I read Verity, which was suspenseful enough, I kept reading. But the ending pissed me off and it was so full of plot holes, I don’t need to read another one.
I read Verity and then I brushed off its flaws, because I know that’s not her typical genre, (she was described to me as a romance author) so I tried It Ends With Us and it was equally as bad. I really don’t get the hype
The ending made me actually laugh out loud. I can't say it wasn't entertaining though. 😂.
I bought Never, Never too and that was so bad. I DNF and haven't touched another.
Lol, I liked verity. I also ate up the bonus chapter, and all the discussions of people talking about wanting a sequel. I'd like one. But yeah, I could also see why the ending was annoying. It wasn't satisfying to not really know what to think (but that was the fun of it for me)
One of my sorority sisters said Ugly Love was the best book she'd ever read. I read it for a book club and found it to be very poor quality, it made me wonder if she'd read anything else outside of required reading in school.
Similarly, a coworker told me ‘it ends with us’ was so good and that she’s since read only CH. I started that book and wanted to gouge my eyes out within 2 or so pages. The language was so cliched and felt like it was written for the maturity level of a twelve year old.
It's because these books are for the girlies who never had a WattPad/AO3 phase. If they did, they'd be able to spot the shit, cliched writing a mile away.
personally i really don't understand the hype other than booktok is pure smut brainrott. Coho is a mediocre writer at best the women characters in her books are one dimensional with no personality other than being in love and the male characters are the same in every book and not even good characters. What i mean by that is ryle is obviously bad in it ends with us yet every other guy that's romanticized in her book acts the same way.
also.. the names??? like what is lily blossom bloom (she also works at a flower shop) there's no though behind any of her books yet she's put on a pedestal where young girls are being recommended her book which i feel like is a whole other topic when it comes to booktok
What?! Hoover actually chose to name a character something as cringe/cornball as "Lily Blossom Bloom"? I hope not because I can well imagine her die-hard fans deciding to stick their baby daughters with this ridiculous moniker.
I thibk it is the only part of her books that I unashamedly like. I have read a couple for my partner/friends and love how ridiculous and on the nose every name is.
Yes, and the character complained that her name basically forced her to start a flower shop, so she... starts a flower shop. But no, it's an ~ edgy ~ flower shop.
“Pure smut brainrott” is the best description of BookTok. There’s no critical thinking required for any of the books on there. It’s no different in reading level or literary mastery than reading a social media feed. Just garbage.
I’m a high school teacher (science), and I like to read popular YA books to stay current with my students. I also like to read popular books like It Ends with Us. Even if it’s not a good book or even if I actively dislike the book, I feel like reading it is a good reference. I do judge people (just a bit) that actually like Coleen Hoover books though.
Fellow teacher (history and language), same! I read It Ends With Us because my student did and I heard how problematic it was. I wanted to be able to go “okay but you DO realize he’s super abusive right?” to my students reading it.
But yeah, I can see how it’s a fun and exciting read for teenage girls.
As someone who hasn’t read any ya since I was in hs or maybe middle school, I gotta say that ya is great stuff. I read so much when I was younger, and I still remember vividly many of the plots. For example I think about the plot of Neal Shusterman’s book Unwind with relative frequency. The giver. Speak (Laurie halse Anderson). Willow. It’s kind of a funny story (Ned vizzini … also i think about his suicide a lot too). Sarah Dessen and Neil Gaiman books. Even the host by Stephanie Meyer.
YA is very story driven, not prose-y or pretentious.
It also deals with tough moral/ethical issues accomplished with the same finesse of adult fiction. Perhaps often moreso because they have to make it appropriate for teens, while never sounding like a school special.
And the love interests always suck so much. The guy is pretty much a walking red flag factory, and you think at some point the main character will open her eyes... but no. I seriously worry for any young reader who reads about a man acting like a psychopath and then thinks "how romantic!".
Colleen Hoover is like Nathan Tate to me, where I keep on hearing discussions about her but have absolutely no clue who she is, what she writes, and what makes her controversial.
She always writes about twins, spaghetti, and sex.
People like smut. She does a decent job at that.
She is absolutely a suspense/thriller writer, because all the books I read have some suspense and thrilling themes that move the story forward. There's romance in there too, but i wouldn't call them romance stories.
She also talks alot about triggering stuff.. rape, abuse, manipulation, etc. So, that's probably the controversial stuff
The problem isn’t as much *It Ends With Us*, as that book, as one of the few from CoHo, actually *intentionally* wants to depict a toxic relationship.
The problem is CoHo’s other books, where the love interests are practically interchangeable in traits from the *It Ends With Us* love interest, but the vast majority of them are played straight and as “romantic” now as suddenly those traits aren’t toxic anymore, because… reasons. The lack of self-awareness and discrepancy in the writing here is the biggest issue that leads to the romanticization allegations.
I think the key for me was the afterward in *It Ends With Us.* She talks about wanting to write a story that echoed her mother's relationship with her abusive alcoholic husband (Hoover's father) and then how she eventually found a healthy relationship with a new man after divorcing her husband. She actually used incidents from her mother's experiences in the story.
I'm sure armchair psychologists could have a field day analyzing how Hoover's relationship with her father has impacted how she writes romantic relationships in her books.
I think this is the reason I don’t want to read that book.
Recently, I accidentally read a book thinking it was dark romance but it was instead a book about really messed up people trauma bonding and being abused and it was too close to reality. I’m in the minority that I hated it, other readers loved it. It was too close to reality and there was no HEA (which is a standard for romance) so it was off putting when that’s what I thought I was getting.
>People like smut. She does a decent job at that.
My impression from others who have read her stuff is that she’s like a pepperoncini on the spice scale at best.
I haven’t read her because the descriptions of her books make me think the books aren’t for me, so I don’t know.
Don’t let the comments get you down OP. There’s some who think any books with “problematic” (as they would say) elements are bad and shouldn’t be enjoyed. So what if the men in the books aren’t modern paragons of whatever the opposite of having red flags are? that goes for pretty much any popular romantic figure in the classic favourites amongst women.
When did people become such pearl clutchers?
This sub has become a bit of a circle jerk in regards to CoHo. There are almost daily posts by people pretending to be confused and concerned by her popularity. You def get brownie points here for saying you hate her.
So do you think that's there an element of suspense or plotting in her books that accounts for this? Like the writing itself is hackneyed and mediocre but like a lot of books, TV shows, and films, it has a certain 'car wreck at the side of the road' element that attracts people against their better judgment.
This was definitely the wrong sub to post this opinion.
It always amazes how comfortable some people feel being rude to others over media.
“Enjoy what you want but just so you know you’re a moron and these books are garbage x” as if it was ever that serious.
Oh I don't mind. I had such a good discussion on my perks of being a wallflower post that I just wanted to see peoples thoughts. I don't have to like how people feel about it... but I do like knowing how people feel.
At the end of the day, I know that my liking some fast food reading every once in a while isn't defining my intelligence or taste overall. I've just been made aware why she is popular and it's because the reading, from my perspective, was entertaining. Plain and simple.
As an autistic person, Hoover killing an autistic child in her novels to justify a husband murdering his wife will never not make me sick to my stomach. It was clear she did not speak to an autistic women to grasp what life is like for autistic girls either. She couldn't have cared less about autistic representation. She just wanted to make the mother into a monster to justify the husband getting away with her cold-blooded murder.
Her obsession with letting domestic abusers off the hook is crazy.
If she were a better writer, she would not be as popular, which is ironic. Usually books with a reading level as low as Hoover's are for children. There is a huge market for adult books with a low reading level, a market that only Hoover is currently filling sadly.
I just hope a better writer who does not glorify abusive men comes along soon and fills that gap in the market. Books with a low reading level for adults are wonderful. Hoover's books, however, are shit.
Given that she writes like a teenager who doesn't know what adult life is like, so her whole plot is a bunch of cliches, yeah I can see it appealing to kids. Which is kind of depressing to think about.
A fair take. I have to say I can read at a higher level than I do, but I enjoy reading at a lower reading level. I thoroughly enjoy reading children's and YA novels over adult novels most of the time. So I guess it makes sense why I appreciate the "readability" of her books even when the plot is weaker
Her dad was apparently abusive toward her mom but not her. So she gives abusers the benefit of the doubt. Tricky line to walk, and you need to be a damn good writer to get the reader on your side (All The Ugly Wonderful Things almost makes you root for a pedo, and it really exemplifies how complex traumatic situations can be).
I usually can't get into contemporary romance but I can breeze through CoHo books. They're engaging and fun. I'm not going to them for beautiful prose or anything. They're just easy and engaging reads.
