Have you ever read any Colleen Hoover books? If you haven’t, and you enjoy a great romance every now and then, maybe it’s time you pick one up. After all, she’s sold over 20 million copies (and counting!) so she really does have something special going on with her books.
If you’re not already sold on picking up Colleen Hoover as your next author to read, know that her books dominated the top three best-seller spots in 2022, even pushing out popular titles like Atomic Habits and Where the Crawdads Sing.
Now that you’re convinced that Colleen Hoover books should be next on your reading list, where do you start? Whether you’ve picked up one of her popular series like It Ends With Us and are dying for more or are new to reading Colleen Hoover and aren’t sure where to start, this list is for you.
The Best Colleen Hoover Books
The great thing about most Colleen Hoover books is that, other than those in a series, there really isn’t a specific reading order. If you’re new to reading Colleen Hoover books, I recommend instead starting with the best ones.
These picks are partially based on my personal experience and opinion, and partly the overall public opinion of these popular books.
It Ends With Us Series
What a sensation It Ends With Us has been! The first book was so popular that the sequel, It Starts With Us, was Simon & Schuster’s most preordered book ever. Fans of Hoover had to wait a whole eight years between the first and second books, but if you’re new to reading Colleen Hoover you can read this pair back to back.
Summarizing the story of It Ends With Us can’t do it justice. What seems on the surface as a contemporary new adult romance story (country girl moves to the big city and meets a handsome surgeon who’s reluctant to date), it’s anything but ordinary with Colleen Hoover’s captivating writing style that grips the reader into a whirlwind of emotion.
Watch for the It Ends With Us movie hitting theatres sometime in 2024.
| Title | Release Date | Average Rating |
| Book 1: It Ends With Us | August 2, 2016 | 4.25 |
| Book 2: It Starts With Us | October 18, 2022 | 3.94 |
Verity
Verity earned second place as Goodreads for Best Romance in 2019 and earned at number 2 spot on the New York Times Best seller list for paperback fiction. Part romance, part mystery and thriller, Verity tells the story of a struggling writer who’s given a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ghost write an injured author’s unfinished work.
The manuscript, it turns out, is her autobiography; one that includes some dark secrets that maybe shouldn’t see the light of day.
Fans of the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will enjoy the similar set up and the way this gripping story unfolds.
| Title | Release Date | Average Rating |
| Verity | December 7, 2018 | 4.35 |
Ugly Love
Colleen Hoover’s romance can be touching and emotional, but it can also be hot and steamy as Ugly Love proves. If you found yourself reading 50 Shades of Grey and wanted something more realistic and fleshed out, this book is definitely for you.
| Title | Release Date | Average Rating |
| Ugly Love | August 5, 2014 | 4.12 |
Reminders of Him
One of Colleen Hoover’s newer books and a bestseller in 2022, Reminders of Him, follows a troubled young mother as she tries to put her life on a better path after serving five years in prison. No one wants her back in her four year old daughter’s life save for a local bar owner. A romance builds, but the real story here is one of healing the past to move forward.
| Title | Release Date | Average Rating |
| Reminders of Him | January 18, 2022 | 4.44 |
All Colleen Hoover Books Listed
Get your checklist ready and find your library card because here’s the complete list of all Colleen Hoover books, sorted by series, publication date, and reading order.
Newest Colleen Hoover Books
- Too Late: Definitive Edition, Releases June 27, 2023
- Never Never, republished as one book in February 2023
- It Starts With Us, 2022
- Reminders of Him, 2022
Standalone Colleen Hoover Books
| Title | Year | Age | Genre |
| Too Late: Definitive Edition1 | 2023 | Mature | Romance, Thriller |
| Never Never | 2023 | 14+ | Romance, Mystery, Paranormal |
| Reminders of Him2 | 2022 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| Layla | 2022 | 17+ | Romance, Paranormal, Thriller |
| Heart Bones | 2020 | 14+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| Regretting You | 2019 | 14+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| Verity | 2018 | Mature | Thriller, Romance, Mystery |
| All Your Perfects3 | 2018 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| Without Merit | 2017 | 14+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| It Ends With Us4 | 2016 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| Too Late | 2016 | Mature | Romance, Dark, Thriller |
| November 9 | 2015 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| Confess | 2015 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| Ugly Love | 2014 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| Maybe Someday4 | 2014 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| Hopeless4 | 2012 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| Slammed4 | 2012 | 14+ | Romance, Contemporary |
1 Too Late: Definitive Edition is an updated re-release of the self published.
2 Never Never was originally three books published in 2016, but has been re-released as one novel in 2023.
3 All Your Perfects is technically a standalone book, but it has to be read after the Hopeless series for Finding Perfect to make sense.
