Colleen Hoover books are taking the internet by storm and for good reason. As we continue to stay indoors, more and more people are turning their attention to novels to keep themselves entertained. Video-sharing platforms such as TikTok and YouTube are filled with reaction videos of people — hopeless romantics, especially — sharing their thoughts about her works. And it’s easy to see why.
This New York Times bestselling author is famous for her contemporary romance books. Her novels are easy to dive into and feature complex characters with compelling, heart-wrenching stories.
With 20 titles under her name, it may seem daunting to decide on which Colleen Hoover book you should read first. But don’t worry, we got you covered. We went through her body of work and came up with this guide to help you determine which books you should add to your “To Be Read” (TBR) list!
Who is Colleen Hoover?
Colleen Hoover is a Texas native who self-published her debut novel, Slammed in 2012. Since then, this Sulphur Springs, Texas native, has now over 20 titles under her name. Some of her novels have even become international and New York Times bestsellers. Hoover’s works typically fall into New Adult and Young Adult romance books, but she has dabbled with the psychological thriller genre, as well.
Admittedly, there are a few debates within the book community about her romance novels. Since a number of her books tackle serious topics such as trauma, abuse, and violence, they may not be the easiest read for everyone. However, they also deal with survival. These books tell the stories of people learning how to move on from the past and find light in the darkness. To their core, the best Colleen Hoover books are about hope.
In 2015, Hoover founded Bookworm Box, a non-profit monthly subscription service and bookstore. With the goal of giving back, the service offers signed books and sometimes half-price books from authors, the majority of them independent, all over the world. A hundred percent of their proceeds go to people in need and since its founding, Bookworm Box has donated over $1,000,000 to various charities.
Colleen Hoover Book List
Before we dive into more details about Colleen Hoover books, here’s a quick glance at her bibliography in order of release.
- Slammed (first published in January 2012)
- Point of Retreat (first published in February 2012)
- Hopeless (first published December 2012)
- This Girl (first published April 2013)
- Losing Hope (first published July 2013)
- Finding Cinderella, a novella (first published October 2013)
- Maybe Someday (first published March 2014)
- Maybe Not, a novella (first published November 2014)
- Ugly Love (first published August 2014)
- Never Never, a three-part novella series in collaboration with Tarryn Fisher (first published January 2015)
- Confess (first published March 2015)
- November Nine (first published November 2015)
- Too Late (first published online April 2016)
- It Ends with Us (first published August 2016)
- Without Merit (first published October 2017)
- All Your Perfects (first published July 2018)
- Verity (first published December 2018)
- Maybe Now (first published November 2018)
- Regretting You (first published December 2019)
- Heart Bones (first published August 2020)
- Layla (first published December 2020)
Colleen Hoover Stand-Alone Books
Ugly Love
Ugly Love is definitely one of the best Colleen Hoover Books out there. Popular among the book community thanks to its beautifully heart-wrenching yet steamy story. It follows Tate Collins after she meets airline pilot Miles Archer. Both fall into a no-strings-attached physical relationship. No emotions. Just sex. It’s the perfect set-up for both of them since Tate doesn’t have time for love, while Miles just isn’t interested. However, he did have two rules for her. Never ask about the past and don’t expect a future. With these two simple rules, both of them venture into an arrangement that is centered on each other’s sexual desires. Unfortunately, life is never that easy and love can, in fact, get ugly.
This standalone romance novel is told from both the perspectives of Tate and Miles, but they are not in the same timeline. We get to know more about Miles and his past six years before he meets Tate.
Ultimately, Ugly Love is about the effects of trauma on someone and how they can easily project that to others. Tate and Miles’ relationship teeters between toxic and hopeful, with both of them, especially Tate, not knowing how to deal with it. While this Colleen Hoover book deals with heavy topics, it does offer some relief with the light and humorous scenes scattered between the gut-wrenching and steamy bed scenes.