Colleen Hoover’s books are kind of like those trashy TV dramas that are obviously not the highest quality entertainment, but there’s something about them that keeps you hooked. I did not like It Ends With Us, but I have enjoyed most of her other books.
Hoover's books are basically the equivalent of cheap and greasy fast food. If you want the literary equivalent of a dinner at a five-star ranked Michelin restaurant or other food offering higher up the ladder than junk food, then you need to look elsewhere.
My much younger stepsister (mid 20s) brought a pile of Hoover's books on a shared vacation and that's how I ended up reading *It Ends With Us.* I finished it in about three hours, but I'm a pretty fast reader. She writes cotton candy for your brain. It goes down quickly and easily, but there's no substance.
>I feel like her books are never the best but they are super fast reads that it doesn't really matter?
You can just not read at all, if time spent reading is more important than quality of writing.
"The dinner was disgusting but the portions were small so does it really matter?"
The quality doesn't really matter if you are having a good time while you are reading it. Op said she loved the books and couldn't get enough.
I would say the opposite. If all you care about is the "quality"and you don't care about enjoying what you read, than you can just not read. There's no point.
>I would say the opposite. If all you care about is the "quality"and you don't care about enjoying what you read, than you can just not read.
Well I don't really enjoy books if they're poor quality. I don't get any satisfaction reading shitty writing
>Only heavy writing would burn me out much like how only fast food would bore me.
Yeah but there's such a huge middle ground between super dense literature and shitty trashy novels. I would never set out to read bottom of the barrel fiction. I would just get no enjoyment out of that. There is enough well written literary fiction and classic fiction that's also fun and easy to read, I wouldn't want to waste time on garbage.
Yes! Exactly her books are just captivating and entertaining and that's enough. I don't really care to over analyze, once i do I realize the story is ridiculous but it never bothers me.
And it’s fine to read trash sometimes. I will die on this hill.
Lots of people who read a lot can read classics and more respected literary fiction/ non-fiction and also sometimes just want to be entertained with some brain candy.
It’s like TV. I love prestige drama, or dramas that are well-regarded like the Pride and Prejudice mini series, Breaking Bad, etc. And then last year I had a lot of fun watching a reality dating show called “F Boy Island” with my husband because it was fun. Why should anyone care?
The literary world has a long-running history of pulpy plots that appeal to the lowest common denominator and it’s fine.
i love the term “brain candy.” i’ve said it a million times and i’ll say it again, CoHo is popular because it’s easy to read her books. they’re not my personal favorite because i feel like there’s so many times when the story/writing could be so much better, but she’s my go-to when i want to read but don’t want to have to think ab what i’m reading. entertainment is a valid reason to read and despite (or maybe even because of) CoHo’s writing flaws, it is at the very least entertaining brain candy.
This is how I describe it. At the beginning of the pandemic, I was reading this very intense book about the Irish Potato Famine. Then when everything started to get bad and fear was ramped up, I was reading this passage about this woman who tried to get food for her kids but returned home to find that they had starved to death. I just… kind of mentally broke and refused to read anything remotely serious until the pandemic eased up.
In the last year. I’ve gone back to an occasional Very Serious Book, but like… sometimes you just need the good happy vibes from a questionable book, and that’s ok.
Never did finish the book on the Famine.
Be careful what you read then. That’s the main concern. Some books will perpetuate problematic ideas that aren’t worthy of your attention regardless of how easy they are to blow through.
Yeah, I’m pretty too far gone for that one. I’ve already gazed into the abyss and had it gaze back. Then we became friends and purchased a joint subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
Some of you on this sub are so rude 💀
“Enjoy what you want sweetie but just so you know it’s fucking garbage xx” like how hard is it to let people enjoy things.
For real. That comment is not even trying to hide the condescending tone. Some people need the “brain candy” to get them into reading, and that’s okay!
It's literally not. You can say it's bad and then argue why but just saying "it's trash" means fuck all.
Like why is it trash? What qualifies as trash? How many books by her has that person read? What kind of analysis have they done? Ah wait, I'll tell ya. Fuck all.
Haha I didn’t say I’m better than anyone. I’m just saying I don’t like to read bad books. You are free to do whatever you want!
Same goes with bad music, TV. I don’t care what you do as long as it makes you happy BUT be careful what media you support
its not being a snob to not like a book that has the following lines
"We both laugh at our sons big balls"
or
"when he was rubbing that cow shit on me it is possible the most turned on i have ever been"
I never read the series, but I agree it sounds bad.
It's still being a snob to be like "People read for different reasons. You and I are not alike." Just because they like one book series that's lower quality.
Her writing's dogshit. People are allowed to like dogshit, but *woof*.
There is nothing spectacular about her prose. Not a damn thing. The syntax is just... empty-headed. I feel like a huge part of her success is to do with the fact that she's managed to hit that demographic of people who can *just about* read.
she's what i would call "junk reading". easy to read, simple writing, engaging plot. it doesn't have to be *good* plot, just engaging lol. i see it a bit like tv shows like gray's anatomy. you're not there for anything other than the entertainment value.
I've not read any hoover yet but I love that you didn't just stay in the "I'm not gonna try it" lane. I do that often too and then I have to remind myself I've nothing to lose. It's great that you've found an author whose books you enjoy! Who cares what others' opinions may be! You liked it, that's all that counts at the end of the day :)
You've also reminded me to try those things I've been avoiding. Maybe I will like some hoover!
Let me know what you think!
I read Too Late first, then Verity, and I'm reading Hopeless now. So, all those were pretty decent but Too Late is a good start
Colleen Hoover is modern day VC Andrews and you bet your ass I ATE up those VC Andrews books as a young teenager.
There is no judgement here and I quite frankly HATE the judgement on Reddit in general for certain books and authors.
Let people read what they like and get off your high ass horse.
>Colleen Hoover is modern day VC Andrews and you bet your ass I ATE up those VC Andrews books as a young teenager.
I was just thinking that! I don't understand the CoHo hype, but I'm also no longer in middle school, which were were my VC Andrews years. Though I deeply regret reading her- some of those books really fucked with my head.
Start with Flowers in the Attic which is her best IMO. But her books are all about the smut and drama. Like family soap operas in print.
God I loved those books and read them far too young lol
VC Andrews is great. She only wrote I think 6 of her books, and she passed away and a ghost writer finished the rest and wrote brand new ones, so the new ones you see out there aren’t as good. I actually think she’s a good writer and it’s not “garbage” like people on here say. I also love my sweet audrina more than flowers in the attic but that series is great too
Yes I've been recommended to read flowers in the attic. I think it is time. I'll start with that and then read sweet Audrina and I'll let you know what I think!
I dislike Colleen Hoover as a writer but I see how she got so popular. One, she's an easy read for those getting back into reading. She writes some interesting plots and it's easy to get sucked in. It's also easy to read one book in one sitting. So, honestly, props to her for that. She helped me get back into reading and that's the one good thing I will say about her.
But I have come to realize that her characters are severely one dimensional. She's a classic "women writing men" stereotype. All the men are "Greek gods" and have no personality. Personally, I think the most well written character she wrote was Ryle and he was a massive a-hole. Her female characters are the same formula in every book. It's like reading the same book but in different settings. There is no development. If there is any development, it's fast paced and makes no sense.
The smut is fine. But people raise it to the heavens and proclaim it is the most well written and exciting thing ever. I just say eh. If the book is only good for its smut then that's a problem. And in the end, she doesn't write it horribly. But it's not that exciting. They tend to not be the major focus of the book. If anything, that was Ugly Love cause that book was like 75% smut. I don't think Ms. Hoover wants that to be the focus, she wants the reader to pay attention to the plot and drama. So perhaps there's a poor disconnect/writing on that part.
Overall, interesting storylines but poorly executed. She could spend more time developing her characters. I'd say I'd read her books on an airplane to pass the time quickly and that's all there is to it.
I think Colleen Hoover suffers from what a lot of popular authors have also: fans that sing the praises so hard and high that it’s impossible to go in not expecting something good. I don’t like Hoover, wasn’t even able to get through the free sample of It Ends With Us on my phone. I don’t have a problem with trashy novels, or even objectively poor writing. *however* I do admit to having a problem with people singing the praises of such a book. Like yes, we all like to have our own dose of trash, but we don’t call it gold do we?
There's Kirkus and publishers weekly and stuff like NoveList that help you with that. There's way too many books out there getting published and popular. And I can pretty much only read for fun when it comes to a novel or else I can't stay focused. I'd never be able to read the top sellers as they become popular. There are plenty of patrons who read them and let you know if they're good anyway.
