People consider CoHo to be a writer for people who don't read books. Her writting is pretty bad and she can't create realistic characters and dialogue for the life of her. But probably the worst thing about her is the normalisation of abuse in relationships. Bad writting is normal and common, but the way she romaticizes abuse is not. Anyone who has read better books can see this but younger people who have only started reading (and unfortunately often get recommended CoHo by her oblivious fans) might not notice that there is something wrong.

From what I’ve gathered is that she’s not a very good writer but is also one of the most popular writers right now because of tik tok. Her books are front and centre on displays in book stores, she’s on the bestseller list etc. I think that normally when a writer is mediocre/bad and not very popular most people just let them be but when they get to this level of fame, they are bound to be scrutinized and people will talk shit about them.

Personally, I am not her marketed audience and I don’t care for her writing style. Yes, her writing is mediocore at best. Yes, there are better writers out there. Yes, her works do normalise toxic relationships and a lot is marketed as being ‘romantic’. However, I am not gonna shit on people reading it. We all started somewhere and these snobs are the ones who don’t care for literature but more of being ‘not like others’. Leave them and you enjoy what you enjoy as these things come in cycle. Twilight, grey and now her…it’s always going round and round.

CoHo is not really my style at all, but that being said:

Lots of female readers enjoy her work, and people just fucking LOVE shitting all over ANYTHING women like or take pleasure in.

Anyone who's calling you "fake and uneducated" for the crime of fucking reading popular fiction can get fucked themselves. There's no reward for reading "deeper" books. Shitting all over what people enjoy in an attempt to make themselves feel important for their supposedly more "advanced" tastes is asshole behavior.

Read what you like, enjoy what you like. There's no prize at the end of any of this.

It’s misdirected frustration.

It’s a bit much that her books are so popular when they’re such drivel - but that’s a societal issue not a CoHo issue. There are plenty of books I’ve read that were way worse than Verity, but what ground my gears a bit was how HYPED it was.

Also, some of her stans can be very stanny.

I don't read her books but I won't disparage her readership. However, I am getting tired of every bookstore offline and online promoting her books so much.

Idrk. I haven't actually read them, but I heard someone complain about her books being kind of mis-marketed. For example, there was one about an abusive relationship (i think Nov 9) but it was heavily marketed as romance that they didn't feel came in until the end (when MC got with someone else). Idk if that has something to do with it? Or maybe ppl just need a new Twilight to channel all their frustration into.

I have only read one book by CoHo and it just wasn’t for me. I don’t enjoy her writing style or her “romance” storylines. The editing isn’t my favorite, either. That being said, I won’t read anymore of her books but I also don’t judge people who do enjoy her. I am a huge fan of Sarah J. Maas, who also gets a lot of flack from people. I say read what you like and people who judge you for it can stuff it!

I think it's a classic case of "meh/okay author, unbearable fandom". Some things can only get shoved so many times in your face before your indifference turns to frustration and some fans can be very aggravating without realizing it. I never read anything by Colleen Hoover because her books aren't what I enjoy, but you see her everywhere and people who love her can get quite passionate and, from what I have seen, are quick to jump to "well, if you don't like it, you obviously are boring/are an elitist/hate stuff made by and for women". So I don't think it's a problem with her content and more with the way it is publicized.

That's the problem with many divisive authors/books.

They're bad.

The writing's bad. The message is bad. The plot twists and conventions are obvious.

They are yet another example of abuse as romance targetted at girls and young women. A LOT of people find that reprehensible.

She had got to be the most recommended author in the world right now, so a lot of those recommendations have to be going to people who aren't the kind of person who would like her books. So it leads to a backlash.

The reason is that those who wish to have something to kill time with without having to think, and who don't require well-written plots without holes and shallow characters, do still enjoy her books and that is fine, but what others do not like is that her books are hyped to a ridiculous degree and if that is the quality of books needed to top all charts everywhere, that makes authors less likely to bother with the higher-quality literature that many in the book community is striving to find to be able to enjoy reading.

Similarly, how the fact that movies are nowadays dumbed down, with idiotic characters and comedy that is apparently enough to amuse the big audiences, means that quality movies with well-thought out plots are getting rare, and how AAA video games are buggy and poorly developed because people buy them anyways whether or not the quality is great.

