May 8, 2024

Colleen Hoover’s books consistently depict troubling views. Her writing is subpar, her stories romanticize abusive relationships and show a general lack of awareness. Reading her writing, the main “plots” are just smut and drama. Perfectly fine—you’re allowed to write and read that, but what bothers me is the fact that her works are idolized and put on a pedestal as “romance books.”

I have read through her books (skipping through many many many parts) and there were multiple places where I had to pause and think about what I was doing with my life. 

Hoover’s novels can be an indulgence for people when they want to read something with more “adult” drama. While I may not enjoy her writing, others do. I wanted to critique her in order to inform prospective readers that her books are not just “romance” and should not be seen as such. 

Hoover’s works are definitely on the darker end of the romance genre, more toxic than healthy, but readers have labeled them as just romance books instead of dark romance or drama. She deals with very troubling topics, and because of this I wish she would push to have them marketed and reviewed as dark romance instead. 

My most pressing concern with Hoover’s books is that younger people (especially those in early, impressionable developmental ages) could somehow get their hands on them and then think that the way her main couples (and side couples) interact is appropriate. The books almost always include abusive/absent fathers, misogyny and at times even relationships between step-siblings or in-laws. The “romance” scenes were uncomfortable and left a bad taste in my mouth. It wasn’t because of the way they were written (maybe a bit) but rather the way the characters interacted before and after. 

As a minister’s child, the experience of reading her books has thoroughly unsettled me. I need to go bleach my eyes and sit in a church for a few days now. 

Amen.