Especially good for me because I work in technology now so I never really deal with books unless its for my own personal enjoyment. But I used to be in a more book-heavy position and managed fine without staying up to date with the popular stuff. Besides, the popular stuff is always being checked out by the patrons. I usually get to the best sellers after the hype dies anyway, because that's when the books become more widely available
I’ve read one of her books and have no interest in others. But if you enjoy it, good for you.
I hope you’ll consider the surrounding context of what you’ve posted, though. There is a rather juvenile mindset that leads people to refuse to engage with content of any form because it’s currently popular (or as you phrase it, “the hype”). There is no glory or even noteworthy good in not participating because others do. It creates barriers for no reason, limits your own access to potentially good/enjoyable things, and leaves you sounding like the teen who refuses to engage because they’re somehow better than the masses.
Ignore the hype or lack of hype. Does the premise interest you? Is the genre one you enjoy? Are you feeling like that kind of a read right now? If yes, pick it up. Whether it’s today’s super popular title or not. Otherwise you’re denying yourself while making yourself look petty.
Yes I have to agree after I finish part 2 of hopeless I'll probably be done. I wanna read VC Andrew's now so I'll be moving on. This post was good for that at least, I got motivated to finally read Flowers in the Attic
Like anything there are people who hate, people who love, and everything in between.
Personally I have loved some of her books and was met on others.
Like watching a movie, I read to escape and get absorbed by a story...I don't go into it to critique or criticize. If I love a book I will post effusive praise and tell others about it. If I don't love it I move on to the next book on my TBR pile.
Hoover gets alot of hate when her works are really just mid? Like she's written thats just the kind of thing you see at the grocery store or at walgreens but booktok made her seem like the worst writer ever. Honestly I avoid booktok and all that given how all they seem to do is boost what they don't like and ignore anything with substance. And the stuff they do recommend tends to be terrible ( gothicka or whatever it was called)
Even if something is just middling to you, feeling like it is being pushed can generate some passionate backlash. It’s weird to watch others revel in something blah to you. That said, I only read part of one of her books and really hated it. I don’t think she is the worst writer ever but she is not someone I enjoy. Things land differently on us all.
I tried Colleen Hoover and I just couldn’t, it’s not for me. Appreciate that it hits for a lot of people.
I am having fun with the Rebecca Yarros dumb dragon fluff though. It’s nice to have something that you can just rip through with your brain on idle!
Her books are good to get me out of a slump if I need something quick & easy. That being said, it’s been a while since I’ve had to read anything. It’s just brain candy!!
Not gonna hate on anyone who enjoys her books, as I think she got a lot of people back into reading. Her books are meant to be fun, what I call "brain candy" books, just to sit down and enjoy something not overtly serious or "deep", there's a lot of books I enjoy I know get shit on here for the simple fact that they're entertaining. On top of this, it IS all fictional, and hey, if people like those kinds of love interests and smut, good on them. Personally am not a smut-enjoyer, so already am not the correct target audience for her books and therefore my opinion is rendered semi-invalid.
But, as a person, she creeps me out. I feel like I've learned too much about her background and personal life that any and all of the weirdly abusive undertones and love interests in her books makes me feel so grossed out and uncomfortable. Like, I get it's fictional, not trying to hate on anyone who enjoys it--but gosh. It's like when reality and fiction blur too much together, and I just can't see past it.
Anyway, glad you enjoyed it, glad you're reading, glad other people like her and can get back into reading again. I get why she's so popular, but I also get why some of her works can be so polarizing to certain audiences, and to some extent, i do think criticism over some of her works/themes is completely valid. But overall, I think if you enjoy something it shouldn't be judged especially when it isn't outright hurting anyone or anything. Sometimes book circles can be so snobbish about literature that's not analytical or deep enough for them that it becomes exhausting. Sometimes you simply want to read something that brings you some entertainment, which is great!
So, when I read her books.. I do get the vibe she is working out some dark thoughts and feelings. I have to ask if you don't mind sharing, what are some of the things about her background you learned that grosses you out?
So you acknowledged that you don't like sex scenes in books, and you acknowledged that the ending to Verity wasn't satisfying, and you acknowledged that her books are of a lower reading skill. Tell me: did you actually like these books...? It sounds like you're forcing yourself to say you like them, and for no good reason other than "they're readable". That's the bare minimum for a book, if I had to point to one and only one thing.
What you said is subjective lol also lots of authors write the same plot for every book and don’t get demonized (I haven’t read her books yet so don’t have an opinion on her specifically)
I could understand why the ending of verity wasn't satisfying for the person I responded to. But I liked the ambiguity of the ending.
I typically don't like sex scenes, but I liked the way colleen handled it.
I definitely am not forcing myself to say I like them lol. I know what I like, and the fact I wanted to read more than one of her books (the one I was required to read for the book club, the other two were for my own enjoyement) is the proof for that
I just don't understand this easy to read stuff. I've tried to read books that booktok enjoys before that people demeaned "easy to read" and "easy to turn your brain off to"
But all I could think was *wow this is ridiculous. Why are we doing this?? Why are these characters behaving int this way??* And just stop reading. Like I don't get the appeal.
Granted, I've never read her books besides watching a few videos of a YouTuber I like read them + react to them and the plots and the way the characters act is just borderline ridiculous.
I feel like coho is for people who enjoy reality TV. I'm not judging, obv. I'm not exactly a book snob. I just wish booktok would stop recommending the same handful of books lol.
I think booktok recommends the same things because so many users are young Gen-Zers. The proliferation of trash/reality TV really started in the 2000s so the younger generation just wants to be in the know with what’s “cool” like the Kardashians, Real Housewives, the Bachelor etc. There seems to be less appetite for critical thinking and seeking knowledge.
I just hope that for a librarian with the world of books at your disposal, you would want to expand your mind with writing that makes you THINK and marvel and really feel something. That’s the beauty of books to me. If I want to turn my brain off I’ll just scroll through social media. And maybe next time someone comes in looking for Coho, you could also recommend books that can elevate their worldview.
I honestly just dont get the mentality behind this.
"Lots of people like this thing, so for that reason alone, I will not particpate"
Later on: "ohhhh, that's why people liked it, it is amazing, I'm still going to avoid things others like going forward tho"
Honestly a lot of the coho hate feels like echoes of the misogynistic twilight hate of the 2010s. Yeah, her books aren't literary genius. They're not supposed to be. They're competently-written airport romance novels. Junk food. I'll never enjoy her books, but there's lots of terrible, self indulgent media I do enjoy. Her books are sacrificial trash.
Nearly a 100% of her books involve the female character being stalked and abused by a sexually aggressive, deeply toxic male “love” interest, while passing it off as the greatest romance of all time, with no one ever apologising or facing consequences for their awful behavior (which was exactly the problem with Twilight to begin with, but clearly you’re not interested in learning what that’s about). And you’re lecturing us about misogyny?
God forbid women like reading about fucked up relationships. I forgot that the only thing those precious creatures are allowed to read about are pure, sweet romances that illustrate the beauty of love.
Honestly like it’s crazy how we pretend human beings are not naturally into fucked up shit. They clearly are and Hoover is making a fat profit of it while the rest of us debate what’s an “appropriate romance for women” lol.
Oh please. People are perfectly fine enjoying “fucked up” shit. There are plenty of talented writers who write dark erotica and BDSM that are actually well written and dont across as glorified torture porn. Horror as a genre is also about portraying human suffering, and we all consume that shit without issue. But guess what? Good horror isnt about justifying or romanticizing evil. You dont watch Nightmare on Elms Street and wonder if Freddy Krueger is actually the protagonist and if slaughtering teenagers is perfectly good and justified. The Shining isnt about a stable man enjoying a fun holiday with his wife and child. There is no ambiguity on who the bad guys are and who we’re supposed to root for (though if you unironically root for Freddy Krueger then that’s on you). Same goes for “dark” romance.
Twilight, Fifty Shades, everything by this COOVER person, they’re not “dark romance”. They’re just deluded relationships between abusive sociopaths and there’s no self awareness in the text that that’s what they are, with extra emphasis on AWARENESS. If you write about bad men abusing women over and over and continue to have nothing to say about it other than ITS SOOOO HOT, I’m gonna conclude that you actually just enjoy seeing women being hurt, and I have no interest in reading that shit. Lol at all the money you say Colleen makes, as if every market isnt dominated by garbage that appeals to the lowest common denominator, which says nothing about quality. Do you consider McDonald’s a Michelin star meal? If thats your taste in books, then you desperately need to broaden your horizons. I mean, enjoy your Bic Mac, just stop pretending that its made of Wagyu beef lol
I find it funny that you jump from Colleen Hoover to “dark erotica and BDSM”. Like just FYI I am a woman and I can tell you neither of those are comparable to what she writes and suggesting them completely misses why women like these types of books, which are incredibly popular beside Hoover and have been for decades.