So normally, other people having different preferences doesn't hurt anyone, but in this case people enjoying and hyping dumbed-down stuff in droves is actually hurting the market of "quality" entertainment, and that makes many feel rather angry.

Because they are shit and people who like shit doesn't like to be told that what they like is shit.

Too many people in modern society forget that fantasy isn't real life. I don't really know anything about her, but I understand certain things about the "romance" genre.

Many people get really angry about elements of fictional romances that are for a certain market.

Let's take the "enemies to lovers" trope, since I'm getting that vibe from some comments. I'm not a fan, myself, but there's another related niche I like and I've gone out of my way to try to understand (why people like this sort of thing).

Some people like to read these kinds of fantasies because reading is a safe place to explore things you'd never do IRL.

A person who has had to end a relationship due to red flags, but they really loved that person and wish they had changed, can explore that safely through reading. Imagination is a safe space.

Even very dark fantasies can be safely indulged in (50 Shades ring any bells?) without getting any actual pain or risking running afoul of a true sadist instead of merely a redeemable scoundrel.

These books allow people to have a fantasy in a safe way.

But unfortunately, there are a lot of controlling, thought-policing people who can't separate fact from fiction. They believe that by creating a safe place to enjoy fantasies you'd never risk IRL, you are condoning the behaviors in the story.

That's simply not true.

Everyone but these thought police know...it's fantasy. Their excuse is that no fantasy should exist because what if someone follows through!?!?

In reality, people are more likely to follow through in risky ways if they can't indulge their imagination. They are more likely to follow through in extremely risky ways if they feel ashamed and demonized. The shame itself will drive them towards subconscious self harm.

It's better to give people space to explore it safely and to feel okay about themselves. It's just thoughts, not acted on. It's harmless to self and others when it's just a book.

Most people would enjoy being pursued by someone who loves and dotes on them, for example... But we know IRL such aggressive pursuit is typically abusive. So in person it turns us off. Not to mention it's usually someone we aren't at all attracted to, either.

Books, especially romances, allow us to let go of our reasonable concerns about stalking (for example) and indulge in a sense of being intensely pursued by a person we actually would love being pursued by.

Enemies to lovers allows a person to give in to a "forbidden" but overwhelming desire. Many of us have been deeply, intensely attracted to someone only to find out they're a jerk. In imagination, they are redeemable and come around in the end. IRL, you dare not take that chance.

Fiction is freedom. You can do in fiction what you never would IRL.

Some people want to take that away under "but it's normalizing abusive behavior!"

No, it isn't. It's giving people space to imagine before going back to the harsh reality that being pursued aggressively is only fun in fantasy, but is mostly dangerous and terrifying in reality.

I keep seeing "she's not a good writer" but also see the argument "read what you like" and "read to escape or for entertainment". People could be right she might be the worst writer there is but here's the thing, for me the one book I did read by her, Verity is entertaining as hell and I tore through the book fast than other well written books by authors that are considered great even if just in their genre. So which is it? She is a bad writer so you shouldn't like her? She's on tik tok a lot so for that you shouldn't like her? She's getting more people to read so you shouldn't like her? That last one is laughable.

So what if she's not a great writer. Some literary classics are damn near impossible to read or understand for some of us that are frankly just reading for fun. This genuinely just feels like gatekeeping and it makes it harder to have conversations with people about books specially online. I recently made a post about Very by Colleen Hoover that I thought would engage people in conversation and thankfully it did but it immediately got down voted and had a few comments that had nothing to do with the book but with the author. It's sad.

I read a couple of her books and they're on the trashy side (for my standards) but also highly addictive. The woman knows how to write a page turner. If you just want something fast paced for escapism and don't mind morally questionable characters, give it a try. I don't think I'm reading more from her but for my needs at the time, it was fine. I understand why she appeals the masses. Nothing wrong with that.

The excerpts I've read of her books read like Wattpad (fan)fiction. AKA mostly bad fanfiction. And at least that's free.

I also think Hoover tends to appeal more to people that just want something easy and accessible to read, mainly young people who don't read a ton or are just getting into reading, and many people who read more regularly are a bit scared of the general public either holding her up as the standard or something to aspire to, like the trend of publishing will move towards books with the same style or quality of writing.

It's kind of triggering when books are so mediocre, but still so popular. It reminds me how bad the reading level is ad much shit-tok helps to promote crap.

