I have been hearing nonstop about Colleen Hoover’s books, and more specifically, her book “It Ends with Us.” BookTok (TikTok subcommunity for booklovers) and my Instagram feed have been filled with reviews and people talking about how great these books are. So I finally took a chance on them and here’s my honest opinion.
The books I read by Colleen Hoover were “It Ends with Us” and “Regretting You.”
First, let’s talk about the all-too-famous “It Ends with Us.” I truly enjoyed this book, but I cannot say it fully met the expectations I had in mind. This story was well crafted, with complex characters and plot lines. The depth behind the true meaning really tugs at the reader’s emotional chords and keeps you wanting to find out what happens next.
As I neared the end of this book, I anticipated the big finale everyone claimed they sobbed over. While the ending was truly inspirational and heartwarming, I may have been expecting more. As a bookworm, and after reading many YA books, you start to predict what happens next pretty easily. The ending of this book did not surprise or shock me as I had hoped. It was satisfactory at most.
On the other hand, I picked up “Regretting You” with low expectations. However, this book has become one of my all-time favorites and one that I definitely recommend to everyone I meet. The difference between this and “It Ends with Us” was the element of surprise. I found this book to have many more plot twists and shocking moments that I didn’t see coming. My emotional reactions while reading this were much stronger, I even remember reading a specific page and wanting to throw the book at my wall from the shock I experienced. While “It Ends with Us” is a slow-burn romance, “Regretting You” is more fast-paced while still maintaining certain romantic elements.
In conclusion, I did enjoy Colleen Hoover’s books, just not the specific one I expected to. I would say her books are definitely worth a read if you’re looking for YA fiction.