Fun fact, did you know there is original music for Ugly Love by musician Griffin Peterson? It’s available for streaming on Spotify. Take a listen and who knows, it might even end up in your Spotify Wrapped.
Grab a copy of Ugly Love on Amazon.
Confess
Confess is a contemporary romance novel that balances heavy scenes with heartwarming elements. It’s a story about falling in love, and the sacrifices you have to make along the way. It’s about learning the act of selflessness while also fighting for the things you want. This Colleen Hoover book starts with a twenty-one-year-old Auburn Reed as she rebuilds her shattered life after the love of her life dies. She finds a job as an assistant to an enigmatic artist named Owen Gentry in his art gallery. Both Auburn and Owen have skeletons in their closets, and Hoover takes the readers on a journey to unravel these secrets.
The author tells this story from Auburn and Owen’s point of view, so the readers get to know each character more personally. We also learn more about each of their struggles, which makes this romance novel so much more captivating.
A standout thing about this book that many readers adore is the concept of Owen creating art pieces based on confessions people leave at his studio. All of these confessions are, in fact, real confessions from real people sent to Hoover. Along with these confessions, we also get to see the accompanying artwork, which is a unique concept as well.
In 2017, Confess, one of the best Colleen Hoover books among fans actually got a television adaptation starring Katie Leclerc and Ryan Cooper. The seven-episode mini-series was originally available on go90. Unfortunately, the streaming service shut down in 2018, but you can still watch Confess season 1 on Amazon Prime. However, if you want to watch the series for free, you can always scour the best-unblocked torrent sites.
Grab a copy of Confess on Amazon.
November 9
This book starts and ends on November nine. Each chapter takes place on the same day of every year, over a course of five years. Fallon, the main protagonist, hates this date due to a tragedy that happened years ago.
We first begin the story with Fallon with her father in a diner on her last day in Los Angeles before she moves to New York. Here, she meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, and Fallon quickly becomes Ben’s new muse. But the two only meet once a year, every November nine. As they get to know each other, though, his creative inspiration leads to the ultimate plot twist in Fallon’s life.
Similar to all of Hoover’s works, November 9 tackles serious themes and depicts heavy scenes of abuse and trauma. Because of this, it may not be the easiest thing to read for some readers. However, just like her other works, this book has a nice blend of deep emotions, intrigue, and seduction.
Grab a copy of November 9 on Amazon.
Too Late
Another novel from Hoover that isn’t the easiest read for everyone is Too Late. It contains vivid descriptions of abuse, rape, and mental illness. As such, it’s rated for mature audiences only, but if you feel like these topics are too much for you to handle, maybe opt out of reading this title.
Too Late deviates from Hoover’s other works. While it still has an evident romance in its plot, its main focus is actually on violence.
It tells the story of Sloan, a college student who finds herself in a relationship with Asa Jackson, a drug dealer on campus. Despite him being abusive and violent, she stays with him. This is because Asa is the one paying for her sick little brother’s treatment. We also meet Carter, an undercover cop, who’s on a mission to bring down Asa’s drug operations. However, as Carter gets closer to Asa, his chemistry with Sloan intensifies.
Overall, if you’re looking for a heavier and darker book that doesn’t solely rely on romance and a promise of a happy ending, grab a copy of Too Late.
Grab a copy of Too Late on Amazon.
It Ends With Us
In this raw and heavy novel, we follow the story of Lily, who lives in Boston and falls in love with a neurosurgeon named Ryle. For the first part of the book, we see the “will they or won’t they” potential between the two, especially since Ryle refuses to commit himself to a relationship. As we go through each page, though, we see his soft spot for Lily and they eventually grow closer. However, the return of Atlas, Lily’s first love, threatens to destroy the foundation that Lily and Ryle built.
It should be said that It Ends With Us tackles themes of domestic violence. Although, it offers lighthearted and funny moments that help take some of the weight off the painful and exceptionally honest story. Moreover, Hoover once again manages to create characters and relationships that are inviting. Every turn of the page, every chapter, makes you want to understand all the characters and their stories.
