10 Colleen Hoover Books Guaranteed to Break Your Heart

A gripping, heartwrenching, and utterly fascinating read, It Ends With Us takes a deep and painful look at emotional and physical abuse in a relationship, and how the sins of our past do not need to justify the pains of the future. Colleen Hoover delivers arguably her most gripping and profound story yet with many twists and turns that will inevitably both break readers' hearts and give them hope for a better tomorrow. This rare two-part story from the acclaimed writer leaves fans with a massive cliffhanger and will have them chomping at the bit to see where this tale of love, deceit, and pain will go next.

There is no such thing as bad people. We’re all just people who sometimes do bad things. 
- Ryle Kincaid

First Published: August 2, 2016
Setting: Boston, Massachusetts
Characters: Ryle Kincaid, Atlas Corrigan, Lily Bloom
Goodreads Rating: 4.30 Stars

A drastic departure from the rest of Colleen Hoover's work, Vertiry is a deeply dark, sophisticated, and thrilling novel that focuses more on telling a deep and rich story as opposed to a simple one about love and romance. While many readers saw this drastic change in style and were shocked, after reading, they soon found out that Hoover is so much more than a one-trick pony. While elements of love and romance are undoubtedly still there, they take a back seat on this thrilling adventure of biological discovery and familial intrigue.

I wasn’t heroic. I wasn’t simple. I was difficult. An emotionally challenging puzzle he wasn’t up for solving. 
- Vertiy Crawford

First Published: October 5, 2021
Setting: New York
Characters: Verity Crawford, Lowen Ashleigh, Jeremy Crawford
Goodreads Rating: 4.38 Stars

The painstaking and devastating conclusion to the “With Us” story, It Starts with Us picks up immediately where its predecessor left off, only this time we get an entirely new perspective to follow. While Lily is still our main protagonist, readers are finally able to enter the mind of lost love Atlas as he tells his side of the story, and reveals the true person he actually is. With a terrifying love triangle between these two love birds and an ex-husband who has proven to do the most heinous acts, It Starts with Us is a heart-pounding and satisfying conclusion to a 7-year long story.

I can draw a seedling with two tiny branches. Yours and mine. We’ll be on our own brand-new, tiny family tree—one that starts with us.
- Ryle Kincaid

First Published: October 18, 2022
Setting: Boston, Massachusetts 
Characters: Ryle Kincaid, Atlas Corrigan, Lily Bloom

The first in her series of books in the Hopeless series, the aptly titled Hopeless is a quite tricky title, as it is arguably the most hopeful and uplifting novel Colleen Hoover has ever writer. Telling the tale of two loves who are afraid to let the other in but so desperately desire to, the book teaches and preaches to the audience the importance of opening your heart, letting the world see you wounds and all, and embracing the person you are. A magnificent and joyful read, Hopeless is a magnificent story told brilliantly. 

It's real, Six. You can't get mad at a real ending. Some of them are ugly. It's the fake happily ever afters that should piss you off.
- Dean Holder

First Published: December 18, 2012
Setting: Texas
Characters:  Six, Dean Holder, Sky Davis

Colleen Hoover found her stride in 2022 and released not one, but two best sellers, her most prominent and acclaimed being her heartbreaking tale, Reminders of Him. Telling the story of a young woman named Kenna Rowen who went to jail for inadvertently killing her partner, but as fate would reveal, she wound pregnant with his child, and now seeks to find her 5 years later, this story is not for the faint of heart. A brutal, gutwrenching tale of a desperate mother who wants nothing more than to be with the child she loves and redeem herself for the sins of her past, Reminders of Him is a masterclass in heartbreaking storytelling and eye-watering monologues.

There was before you and there was during you. For some reason, I never thought there would be an after you.
- Kenna Rowen

First Published: January 18, 2022
Setting: Denver, Colorado
Characters: Kenna Rowen, Ledger Ward, Grace Landry, Patrick Landry

One of Colleen Hoover's most controversial and divisive novels of all time, Ugly Love takes an all too real and painful look at an incredibly toxic relationship and the damage it causes to all of those involved. Glorifying the “I can fix them” belief that has become one of the most dangerous traits in a relationship, Ugly Love has cause outrage and has triggered many readers with its brutal depiction of love, lust, and heartbreak. While the book is by no means an easy read, it is one that forces readers into the shoes of a desperate person, and one they should never want to become.

Love isn't always pretty. Sometimes you spend all your time hoping it'll eventually be something different. Something better. Then, before you know it, you're back to square one, and you lost your heart somewhere along the way.
- Tate Collins

First Published: August 5, 2014
Setting: San Francisco, California
Characters: Tate Collins, Miles Archer