Colleen Hoover was one of my favorite discoveries back in 2019.

For some reason, I had never heard of her, and when I first saw the cover of November 9, I thought it was a thriller (???) so I just was totally off base with her and her work! I FLEW through so many of her books in 2019, and wanted to share some thoughts on where best to start if you haven’t read CoHo or just want to read more from her!

Something to know about her writing— the themes are REAL and can be intense, heavy, triggering, and complex, but her writing is EXCELLENT and the stories are always beautifully told and so compelling.

I don’t say that to scare you off, just to let you know that her books aren’t just light chick lit reads.

ps — this post was updated in november 2022!

Here’s where to start reading Colleen Hoover:

If you’re brand new to her books:

November 9 // SO GOOD SO GOOD SO GOOD. Like I said, this one was not at all what I expected (the cover threw me off for some reason?) but as soon as I picked this one off my shelf and read the first few pages to see if I should return it or keep it, I was hooked! Literally read it all in one sitting that night. If that isn’t a rave review, I don’t know what is.

if you love stories of love, redemption, and second chances:

reminders of him // i read this and it instantly became my new favorite coho read. i laughed, i sobbed, i felt all the feels. i felt so much tenderness and empathy toward the main character (a single mom just getting out of prison after making a tragic mistake). such a viscerally powerful story of forgiveness and love and second chances.

If you’re into ghost stories and love triangles:

Layla // This one was a SURPRISE and honestly such a trip to read! It has ghosts and paranormal activity and weird love triangles through dimensions and inhabiting people’s bodies and deranged exes... I was hooked, don’t get me wrong, but also, it’s bizarre.

If you want a steamy series:

Maybe Someday + Maybe Not + Maybe Now // I loved the first one (and again read it in one sitting), found the #1.5 novella in the middle to be too sexy for my tastes, but felt that book #2 redeemed it. They’re fun stories of love and music (complete with original songs as a soundtrack?! loved that) and relationships and so much more, with a good amount of heat and drama and spice, too.

If you want a fun standalone read:

Confess // This one felt like the Hoover I’ve grown to truly love (deep themes woven into love stories with nuance and honesty and grit) and enjoy. I found myself surprised by this one several times and loved that. I especially love how Collie (can I give her a nickname now that I’ve read like 500 of her books? yes? cool.) found an artist to feature and represent one of the main characters — much like she found a musician to write songs for another book — it’s just such a cool collaborative endeavor that adds a unique spin to the book and brings it all to life. (PS— there was a sexual assault scene in this one, so trigger warning for that!)

If you’re a fan of John Green and time loop stories:

Never Never // This series (which I guess technically is three books in one but reads like one book in three parts) had me HOOKED. It’s like if John Green books met In a Holidaze (or any time loop plot) and a dash of Riverdale got thrown in the mix.

Other books I’ve read from Colleen Hoover:

Hopeless ★★★★☆ (Trigger warnings for sexual abuse, rape— with her father, suicide.)
Losing Hope ★★☆☆☆ (sequel to Hopeless from a different character’s perspective)
Ugly Love ★★★☆☆ (Trigger warning from tragedy related to a baby)
Verity ★★★☆☆ (This one was a TRIP and pretty dark in parts)
All Your Perfects ★★★★☆ (More romance focused)
Regretting You ★★★★☆ (Mother/daughter story)
It Ends with Us ★★★☆☆ (About a toxic relationship, trigger warnings abound)
it starts with us ★★★★★ (the sequel to it ends with us — i loved this one! redemption! heartwarming love! so tender!)