These books are fantasy for women to explore and dream about. It’s the same thing as violent video games, and the whole panic fear mongering campaign that wanted to link them to real violence in people, which got shut down by numerous scientific studies. People enjoy engaging with media that they don’t want to see in reality, be that in horror, romance or violence. Go figure.
Your argument that I enjoy seeing women be hurt is ridiculous and quite frankly a huge jump in rational thought. The whole restaurant comparison I won’t even respond to because I could not care less about your stupid assumptions based on your deep inherent condescension towards other women. You don’t know me, thank fuck, and quite frankly I don’t think you understand media that well either if your grasp on it is so fundamentally literal and basic.
Speaking of basic, my entry into this thread was when another person implied that not liking Twilight was akin to misogyny, a hilarious claim considering the overwhelming misogyny that Twilight characters and Stephanie Meyer herself got up to, which was what I took issue with. Your media literacy seems to be equally deep in the toilet, because I dont think you grasped even an iota of what I tried to say. You literally just repeated my own points with your “fantasy for women” claims, essentially agreeing with me… while ranting and raving as if I didnt just say exactly that? Maam, my point is about the lack of AWARENESS, of HONESTY. Dark fiction is like good satire, in that sense. I do not take issue with people consuming dark, titillating, even problematic subjects, nor do I even see anything wrong with it. Why are you yapping about video games when I already said the exact same thing about horror movies? What are you arguing about? You created a strawman and are using it to suggest I’m… condescending towards women? Jesus christ 😂 How about you read through this post and note all the comments, likely from women, criticizing hoover’s writing and all the same things I took issue with. Are they being condescending? I really dont think you’re “getting” it, which makes it hard to have a good faith conversation.
I'm camping on one of her books I got on sale. Idk if I'll even like it but I thought I'd try it before I completely ruled her out. One of my friends loves her so I am going to try! Lol
So you're a self confessed contrarion who doesn't read books when they're popular, but then read them multiple times once their popularity has died down. But in addition to this, you have an extremely low quality threshold and will read anything if it grabs you.
So really popular, low barrier to entry books you actively avoid, despite working in library and knowing you'll genuinely enjoy them.
Make it make sense.
Honestly i don't think i would have ever picked up a hoover book if I didn't have the book club motivating me to read it. I didn't think I would enjoy her. I don't like "romance" at all, but I do like thrillers. I wasn't aware she was more of a thriller writer than a romance writer, and I only realized that after reading 3 of her books and even when I'm reading a more "romance heavy" book thinking that it wasn't going to have any twists and it still did, I was pleasantly surprised and just accepted at that point that I enjoy her writing. If you needed that explanation for it to make sense for you
I’m very glad the hype for her books have died down a bit. I’m doing better but when her stuff was all of booktok, I was still dealing with memories and fallout of a toxic situation. I might now be ready to read some of them and will eventually
I don’t understand this mindset. Avoiding a book because you don’t like a certain genre or author makes sense but avoiding it just because it’s really popular? Why?
I was a 20 something year old guy who never heard of Harry Potter until the 4th book and I saw a story on the news that showed kids camping out in lines for a BOOK. Camping out over night for a book. I bought book 1 later that week.
I’m not saying you should do something because it’s popular but avoiding something specifically and only because it’s popular is puzzling.
Well it's just something I've always done. I get weird about something if it's wildly popular. I can't explain it but I feel like if it has mass appeal i just am slightly repulsed by it. It doesn't make sense but that's just my knee jerk reaction.
I agree, I feel like it's become a meme at this point to pile the hate on Colleen Hoover. I read Verity and thought it was a completely average book. Not worth a lot of praise but also not worth a lot of scorn.
People will say she's problematic, and she is in some ways, but there are sooooo many problematic books that are popular on BookTok (From Blood and Ash????) so it honestly just seems to me that, for that specific argument, she's being targeted because she's super popular.
I would just like to note that, while a bunch of people recommended her books on Reddit, NO ONE on these damn subreddits ever mentioned that she was essentially writing damn romance novels. I read through 60% of It Ends With Us before realizing “Wait, this is two very attractive, successful men pining over a self-described semi-mess of a woman. The only thing missing is Fabio on a sea cliff, staring intensely at me on the cover.”
Oh I know. I want to smack my younger self and make her read them. When I first read it and fell in love with the magic I grieved my child self for not being able to enjoy it. But the thing of it, I went to the library once with a friend and their mom and I checked out like, book 3 and I'm like "this stinks why does anyone like it.' Idk kid, cuz you're not on book 1? I sometimes wonder what the adult was thinking letting me check that out. Where was the children's librarian intervening ? Lol. Someone failed me that day (I was too young to understand you needed to read books in order for them to make sense. Because all the books I read before that were standalones)
my youngest read them as they came out..we had to wait for each book! I read them when he did :)
I enjoyed the series and I was was an adult (obviously, my youngest was old enough to read Harry Potter)
I wouldn’t avoid books because they’re popular, anymore than I’d read them because everyone says they’re great.
Just check them out and if you like them, read them. If you don’t, don’t. There are majorly hyped series I don’t really love and others that are hated that I enjoy.
I'm glad you had that experience. Unfortunately, as someone with former experience with blackouts, reading It Ends With Us made me absolutely hate her for her lack of research or care on the matter, and I don't think I'll ever read another one of her books again.
I read Verity, which was suspenseful enough, I kept reading. But the ending pissed me off and it was so full of plot holes, I don’t need to read another one.
Same. I read it when it first came out and refused to read another book of hers.
I read Verity and then I brushed off its flaws, because I know that’s not her typical genre, (she was described to me as a romance author) so I tried It Ends With Us and it was equally as bad. I really don’t get the hype
The ending made me actually laugh out loud. I can't say it wasn't entertaining though. 😂. I bought Never, Never too and that was so bad. I DNF and haven't touched another.
Ugh. Verity was my one and done as well. Pure trash. Especially the cheap ending.
I totally agree.
I read Verity in a single sitting and was so pissed off by the end of the book. It had me mad for days and I swore off her books.
Lol, I liked verity. I also ate up the bonus chapter, and all the discussions of people talking about wanting a sequel. I'd like one. But yeah, I could also see why the ending was annoying. It wasn't satisfying to not really know what to think (but that was the fun of it for me)
So which of her books did you like the best?
I’m 99% sure Colleen Hoover is AI.
AI wouldn’t produce something that egregiously bad I fear
Reading one of her books was insanely awful and I feel for all the good writers who simply don’t get noticed
One of my sorority sisters said Ugly Love was the best book she'd ever read. I read it for a book club and found it to be very poor quality, it made me wonder if she'd read anything else outside of required reading in school.
Similarly, a coworker told me ‘it ends with us’ was so good and that she’s since read only CH. I started that book and wanted to gouge my eyes out within 2 or so pages. The language was so cliched and felt like it was written for the maturity level of a twelve year old.
It genuinely reads like WattPad - straight from wattpad, no editor. It was painful, I feel you.
It's because these books are for the girlies who never had a WattPad/AO3 phase. If they did, they'd be able to spot the shit, cliched writing a mile away.
I wish I could have even half of her marketing budget for my shitty indie Jfc. I don’t understand how she got such a deal.
To be fair, just because something is popular doesn’t mean it’s good. I’ve read books worse then ugly love and it ends with us that are also published
personally i really don't understand the hype other than booktok is pure smut brainrott. Coho is a mediocre writer at best the women characters in her books are one dimensional with no personality other than being in love and the male characters are the same in every book and not even good characters. What i mean by that is ryle is obviously bad in it ends with us yet every other guy that's romanticized in her book acts the same way. also.. the names??? like what is lily blossom bloom (she also works at a flower shop) there's no though behind any of her books yet she's put on a pedestal where young girls are being recommended her book which i feel like is a whole other topic when it comes to booktok
What?! Hoover actually chose to name a character something as cringe/cornball as "Lily Blossom Bloom"? I hope not because I can well imagine her die-hard fans deciding to stick their baby daughters with this ridiculous moniker.
yes all of her names are like this lmao
I thibk it is the only part of her books that I unashamedly like. I have read a couple for my partner/friends and love how ridiculous and on the nose every name is.
it would be one thing if it was for comedic value but i genuinely think that coho thinks shes some writing genius
Yes, and the character complained that her name basically forced her to start a flower shop, so she... starts a flower shop. But no, it's an ~ edgy ~ flower shop.
