Saddleback College’s library. Maren Schwartz/Lariat

If you have never heard of Colleen Hoover, pick up the phone! Hoover is a New York Times bestselling author of 24 novels and novellas. Her books fall into the New Adult and Young Adult contemporary romance genres, as well as psychological thrillers. 

Hoover is trending all over social media for her spicy, easy to read romance novels that suck you into the story immediately.

 Here are some of her must reads if you want to get into the romance genre, or reading as a whole. 

Ugly Love (2014)

“Ugly Love” is the eighth novel written by Hoover, and is an incredible standalone book. 

Tate Collins, a nursing student, who moves to San Francisco with her brother to finish nursing school, meets Miles Archer, an airplane pilot. Miles is mysterious and one of her brother’s friends, and immediately its everything but love at first sight. 

They wouldn’t consider themselves friends, but they can both acknowledge the mutual attraction they have for each other. 

Miles has clear intentions from the beginning, and there are no signs of wanting love, which works out perfectly for Tate, who has no time for love. Miles has two rules for Tate: don’t ask about the past and don’t expect the future, which seems surprisingly easy for Tate in the beginning. 

Read more to see if their love turns ugly. 

Hopeless (2012)

“Hopeless” was published in 2012, which was Hoover’s third novel. 

The novel is about a high school senior, Sky, who has no internet access whatsoever and meets Dean Holder, a boy with a reputation for fighting and landing himself in jail. Something immediately attracts Sky to Holder when they meet for the first time outside of a grocery store, where he is convinced he knows Sky from somewhere. 

After the interaction, Sky cannot get her mind off of him and sees him outside of her house when she arrives home. 

“Hopeless” shows real true love from many angles and will leave you wanting to read the whole book, and the sequel “Losing Hope,” all in one sitting. 

It Ends With Us (2016)

“It Ends with Us” was Hoover’s 16th novel published, but the book changed her career. “It Ends with Us” has over four million copies sold. By far her most popular novel, this is the book that got most people into her books in the first place. 

Lily, a flower shop owner, meets Ryle Kincaid, a gorgeous neurosurgeon, on top of his apartment building one night. They immediately click and their relationship starts out normal, but with time Ryle shows his true colors. He has a complete aversion towards relationships, he is arrogant and deep down, insecure. 

“It Ends with Us” flips back and forth between modern day life for Lily, and high school journal entries during her relationship with a boy named Atlas. Atlas will always have Lily’s heart, and one day when he reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is jeopardized.

The story is heart-wrenching but unable to be put down. In 2022, Hoover came out with “It Starts with Us,” a prequel to “It Ends with Us.” 

All Your Perfects (2018)

“All Your Perfects” is her 18th novel to come out, with a back-and-forth perspective between then and now. 

Then: Quinn meets the love of her life outside of her fiance’s front door one day, where they instantly click and never look back.

Now: Quinn and her husband Graham have been married for seven years and struggle with infertility which causes deeper marriage issues. 

The novel flips back and forth every chapter, where the reader sees how their relationship started, and how it may end. 

This book can be read as a standalone novel, or in the “Hopeless” series as the fourth book, after “Hopeless,” “Losing Hope” and “Finding Cinderella.” There is a final novel in the series titled “Finding Perfect.” 

November 9 (2015)

“November 9” is Hoover’s 13th novel released, a story about a girl named Fallon, and a boy named Ben, who meet on the anniversary of an accident that caused Fallon to be scarred on one side of her body. Fallon had just planned on moving to New York City to pursue theater despite her looks. 

Ben and Fallon fall in love, but the timing could not be any worse. They decide to meet up every year on November ninth in the same restaurant, without contacting each other throughout the year. Their love could grow but also fade. 

Colleen Hoover has many more well-written novels, and this just skimmed the surface of the world of romance. Her books are easy reads, and if you are thinking about getting into reading, she is a great introduction.

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