Discover the best Colleen Hoover books ranked by fans, so you know which ones you can’t miss. This post shares popular picks, from her biggest bestseller, It Ends With Us, to fan favorites and her debut romance novel. You’ll learn exactly where to start or what to read next, so let’s get literary!
List of Colleen Hoover’s Best Books Ranked
- START HERE: It Ends With Us is a #1 New York Times bestseller by Colleen Hoover, a TikTok sensation with over one billion tags, and a GoodReads award-winning book that has been reviewed on the platform by over three million readers.
- BEST THRILLER: Verity
- Ugly Love
- Reminders of Him
- November 9
- It Starts With Us
- Regretting You
- Layla
- All Your Perfects
- DEBUT NOVEL: Slammed
Full List: Colleen Hoover Books in Order
Reviews of Colleen Hoover’s Top Romance Novels and Thrillers
METHODOLOGY: RANKING COLLEEN HOOVER’S BEST BOOKS
As an avid reader of Colleen Hoover’s novels myself (I even got engaged while reading one of her books), I have my favorites. But, in order to give you the fairest assessment of the best Colleen Hoover books, I also took into account: New York Times bestseller book rankings, GoodReads reviews, Instagram posts, an Instagram poll of my readers, and TikTok posts. The numbers were actually pretty clear on how CoHo’s books stack up with readers generally!
1. It Ends With Us (It Ends With Us Series Book 1 of 2)
It Ends With Us is a popular book recommendation that’s still massively popular years after its release due to its success on TikTok (where it has over one billion tags). Likewise, over three million readers have reviewed it on GoodReads. It’s one of the most successful books of the last decade by any author.
Lily has moved to Boston and started a floral business when she meets Ryle Kincaid, a stunning neurosurgeon. Quickly, she becomes his exception to the “no dating” rule. But, she soon learns the dark secret about why he has this rule in the first place.
Lily thinks back to Atlas Corrigan, the protector of her past. When he re-emerges in her life, the relations among all three become explosive.
If you’re wondering, “Which Colleen Hoover book should I read first?” — It’s It Ends With Us. The characters feel real, and the plot is gut-wrenching. The reader sees Lily grappling with life’s toughest choices.
Related Posts: It Ends With Us Trigger Warnings | It Ends With Us Review | It Ends With Us Series
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2. Verity (Standalone)
Verity is Colleen Hoover’s most popular thriller (and my personal favorite of her books). It has shocked legions of readers who finished with our mouths hanging open! I read it in one sitting.
Lowen Ashleigh is a writer who accepts a job ghostwriting for author Verity Crawford, a bestselling author who is seriously injured. As she sorts through Verity’s manuscripts, she finds an autobiography. It startles her with spine-tingling details about Verity’s life, including the night of her accident.
At the same time, Lowen falls for Verity’s husband, Jeremy Crawford. Strange things start to happen that keep confusing and scaring Lowen.
It’s worth reading Verity if you enjoy mature adult thrillers with dark and disturbing content. If so, it’s unputdownable, and many readers consider it to be her best work.
Related Posts: Discussion Questions for Verity | Verity Trigger Warnings
3. Ugly Love (Standalone)
Ugly Love tells the love story of Tate Collins, who meets airline pilot Miles Archer. It’s not exactly love at first sight, but they realize a purely physical relationship may work. He doesn’t want love, and she doesn’t have time for it.
When Miles’s tragic past is revealed, however, the future comes into question. Their seemingly uncomplicated love gets ugly.
It’s an extremely deep and emotional love story you won’t soon forget. The twist packed such an emotional punch. This book also benefits from a great supporting cast of characters that round out the story.
Related Posts: Ugly Love Plot Summary | Ugly Love Trigger Warnings | Ugly Love Review | Characters in Ugly Love
4. Reminders of Him (Standalone)
Reminders of Him was a quick success for Hoover at the height of her popularity. It’s about a troubled young mother named Kenna Rowan. She leaves a five-year stint in prison hoping to reunite with her four-year-old daughter.
However, everyone shuts her out except Ledger Ward, a local owner of a bar. They must hide their bond to keep the trust of everyone that matters. They must also keep the hope of healing broken bonds.
It’s a gripping story of grief and forgiveness. It packs an emotional punch and offers a steamy romance. It’s one of my personal favorites, as the redemption journey of the main character felt really impactful.
Related Posts: Reminders of Him Summary | Reminders of Him Review | Reminders of Him Characters
5. November 9 (Standalone)
November 9 is often considered an underrated gem among Colleen Hoover’s books. Though not her most popular book overall, it is highly rated by readers because it has a plot twist that makes a deep emotional impact.
It’s the popular love story of Fallon, who is escaping a painful past, both physical and emotional. Ben is an aspiring author. They spend the final day before her cross-country move together.
As their lives move forward, they continue to meet on the same day each year. Fallon becomes Ben’s unexpected creative inspiration. However, Fallon discovers that Ben has hidden a big secret that may change how both real life and the novel will end.