Question: I haven't read Colleen Hoover but when I was a teenager I read Sarah Dessen's books, which honestly sound very similar in structure, plot elements, etc. Has anyone read books by both of these authors? Are their books similar?

Whenever any writer becomes as popular and as inescapable as she has, there is always lashback.

I have never read her books because she writes in a genre I don't care for, but if you go to any bookstore, she is truly everywhere. That can get rather abrasive and provoke reactions.

Stephanie Meyer (Twilight) and E.L. James (50 Shades) faced similar criticisms for similar reasons, they’re broadly considered to be bad writers.

At the end of the day, read what you like. If you enjoy Hoover’s stories and can look past the bad writing, who cares what anyone else thinks?

Because her books are shoved down everyone’s throats; best seller lists, booktok/tube/gram content, every bookstore has them on display. Coupled with the fact that her books are poorly written and read like a 12 year olds wattpad account.

I think her prose is passable. I tried to read one of her books for the first time - forgot the title - and I thought there was a big chance I would be a regular reader of hers. I Dnfed her book pretty quickly. I am now annoyed with her, because I cannot understand her appeal. And that makes me feel left out. I don't hate COHO but I am irritated by her fandom. I can only shrug and move on.

it is not complicated. They are far and away the bestselling fiction in the country right now, and yet many people think they're not good. Hence, they are divisive.

She's a popular writer of basically lowbrow fiction. These kinds of authors are always lightning rods for criticism in some way or another. Some people dislike the fact that she seemed to come out of nowhere instead of "earning" her success, but there have been authors like her in every decade for over a hundred years. As far as her "romanticizing" toxic relationships, well, one of the selling points of lowbrow popular fiction is that they do things that seem "taboo" to readers looking for non-moralist escapism. Obviously there is a fine line to walk without tipping over, and Hoover seems to balance the line quite well, as evidenced by her popularity. So every criticism of her books' "problematic" nature are in some way also a selling point for a lot of people. I think her critics would do well to try a different critical tack if they want to curtail her popularity, because the current one obviously hasn't been working.

I just really disliked Verity and think she’s very overrated.

Some people like them and are rabid about that. Some people don’t like them and are rabid about that.

I don't necessarily love reading her, but I know her books will burn some hours if I need to wait for something. Sort of like putting my brain in standby mode if I have important meetings going on later in the day, or I'm trying to wait out something.

Like, I'm not gonna regret spending a few hours reading her weirdass names. I'm a sap at heart, and I enjoy a decent romance. Her books are cookie cutter, digestible, and while they have some WTF moments and decisions, they aren't exactly fighting my suspension of disbelief too hard. Except for that one book. That we all know of. But as soon as she snapped my suspension of disbelief, I read it as an attempt at comedy, and it turned wonderful

Also, her characters are chaoticly named, and while I find some of them ridiculous, I admire her brazen uncaring efforts

Those people are not wrong. If you like Colleen Hoover, you do need to read better books. I get people want to read her for enjoyment or shit, I get that. I understand that.

My issue is with people who act like she has published some groundbreaking piece of literature that's so deep with layers of onion. No. That's not true. Her writing sucks. And love, if you like her books, you might as well read some better books written on Wattpad by 14 year olds.

Thirdly, her books are problematic. Their plot is problematic. I am specifically going to talk about It Ends With Us. That book justifies sexual assault, no accountability for bad and abusive characters. And you know what? I understand that characters can be morally bad. What I don't understand is that CoHo doesn't provide any sort of accountability or acknowledgement for that shit.

Fourthly, it glorifies toxic relationships, grooming and is just very unrealistic. Now why I say unrealistic? Because according to the strategically placed Author's Note in the end, it's supposed to highlight her mother's story. Atlas is some guy who out of nowhere became a successful chef? But okay, I'll give my willing suspension disbelief. My other problem is with how bland her characters are. The main character is called Lily Bloom for fucks sake. And she's the most one dimensional, half-assed and generic character i have ever seen.

Fifthly, the writer herself is problematic and I'm sorry if I have trouble supporting someone who tries to conceal her son's sexual assault attempts. I am not going to go into depth, you can that on twitter.

Sixth, how am I supposed to take a writer seriously who makes her characters laugh at their son's "big balls". Like are you kidding me?

