Can you name an author with a stronger BookTok presence than the inimitable Colleen Hoover? I certainly can’t. Colleen’s contemporary fiction often depicts young people’s lives and loves as they navigate crises, relationships, and burgeoning adulthood.
It’s hard to believe that a mere decade ago, Hoover self-published her first novel, Slammed. That’s right, SELF-PUBLISHED! The woman published some 123,000 words on paper on Amazon Kindle.
After a few great reviews and Amazon sales, Colleen Hoover’s first two novels were propelled onto The New York Times Bestsellers List. From there, she was just a hop, skip, and jump away from dominating TikTok’s literary pocket’s algorithm. Though she has written over twenty books, let’s take a moment to talk about our favorites.
Best Colleen Hoover Books
Slammed
It’s best to start at the beginning. In 2012, Hoover published Slammed as an eBook simply for the convenience of her mother, who had just purchased an Amazon Kindle.
Slammed centers on Layken, a bereaved 18-year-old struggling to cope with the sudden death of her father. Things start to look up for Layken after a whirlwind date with an attractive, slam-poetry-loving new neighbor. But things quickly fall apart when a shocking twist forces Will and Layken apart.
Slammed is, first and foremost, an exploration of grief and, no matter how heartbreaking, how it can deeply bond two grieving people. This book is the first in the Slammed series, followed by Point of Retreat and This Girl.
Ugly Love
Ugly Love, published in 2018, is not about love at first sight. Tate Collins and Miles Archer do not like each other, but they indeed find one another quite attractive. That leads them to a perfect arrangement: No love—just sex. Of course, you and I, reader, both know that such an arrangement is bound to fail…or maybe succeed?
In any case, Tate and Miles soon learn that their situation is much more complicated than they thought, and it’s now up to them to navigate the emotional mess they have created.
Reminders of Him
In 2022’s Reminders of Him, Colleen writes about the life of Kenna Rowan, who is seeking redemption and desperate to find her daughter after serving a five-year prison sentence. But Kenna is all alone. Everyone she knew before prison seemed very unenthused to rebuild any sort of relationship with her, let alone help her find her 4-year-old daughter.
Everyone but Ledger, a local bar owner, and Kenna’s only ally. However, Ledger’s involvement isn’t without risks, as both stand to lose everyone’s trust and their future if their relationship goes further.
Additionally, Reminders of Him is ranked as one of the best-selling books of 2023.
It Ends with Us
It Ends with Us starts with a casual fling between flower shop owner Lily and hotshot neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid.
Their relationship proves to be a bit more than a fling, but Lily can’t seem to let go of a past flame from her teenage years. To make matters more complicated, Lily is still grappling with difficult emotions about her late father and cannot help but question this new relationship with Ryle. And then, just like that, the old flame reappears.
Here is another of Colleen’s heart-wrenching novels that doesn’t shy away from difficult themes. It Ends with Us is the first in a series as well. Check the review for It Ends with Us to learn more about the book.
This is an impossibly short list of Colleen Hoover’s most loved contemporary novels. Colleen’s novels seem to have an indescribable element that resonates so well and so deeply with this generation of readers. We love these ones, but there are so many more to discover and enjoy. If you’re on TikTok, I’m sure you already know that.
