A collection of only a few of Hoovers published books. photo by: F. Martin Ramin
Up-and-coming author Colleen Hoover has left her mark on the world of young adult literature.
Colleen Hoover is on her way to becoming one of the most popular romantic fiction authors of our time. Her books have found a way into the lives of many young people and have reinvested people into the world of reading once again. She has been especially popular with pre-teens and teenagers. As an avid reader, her books intrigued me after hearing about them on multiple occasions.
My personal favorites so far are It Ends with Us and November 9th. For me, her books were a perfect escape where everything in her created world worked out perfectly, just like anyone would want. This makes some of her books, such as It Starts with Us (the sequel to It Ends with Us) feel predictable. Some might prefer a book that is predictable since real life is the complete opposite, but for me, unpredictability and some excitement makes the book stand out. The fan fiction feel to Hoover’s books is a part of the appeal for many because it feels fairytale esc. The way the romance always works out in the end and both people are perfect for one another feels…fake. Yet while it does feel fake, it is a book that keeps you interested, cover to cover. This is why teenagers, who have the attention span of a goldfish, are attracted to Hoover’s books. Hoover is great and comes up with ideal romantic fictions that feel similar to the made up situations that we make up in our heads which feeds their appeal.
While there is a lot of fabricated material in her books, she does address real world issues and topics, mainly domestic abuse. It Ends with Us and its sequel, It Starts with Us, both address domestic violence and how it feels to be the victim and the predator. Both of these books gained a lot of popularity after It Ends with Us and readers had mixed reviews. Some loved that Hoover added this very real aspect to her books while others felt that Hoover was consistently glorifying the abuse in her books. From what I read, some was glorified; however, the majority of it felt raw and real. Hoover described in detail what went through the mind of the victim and how difficult it really is to live in a violent household and relationship.
I’ve read about five of Hoover’s books and It Starts with Us was the only one that seemed to be glorified and predictable. After months of awaiting its release, ultimately it was a let down. However, her most critically acclaimed books like November 9th, Ugly Love, and Maybe Someday, were all amazing. They all had such depth but the one that got her noticed was It Ends with Us, a story about the main character’s first person experience of domestic violence, falling in love with two completely opposite men, and how to choose yourself. It was a beautifully written novel that deserved all of the attention.
Hoover has published over 20 novels and doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon. She also has a movie releasing about her book It Ends with Us, that features Blake Lively, and other major stars. Hoover has obviously taken her place in pop culture today and is only going to continue to grow in popularity.
