The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Ottawa chapter.

**POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD!!**

romance novels

When I think of a good romance novel, I don’t just think of relatable characters with relatable backgrounds, but of the many trials and tribulations those characters have to go through before they end up together. In other words, for me, romance novels are all about the plot. Lucky for me, TikTok introduced me to the queen of well-plotted romantic novels: Colleen Hoover.

Here are 10 Colleen Hoover books I think you should give a read!

Bokeh heart book pages — Benjamin Raffetseder via Unsplash

Verity

I’ve always been a fan of horror and thriller movies, but never of horror books. I find them to be more of a case study than a true story. For example, when watching a “scary” movie like It, I ask myself questions like, “how could a full-sized clown fit underground and peek his head through a sewer and not one character from the movie mention how he must stink?”

Verity leaves me with so many questions, much like that one. There’s a mystery about this book that can’t fully be resolved until the very end, and we, as readers, are solving said mystery along with the main character… talk about a page-turner!

Verity takes my appreciation for Colleen Hoover to a whole new level with it not only being a romance novel but also having many well-described thriller moments. There were times when I was disgusted and frustrated, yes, but there were also many more moments when I was wanting more answers and justice for the good guy! I’ve never felt so many emotions while reading one single page of a book before. It even had me staying up past midnight to finish reading it!

What makes this book even more unique is how the ending, though it was clear and definite, left me questioning. The book doesn’t leave readers on a cliffhanger, but it does leave its readers pondering on other outcomes and answers, leaving them more intrigued even after completing it.

Rating: 12/10

creepy stairs — Photo by Erik Witsoe from Unsplash

Reminders of him

This one had me in tears! It starts with the loss of a person and eventually turns into the long-awaited journey of the main character, Kenna, her grief and never-ending feelings of remorse. Ledger—the man Kenna meets—guides and helps her, even with the little detail he has of what she’s feeling so sad and sorry about. Ledger finds himself in the middle with no clear indication of what or who he should believe—until the letter.

Without any spoilers, the letter brings answers in the most gut-wrenching, self-isolating, and heart-breaking way imaginable. This book was my saving grace and my companion when I was experiencing my own day-by-day journey of grief and guilt. With more relatable feelings of making mistakes, not being able to defend one’s self, and hints of familial drama, this book brings forgiveness, gratitude, and togetherness even in the darkest and loneliest of places.

Rating: 11/10

depressed woman holding her head — Photo by Alex Green from Pexels

Without MeRIT

Without Merit by Colleen Hoover discusses sensitive topics like depression and other mental health disorders. But, it does so in a way that feels wholesome and complete. Though she was feeling alone and like her feelings would need to be dealt with all alone, the main character Merit still had people that, in the end, cared for her well-being. This book taught me that:

Miscommunication is the cause of most problems
Everything that’s good/real is worth the wait
It’s okay not to be okay sometimes
Everything is a process

Rating: 10.5/10

Asian woman looking at reflection — Photo by Jessica Ticozzelli from Pexels

Ugly Love

The plot twist at the end is incredible… It gives so much more insight into the main character’s past. I’m still at a loss for words.

With that said, expect to feel the effect of the emotional rollercoaster contained within the pages of Ugly Love, if you choose to read it. One minute, it’ll have you feeling impatient and angry, then the next, warm and happy. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a nice romantic plot starring “right place, wrong time” vibes.

Rating: 10/10

Meredith Kress-Snorkel Bubbles Underwater Selfie — Meredith Kress / Her Campus

Slammed

Are you a fan of poetry? If so, check out Slammed. Hoover takes her readers on a similar journey that Pretty Little Liars writers took their viewers on with Aria Montgomery and Ezra Fitzgerald, except here, there’s a little less never-ending unresolved mysteries and a lot more learning! It’s the first book of the Slammed series, so this is where to start.

Rating: 10/10

man doing street art and painting the word poetry — https://unsplash.com/@iamtru?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText

Maybe Someday

This one leaves you with all the feels. It starts by teaching its readers how to leave a toxic relationship, and then goes into how staring at your neighbour through your window could start a long-lasting committed relationship. This book takes music lovers on a journey of feeling the music and feeling the love.

Rating: 9.5/10

guitar, coffee, and journals laid on bed — Photo by Haley Powers from Unsplash

November 9

This one… wow. I have never read a romance novel like this one before. Yearly meetings with a complete stranger can change a person’s life after all!

Do you need a break from the regular modernized dating life of swiping left and right, and do you have a soft spot for long-distance relationships that, in some magical way, started off on social media? I present to you: November 9. Did Fallon forgive Ben a little too soon? Maybe, but their love story is still an unforgettable one.

Rating: 8/10

airplane view — Photo by Ross Parmly on Unsplash

Confess

Are you the artistic or creative kind who enjoys expressing themselves freely, or maybe who just takes the time to enjoy well-detailed art? If you answered yes, this book is right up your alley! This one’s all about leaving confessions to inspire paintings. I didn’t expect how those confessions nearly led to a later lawsuit!

If you love art, love, and second chances, give Confess a read!

Rating: 9/10

Paints — Photo by Steve Johnson from Unsplash

Point of retreat

Layken and Will… Will and Layken. Through all their trials and tribulations, they still manage to successfully play house with one another and build a life for both themselves and their younger brothers. Readers already know the two of them have gone through a lot of the same heartaches—this book starts after all of that and brings us on their walk through how to live the best of it and work through the worst of it.

This book encapsulates what it means to factor the people you love into your life. Though they’re at similar stages in their lives, Layken and Will experience some struggles with spending time with each other and are influenced by each other’s pasts in ways that could lead their relationship to its ultimate end. Will they break up, or will they make up?

Rating: 9.75/10

pumpkins — Photo by Corey Blaz from Stocksnap

This Girl

Looking for a cheesy love story to go with the first and second books of Hoover’s Slammed series? I present This Girl.

We’ve all been dreaming of meeting our happily ever after Prince Charming, and knowing for certain that the feeling is real and mutual between us two, right? Just me? Okay, well maybe we can at least agree that there are two sides to every story.

There seems to be no better way to read about the full story of Will and Layken than through reading Will’s side of their story. This book explains another side of before, during, and after their meeting in Slammed and Point of Retreat. Yet, the fact that it does so through his point of view leaves the reader falling for Will and how true he really is. Only because the plot was similar to the books before it, this rating scores at an eight out of ten.