suit” you.
I am SO tired of the “Colleen Hoover is main steam and awful” tirades here. It’s annoying and exhausting. I don’t personally like her style. She’s probably the Nickleback of novels. But some people love Nickleback. There’s obviously something simple and approachable about her books, and we all don’t need to love it.
Asking this sub about Colleen Hoover is like asking r/television why they like the Big Bang Theory. They’re both wildly popular, but not to redditors.
I believe it’s a hype for people who don’t read much. This is clearly my own opinion, but I feel a lot if books that are promoted on tik tok aren’t really the best. Nothing against her as an author, she has her audience to write to and I’m glad they are pleased with her, but it just not for everyone.
😂😂😂 i hate your fucking author, now convince me to like her
The comments here are making me feel things.
I’m a librarian. I will not be touching her books anytime soon. I already know they will not appeal to me.
They are, however, wildly popular. Why? Here’s my guess: they are easy. To an avid reader, they may seem cliche or predictable or like “fast food” books, but to an exhausted reader or a reader who is still learning and improving their literacy or a reader for whom English is a second language, these books are accessible.
I manage our collection of books for new readers and there is shockingly little to choose from that are adult interest but at a low reading level. It’s really hard to get adults with lower literacy or who are learning English to keep going if you try to give them books for preteens or even teens in order to keep the reading level low. 21% of Americans are illiterate and 54% read before a sixth grade reading level. Read that again. 54% of Americans read below a sixth grade reading level.
Believe me. I love to make fun of her books as much as most of you. But I also completely understand that not everyone reads at the level I do. Also, as a librarian, I hold firm that anyone should read whatever they want as long as they are reading. If that’s Colleen Hoover… Then so be it.
Love the unexpected plot twist of this post!
I teach middle school Language Arts, and my students absolutely devour her books. I typically use them as a conversation as to how they view the characters compared to real humans, how they view relationships compared to what they think a healthy relationship should be, and the parts of the books they enjoy.
I have interesting conversations with the kids about them. I don’t care for them myself, but I read them to see what the kids were reading.
Quick easy just a little trashy, what’s not to love. I wouldn’t say it’s great literature but it’s entertainment. I’m not blown away by her or anything but I will say her work is entertaining
I don’t disagree with your assessments, although I’ve only read Reminders of Him, so my comment is based on that. Her characters are trite and simplistic, and it was like reading a soap opera in terms of melodrama. The plots are formulaic (all plots are) in the most basic way. But goddamn she can create an emotional hook and she can create good conflicts within that formula extremely well, to the point where I didn’t wanna stop reading. And I’m sort of a light snob when it comes to books, but I’m absolutely gonna buy more of her stuff.
I like CH books the way I like Doritos. They’re not good for me, but sometimes it’s exactly what I’m craving. If I feel guilty…I promise myself I’ll do better tomorrow.
“It Ends with Us” really spoke to me because of issues it raises. It may seem like those are basic topics and nothing out there, but let’s be honest, the majority of the world doesn’t understand them and still blames the victim etc. The book doesn’t normalise abuse, it actually showcases why it’s hard to leave the abuser and how these relationships may look from the inside. And she also gives hope.
Same reason I like reality tv, it’s trash but can be entertaining and an easy watch/read