Their lives intersect in ways you won’t ever expect, which makes this novel so memorable and popular. The plot twist in this one is one of Hoover’s best. It both surprised me and made me even more connected to the characters and their story.
Related Post: Synopsis of November 9
6. It Starts With Us (It Ends With Us Series Book 2 of 2)
The sequel to Colleen Hoover’s most popular book was unsurprisingly a huge hit with readers. It Starts With Us is fan favorite Atlas’s side of the story.
I don’t want to say too much about it so as not to spoil anything. I will note that it involves sweet letters and more than one child as a character.
7. Regretting You (Standalone)
Regretting You is a moving story of grieving mothers and daughters. It touched my heart and will touch yours too. Morgan Grant is determined to stop her sixteen-year-old daughter, Clara, from making the same mistakes she made. She got pregnant and married to Chris at a young age.
As their relationship struggles, Morgan’s husband is killed in a tragic accident. (This is not a spoiler.) In their grief, Morgan seeks solace in the only person she least expected. Clara escapes to a forbidden boy.
This one dives into parental relationships more than the others on this list. It’s great for those who love a good family drama. I expect it remain popular since it’s being adapted.
8. Layla (Standalone)
Layla became popular because it’s a book like Verity, her popular thriller. This is Colleen Hoover’s “ghost story.” It takes a twist that makes it suspenseful and as satisfying as all her novels.
Leeds wants to spend his life with Layla, but he’s torn because she was left a different woman as the result of a violent attack. So, they retreat to a B&B, where Layla’s behavior becomes downright bizarre.
That’s not the only odd thing happening in this place. When Leeds meets a “guest” named Willow, he starts falling for her. This leads to him learning the truth about what happened to Layla and the strange occurrences.
The final scenes take you on a really wild ride! If you don’t mind going on a bit of a paranormal journey, it’s a must.
Related Posts: Layla Book Summary | Layla Trigger Warnings
9. All Your Perfects (Hopeless Series Book 4 of 5)
All Your Perfects is part of the Hopeless series, but it can also be read as a standalone novel. (That’s how I read it.) It’s a popular love story of a once-perfect couple, Quinn and Graham, who now have an imperfect marriage.
Their future depends on promises made in the past. They were made before they endured years of imperfections and infertility. Can they overcome this?
It’s a tough read in terms of the subject matter, but for that reason, it also makes an impact.
10. Slammed (Slammed Series Book 1 of 3)
Slammed is where it all started, so it’s a popular choice for CoHo fans.
Layken is 18 years old. She becomes the rock for her mother and her younger brother after their father unexpectedly dies. Then, she meets her new neighbor Will, whose passion for slam poetry enthralls her. Everything’s great until a shocking discovery challenges the relationship.
Only poetry may save them.
Related Post: Slammed Series
About Colleen Hoover and Her Best Sellers
about
Colleen Hoover is a bestselling American author of millions of books. She is known for her contemporary romance novels (and occasionally psychological thrillers) in the New Adult and Young Adult genres. She has received the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Romance.
A graduate of Texas A&M University-Commerce, author Colleen Hoover debuted as an author in 2012 with Slammed. She gained fame on social media like TikTok for works like It Ends With Us and Verity. Time magazine named her one of the most influential people in the world in 2023.
She excels at writing unputdownable romance books that all feel very different yet are similarly unputdownable books. She’s also great at getting the reader to care about the characters while moving the plot along quickly at the same time. Colleen Hoover’s spicy romance scenes are also a trademark!
Hoover also co-founded The Bookworm Box, a charity subscription service.
Recap
The best Colleen Hoover books include a popular array of romance novels and thrillers. Unsure where to start? Many readers like to start with her most popular book, It Ends with Us (for adults aged 18 and over), or her debut novel, Slammed (for young adults aged 14 and over). My top pick is Verity, a dark and disturbing romance thriller for mature adults aged 21 and over.
FULL COLLEEN HOOVER BOOK LIST
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remember, it’s a good day to read a book. – jules
I’ve only read one of these books on the list, but I cannot wait to read the rest, as well as her other books!
I definitely think you will love them, especially these top 5.
I agree with your list 100%. Thank you for the recommendations!
Enjoy these books! All 5 are great.
I just found out about this author!!! I have only read heart bones omg I’m hooked now I finished it in 5 days!! Now I just ordered, IT ENDS WITH US !!! I’m excited!!!
I just recently found this author a few months back and now have read 5 of her books!! Have loved them all. The first I read was It Ends with Us and I was hooked. Just finished November 9 tonight and now want to read them all!!!!!
I loved November 9 too!! Definitely one of my faves.
I just finished reading It Starts With Us, after reading It Ends With Us. Remarkable stories, but I want MORE! Tell us Josh’s story, and Emmy’s story!
I’ve just about finished reading them all. I just can’t put your books down.