Honestly, walking into the romance section of a bookstore lately feels like walking into a Colleen Hoover shrine. It’s wild. A decade ago, she was self-publishing while working as a social worker. Now? She’s sold over 35 million books. That is a massive number. To put it in perspective, she was outselling the Bible at one point in 2022.
But if you’re just starting, you've probably noticed something. Her fans are intense. They’ll tell you It Ends with Us changed their lives, while others swear Verity is the only one worth reading. It's polarizing. Some of her stories are sweet and YA-adjacent, while others are dark, messy, and frankly, a little traumatizing.
Choosing the best Colleen Hoover books depends entirely on how much emotional damage you’re prepared to handle. Are you looking for a "cry-until-your-head-hurts" vibe, or a "stay-up-until-3-AM-because-I'm-scared" vibe?
The Heavy Hitter: It Ends with Us
This is the big one. It’s the book that turned "CoHo" into a household name. Basically, it follows Lily Bloom, a woman who grew up watching her father abuse her mother and swore she’d never end up in that position. Then she meets Ryle.
He's a neurosurgeon. He’s charming. He’s also complicated.
What makes this one of the best Colleen Hoover books isn't just the romance; it’s the nuance. Hoover based a lot of this on her own mother's experience. It’s not a "happily ever after" in the traditional sense. It’s a survival story. The 2024 film adaptation starring Blake Lively brought a whole new wave of readers to this story, and the sequel, It Starts with Us, finally gave fans the Atlas Corrigan closure they were dying for.
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Why Verity Is a Total Outlier
If you hate romance, read Verity. Seriously.
This book is a psychological thriller that feels like it was written by a completely different person. Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer who gets hired to finish the series of a famous author, Verity Crawford, who is in a vegetative state. While staying at the Crawford house, Lowen finds an autobiography.
It is dark. It is twisted.
The "Manuscript vs. Letter" debate is still ruining friendships in 2026. Most people get wrong the idea that this is a romance—it’s not. It’s a domestic horror story. There’s a movie coming in October 2026 starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, so if you haven't read it yet, get on it before the spoilers hit the big screen.
The Sleeper Hit: Reminders of Him
Kenna Rowan is probably Hoover's most tragic protagonist. She spent five years in prison for a mistake that cost her the man she loved. Now she’s back, trying to see the daughter she’s never met.
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The town hates her. The grandparents of her child won't let her near.
It’s a story about forgiveness that feels earned. Unlike some of her other books where the drama feels a bit "extra," the stakes here are grounded. You'll probably cry. Actually, you definitely will. The film adaptation is slated for March 2026 with Maika Monroe, which is perfect casting because that role needs someone who can do "broken but determined" really well.
Ranking the Rest: Where to Go Next
- Ugly Love: This is the one for people who want the "steam." It’s heavy on the physical relationship between Tate and Miles, but the flashbacks to Miles’s past are where the real story lives. It’s a bit of a "shouting at the book" experience because Miles is... difficult.
- November 9: A writer and his muse meet on the same day every year. It’s a gimmick that works. However, the "twist" in this one is one of the most controversial in the CoHo universe. Some think it’s romantic; others think it’s a massive red flag.
- Heart Bones: Often overlooked because it's technically YA. It’s a summer romance between Beyah and Samson, two kids from very different worlds who are both harboring secrets about their poverty and upbringing. It’s gritty and sweet.
- Regretting You: This is a mother-daughter story disguised as a romance. When the father dies, Morgan and her daughter Clara have to navigate their grief while discovering secrets about the man they thought they knew.
The Colleen Hoover Misconception
A lot of people think her books are just "fluff." They aren't.
Actually, she deals with some pretty heavy themes: domestic violence, infertility, grief, and poverty. The reason she ranks so well on Google and social media isn't just because of the "spicy" scenes. It’s because she writes about people who make terrible decisions.
We love to watch the train wreck.
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Her characters are often flawed to the point of being unlikeable. That’s the point. Whether it's the poetry slams in Slammed (her debut) or the messy legal drama in Confess, she hits on emotions that feel real even when the plots are a little soap opera-ish.
How to Start Your CoHo Collection
Don't just buy them all at once. Start with your preferred genre. If you want a thriller, go with Verity or Layla. If you want a tear-jerker, it’s Reminders of Him. For the quintessential experience, you have to do It Ends with Us.
Check the trigger warnings, though. Honestly. Some of these themes are a lot to take in if you aren't expecting them.
Once you've finished the "big three," look into her earlier stuff like Hopeless. It’s a bit more "2012 indie romance" style, but the emotional gut punch is still there.
Actionable Next Steps
- Check your library's digital app: Because she’s so popular, waitlists for physical copies are often months long, but e-books sometimes move faster.
- Read the 2026 movie tie-ins now: Reminders of Him and Verity are going to be everywhere this year. Get ahead of the casting news.
- Watch the "Manuscript vs. Letter" TikToks: Only after reading Verity. It’s a rite of passage.