Grab a copy of It Ends With Us on Amazon.
Without Merit
This book isn’t necessarily a romance novel, instead, it’s a coming-of-age tale that focuses on self-discovery. Without Merit is a Young Adult novel that centers on families. It’s told from the perspective of a high-school senior named Merit. It tackles issues such as family dynamics, mental illness, suicide, and abuse. Although, we do get a potential romance between Merit and Sagan on the sideline, which only raises more complications within the family. This is because Sagan is Merit’s twin sister’s boyfriend.
Grab a copy of Without Merit on Amazon.
All Your Perfects
All Your Perfects is one of the Colleen Hoover books that deal with more adult themes. It features Quinn, who starts out 24, but we follow her story over time until she reaches the age of 31. We see the struggle of Quinn as she realizes that her perfect marriage to Graham isn’t truly perfect. They go through several turbulences in their relationship, including infertility, infidelity, a miscarriage, and even self-harm.
It’s a story that makes one wonder, is love really enough?
It’s told in a “then” and “now” narrative, which allows us to feel nostalgic for all the sweet and happy memories of the two all while making the struggles of the present so much more heartbreaking.
Grab a copy of All Your Perfects on Amazon.
Verity
Verity is where we see Colleen Hoover diverge from her previous works. We see her experiment with physiological and thriller elements in this story. It’s actually one of the more popular Colleen Hoover books that are going viral on TikTok for its interesting and unique plot. Before we dive into the details, it’s important to note that it features abortion, child violence, and murder. We also get a lot of steamy sex scenes.
Now, in this book, Hoover introduces us to Lowen, a struggling writer who finds herself employed as a ghost-writer for Verity Crawford. Verity is a writer, as well, but due to a car accident, is now bedridden and unable to write, hence cannot complete her remaining books. Lowen moves into Verity and her husband —Jeremy’s — home in order to better familiarize herself with Verity’s works and outlines. However, the moment she steps inside the couple’s household, she feels an eerie feeling and later discovers more mysteries as she goes through Verity’s notes.
Grab a copy of Verity on Amazon.
Regretting You
Hoover delivers another poignant story about family dynamics with Regretting You. It’s a story that offers a little bit of everything but focuses mostly on the relationship between mother and daughter. Morgan Grant is desperate to keep her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, from making the same mistakes she did—pregnant at 17 and married before she was ready. Good thing for Morgan, Clara has no plans of following in her mother’s footsteps.
However, in Colleen Hoover’s fashion, a tragedy strikes that forces our two protagonists to see eye to eye in order to survive. Similar to her other works, this story is told from alternating points of view between mother and daughter. This allows the reader to experience the unraveling of the story through the perspectives of two polar-opposite characters.
Morgan and Clara’s stories pull at the heartstrings but still offer a beautiful finish. And of course, it wouldn’t be a Colleen Hoover book if it doesn’t have romance sprinkled on the side.
Grab a copy of Regretting You on Amazon.
Heart Bones
Heart Bones is the perfect summer read! It’s perfect for those who want to occupy themselves with a tale of summer romance. It follows Beyah as she spends the remainder of her summer with her estranged father and his new family at their beach house in Texas. Beyah wants nothing more than to keep a low profile and watch as the days go by. But she meets her new neighbor Samson and as they form a connection, she learns that things never go as planned.
If there’s one thing you must know about this book is how Beyah is such an incredibly strong character. She had to basically raise herself. She grew up in poverty with her drug abuser of a mother, who, in the beginning, dies from a drug overdose. This caused her to form walls around her. But Samson doesn’t have a clean past either. He has secrets himself but is hesitant to open up to anyone.
Ultimately, this contemporary romance book teaches us that no matter the hardships you face in life, there will always be someone there to accept everything you’ve been through. It’s about gaining the courage to open up and let people into your life.
Grab a copy of Heart Bones on Amazon.