4 Can be read alone or as book one in the series.
Maybe Series Reading Order
| Title | Year | Age | Genre |
| Maybe Someday | 2014 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| Maybe Not | 2014 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| Maybe Now | 2018 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
Slammed Series
| Title | Year | Age | Genre |
| Slammed | 2012 | 14+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| Point of Retreat | 2012 | 14+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| This Girl | 2013 | 14+ | Romance, Contemporary |
It Ends With Us Series
| Title | Year | Age | Genre |
| It Ends With Us | 2016 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| It Stats With Us | 2022 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
Hopeless Series, All Your Perfects, and Finding Perfect Reading Order
| Title | Year | Age | Genre |
| Hopeless | 2012 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| Losing Hope | 2013 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| Finding Cinderella | 2013 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| All Your Perfects | 2019 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
| Finding Perfect | 2018 | 17+ | Romance, Contemporary |
What Ages Are Colleen Hoover Books For?
Colleen Hoover’s books have typically been considered young adult fiction, but as the YA genre grows, the term “new adult” has been recently coined thanks to books like Hoover’s.
Young adult books are for ages 14-18, where new adult follow similar beats as YA but for the 18-29 year old crowd. That being said, if you’re an adult, don’t let a book being for teens or new adults deter you from reading Colleen Hoover!
Colleen Hoover’s books vary in terms of age rating and appropriateness. Her website has a handy graphic if you’re more of a visual person.
Colleen Hoover Books for Teens 14+
- Slammed
- Point of Retreat
- This Girl
- Never Never
- Without Merit
- Regretting You
- Heart Bones
New Adult (17+) Books
- Hopeless
- Losing Hope
- Finding Cinderella
- All Your Perfects
- Finding Perfect
- Maybe Someday
- Maybe Not
- Maybe Now
- Ugly Love
- Confess
- November 9
- Layla
- Reminders Of Him
- It Ends With Us
- It Starts With Us
Spicy Colleen Hoover Books (Contains Mature Content)
- Too Late
- Verity
Colleen Hoover FAQs
How Did Colleen Hoover Rise to Fame?
Colleen Hoover’s books are popular because she’s a great author who writes gripping, emotional, and genre-bending stories. She’s also done an incredible job at marketing on Tiktok via #booktok where she has 1.4 million followers.
Will Colleen Hoover’s Books Become Movies?
It Ends With Us is the first of Colleen Hoover’s books to be adapted into a movie (releasing in 2024). Here’s hoping that more will be released if it’s successful!
Do Colleen Hoover Books Go in Order?
Only the books in a series go in order; otherwise, all of Colleen Hoover’s books are standalone.
Do You Need To Read Colleen Hoover Books in Order?
Yes! You need to read the books in the series in order to appreciate the stories fully. Colleen Hoover wrote a few series of books: The Hopeless Series, The It Ends With Us Series, The Slammed Series, and The Maybe Series. However, all her stand-alone books can be read in any order.
Are Colleen Hoover Books Appropriate for 11, 12, or 13 Year Olds?
Some of her books are written for a young adult audience, including the Slammed series. She lists her recommended age for these as 14 and up and they may not be appropriate for an 11, 12, or 13 year old reader due to mature themes.
When Did Colleen Hoover Start Writing?
Like most writers, Colleen Hoover has probably been writing her whole life, but she first started writing Slammed back in 2011 when she was making just $9 an hour as a social worker. Slammed was originally written for herself but she ended up publishing it on the Kindle store so her mother could read it.
Just seven months later, Slammed was on the New York Times bestseller list and had earned her over $50,000 in royalties. She’s now sold more copies of her books than the bible.
Which Colleen Hoover Book Should I Read First?
That depends on what you’re looking for! Younger teens might enjoy starting with the Slammed series, adults at teens 17 and older will love It Ends With Us, and those looking for something more mature should check out Verity.
How Did Colleen Hoover Rise to Fame?
Colleen Hoover’s books are popular because she’s a great author who writes gripping, emotional, and genre-bending stories. She’s also done an incredible job at marketing on Tiktok via #booktok where she has 1.4 million followers.
Will Colleen Hoover’s Books Become Movies?
It Ends With Us is the first of Colleen Hoover’s books to be adapted into a movie (releasing in 2024). Here’s hoping that more will be released if it’s successful!
Do Colleen Hoover Books Go in Order?
Only the books in a series go in order, otherwise all of Colleen Hoover’s books are standalone.
Are Colleen Hoover books appropriate for 11, 12, or 13 year olds?
Some of her books are written for a young adult audience, including the Slammed series. She lists her recommended age for these as 14 and up and they may not be appropriate for an 11, 12, or 13 year old reader due to mature themes.
When Did Colleen Hoover Start Writing?
Like most writers, Colleen Hoover has probably been writing her whole life, but she first started writing Slammed back in 2011 when she was making just $9 an hour as a social worker. Slammed was originally written for herself but ended up publishing it on the Kindle store so her mother could read it.
Just seven months later Slammed was on the New York Times bestseller list and had earned her over $50,000 in royalties. She’s now sold more copies of her books than the bible.
Which Colleen Hoover Book Should I Read First?
That depends on what you’re looking for! Younger teens might enjoy starting with the Slammed series, adults at teens 17 and older will love It Ends With Us, and those looking for something more mature should check out Verity.
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Robyn Goldfarb
Hi! I am a millennial mom with a passion for personal finance. I have always been “into” personal finance but got inspired to start my blog after a period of extended unemployment. That experience really changed the way I viewed my relationship with money and the importance of accessible personal finance education.