Colleen Hoover is quickly becoming one of the most renowned authors of the 21st century. She is one of the few authors who has the ability to write her romance books in a way that leaves the reader with a new perspective on life. Each novel tells a unique story that leaves readers gasping for more. Non-readers and book lovers alike have found themselves addicted to her work after reading just one of her many New York Times Best Sellers. Because of this, it is no surprise that her books stand in higher ranking among some of the most read books for the summer. Here are the ten Colleen Hoover books you need to add to your summer reads list!
1. It Ends With Us
Arguably Colleen Hoover’s most famous book to date, It Ends With Us, can only be summed up as a pure work of art. This book touches upon sensitive subjects, such as abusive relationships, therefore readers discretion is advised. The way that Colleen Hoover gives a voice to people who have been through the situations her book describes is beautiful, and it is even more heartbreaking to learn that Colleen Hoover herself grew up around such similar situations. Lily Bloom has just finished college and is ready to start her life, and finds herself alone on a rooftop with Ryle, the handsome neurosurgeon who can’t keep his eyes off of her. As the pair’s relationship develops, Lily runs into her first love Atlas, and things start to take a turn for the worse. Her relationship with Ryle quickly becomes complicated, and she starts to wonder if he was really ever the man she thought he was? It is a beautiful story of love, tragedy, courage, perseverance, and breaking generational curses. With its sequel, It Starts With Us, coming out October 18th, 2022, this summer is the perfect time to finally give it a read. If you have already read this book, it is one of the few that I would highly recommend reading for a second time. Knowing the ending as you read the second time will shed a new light and a new perspective on the way you read the story. Who doesn’t love a good love triangle?
2. Ugly Love
The title of this book gives away one of its many lessons it brings to its readers: love can be ugly. Tate Collins moves in with her brother and meets airline pilot Miles Archer, who happens to be one of her brother's best friends. While Tate and Miles would hardly consider themselves friends, the more they are around each other the more they find themselves wanting the same thing: each other. However, while Tate wants Miles and everything he encompasses, Miles wants to avoid a relationship with Tate at all costs. As time goes on, and feelings arise, it seems that secrets only seem to bury themselves between the two. What will happen when it all comes crashing to the surface? Colleen Hoover spares us no feelings in this heartbreakingly beautiful book about love and loss. Its poetic flow makes for a captivating read, one you can easily finish in a singular day while tanning on the beach.
3. November 9
Don’t let this title fool you. While this book is set only in November, its light and airy disposition makes for the perfect summer read. Its title holds true, and just like the characters in the book, we only ever see them each year (or chapter) on November 9th. Fallon and Ben meet one fateful November 9th, and Ben is instantly captivated by Fallon’s beauty. Fallon doesn’t believe he’s being genuine, as her confidence was left in the house fire that had burned half of her body just a few years ago. Fallon is set to move to New York by the end of the evening, and Ben is determined to spend the rest of the day with her. Their unconventional story sparks inspiration for Ben’s book, and Fallon can’t help but feel beautiful for the first time since the fire when she’s with Ben. They agree to keep whatever this is between them going by planning to meet each year on November 9th at the same location they met. Their one condition is that in the year between each meeting, they continue to live their lives, Fallon growing in her confidence and Ben growing in his aspirations. The more that time goes on, however, the quicker things become messy, and the truth about Fallon’s tragedy is revealed. Was it really fate that they met, or some terrible mistake? This book touches on the importance of realizing your worth and overcoming the past, whether that means forgiving or forgetting.
4. Heart Bones
Heart Bones very fittingly takes place during summer, and is a captivating read. The story revolves around the boy-next-door trope, and the two main characters Beyah and Samson couldn’t have more polar opposite lives. They find themselves neighbors for the summer after Beyah has to move in with her father following her mother’s death, and their attraction to each other leads to a loose summer fling. Even though they come from such different worlds, these two find comfort in each other's brokenness. This story is the perfect balance of raising awareness to issues such as child poverty and negligence and being a story that stays with readers long after they have finished.