Layla
Another Colleen Hoover book that tackles themes of the paranormal is Layla. It tells the story of Leeds, a musician, and his love for Layla. They met at a bed-and-breakfast during her sister’s wedding, where he and his band performed at. Both instantly fall head over heels for each other. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes when Leeds’ ex-girlfriend shoots Layla. She survives the shooting, but it left her with mental and physical scars.
With Layla not quite herself, Leeds is beside himself and whisks her away to the same bed-and-breakfast where they first met. This is in hopes of rekindling the sparks they once shared. However, strange things happen once they arrive.
Leeds meets a ghost named Willow, who uses Layla’s body to talk to him. Leeds and Willow form a connection and he promises to help Willow find out more about her past. Soon, they find out that all three of their paths are intertwined.
This release from Hoover is eerie, sweet, and captivating. It forces readers to ponder with the question of what if the person whom you promised forever to isn’t the person you wanted to be with anymore? This is especially after everything you two have been together. Of course, this is on top of a spooky paranormal backdrop.
Grab a copy of Layla on Amazon.
Colleen Hoover Book Series
Slammed Series
Released in early 2021, Slammed is Colleen Hoover’s debut novel. It quickly grew in popularity and was eventually followed up by a second and third installment, Point Of Retreat and This Girl. The former was released in late 2012, while the latter in 2013.
The series begins with 18-year-old Layken after the unexpected death of her father. Layken, along with her mother and younger brother, starts a new life in a new town and here she meets Will. Her 21-year-old new neighbor is charming and intriguing, and a poet. Will himself isn’t without any baggage himself and finds his salvation in slam poetry after being forced to grow up too fast. Shortly after meeting, both unwittingly feel a connection with each other. However, they soon realize that their love is forbidden.
Fortunately, in what we would soon know to be Hoover’s style, they overcome these obstacles. Layken and Will’s whirlwind relationship teaches Layken that she doesn’t always have to be a rock for everyone.
We follow up Slammed with Point of Retreat and This Girl, which are told from Will’s perspective. We follow the couple’s journey as they try to adapt to their new life and deal with difficulties along the way.
Grab a copy of the Slammed Series on Amazon.
Hopeless Series
Colleen Hoover follows the success of her debut novels with the Hopeless book series. Released the same year after the first two books in the Slammed trilogy, Hopeless tells the story of 17-year-old Sky Davis as she enters a new school. She quickly gains a reputation for her promiscuous behavior. Sky soon meets Dean Holder, whose reputation rivals her own, and she finds herself quickly infatuated with him. Together, they uncover shocking family secrets that change Sky’s life forever.
Undoubtedly one of the best Colleen Hoover books out there, Hopeless as followed by Losing Hope in 2013. While the former is Sky’s story, the latter is Holder’s. We learn more about him as it starts a little before the first book and ends a little after it. The second installment gives us more information about Holder and fills in some of the blanks about him we encountered during Hopeless.
This alternative perspective is followed by Finding Cinderella, which can actually be read as a standalone novel. This is because its focus shifts from Sky and Holder’s stories to two different characters we meet in the previous books. In this Colleen Hoover book, we follow Daniel, Holder’s best friend, and Six, Sky’s best friend’s story.
Finally, we end this series with Finding Perfect, a novella that explores more of Six and Daniel’s story as he embarks on a journey to track down their baby. A baby which Daniel had no idea about and Six gave up for adoption. This Colleen Hoover novella can also serve as a tie-in with All You Perfect since there are several character crossovers in it.
Grab a copy of the Hopeless Series on Amazon.
Maybe Someday Series
If you’re looking for a nice romance novel that features friends to lovers, check out the Maybe Someday series. It tells the story of an aspiring musician named Sydney. Her life gets turned upside down after she finds her boyfriend and her best friend sleeping with each other. The destruction of her seemingly perfect life leads her to meet another musician, Ridge Lawson. Sydney first sees Ridge playing his guitar on a balcony and, enchanted by his music, finds herself singing along to it with her own lyrics. Ridge notices this and the two instantly bond thanks to their shared love for music.