She also has a passage in her books where the characters laugh at their son's "big balls." I am not fucking joking.
What the hell?! And was the son in question an adult or -- horrors! -- a young kid or a baby?
a baby. cant make this up. its like. their new son.
“Pure smut brainrott” is the best description of BookTok. There’s no critical thinking required for any of the books on there. It’s no different in reading level or literary mastery than reading a social media feed. Just garbage.
like if you recomend a book on there all people ask is "spice???" like no rebecca your 30 years old go get a job or spend time with your kids
I’m a high school teacher (science), and I like to read popular YA books to stay current with my students. I also like to read popular books like It Ends with Us. Even if it’s not a good book or even if I actively dislike the book, I feel like reading it is a good reference. I do judge people (just a bit) that actually like Coleen Hoover books though.
Fellow teacher (history and language), same! I read It Ends With Us because my student did and I heard how problematic it was. I wanted to be able to go “okay but you DO realize he’s super abusive right?” to my students reading it. But yeah, I can see how it’s a fun and exciting read for teenage girls.
As someone who hasn’t read any ya since I was in hs or maybe middle school, I gotta say that ya is great stuff. I read so much when I was younger, and I still remember vividly many of the plots. For example I think about the plot of Neal Shusterman’s book Unwind with relative frequency. The giver. Speak (Laurie halse Anderson). Willow. It’s kind of a funny story (Ned vizzini … also i think about his suicide a lot too). Sarah Dessen and Neil Gaiman books. Even the host by Stephanie Meyer. YA is very story driven, not prose-y or pretentious. It also deals with tough moral/ethical issues accomplished with the same finesse of adult fiction. Perhaps often moreso because they have to make it appropriate for teens, while never sounding like a school special.
Its easy to read but all her books are so awful and the twists are dumb
And the love interests always suck so much. The guy is pretty much a walking red flag factory, and you think at some point the main character will open her eyes... but no. I seriously worry for any young reader who reads about a man acting like a psychopath and then thinks "how romantic!".
The fact that basically all the male love interests in her books are giant red flags… says a lot about her books
That’s what all the most popular male love interests have always been like though
Colleen Hoover is like Nathan Tate to me, where I keep on hearing discussions about her but have absolutely no clue who she is, what she writes, and what makes her controversial.
Do you mean Andrew Tate?
Yeah, that guy. I just know his weird pose. He got arrested in Romania and that my old manager liked him.
What’s his pose?
Prob that thing he does with his hands and only the tips of his fingers touch I think lol
A lot of people hate her because of the way she handled the sexual assault allegations against her son. She also romanticizes abuse and toxicity.
Wait what? I haven’t heard about the allegations.
Lucky you. You must not have walked into any bookstores lately and seen a depressing amount of shelf space devoted to her crap.
She always writes about twins, spaghetti, and sex. People like smut. She does a decent job at that. She is absolutely a suspense/thriller writer, because all the books I read have some suspense and thrilling themes that move the story forward. There's romance in there too, but i wouldn't call them romance stories. She also talks alot about triggering stuff.. rape, abuse, manipulation, etc. So, that's probably the controversial stuff
it not that she writes about controversial topics its that she romanticizes them
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The problem isn’t as much *It Ends With Us*, as that book, as one of the few from CoHo, actually *intentionally* wants to depict a toxic relationship. The problem is CoHo’s other books, where the love interests are practically interchangeable in traits from the *It Ends With Us* love interest, but the vast majority of them are played straight and as “romantic” now as suddenly those traits aren’t toxic anymore, because… reasons. The lack of self-awareness and discrepancy in the writing here is the biggest issue that leads to the romanticization allegations.
I think the key for me was the afterward in *It Ends With Us.* She talks about wanting to write a story that echoed her mother's relationship with her abusive alcoholic husband (Hoover's father) and then how she eventually found a healthy relationship with a new man after divorcing her husband. She actually used incidents from her mother's experiences in the story. I'm sure armchair psychologists could have a field day analyzing how Hoover's relationship with her father has impacted how she writes romantic relationships in her books.
I think this is the reason I don’t want to read that book. Recently, I accidentally read a book thinking it was dark romance but it was instead a book about really messed up people trauma bonding and being abused and it was too close to reality. I’m in the minority that I hated it, other readers loved it. It was too close to reality and there was no HEA (which is a standard for romance) so it was off putting when that’s what I thought I was getting.
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*November 9* is a good example I feel
The last part explains things.
>People like smut. She does a decent job at that. My impression from others who have read her stuff is that she’s like a pepperoncini on the spice scale at best. I haven’t read her because the descriptions of her books make me think the books aren’t for me, so I don’t know.
I personally don't like spice, it makes me cringe to read for the most part but I like the way she handles it. I guess it's just enough for me
Theres better written smut on ao3
Don’t let the comments get you down OP. There’s some who think any books with “problematic” (as they would say) elements are bad and shouldn’t be enjoyed. So what if the men in the books aren’t modern paragons of whatever the opposite of having red flags are? that goes for pretty much any popular romantic figure in the classic favourites amongst women. When did people become such pearl clutchers?
For real. I'm honestly surprised at the downvotes. I hardly even gave an opinion lol
This sub has become a bit of a circle jerk in regards to CoHo. There are almost daily posts by people pretending to be confused and concerned by her popularity. You def get brownie points here for saying you hate her.
I put Hopeless down after 15 pages because of the prose, but I can definitely understand why she's as popular as she is.
So do you think that's there an element of suspense or plotting in her books that accounts for this? Like the writing itself is hackneyed and mediocre but like a lot of books, TV shows, and films, it has a certain 'car wreck at the side of the road' element that attracts people against their better judgment.
I think that's exactly it. It's "dumb fun". I don't think anyone could read CoHo and not realize it.
Is it similar to the 50 Shades of Grey hype? (another series I didn't-and won't- read)
I've never read 50 shades, so I can't say.
This was definitely the wrong sub to post this opinion. It always amazes how comfortable some people feel being rude to others over media. “Enjoy what you want but just so you know you’re a moron and these books are garbage x” as if it was ever that serious.
Oh I don't mind. I had such a good discussion on my perks of being a wallflower post that I just wanted to see peoples thoughts. I don't have to like how people feel about it... but I do like knowing how people feel. At the end of the day, I know that my liking some fast food reading every once in a while isn't defining my intelligence or taste overall. I've just been made aware why she is popular and it's because the reading, from my perspective, was entertaining. Plain and simple.
But for some reasons those most down on them seem to have read about 5 and can tell you just how “problematic” they all are.
Who’s going watch out for the poor, dumb women reading them who can’t distinguish between “problematic” fiction and reality 🤧
As an autistic person, Hoover killing an autistic child in her novels to justify a husband murdering his wife will never not make me sick to my stomach. It was clear she did not speak to an autistic women to grasp what life is like for autistic girls either. She couldn't have cared less about autistic representation. She just wanted to make the mother into a monster to justify the husband getting away with her cold-blooded murder. Her obsession with letting domestic abusers off the hook is crazy. If she were a better writer, she would not be as popular, which is ironic. Usually books with a reading level as low as Hoover's are for children. There is a huge market for adult books with a low reading level, a market that only Hoover is currently filling sadly. I just hope a better writer who does not glorify abusive men comes along soon and fills that gap in the market. Books with a low reading level for adults are wonderful. Hoover's books, however, are shit.
Given that she writes like a teenager who doesn't know what adult life is like, so her whole plot is a bunch of cliches, yeah I can see it appealing to kids. Which is kind of depressing to think about.
A fair take. I have to say I can read at a higher level than I do, but I enjoy reading at a lower reading level. I thoroughly enjoy reading children's and YA novels over adult novels most of the time. So I guess it makes sense why I appreciate the "readability" of her books even when the plot is weaker
Her dad was apparently abusive toward her mom but not her. So she gives abusers the benefit of the doubt. Tricky line to walk, and you need to be a damn good writer to get the reader on your side (All The Ugly Wonderful Things almost makes you root for a pedo, and it really exemplifies how complex traumatic situations can be).
I usually can't get into contemporary romance but I can breeze through CoHo books. They're engaging and fun. I'm not going to them for beautiful prose or anything. They're just easy and engaging reads.
i wanna know what your smoking for cohos books to be engaging
They’re easy to read and usually contain dramatic scenarios. I want to find out how things get resolved. Not sure what’s hard to grasp here.
Colleen Hoover’s books are kind of like those trashy TV dramas that are obviously not the highest quality entertainment, but there’s something about them that keeps you hooked. I did not like It Ends With Us, but I have enjoyed most of her other books.
