Colleen Hoover – Complete Reading Guide for All Books

Colleen Hoover is an American author best known for emotionally intense contemporary romance and new-adult fiction. Her work frequently explores trauma, grief, addiction, family conflict, and abusive relationships, which has made her one of the most discussed names in modern publishing. It Ends with Us, published in 2016, marked her commercial breakthrough, while Verity established her as a writer of psychological suspense.

Her catalog now spans more than two dozen novels and novellas, split between connected series and standalone titles. That structure creates a common problem for new readers: knowing where to start and what to read next.

The official Colleen Hoover website categorizes much of her catalog as intended for mature audiences, a detail worth keeping in mind when browsing.

What order should I read Colleen Hoover books?

The easiest way to approach her bibliography is to separate connected series from standalone novels. Most books can be read independently, but connected titles have a preferred order. Tl Branson’s reading-order guide organizes the full catalog by series and publication date.

Key facts to keep in mind:

• Colleen Hoover has published 27+ novels and novellas, making her one of the most prolific new-adult and romance authors of the past decade.
• It Ends with Us (2016) is consistently cited as her most famous book, propelled by BookTok and a 2024 film adaptation.
• Verity is a standalone psychological thriller that went viral for its dark twist and is often misidentified as part of a series.
• Four series anchor her catalog: Slammed, Hopeless, Maybe Someday, and It Ends with Us.
• Much of her catalog is categorized as intended for mature audiences on her official website.
• The 2024 film adaptation of It Ends with Us earned nearly $350 million worldwide, intensifying the debate around her work.

Complete chronological list of Colleen Hoover books

Publication dates follow the catalog compiled by Fictionary, cross-referenced with her official books page.

Recommended reading order (by series vs. standalone)

Each connected series has an internal order that strengthens the character arcs. This Girl, for example, retells Slammed from another character’s perspective, so it reads best after the first two books.

• Slammed series: Slammed → Point of Retreat → This Girl
• Hopeless series: Hopeless → Losing Hope → Finding Cinderella
• Maybe Someday series: Maybe Someday → Maybe Not → Maybe Now
• It Ends with Us series: It Ends with Us → It Starts with Us

All other titles are standalone novels and do not require reading another Hoover book first. A publication-order read is the best choice for readers who want to follow Hoover’s development as a writer.

Where to start if you’re new to Colleen Hoover

• Most accessible introduction: It Ends with Us, followed by It Starts with Us.
• Psychological suspense: Verity.
• Early new-adult romance: Slammed, then Point of Retreat and This Girl.
• Supernatural romance: Layla.
• Grief, redemption, and motherhood: Reminders of Him.
• Family-centered emotional drama: Regretting You.
• Darker, more controversial romance: Too Late.

Which Colleen Hoover books are part of a series?

Hoover has written four connected series, each with a preferred order. Everything else in her catalog works as a standalone.

Slammed series

Slammed and Point of Retreat were both published in 2012, and This Girl followed in 2013. This Girl retells the first novel from Will’s perspective, so it is best read after the first two books. A reading-order analysis from True North Brief notes that this early series is often recommended to readers who want a gentler entry into Hoover’s new-adult style.

Hopeless series

The Hopeless series includes Hopeless (2012), Losing Hope (2013), and Finding Cinderella (2013). Losing Hope revisits events from Holder’s perspective, while Finding Cinderella follows a related story in the same fictional world.

Maybe Someday series

This series opened with Maybe Someday (2014), followed by the novella Maybe Not (2014), which centers on Warren, and Maybe Now (2018), which continues the main characters’ stories.

It Ends with Us series

It Ends with Us (2016) follows Lily Bloom, who grew up watching her father abuse her mother and later enters a relationship with Ryle, a neurosurgeon whose charm coexists with increasingly violent behavior. Atlas, Lily’s first love, reappears as the relationship deteriorates. The novel focuses on the cycle of domestic abuse, the difficulty of leaving an abusive partner, childhood trauma, and Lily’s decision to protect herself and her child. It Starts with Us (2022) shifts attention toward Lily and Atlas and depicts the aftermath of the first book’s ending. The story was inspired in part by Hoover’s observations of domestic violence in her family, though Lily’s story is fictionalized, according to Marie Claire’s guide to her best books.

Standalone novels

Eleven novels sit outside the series structure: Ugly Love (2014), Confess (2015), November 9 (2015), Too Late (2016), Without Merit (2017), All Your Perfects (2018), Verity (2018), Regretting You (2019), Heart Bones (2020), Layla (2020), and Reminders of Him (2022). These books do not require reading another Hoover novel first. Hoover also co-authored Never Never with Tarryn Fisher, published in three parts in 2015.

Note that “The Dress” is not one of Hoover’s books; the term refers to a marketing controversy around the It Ends with Us film adaptation.

What are the newest Colleen Hoover books (2025)?

As of the latest available information, no new Colleen Hoover novel has been confirmed for 2025. Her most recent full-length work remains It Starts with Us, published in 2022.

