By Gensen DeLeon
LOS ANGELES — Though facing initial rejections from publishers, Colleen Hoover self-published her 2012 debut novel, Slammed, which eventually became a bestseller. Following the success of the book’s sequels, Hoover became a full-time writer, composing novels in genres ranging from romance to mystery. While she has demonstrated versatility across genres, Hoover is most renowned for her dramatic romance novels that frequently contain unexpected plot twists. In addition, she is often credited with contributing to establishing a new literary genre — new adult fiction.
Her popularity increased rapidly in recent years, largely attributed to the BookTok community and the release of a few of her novels as free ebooks. New fans delved into her extensive collection of over twenty books, bringing her titles to dominate the New York Times Bestseller list. Notably, six of her novels—It Ends With Us, Verity, It Starts With Us, Ugly Love, Reminders of Him, and November 9—appeared in the top ten bestselling novels of 2022. The delayed popularity of her novels is considered an anomaly in the publishing industry, as most books typically peak in popularity around the time of their initial release.
Hoover’s rise to fame and controversial depiction of sensitive topics, however, has led to increased criticism. Particularly, her most well-known novel, It Ends With Us, released in 2016, has received backlash from critics who believe that it romanticizes abuse.
With a pink and floral cover, the novel appears to be a regular romance novel, and the blurb seemingly affirms that view. In fact, it describes the abusive relationship as merely overwhelming and the abuser as simply “assertive, stubborn, and maybe even a little arrogant.” This description wildly underplays his incredibly harmful actions toward his wife and greatly misguides the reader into believing the novel deals only with a potential love triangle not a relationship with domestic violence.
Additionally, the novel’s colorful exterior and description has garnered criticism as many believe it romanticizes instances of domestic abuse and does not handle the sensitive topic with the consideration it deserves.
In January of 2023, Hoover announced on social media the release of a coloring book based on the “strength” of the novel’s main character, Lily Bloom, who grapples with instances of domestic abuse from her husband. Once again, this decision received substantial backlash, with many critics viewing it as “tasteless” and simply “reducing a traumatic experience as a marketing tactic.” In response to the overwhelmingly negative reaction, Hoover released an apology on social-media, and acknowledged her mistake as “tone-deaf.”
Merely a day after its official announcement, Hoover and her publishing team at Atria decided to abandon the coloring book concept. Despite the immediate backtracking, many chose to boycott Hoover entirely for her insensitive action.
In the span from her debut in 2021 to her present widespread success, Colleen Hoover has received varied reactions toward her novels. Her exploration of challenging subjects has earned praise for shedding light on difficult societal issues, yet criticism persists against her allegedly inaccurate portrayals and harmful depictions of abuse, mental health, and addiction.
Hoover’s inclusion of these challenging issues signifies a progressive step forward, challenging the stigmatization that surrounds them; however, as readers recognize the importance of raising awareness of sensitive topics, it becomes equally imperative for them to maintain critical awareness of how these subjects are portrayed in the media.