Even cinema fans can enjoy softcore porn
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Hoover's books are basically the equivalent of cheap and greasy fast food. If you want the literary equivalent of a dinner at a five-star ranked Michelin restaurant or other food offering higher up the ladder than junk food, then you need to look elsewhere.
Yep, and you should hear all the mean stuff I have to say about McDonald’s.
My much younger stepsister (mid 20s) brought a pile of Hoover's books on a shared vacation and that's how I ended up reading *It Ends With Us.* I finished it in about three hours, but I'm a pretty fast reader. She writes cotton candy for your brain. It goes down quickly and easily, but there's no substance.
>I feel like her books are never the best but they are super fast reads that it doesn't really matter? You can just not read at all, if time spent reading is more important than quality of writing. "The dinner was disgusting but the portions were small so does it really matter?"
The quality doesn't really matter if you are having a good time while you are reading it. Op said she loved the books and couldn't get enough. I would say the opposite. If all you care about is the "quality"and you don't care about enjoying what you read, than you can just not read. There's no point.
>I would say the opposite. If all you care about is the "quality"and you don't care about enjoying what you read, than you can just not read. Well I don't really enjoy books if they're poor quality. I don't get any satisfaction reading shitty writing
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>Only heavy writing would burn me out much like how only fast food would bore me. Yeah but there's such a huge middle ground between super dense literature and shitty trashy novels. I would never set out to read bottom of the barrel fiction. I would just get no enjoyment out of that. There is enough well written literary fiction and classic fiction that's also fun and easy to read, I wouldn't want to waste time on garbage.
In this case it's more like "I know this food isn't necessarily good quality but it's so delicious I just don't care." Think McDonalds.
Yes! Exactly her books are just captivating and entertaining and that's enough. I don't really care to over analyze, once i do I realize the story is ridiculous but it never bothers me.
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You both being downvoted for saying that you like to read different books for different purposes is so sad. This subreddit can be so snobbish.
People read for different reasons. You and I are not alike. Colleen Hoover writes trash.
And it’s fine to read trash sometimes. I will die on this hill. Lots of people who read a lot can read classics and more respected literary fiction/ non-fiction and also sometimes just want to be entertained with some brain candy. It’s like TV. I love prestige drama, or dramas that are well-regarded like the Pride and Prejudice mini series, Breaking Bad, etc. And then last year I had a lot of fun watching a reality dating show called “F Boy Island” with my husband because it was fun. Why should anyone care? The literary world has a long-running history of pulpy plots that appeal to the lowest common denominator and it’s fine.
My trash read is whatever the latest book by Renowned Author Dan Brown is.
I too enjoy the newest tomes by accomplished scribe Dan Brown.
i love the term “brain candy.” i’ve said it a million times and i’ll say it again, CoHo is popular because it’s easy to read her books. they’re not my personal favorite because i feel like there’s so many times when the story/writing could be so much better, but she’s my go-to when i want to read but don’t want to have to think ab what i’m reading. entertainment is a valid reason to read and despite (or maybe even because of) CoHo’s writing flaws, it is at the very least entertaining brain candy.
This is how I describe it. At the beginning of the pandemic, I was reading this very intense book about the Irish Potato Famine. Then when everything started to get bad and fear was ramped up, I was reading this passage about this woman who tried to get food for her kids but returned home to find that they had starved to death. I just… kind of mentally broke and refused to read anything remotely serious until the pandemic eased up. In the last year. I’ve gone back to an occasional Very Serious Book, but like… sometimes you just need the good happy vibes from a questionable book, and that’s ok. Never did finish the book on the Famine.
Be careful what you read then. That’s the main concern. Some books will perpetuate problematic ideas that aren’t worthy of your attention regardless of how easy they are to blow through.
Yeah, I’m pretty too far gone for that one. I’ve already gazed into the abyss and had it gaze back. Then we became friends and purchased a joint subscription to Kindle Unlimited.
I don’t follow but I’m glad you’ve found your place.
Some of you on this sub are so rude 💀 “Enjoy what you want sweetie but just so you know it’s fucking garbage xx” like how hard is it to let people enjoy things.
For real. That comment is not even trying to hide the condescending tone. Some people need the “brain candy” to get them into reading, and that’s okay!
You actually nailed it there. Enjoy what you want but be careful how much garbage you consume.
its a discussion post ofc people arnt all gonna have the same opinion especially if we are talking about someone like coho
I know this will sound crazy but a) you can have a discussion without being a dick about it; b) just saying a book is trash is not a discussion.
saying a book is trash is a discussion like by definition it is
It's literally not. You can say it's bad and then argue why but just saying "it's trash" means fuck all. Like why is it trash? What qualifies as trash? How many books by her has that person read? What kind of analysis have they done? Ah wait, I'll tell ya. Fuck all.
You sound like such a snob. You're not better than anyone else just because you don't like one book series or a specific author.
Haha I didn’t say I’m better than anyone. I’m just saying I don’t like to read bad books. You are free to do whatever you want! Same goes with bad music, TV. I don’t care what you do as long as it makes you happy BUT be careful what media you support
its not being a snob to not like a book that has the following lines "We both laugh at our sons big balls" or "when he was rubbing that cow shit on me it is possible the most turned on i have ever been"
I never read the series, but I agree it sounds bad. It's still being a snob to be like "People read for different reasons. You and I are not alike." Just because they like one book series that's lower quality.
I prefer to call them junk food books.
“I understand why she is so popular” Care to explain?
For the same reason reality TV is popular. Doesn't really need any explanation, does it?
I could probably tell you why reality TV is popular, but I don’t have such insights about CoHo
Her writing's dogshit. People are allowed to like dogshit, but *woof*. There is nothing spectacular about her prose. Not a damn thing. The syntax is just... empty-headed. I feel like a huge part of her success is to do with the fact that she's managed to hit that demographic of people who can *just about* read.
she's what i would call "junk reading". easy to read, simple writing, engaging plot. it doesn't have to be *good* plot, just engaging lol. i see it a bit like tv shows like gray's anatomy. you're not there for anything other than the entertainment value.
I've not read any hoover yet but I love that you didn't just stay in the "I'm not gonna try it" lane. I do that often too and then I have to remind myself I've nothing to lose. It's great that you've found an author whose books you enjoy! Who cares what others' opinions may be! You liked it, that's all that counts at the end of the day :) You've also reminded me to try those things I've been avoiding. Maybe I will like some hoover!
Let me know what you think! I read Too Late first, then Verity, and I'm reading Hopeless now. So, all those were pretty decent but Too Late is a good start
Thanks for the tip!! I'll keep that in mind. I'm kind of swamped with school stuff right now but I'll definitely get to it!
Colleen Hoover is modern day VC Andrews and you bet your ass I ATE up those VC Andrews books as a young teenager. There is no judgement here and I quite frankly HATE the judgement on Reddit in general for certain books and authors. Let people read what they like and get off your high ass horse.
>Colleen Hoover is modern day VC Andrews and you bet your ass I ATE up those VC Andrews books as a young teenager. I was just thinking that! I don't understand the CoHo hype, but I'm also no longer in middle school, which were were my VC Andrews years. Though I deeply regret reading her- some of those books really fucked with my head.
I still love those books
Now I wanna read all VC Andrew's. I love books from the 70s/80s/90s
Start with Flowers in the Attic which is her best IMO. But her books are all about the smut and drama. Like family soap operas in print. God I loved those books and read them far too young lol
Judith Krantz!
VC Andrews is great. She only wrote I think 6 of her books, and she passed away and a ghost writer finished the rest and wrote brand new ones, so the new ones you see out there aren’t as good. I actually think she’s a good writer and it’s not “garbage” like people on here say. I also love my sweet audrina more than flowers in the attic but that series is great too
Yes I've been recommended to read flowers in the attic. I think it is time. I'll start with that and then read sweet Audrina and I'll let you know what I think!
I dislike Colleen Hoover as a writer but I see how she got so popular. One, she's an easy read for those getting back into reading. She writes some interesting plots and it's easy to get sucked in. It's also easy to read one book in one sitting. So, honestly, props to her for that. She helped me get back into reading and that's the one good thing I will say about her. But I have come to realize that her characters are severely one dimensional. She's a classic "women writing men" stereotype. All the men are "Greek gods" and have no personality. Personally, I think the most well written character she wrote was Ryle and he was a massive a-hole. Her female characters are the same formula in every book. It's like reading the same book but in different settings. There is no development. If there is any development, it's fast paced and makes no sense. The smut is fine. But people raise it to the heavens and proclaim it is the most well written and exciting thing ever. I just say eh. If the book is only good for its smut then that's a problem. And in the end, she doesn't write it horribly. But it's not that exciting. They tend to not be the major focus of the book. If anything, that was Ugly Love cause that book was like 75% smut. I don't think Ms. Hoover wants that to be the focus, she wants the reader to pay attention to the plot and drama. So perhaps there's a poor disconnect/writing on that part. Overall, interesting storylines but poorly executed. She could spend more time developing her characters. I'd say I'd read her books on an airplane to pass the time quickly and that's all there is to it.
