Kylie Jenner And Lucy Hale Are Both On The Colleen Hoover Book Bandwagon

If you've stepped into a bookstore in the last few years, chances are you've seen the name Colleen Hoover more than once. Even if you've never read a word of her writing, you've likely spotted the pastel covers with torn flower petals on shelves. From her humble self-publishing beginnings, she has since written herself into the center of contemporary commercial fiction. She garnered a fervent community of BookTokers who helped launch her into the publishing stratosphere, and in 2022 alone, she claimed six of the top ten spots on The New York Times bestseller list. Not bad for someone who only began self-publishing to give her mother something to read on her new Kindle.

With that kind of cultural saturation, it was only a matter of time before Hoover's once-niche digital reads caught the attention of celebrities. Her fanbase now stretches far beyond weepy TikTokers and airport book buyers, including A-listers who've publicly declared their love for her series, "It Ends With Us." One such fan is Kylie Jenner, who shared the novel on her Instagram story with the caption, "read this today. & I'm kinda sad it's over." She also posted its sequel, "It Starts With Us," giving both titles a highly visible co-sign to her 393 million followers. 

Actress Lucy Hale has also joined the chorus. In an interview with Byrdie, she gushed, "I bought all seven of her books on Amazon. 'It Ends With Us' is wonderful." The series resonated with the "Pretty Little Liars" lead because, as she put it, "A lot of her books revolve around strong women and trauma and love stories and love triangles." For the actress who has played her share of complicated women on screen, it's no wonder Hoover's work feels familiar in its vulnerability.

When a beauty mega-mogul like Kylie Jenner and a millennial scream queen like Lucy Hale are reading the same book, you know it's reached zeitgeist status. The title in question — "It Ends With Us" — is perhaps Colleen Hoover's best-known and most divisive work. In it, florist Lily Bloom is caught in the escalating violence of her relationship with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid. Though shelved under romance, it deals heavily with domestic violence and abuse.

Still, not all publicity is good publicity. These days, the book is more likely to be associated with Blake Lively's ill-fated 2024 film adaptation. When the trailer for "It Ends With Us" came out, book fans all said the same thing: the casting skewed noticeably older than the characters on the page. Some took issue with the treatment of such sensitive material; others fixated on costuming, much of it reportedly pulled from Lively's personal wardrobe, which eventually made the list of Blake Lively outfits that totally missed the mark. For many readers, this simply wasn't the story they imagined.

Any remaining hope around the film was swiftly overshadowed by a public and bitter legal feud. Lively filed a lawsuit against co-star Justin Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment; Baldoni countersued for extortion and defamation, subpoenaing Taylor Swift in the process, whose song "My Tears Ricochet" had been licensed for the soundtrack. A fittingly chaotic turn for such an emotionally volatile work? Possibly. But the author's resonance with readers endures. And speaking of Taylor Swift, those seeking romance books to check out based on your favorite Taylor Swift album will find Hoover fits the bill.