MARIAH WATSON
ANTELOPE STAFF
If social media users search #BookTok on TikTok, it won’t take much scrolling to find a video that mentions Colleen Hoover. I first stumbled upon #BookTok on my “For You” page a little over a year ago, and shortly after, the TikTok algorithm presented me with countless clips talking about Colleen Hoover and how great her novels are.
I checked out the only Hoover book available at the public library, and I was instantly hooked. Eight books later, I can confidently say I’m a fangirl, or a CoHort, as Hoover calls us.
Fair warning, Hoover is known for lots of hot, heavy romance, so readers maybe shouldn’t recommend these to their grandmas. Here are my rankings, from the Colleen Hoover books I’ve loved the most to those that didn’t quite live up to the BookTok hype:
8. “Without Merit:”
This book touched on some heavy topics like suicide, sexuality and mental illness. It was gut-wrenching at times, but the quirks of the main characters took away from these serious issues and made this book hard to enjoy.
7. “Regretting You:”
“Regretting You” follows the lives of a mother/daughter duo, Morgan and Clara. It deals with grief, love and family. Instead of the point-of-view changing with every chapter, I would’ve preferred focusing on just one of the main characters.
6. “Reminders of Him:”
Colleen Hoover makes the reader connect with the characters and their tragedies, and “Reminders of Him” was no exception. This book deals with grief, loss, family and love. I rooted for the main character, Kenna, right from the beginning.
5. “It Ends With Us:”
This is arguably Hoover’s most popular novel. But it’s also the cheesiest, and that detracted from the heartfelt storyline. The main character, Lily Bloom, owns a flower shop called Lily’s Blooms, and instead of a diary, she writes to Ellen DeGeneres. If readers can get over that, then they’ll thoroughly enjoy it.
4. “Layla:”
A romance novel with a paranormal twist, “Layla” is unlike any other book I’ve read. This book is a slightly creepy, slow burn with lots of twists. It left me on the edge of my seat, and it is unique to Hoover’s other romance-heavy novels.
3. “All Your Perfects:”
“All Your Perfects” flashes back and forth between Quinn and Graham’s seemingly perfect beginning to their troubled marriage. Raw and emotional, this tear-jerker will make readers reflect on what the perfect relationship truly is.
2. “Ugly Love:”
Another one of Hoover’s most popular books, this love story had me sobbing through the last few chapters. Hoover writes in such a way that readers truly feel every emotion the main character, Tate, goes through — the good, the bad and the ugly.
1. “Verity:”
“Verity” is a captivating, psychological thriller intertwined with a love story. This book is dark, twisted and impossible to put down. I didn’t stop thinking about the ending for days. If bookworms are going to read any Colleen Hoover book, please, make it this one.