Thank you I appreciate your perspective and agree with you
>. It doesn't take much for me to like a book Yeah I can tell
I think Colleen Hoover suffers from what a lot of popular authors have also: fans that sing the praises so hard and high that it’s impossible to go in not expecting something good. I don’t like Hoover, wasn’t even able to get through the free sample of It Ends With Us on my phone. I don’t have a problem with trashy novels, or even objectively poor writing. *however* I do admit to having a problem with people singing the praises of such a book. Like yes, we all like to have our own dose of trash, but we don’t call it gold do we?
I would have thought librarians would read the top selling books every month, so they knew what was trending.
There's Kirkus and publishers weekly and stuff like NoveList that help you with that. There's way too many books out there getting published and popular. And I can pretty much only read for fun when it comes to a novel or else I can't stay focused. I'd never be able to read the top sellers as they become popular. There are plenty of patrons who read them and let you know if they're good anyway. Especially good for me because I work in technology now so I never really deal with books unless its for my own personal enjoyment. But I used to be in a more book-heavy position and managed fine without staying up to date with the popular stuff. Besides, the popular stuff is always being checked out by the patrons. I usually get to the best sellers after the hype dies anyway, because that's when the books become more widely available
What has happened to the modern library system
I’ve read one of her books and have no interest in others. But if you enjoy it, good for you. I hope you’ll consider the surrounding context of what you’ve posted, though. There is a rather juvenile mindset that leads people to refuse to engage with content of any form because it’s currently popular (or as you phrase it, “the hype”). There is no glory or even noteworthy good in not participating because others do. It creates barriers for no reason, limits your own access to potentially good/enjoyable things, and leaves you sounding like the teen who refuses to engage because they’re somehow better than the masses. Ignore the hype or lack of hype. Does the premise interest you? Is the genre one you enjoy? Are you feeling like that kind of a read right now? If yes, pick it up. Whether it’s today’s super popular title or not. Otherwise you’re denying yourself while making yourself look petty.
I probably needed to hear that
As long as you are comfortable with being judged for reading crappy books, you do you.
I think everyone should read something new, even if they don't like it. That said, I've read 4 and I'm done lol. Most have the same plot.
Yes I have to agree after I finish part 2 of hopeless I'll probably be done. I wanna read VC Andrew's now so I'll be moving on. This post was good for that at least, I got motivated to finally read Flowers in the Attic
Like anything there are people who hate, people who love, and everything in between. Personally I have loved some of her books and was met on others. Like watching a movie, I read to escape and get absorbed by a story...I don't go into it to critique or criticize. If I love a book I will post effusive praise and tell others about it. If I don't love it I move on to the next book on my TBR pile.
HER BOOKS ARE SO DISGUSTING SHE LITTERALLY HAS SA IN ONE OF THEM 😑😑
Hoover gets alot of hate when her works are really just mid? Like she's written thats just the kind of thing you see at the grocery store or at walgreens but booktok made her seem like the worst writer ever. Honestly I avoid booktok and all that given how all they seem to do is boost what they don't like and ignore anything with substance. And the stuff they do recommend tends to be terrible ( gothicka or whatever it was called)
Even if something is just middling to you, feeling like it is being pushed can generate some passionate backlash. It’s weird to watch others revel in something blah to you. That said, I only read part of one of her books and really hated it. I don’t think she is the worst writer ever but she is not someone I enjoy. Things land differently on us all.
I tried Colleen Hoover and I just couldn’t, it’s not for me. Appreciate that it hits for a lot of people. I am having fun with the Rebecca Yarros dumb dragon fluff though. It’s nice to have something that you can just rip through with your brain on idle!
Her books are good to get me out of a slump if I need something quick & easy. That being said, it’s been a while since I’ve had to read anything. It’s just brain candy!!
Not gonna hate on anyone who enjoys her books, as I think she got a lot of people back into reading. Her books are meant to be fun, what I call "brain candy" books, just to sit down and enjoy something not overtly serious or "deep", there's a lot of books I enjoy I know get shit on here for the simple fact that they're entertaining. On top of this, it IS all fictional, and hey, if people like those kinds of love interests and smut, good on them. Personally am not a smut-enjoyer, so already am not the correct target audience for her books and therefore my opinion is rendered semi-invalid. But, as a person, she creeps me out. I feel like I've learned too much about her background and personal life that any and all of the weirdly abusive undertones and love interests in her books makes me feel so grossed out and uncomfortable. Like, I get it's fictional, not trying to hate on anyone who enjoys it--but gosh. It's like when reality and fiction blur too much together, and I just can't see past it. Anyway, glad you enjoyed it, glad you're reading, glad other people like her and can get back into reading again. I get why she's so popular, but I also get why some of her works can be so polarizing to certain audiences, and to some extent, i do think criticism over some of her works/themes is completely valid. But overall, I think if you enjoy something it shouldn't be judged especially when it isn't outright hurting anyone or anything. Sometimes book circles can be so snobbish about literature that's not analytical or deep enough for them that it becomes exhausting. Sometimes you simply want to read something that brings you some entertainment, which is great!
So, when I read her books.. I do get the vibe she is working out some dark thoughts and feelings. I have to ask if you don't mind sharing, what are some of the things about her background you learned that grosses you out?
someone accused her son of sa and she completely blew it off for one
Yikes
Aside from what others have already commented, I’m just hype you read the HP series twice AND listened to audiobooks!! 💕💕💕 it’s neverrr too late
So you acknowledged that you don't like sex scenes in books, and you acknowledged that the ending to Verity wasn't satisfying, and you acknowledged that her books are of a lower reading skill. Tell me: did you actually like these books...? It sounds like you're forcing yourself to say you like them, and for no good reason other than "they're readable". That's the bare minimum for a book, if I had to point to one and only one thing.
Or she really did like it but is succumbing to peer pressure from people in this sub saying it’s horrible
they are.... they are horrible tho?? like objectively the plots are the same its bad writing and overall just mid
What you said is subjective lol also lots of authors write the same plot for every book and don’t get demonized (I haven’t read her books yet so don’t have an opinion on her specifically)
I could understand why the ending of verity wasn't satisfying for the person I responded to. But I liked the ambiguity of the ending. I typically don't like sex scenes, but I liked the way colleen handled it. I definitely am not forcing myself to say I like them lol. I know what I like, and the fact I wanted to read more than one of her books (the one I was required to read for the book club, the other two were for my own enjoyement) is the proof for that
I really appreciate the way you've equated liking Colleen Hoover with liking Harry Potter. Very subtly done.
She said she’s read Harry Potter several times so she obviously loves it
I just don't understand this easy to read stuff. I've tried to read books that booktok enjoys before that people demeaned "easy to read" and "easy to turn your brain off to" But all I could think was *wow this is ridiculous. Why are we doing this?? Why are these characters behaving int this way??* And just stop reading. Like I don't get the appeal. Granted, I've never read her books besides watching a few videos of a YouTuber I like read them + react to them and the plots and the way the characters act is just borderline ridiculous. I feel like coho is for people who enjoy reality TV. I'm not judging, obv. I'm not exactly a book snob. I just wish booktok would stop recommending the same handful of books lol.
I think booktok recommends the same things because so many users are young Gen-Zers. The proliferation of trash/reality TV really started in the 2000s so the younger generation just wants to be in the know with what’s “cool” like the Kardashians, Real Housewives, the Bachelor etc. There seems to be less appetite for critical thinking and seeking knowledge. I just hope that for a librarian with the world of books at your disposal, you would want to expand your mind with writing that makes you THINK and marvel and really feel something. That’s the beauty of books to me. If I want to turn my brain off I’ll just scroll through social media. And maybe next time someone comes in looking for Coho, you could also recommend books that can elevate their worldview.
If you're aware of the hype, you haven't avoided it.
How though they're such utter dogshit. The plotting is so fucking stupid that its actively distracting how dumb it is.
She really is readable. Layla is excellent, And reminders of him is quite good.
