September 28, 2022
As an avid reader, I was immediately intrigued when I saw dozens of TikTokers praising the work of Colleen Hoover. However, I must confess that despite the weak writing, superficial characters, and traumatic pornography, I was hesitant to voice my opinions and admit that, contrary to the praise I saw online, his books were terrible and in fact quite problematic.
When I first picked up a book by Colleen Hoover, I followed the masses on TikTok, afraid to defy anyone’s thoughts. My hesitation was not about the quantity of fans but their quality. Creators with hundreds of thousands of followers have expressed their unconditional love for these novels – how could I go against them? They have to have some sort of credibility, right? With a bad taste in my mouth, I wasn’t sure what to think, and while I wish I wasn’t rooted in the opinions of strangers on social media, I sometimes do.
If you’ve never read a Colleen Hoover book, I envy you. That probably means you’re not spending all your time glued to your phone’s scrolling since most of its readers come from TikTok. Or maybe you’ve seen the bright red flags all along. Whatever your reason, congratulations, you’re better than me.
The best way to describe a Colleen Hoover book is an adult romance novel filled with uncomfortable scenes, disappointing characters, and cheesy lines that Hoover clearly wants to become popular quotes reposted on Pinterest. Fans are praising Hoover for these “profound statements” that tend to be just repurposed quotes like “Keep Swimming” from “Finding Nemo.”
After a (“It ends with us“) and a half pounds of real confusion and twisted anxiety, I snapped”ugly love” close half-book, half-page. With over 1.6 million Goodreads reviews averaging 4.38 stars, “It’s Ending With Us” seemed like a good place to start. Yet I was appalled by the romance of homelessness and violence. I was even more confused about the main character, Lily, who is 23 in the novel, writing journal entries to…Ellen DeGeneres? Something wasn’t clicking.
The discussion, or rather the romanticization, of the trauma is not only triggering, but can also be detrimental to a potential reader who has experienced it. Although many adults have post-traumatic stress disorder caused by a traumatic event in their lifetime, many do not receive appropriate treatment, whether due to the cost of therapy, lack of access to services or social stigma. Either way, those who receive treatment may experience a regression in their recovery when symptoms such as codependency, control, and lack of boundaries are glorified in the books.
Hoover uses violence for its shock value, rather than approaching it with actual substance.
While it may be instructive to read about these topics, using them as plot devices is not. Hoover uses violence for its shock value, rather than approaching it with actual substance. Not only does this invalidate people’s experiences, it also demeans them.
Sure, you could say that victims should avoid reading books with trigger topics, but when there’s no trigger warning, how are they supposed to know? Let’s move beyond victim blaming.
Either way, it’s a moot point when millions of people are obsessed with the fictional abusers on social media – inevitable platforms if you want to keep up with all the latest trends, which is what we’re all supposed to do. And when you’re not a carbon copy of everyone else on the internet, you feel left out, stuck in an endless cycle of misery and self-destruction.
These principles hold true even in several corners of the internet like BookTok, the community of book lovers on TikTok. Although BookTok can be a safe space, community members can sometimes be harmful, whether they intend to be or not. Some creators and viewers remember details from their favorite Colleen Hoover books, such as moments in her books where the main character, usually a woman, experiences some kind of trauma and her love interest, a man, saves her. This problematic trope perpetuates misogynistic stereotypes.
There is an unhealthy numbness around abuse and survivors. It’s interesting how the main appeal of Hoover’s work, using violence for plot twists, is the exact reason why his books are inappropriate.
There’s a moment in “It’s Ending With Us” where Lily writes in her diary (yes, to Ellen) about how her dad beat her mom, and then her. Moving on, Hoover begins to write about how Atlas, a homeless boy living in Lily’s backyard, comforted Lily even when he was freezing, saying, “I might have thought it was was nice if it wasn’t so sad.” Not only is this a particularly triggering scene for people who have been abused, but the fact that Hoover gives Atlas a savior complex throughout the story while Lily deals with abuse is harmful.
While many TikTok users applaud Hoover “honesty” in “insane situations”, many others, including myself, disagree with this statement. It’s a little dismissive to attribute genuine abusive circumstances to a mere “insane situation”.
Additionally, readers using Hoover’s exploitation of abuse as “escapeshows a lack of knowledge of these sensitive subjects.
There is an unhealthy numbness around abuse and survivors. It’s interesting how the main appeal of Hoover’s work, using violence for plot twists, is the exact reason why his books are inappropriate.
I don’t say this to sound better than anyone, but I hope I never find pleasure in glorified suffering. I also hope never to write about it. If all you take away from reading this is reconsidering the media you consume and being more trauma-informed, that’s a win for me.
Sadly, the abuse in the real world isn’t going to stop anytime soon, but we can at least stop glorifying it. In the meantime, ask yourself why are you obsessed with traumatized characters? Also, why do these characters love Ellen DeGeneres? You may not have immediate answers to these questions, but asking them is a good start.