Colleen Hoover Books: Where to Start and What to Read Next

Colleen Hoover has written more than twenty novels, and they don't all feel alike. Some are emotional romances, some are dark psychological thrillers, and a few are young adult love stories from early in her career. So "where should I start?" really depends on what you want to feel. Here's a guide to her books grouped by mood, with the few series that need to be read in order.

Titles with a link are currently on our shelves as new or condition-graded pre-loved copies. See everything in stock on our Colleen Hoover books page.

If you want a thriller: start with Verity

• Verity. A struggling writer is hired to finish a famous author's series and finds a manuscript that's not meant to be read. Her most popular book outside romance and the best place to start if you like twists.
• Layla. A couple returns to the bed-and-breakfast where they met, and something in the house isn't right. Part thriller, part paranormal.
• Woman Down. One of her newer thrillers. After a public backlash, a novelist retreats to a lakeside cabin to write, and her relationship with a detective blurs the line between research, fiction and real danger.

Hoover's thrillers include some dark and disturbing content, especially Verity. If you're sensitive to violence, check the content notes first.

If you want an emotional romance

• It Ends with Us. Lily's new relationship with a neurosurgeon gets complicated when her first love reappears. Her best-known book. It deals with domestic abuse, so read the author's note if that's a difficult subject for you.
• Reminders of Him. After five years in prison, a young mother tries to reconnect with the daughter she's never met. A strong second read after It Ends with Us.
• Ugly Love. A no-strings arrangement with a pilot who refuses to talk about his past. Steamier than most of her books.
• November 9. Two people agree to meet on the same date every year. Great for readers who like a clever structure.
• All Your Perfects. A marriage under strain, told in alternating past and present chapters.
• Confess. An artist paints anonymous confessions, and one of them is about the woman who walks into his studio.
• Regretting You. A mother and her teenage daughter after a family tragedy. A good choice if you want less romance and more family drama.

Colleen Hoover series and duologies in order

Most of Hoover's books are standalones. These are the exceptions:

• It Ends with Us: It Ends with Us, then It Starts with Us. Read them in that order. The sequel picks up right where the first book ends.
• Slammed: Slammed, Point of Retreat, then This Girl. Her first books, a young adult romance about two neighbors who bond over slam poetry.
• Maybe Someday: Maybe Someday, the novella Maybe Not, then Maybe Now. A musician and a songwriter who can't act on their feelings.

Our quick picks

• Never read Colleen Hoover: Verity if you like thrillers, It Ends with Us if you like romance.
• Already loved It Ends with Us: It Starts with Us, then Reminders of Him.
• Want something you can't put down: November 9 or Layla.

Our Colleen Hoover paperbacks are $35+ in pairs, so two books ship free in the US. Browse more in Romance or Mystery & Thriller.