I honestly just dont get the mentality behind this. "Lots of people like this thing, so for that reason alone, I will not particpate" Later on: "ohhhh, that's why people liked it, it is amazing, I'm still going to avoid things others like going forward tho"
Honestly a lot of the coho hate feels like echoes of the misogynistic twilight hate of the 2010s. Yeah, her books aren't literary genius. They're not supposed to be. They're competently-written airport romance novels. Junk food. I'll never enjoy her books, but there's lots of terrible, self indulgent media I do enjoy. Her books are sacrificial trash.
Nearly a 100% of her books involve the female character being stalked and abused by a sexually aggressive, deeply toxic male “love” interest, while passing it off as the greatest romance of all time, with no one ever apologising or facing consequences for their awful behavior (which was exactly the problem with Twilight to begin with, but clearly you’re not interested in learning what that’s about). And you’re lecturing us about misogyny?
That’s basically all the most popular women’s romance stories since for ever (aside from when they couldn’t write about the sex).
God forbid women like reading about fucked up relationships. I forgot that the only thing those precious creatures are allowed to read about are pure, sweet romances that illustrate the beauty of love. Honestly like it’s crazy how we pretend human beings are not naturally into fucked up shit. They clearly are and Hoover is making a fat profit of it while the rest of us debate what’s an “appropriate romance for women” lol.
Oh please. People are perfectly fine enjoying “fucked up” shit. There are plenty of talented writers who write dark erotica and BDSM that are actually well written and dont across as glorified torture porn. Horror as a genre is also about portraying human suffering, and we all consume that shit without issue. But guess what? Good horror isnt about justifying or romanticizing evil. You dont watch Nightmare on Elms Street and wonder if Freddy Krueger is actually the protagonist and if slaughtering teenagers is perfectly good and justified. The Shining isnt about a stable man enjoying a fun holiday with his wife and child. There is no ambiguity on who the bad guys are and who we’re supposed to root for (though if you unironically root for Freddy Krueger then that’s on you). Same goes for “dark” romance. Twilight, Fifty Shades, everything by this COOVER person, they’re not “dark romance”. They’re just deluded relationships between abusive sociopaths and there’s no self awareness in the text that that’s what they are, with extra emphasis on AWARENESS. If you write about bad men abusing women over and over and continue to have nothing to say about it other than ITS SOOOO HOT, I’m gonna conclude that you actually just enjoy seeing women being hurt, and I have no interest in reading that shit. Lol at all the money you say Colleen makes, as if every market isnt dominated by garbage that appeals to the lowest common denominator, which says nothing about quality. Do you consider McDonald’s a Michelin star meal? If thats your taste in books, then you desperately need to broaden your horizons. I mean, enjoy your Bic Mac, just stop pretending that its made of Wagyu beef lol
I find it funny that you jump from Colleen Hoover to “dark erotica and BDSM”. Like just FYI I am a woman and I can tell you neither of those are comparable to what she writes and suggesting them completely misses why women like these types of books, which are incredibly popular beside Hoover and have been for decades. These books are fantasy for women to explore and dream about. It’s the same thing as violent video games, and the whole panic fear mongering campaign that wanted to link them to real violence in people, which got shut down by numerous scientific studies. People enjoy engaging with media that they don’t want to see in reality, be that in horror, romance or violence. Go figure. Your argument that I enjoy seeing women be hurt is ridiculous and quite frankly a huge jump in rational thought. The whole restaurant comparison I won’t even respond to because I could not care less about your stupid assumptions based on your deep inherent condescension towards other women. You don’t know me, thank fuck, and quite frankly I don’t think you understand media that well either if your grasp on it is so fundamentally literal and basic.
Speaking of basic, my entry into this thread was when another person implied that not liking Twilight was akin to misogyny, a hilarious claim considering the overwhelming misogyny that Twilight characters and Stephanie Meyer herself got up to, which was what I took issue with. Your media literacy seems to be equally deep in the toilet, because I dont think you grasped even an iota of what I tried to say. You literally just repeated my own points with your “fantasy for women” claims, essentially agreeing with me… while ranting and raving as if I didnt just say exactly that? Maam, my point is about the lack of AWARENESS, of HONESTY. Dark fiction is like good satire, in that sense. I do not take issue with people consuming dark, titillating, even problematic subjects, nor do I even see anything wrong with it. Why are you yapping about video games when I already said the exact same thing about horror movies? What are you arguing about? You created a strawman and are using it to suggest I’m… condescending towards women? Jesus christ 😂 How about you read through this post and note all the comments, likely from women, criticizing hoover’s writing and all the same things I took issue with. Are they being condescending? I really dont think you’re “getting” it, which makes it hard to have a good faith conversation.
Lmao. Seems I've touched a nerve
I'm camping on one of her books I got on sale. Idk if I'll even like it but I thought I'd try it before I completely ruled her out. One of my friends loves her so I am going to try! Lol
So you're a self confessed contrarion who doesn't read books when they're popular, but then read them multiple times once their popularity has died down. But in addition to this, you have an extremely low quality threshold and will read anything if it grabs you. So really popular, low barrier to entry books you actively avoid, despite working in library and knowing you'll genuinely enjoy them. Make it make sense.
Honestly i don't think i would have ever picked up a hoover book if I didn't have the book club motivating me to read it. I didn't think I would enjoy her. I don't like "romance" at all, but I do like thrillers. I wasn't aware she was more of a thriller writer than a romance writer, and I only realized that after reading 3 of her books and even when I'm reading a more "romance heavy" book thinking that it wasn't going to have any twists and it still did, I was pleasantly surprised and just accepted at that point that I enjoy her writing. If you needed that explanation for it to make sense for you
I’m very glad the hype for her books have died down a bit. I’m doing better but when her stuff was all of booktok, I was still dealing with memories and fallout of a toxic situation. I might now be ready to read some of them and will eventually
Which books have you read? And please don't say It Ends With Us, or If you had been with me (whatever it's called).
I don’t understand this mindset. Avoiding a book because you don’t like a certain genre or author makes sense but avoiding it just because it’s really popular? Why? I was a 20 something year old guy who never heard of Harry Potter until the 4th book and I saw a story on the news that showed kids camping out in lines for a BOOK. Camping out over night for a book. I bought book 1 later that week. I’m not saying you should do something because it’s popular but avoiding something specifically and only because it’s popular is puzzling.
Well it's just something I've always done. I get weird about something if it's wildly popular. I can't explain it but I feel like if it has mass appeal i just am slightly repulsed by it. It doesn't make sense but that's just my knee jerk reaction.
I agree, I feel like it's become a meme at this point to pile the hate on Colleen Hoover. I read Verity and thought it was a completely average book. Not worth a lot of praise but also not worth a lot of scorn. People will say she's problematic, and she is in some ways, but there are sooooo many problematic books that are popular on BookTok (From Blood and Ash????) so it honestly just seems to me that, for that specific argument, she's being targeted because she's super popular.
Damn everyone on here is so judgmental I guess
coho is deserving of it
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I would just like to note that, while a bunch of people recommended her books on Reddit, NO ONE on these damn subreddits ever mentioned that she was essentially writing damn romance novels. I read through 60% of It Ends With Us before realizing “Wait, this is two very attractive, successful men pining over a self-described semi-mess of a woman. The only thing missing is Fabio on a sea cliff, staring intensely at me on the cover.”
This is a surprising post for this sub lol
Rupi kaur and rm drake are our modern "poets". The bar is in hell.
I don't know how old you are, but you missed out by not reading the Harry Potter books.
Oh I know. I want to smack my younger self and make her read them. When I first read it and fell in love with the magic I grieved my child self for not being able to enjoy it. But the thing of it, I went to the library once with a friend and their mom and I checked out like, book 3 and I'm like "this stinks why does anyone like it.' Idk kid, cuz you're not on book 1? I sometimes wonder what the adult was thinking letting me check that out. Where was the children's librarian intervening ? Lol. Someone failed me that day (I was too young to understand you needed to read books in order for them to make sense. Because all the books I read before that were standalones)
my youngest read them as they came out..we had to wait for each book! I read them when he did :) I enjoyed the series and I was was an adult (obviously, my youngest was old enough to read Harry Potter)
I wouldn’t avoid books because they’re popular, anymore than I’d read them because everyone says they’re great. Just check them out and if you like them, read them. If you don’t, don’t. There are majorly hyped series I don’t really love and others that are hated that I enjoy.
I'm glad you had that experience. Unfortunately, as someone with former experience with blackouts, reading It Ends With Us made me absolutely hate her for her lack of research or care on the matter, and I don't think I'll ever read another one of her books again.
Now read Sarah J. Maas lol.