I apologise for my lack of politeness but i get really angry when people act like hating on CoHo is because of her success or something. We have our reasons, very valid and real reasons to not enjoy her work. You can enjoy reading her but for god's sake stop acting like she's some groundbreaking literary artist.

Because they are popular.

As a lifelong reader and lover of books it breaks my heart to see people say that they don’t want to mention the books they read and enjoy for fear of the hateful comments they receive in response. Expository or explicative responses offering counter viewpoints is one thing but vitriol is another. There is just no excuse for trying to shame someone for reading. Offer other options. Recommend other authors. Encourage people to expand their choices… but really, if you have to be an asshole to express your point, you’ve lost that literary high ground you think you occupy.

I think that mediocre authors tend to get famous because their books are written simply and non readers tend to be drawn to that so they blow up. Tik Tok helps that for sure, and when an author becomes so good they develop a huge cult following, who tend to be very very protective of said authors, which in turn starts to really grate on people, so more people become vocal about this dislike and it becomes more about the annoying fans then the actual authors.

In the end I do not understand why anyone would judge a person based on a book they are reading.

She has some books I like, some I'm not interested in. I am a chatacter reader, if you can make me like one chatacter, I will probably be invested. I have read lots of "bad books" and enjoyed them. Reading, I think, for the most part, is for fun and de-stressing, at least for me it is. There was also some controversy with her son and allegations that she allegedly covered up, which once the internet caught wind, it made it even worse to be a fan of hers.

Personally, I'm not a fan of Colleen Hoover and think she's a bit overhyped because I've read romance books that are written way better and not as cheesy or corny. I do agree that her books aren't as taboo as others though. For example, I think Penelope Douglas' books are a lot more taboo than her's and sometimes are problematic.

I feel like her reading her books is like watching trashy TV. Sometimes that's just what you're in the mood for.

They aren’t taboo, they are just terrible.

Shoutouts to successful female authors being shit on aggressively

Also

> things start getting weird when I mention that I like some Coho books. They just go off and call me a fake and uneducated reader who "needs to read another book".

Seriously, who are these people that you've found yourself near? I cannot for the life of me imagine insulting or discrediting anyone for their taste in books in such a poisonous way. What's the motivation for them doing this? Damn.

Are some of her books better/worse? I’ve read a few that I enjoyed, Heartbones and Reminders of Him in particular, but after those didn’t like even the plot description on the back covers to read any of her others.

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People don’t know how to think for themselves and also seem to have forgotten how to respect other people’s reading choices. I have gotten such vitriol thrown my way for reading things that the media have vilified. It kinda takes the fun out of reading because I’m afraid to share what I’ve read.

I wonder about thjs too. For reference I read romance, YA and genre fiction. I thought her book was “aggressively fine”. It Ends With Us didn’t seem like it glorified anything. I don’t get all the hate but I also really don’t get all the hype ??? 🤪 I think it’s all the hype that annoys people ?

This is about her books I don’t really know much about her as a person

It’s a hive mind. Even the people who primarily read toxic romance novels are jumping on the colleen hate train because independent thought is illegal

It's book reader elitism. There is always an author and fandom that people feel the need to incessantly criticize or put down so that they feel better about themselves. I've personally seen that many of the criticisms are from people that don't even typically read her genre, so their criticisms of her work are literally what other people love. Colleen writes specific types of books for specific audiences, and she clearly excels within that niche. People will read Verity because they saw it marked as a thriller but there is no way one should expect an actual thriller from Colleen. I don't know. I feel people should do their research before randomly buying books because they saw it on best seller list.

Yes, she sometimes punches above her weight by trying to incorporate genres/topics that aren't her forte, but out of everything she has published I don't see how books like Verity and that one about domestic abuse mean she is a terrible author overall or her readers aren't smart or sophisticated.

Knowing literally nothing about this author or her books and just observing, I get a lot of “pumpkin spiced latte” vibes.

People just like to shit on things that many women collectively have stated that they enjoy.

People hate on her because tiktokers that also write books started hating on her because none of them are even close to being as popular as she is. Yeah okay her writing isnt good but people are reading it, giving her money, and tiktokers are jealous lol. Its simple as that. You wouldnt shame anyone else for reading something that isnt your cup of tea, but with hoover its wayyy more accepted lol