The second installment in this series is actually a spin-off novella that follows different characters we first saw in the Maybe Someday book. Maybe Not is a fast-phased story that’s an enjoyable read after the first book. While it is a light read compared to its predecessor, it still has enough depth and emotion that will get the readers hooked.
In 2018, Hoover released the final installment of the Maybe Someday series, titled Maybe Now. We meet Ridge and Sydney as they navigate challenges in their relationship. This Young Adult romance book also explores topics that most people don’t want to talk about or even acknowledge. It forces the readers to think and consider conversations about relationships that aren’t always the easiest. Ultimately, every single book in this trilogy is adrenaline-pumped and heartbreakingly real.
Similar to Confess, there is also original music from Griffin Peterson that takes inspiration from the series. Listen to them now on his Spotify and they may end up as your top picks for the best love songs of all time!
Grab a copy of Maybe Someday Series on Amazon.
What Order Should I Read Colleen Hoover Books?
If you’re overwhelmed with the impressive amount of books by Colleen Hoover, don’t worry. You’re not alone. For the standalone novels, you can always read them in any order you want.
However, for the trilogies and tetralogy, in order for the best reading experience, we suggest following publication order.
Slammed Series:
- Slammed (2012)
- Point of Retreat (2012)
- This Girl (2013)
Hopeless Series
- Hopeless (2012)
- Losing Hope (2013)
- Finding Cinderella (2013)
- All Your Perfects (2018)
- Finding Perfect (2019)
Note that while the All Your Perfects book is not part of the Hopeless Series, we still recommend reading it before Finding Perfect. This is because of how characters’ lives weave in together and finally find resolution in it.
Maybe Someday Series
- Maybe Someday (2014)
- Maybe Not (2014)
- Maybe Now (2018)
What is Colleen Hoover’s Best Selling Book?
Since her debut into the literary world with Slammed, all of Colleen Hoover’s full-length books have become New York Times Best Sellers. In 2018, Atrai, the publishing house Hoover is under, reported that she sold a combined four million copies of her then 17 titles. This is a far cry from when she first self-published her debut novel on Amazon with only 30 copies sold in a week. Released on the 18th of January 2022, Colleen Hoover’s Reminders of Him is yet to be her best-selling book yet, already taking the #1 spot on Kindle within just a week of its release.
Are Any Colleen Hoover Books Movies?
Video from Hackybox Pictures.
Due to the success of her novels, the next reasonable thing to expect is a big-screen adaptation. Or at the very least, a small-screen one. Unfortunately, except for the seven-episode mini-series adaptation of Confess, no Colleen Hoover book has been made into a movie.
This isn’t for a lack of effort, though. Since the success of her debut work, several of Hoover’s romance novels such as Ugly Love, Hopeless, It Ends With Us, and Slammed have all been up for movie adaptations. However, not one of them has panned out as of mid-2021. A trailer for the Ugly Love movie was even released in 2015, but there has been no information released about it since then.
We shouldn’t lose hope, though. With the major support behind Colleen Hoover’s books, in time we’ll surely see these romance novels turned into the best romantic movies of all time!
Ugly Cry with the Best Colleen Hoover Books
Let’s face it, a good romance novel isn’t necessarily always about the happily ever after. Everyone loves a forbidden love or a good enemies-to-lovers—a trope that gets you hooked in the first place. The higher the stakes these characters have to face, the more fun it is for the readers. This allows the readers to engage and relate to the characters more.
Colleen Hoover manages to do all of these things and more. She writes interesting stories with complex characters that demand the readers’ attention. Hoover is a master in creating central love stories with high stakes and emotionally satisfying resolutions that you will actually enjoy crying over. This is on top of scenes that will get you hot. So, next time you’re looking for good self-care ideas to help you relax or just want to shed tears of heartache and joy, grab one of these romance novels.
