An array of Colleen Hoover books The Xavierite
In 2022, romance author Colleen Hoover outsold the Bible in book sales. In 2023, Time Magazine named her one of the most influential people of the year. In 2024, a movie adaptation of her most popular book “It Ends With Us” earned over $200 million at the worldwide box office.
Despite her intense popularity among young women, Hoover’s success isn’t without controversy. Many claim her books are full of bad writing, while others believe her books are problematic and dangerous for impressionable readers.
It can be hard to discern whether these claims are justified or not. Too often, the media and general public like to hate and denounce something as soon as it becomes popular among women. This makes it increasingly difficult to separate valid claims from thinly veiled sexism.
Bad writing isn’t inherently problematic and shouldn’t be treated as such. Hoover’s writing lacks depth, which for some people means it’s easier to digest and quicker to get through. For people who want to read simply as a form of escapism, her novels are a good option—in theory.
The true problem lies within the subject matter. Hoover tries to tackle heavy topics in her books (domestic abuse, complex trauma, and disability), but her writing style never affords these issues the maturity they deserve.
Over-simplifying heavy topics is one thing. It’s a disservice to those who have dealt with the experiences Hoover writes about, but it may be more of a writing failure rather than a moral one.
However, Hoover has also been accused of romanticizing these topics and perpetuating problematic stereotypes.
Most of Hoover’s books are romances, but her version of romance is one of toxicity. In “November 9,” there is a scene where the male love interest fantasizes about pushing the female protagonist to the ground and physically restraining her from leaving him.
By the end of the book, these two characters end up together, and it’s portrayed as a happy ending despite the toxic behavior detailed throughout the rest of the book.
Hoover follows a strict formula when writing relationships. The male love interest tends to be possessive and controlling, while the female protagonist is timid and borderline servile. The two characters always have chemistry, but the relationships are full of emotional outbursts and miscommunication until the muddled happy ending.
Some claim this formula romanticizes abuse. At the very least, it romanticizes unhealthy behaviors.
It’s important to note Hoover’s main audience is more often than not teenage girls due to her popularity on TikTok. When young girls are reading stories of romanticized toxicity and manipulative male love interests, the line between bad writing and problematic writing becomes increasingly blurred.
Some may argue Hoover isn’t responsible for what age group reads her work. Most of her books are officially marketed as “new adult” for readers aged seventeen and up. They’re also marketed as “chick-lit,” which is indicative of a greater problem within the publishing industry and how it treats female authors.
“Chick-lit” and “women’s literature” are catch-all genres for books written by women and primarily read by women. These genres, pushed by the publishing industry, reduce women’s stories and keep them from being marketed as their correct genres.
Hoover herself has made it clear in the past that she has an issue with the barriers of the publishing industry.
“I don’t like to be confined to one genre. If you put me in a box, I’ll claw my way out,” Hoover’s Goodreads bio reads.
An author doesn’t get much say in how their books are marketed, so perhaps the mislabeling of her work is excusable. Why, then, does Hoover lean into the juvenile interpretations of her novels?
Back in 2023, Hoover announced her plans to release a coloring book based on her most popular novel, “It Ends With Us.”
A coloring book would make some sense if Hoover wrote light-hearted, fluffy romances. In stark contrast, most of her books revolve around the unresolved trauma of the characters and how it negatively impacts their relationships.
In fact, “It Ends With Us” isn’t a romance at all. It follows Lily and Ryle’s relationship, which is heavily abusive and inspired by Hoover’s own family history of domestic abuse—not exactly the kind of thing you can color in with crayons.
Hoover apologized for the coloring book and confirmed she was not going to proceed with selling it after receiving intense backlash.
When a woman gains immense popularity, it’s not uncommon for her to face unprecedented backlash from baseless claims. In the case of Colleen Hoover, not all of the critiques are unfounded.
Whether it’s bad writing, problematic stereotypes, or absurd merchandise, Hoover has proved some of the hate coming her way is valid.
No one should tell anyone what to read, but every reader needs to think critically about the authors they support and what they stand for. Stories shape the world and society, so it’s never a bad idea to hold the authors of these stories accountable.