After discovering BookTok during the pandemic, I was persuaded to read almost anything by Colleen Hoover. Here, I have ranked the four I was persuaded to read:
1. Verity
This book was by far my favorite of the reads recommended by the fabulous women of BookTok. Unlike Hoover’s other books, this one had an incredibly intricate plot with twists that I genuinely didn’t see coming. Most young adult books are pretty easy to predict, but this ending left me questioning everything. I still haven’t figured out what actually happened. This book had an eerie vibe that, while uncharacteristic for Hoover, absolutely worked in her favor, as I finished the book in one sitting. If you love mystery and slightly disturbing storylines (and 10/10 smut) you’ll love Verity as much as I did.
2. Reminders of Him
Coming in at number two is Reminders of Him, which I didn’t expect to rank this high. The book got off to a slow start, and I was unimpressed by the plot because it seemed very cut and dry. However, everything fell into place as I read the last few chapters, and I ended up in tears as the moral of the story became clear. This book is incredibly profound in asking what it means to be “guilty”, and how grief can cloud judgment. The relationships in this book exemplify just how powerful love can be, and this was one of the most heartwarming books I’ve read all year. If you started this book and put it down, don’t give up on it just yet.
3. It ends with us
I’ve seen mixed reviews on this book, and I have to say I’m 50/50 on it. Although the plot is decent, it lacks emotional depth. While it examines the confusion and difficulty surrounding abusive relationships and breaking their toxic cycles, something about it feels underdeveloped. I enjoyed the ending a lot, but overall it didn’t impact my emotions to the extent of other books on this list. If you’re debating, I would say go for it. It’s a fairly quick read and entertaining. The jury’s still out on this one, but if you read it, you can form your own opinion and compare it to the movie version currently in development.
4. Ugly Love
Unfortunately, last place goes to Ugly Love. That being said, this book was still good. The underlying plot line, which dives into grief and how to move on after loss, would have been amazing as the main focus of the book. However, the plot was obscured by fairly aggressive smut that took away from the meaning of the story. I love smut as much as the next girl, but it felt more like a book about someone’s raunchy sex life rather than finding hope after the death of a loved one. If you skip any Hoover book, it should probably be this one.