Her books fall into the New Adult and Young Adult categories, alongside Women’s Fiction. She has more than ten novels published, as well as five novellas. Ever since she published her first novel, Slammed, her popularity skyrocketed. She has a huge fan base all over the world, and her Goodreads Choice Awards nominations year after year corroborate that. In 2014, she won the UtopYA Con Awards with Maybe Someday, and in 2015 and 2016 she won Goodreads Choice Awards in the best romance category. If you want to dig into Colleen’s backlist but don’t know where to start, here are a few recommendations.
Hopeless
This was the second book I read from Colleen, and it absolutely blew me away. This was the book that turned me into a YA reader. My best friend gave it to me as a present on my birthday, and I did not know about the plot or have any expectations about it. Because of that, I don’t want to oversell it, so I will refrain. Sky meets Dean, a boy with a bad reputation, who makes her feel things she has never felt before. I know, the story may seem a bit cliché, but I promise you it becomes something entirely different from what you might expect. If you want a YA read, this where to start with Colleen Hoover’s books.
It Ends With Us
This one is considered New Adult and I dare say (from what I read on it all over the web), that it is one of the most acclaimed and most mature novels Colleen has ever written. It is somewhat biographical—Colleen’s mom was a victim of domestic violence, something she explains in the ending notes of this book. I found this story really enlightening on a current and painful theme we still see in our world today. It gives you some perspective on how the victims deal with and see abusive relationships, and it won’t leave you indifferent. I can even tell you I lent it to a friend who is not (at all) into romance, and she loved it. So, go for it.
November 9
November 9 is a book on books, readers, and writers. It is also a book about romance. Fallon is about to move across the country to pursue her acting career when she meets Ben, an aspiring writer. Obviously, sparks fly and they spend the entire day (November 9) together. Since they have to go on their separate ways and Ben has suddenly found in Fallon his big idea for a novel, they both decide to meet each other every November 9. Years go by and the changes in both characters are evident, but they still meet every year. Of course, later on, secrets are finally revealed and the twists will be there—as promised by Colleen Hoover.
Ugly Love
Ugly Love can be a bit cheesy for some people, but if you love romance, I think it will just sweep you off your feet. One major aspect of this book was the suspense. Just like Hopeless, Confess, and many others, Colleen’s writing has this characteristic where she doesn’t just reveal all to the reader. She likes to keep you guessing until the very last minute—and when she finally decides to let you know, trust me, it never is what you were expecting. Ugly Love is like that. Miles Archer is a pilot with a past—a complicated one, at that—which definitely has damaged him. When Tate Collins meets him, the mutual attraction is evident, so they decide to make an arrangement. The only rules are “never ask about the past” and “don’t expect a future.” It just gives you the jitters, doesn’t it? There are many other books by Colleen Hoover that are as good as the ones mentioned above. However, I really think these can give you a general idea of what her work is all about. Give it a try— and let me know what you think!
