Although I would not say I am the world’s biggest “CoHo” fan, I would be lying if I said I was a stranger to her work.
Colleen Hoover, a New York Times Bestselling author, has released over 20 novels to date. Sure, I have read her classics, It Ends With Us, and November 9, but in no way shape or form am I a Colleen Hoover super fan. I say this, not to reiterate that I’m not a fan (I’ve actually enjoyed what I’ve read by her so far) but rather to help you understand the impartiality I’ll be able to uphold when giving an honest review of Ugly Love. I feel it’s necessary to make this statement of neutrality because — wow — Colleen Hoover has a whole army of loyal and loving fans. With over one million TikTok followers and with the tag #ColleenHoover used over 2.5 billion times on the platform, it’s safe to say she is changing the game for how authors interact with their fans online.
So, let’s discuss Ugly Love. When I picked up this book, I started reading without any previous knowledge of the subject matter. Unlike some of her other novels, Ugly Love is a stand-alone story that follows the main characters, Miles and Tate. When Tate temporarily moves in with her big brother, Corbin, she meets Miles: a gorgeous airline pilot who lives just across the hall. From the get-go, it’s clear that Miles and Tate are interested in each other, and they embark on a no-strings-attached arrangement following Miles’ two cardinal rules:
- Never ask about the past
- Don’t expect a future
Of course, in true YA-romance fashion, the pair quickly run into some roadblocks when emotions get tangled, and feelings get hurt. *shocker*
But as Tate learns more about Miles and his secretive, dark past, will he let her in and bend his rules? Or will they both walk away with hurt feelings and broken hearts?
My overall thoughts on the book? I liked it! I think some Colleen Hoover haters claim she plays into cliché tropes too often. Although I don’t disagree that her work frequents clichés, it doesn’t make me enjoy the books any less. Hoover knows her audience and plays to her strengths — which clearly shows in her domination of the romance genre.
Ugly Love had me on a roller coaster of emotions from the very beginning to the very end. Love, attraction, sadness, grief; you can rest assured that any emotion you can feel, Hoover touches on it in Ugly Love.
Hoover masters the trope of a slow-burn romance. I thought the pacing of the book was one of its best qualities, not too quickly that you move through the plot and characterization sloppily but slow enough to leave the reader anticipating what is to come.
Ugly Love is a great book for Colleen Hoover fans, romance novelist enthusiasts, and everyone in between.
Do I think the novel is realistic? Not particularly. But it is the epic, swoon-worthy, one-in-a-million love stories that are the most entertaining — fictional or not. To me, reading is all about finding a niche or topic that is interesting, fun, and makes you excited to discover more.
If your ‘niche’ happens to be romance, keep Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover on your radar this year.
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