Confirmed 2025 releases

No official announcement of a 2025 release has been made. Readers tracking her catalog are waiting on updates from her official channels.

Recent releases and adaptations

The most significant recent development is the 2024 film adaptation of It Ends with Us, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, which earned nearly $350 million worldwide. Before that, the last published novel was It Starts with Us in 2022. A planned It Ends with Us coloring book from Atria Books was canceled in 2023 after criticism that a coloring book was inappropriate for a story involving domestic abuse.

How to follow future announcements

The official Colleen Hoover website maintains a books page with the complete catalog and organizes titles by series and standalone status, with maturity guidance for readers.

What is Verity about, and is it a standalone?

Verity plot summary (without spoilers)

Verity follows Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer hired by Jeremy Crawford to complete the remaining novels in a bestselling series after his wife, Verity Crawford, suffers a disabling injury, according to the Goodreads summary of Verity. Lowen moves into the Crawford family home and discovers an unfinished manuscript presented as Verity’s autobiography. The manuscript contains disturbing revelations about the family, the deaths of the Crawfords’ children, Verity’s marriage, and the possible nature of her injury.

The book is a psychological thriller rather than a conventional romance. It contains graphic sexual material, violence, child death, manipulation, and disturbing family dynamics.

Is Verity part of a series?

No. Verity is a standalone novel and has no required prequel or sequel. The story deliberately leaves readers uncertain whether Verity’s manuscript is a confession, a fictional exercise, or a calculated deception. A bonus chapter intensifies rather than resolves that ambiguity. Reading guides published after the book’s release consistently classify Verity as a standalone, including Accio’s best-selling books guide.

Why Verity is so popular

Verity went viral for its dark twist and became one of the most discussed titles in Hoover’s catalog. It is commonly recommended after It Ends with Us for readers who want to see Hoover’s sharpest stylistic shift into suspense.

How has Colleen Hoover’s bibliography evolved since 2012?

The publication timeline below follows the catalogs compiled by Tl Branson and Fictionary.

1. 2012 — Slammed, Point of Retreat, and Hopeless introduce her first two series.
2. 2013 — This Girl, Losing Hope, and Finding Cinderella complete the Slammed and Hopeless storylines.
3. 2014 — Maybe Someday, Maybe Not, and Ugly Love expand her catalog.
4. 2015 — Confess, November 9, and the three-part Never Never collaboration with Tarryn Fisher appear.
5. 2016 — It Ends with Us marks her commercial breakthrough; Too Late is also published.
6. 2018 — Verity, All Your Perfects, and Maybe Now show her range across suspense, drama, and romance.
7. 2019 — Regretting You arrives.
8. 2020 — Heart Bones and Layla are published.
9. 2022 — Reminders of Him and It Starts with Us complete the current catalog.
10. 2024 — The film adaptation of It Ends with Us is released and earns nearly $350 million worldwide.

What is known and what remains uncertain about Colleen Hoover’s books?

Some parts of Hoover’s publishing history are firmly established, while others remain open or unresolved.

Why does Colleen Hoover attract both devoted fans and vocal critics?

The most visible controversy around Hoover concerns the It Ends with Us adaptation and its promotional campaign. “The Dress” refers to the perception that the film and its marketing presented a domestic-violence story through bright, romantic, or fashion-oriented imagery. The film, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, earned nearly $350 million worldwide, which brought the criticism into sharper focus than it had been during the book’s original release. A guide to the controversies around Hoover’s books traces how this concern fits into a larger pattern of reader responses.

The concern fits a broader criticism of Hoover’s work. Some readers and commentators believe her books frame abusive relationships with too much romantic gloss, while supporters argue that the books portray abuse from the survivor’s perspective and reach readers who may not engage with more conventional literary treatments. A planned It Ends with Us coloring book was canceled in 2023 over similar objections, as noted in an overview of the film adaptation and its reception.

Hoover’s rise is largely attributed to the BookTok community on TikTok, which drove massive sales of her backlist after 2020. The combination of a dedicated fanbase and vocal critics has made her a polarizing figure in contemporary publishing. The impulse that leads readers to organize her books by order and series also produces detailed creator retrospectives, such as Wes Anderson – Complete Filmography, Biography And Style Guide.

What do critics and readers say about Colleen Hoover?

It Ends With Us is Colleen Hoover’s most famous book.

— The Works

Colleen Hoover is one of the literary world’s most talked-about authors.

— ELLE

Those two observations capture the split identity of her career: a commercially dominant author whose every new title is met with intense cultural scrutiny.

What should new readers know before starting Colleen Hoover’s books?

New readers can begin with It Ends with Us for contemporary romance or Verity for suspense; neither requires reading anything else first. Those who prefer following characters across multiple books should choose one of the four series and follow its internal order. The rest of the catalog is open to browsing. Readers who appreciate structured author retrospectives may also enjoy Georgia Toffolo – Biography, Books, and 2025 Update.

What else do readers want to know about Colleen Hoover?