5. Verity
This novel is a rarity for Colleen Hoover, and takes a darker turn than her usual books. Focusing less on romance and more on mystery, this is the perfect way to add a break in between her romance reads. Lowen is a struggling author who can’t seem to catch a break, until she is hired by Jeremy Crawford, husband of the infamous Verity Crawford. Verity was recently in an accident leaving her unable to finish writing her book series, and Jeremy is hopeful that Lowen can finish it with the notes and pieces Verity had already written. Lowen agrees to stay at the Crawford home for two weeks, just long enough to collect enough notes to finish the books and leave. What Lowen doesn’t expect to find is Verity’s autobiography. The further Lowen reads, the more disturbed and disgusted she becomes, and she starts to fear for the safety of her and Verity’s family. Her bone chilling confessions are enough to make Lowen question her sanity, and she can no longer tell the truth from the lies. This book had me on the edge of my seat for all 314 pages, and it will not leave you disappointed. As someone who is rarely surprised at the endings of books, this ending still has me reeling.
6. Reminders of Him
Colleen Hoover’s newest release did not disappoint. Although its focus is a sad character with an even sadder story, there’s an underlying tone of hope throughout the novel, and it’s incredible how Colleen managed to weave this sense of hope into a book that very much seemed hopeless. Kenna finds herself recently out of jail, a single night of mistakes and sorrow costing her the custody of her only child. With a renewed sense of determination, Kenna’s only goal is to reunite with the one thing that kept her alive throughout her sentence. However, her daughter's grandparents haven’t forgotten what Kenna did, and neither has Ledger, who can’t help but find himself drawn to Kenna, despite his loyalty to her daughter. Will Kenna find forgiveness not just from those she hurt, but herself? A beautiful story of hope, family, mistakes and forgiveness, Reminders of Him is a guaranteed tear-jerker.
7. Without Merit
Similar to Verity, Without Merit doesn’t focus on romance as much as the dynamic in the Voss household. Everyone has secrets, and Merit finds her family has no shortage of them. From their odd house, to the dynamic between her father, mother, and step-mother, her family is anything but normal. She meets Sagan, who seems to fit into her weird family dynamic, but is floored to discover he’s with her identical twin, Honor. She becomes sick and tired of the lies, and decides to leave her messed-up family in the past. When she fails to escape them, she must come clean about the secrets she’s been keeping, both her own and others, and risk losing the boy she’s fallen for. A gripping tale about discovering yourself and coming of age, the messages of this novel make it worth the read.
8. All Your Perfects
All Your Perfects is one of Colleen Hoover’s more serious novels, but it was a great read nonetheless. This novel also touched upon some sensitive topics, such as infertility and marriage struggles, and Colleen used these to her advantage to teach great life lessons to her readers through her characters. Graham and Quinn meet in the worst possible circumstance when they find their partners cheating on them. Fast forward seven years, their marriage hangs in the balance, and the only thing keeping its delicate string from breaking is a promise they made in the past. With a perfect beginning, how do two imperfect people find their spark again? This book not only teaches one to be more sensitive to people's circumstances, but it notes that relationship issues are not always so black-and-white. Sometimes they are gray and both people are equally at fault for creating the catastrophe that has left them hurt, confused, and broken. Yet after all the hurt, we can find ways to pick up the pieces and find happiness again, or we can choose to throw it away. Sometimes finding happiness again looks like starting over alone, and sometimes it looks like starting over together.
9. Hopeless + Losing Hope
These two books stand out from the rest, as Colleen Hoover graciously gave both perspectives. Hopeless is told from Sky’s point of view, while Losing Hope allows us to see Dean Holder’s point of view. It is recommended to read Hopeless first, as Losing Hope explains why Dean is the way he is, and how the events of Sky’s childhood affected him and his family. Seventeen-year old Sky meets Dean, who precedes his reputation and screams trouble. After attempting to avoid him, she gives in to his pursuit, and realizes he may not be who she thought he was. After learning the truth, she wonders if the truth really does set you free, or sets you back. This series has captivated Colleen Hoover fans, and is recommended to be read in the following order: Hopeless, Losing Hope, Finding Cinderella, All Your Perfects, and Finding Perfect. While All Your Perfects is not explicitly about Sky and Dean, it is recommended for the final novel, Finding Perfect, to make sense, and is a perfect ending to a whirlwind of a story.
10. Maybe Someday
A dual perspective novel, Sydney’s life is the picture of perfection until she finds her boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend. She finds solace in Ridge, and they bond over their love for music. Sydney hopes to be able to move on with Ridge and write music with him, but with Ridge having relationship issues of his own, it’s easier said than done. She can only hope that maybe someday it’ll all work out. Followed by Maybe Not and Maybe Now, this series won’t leave any reader disappointed.