Colleen Hoover Books in Order: Best Reading Order (and Where to Start in 2026)

If you searched for “Colleen Hoover books in order,” here’s the short answer: read her in either publication order (start with Slammed, 2012) or by category (standalones first — It Ends with Us, Verity, or Ugly Love depending on your taste — then explore the duologies and series). Most of her books stand alone, so reading order is less restrictive than the search volume implies. This guide gives you both views, plus the “where to start” recommendation that actually matters: which one matches what you already like.

I’ve read 16 of her books over four years. The thing nobody tells new readers is that her catalog isn’t a single tonal register — Verity is a psychological thriller, Slammed is a young-adult-leaning love story, It Ends with Us is contemporary fiction with a domestic-violence storyline, and Hopeless is a romance with a heavier mystery undertone. Picking the wrong starter for your taste is the most common reason people DNF Hoover after one book.

This guide covers her complete catalog in publication order, the recommended reading order for new readers, where each book fits (standalone, series, duology), and the three reader profiles that determine your best starting point.

Quick Answer: Two Ways to Read Colleen Hoover

Publication order (chronological — what she wrote when):

1. Slammed (2012)

2. Point of Retreat (2012) — Slammed sequel

3. Hopeless (2012)

4. Losing Hope (2013) — Hopeless companion

5. This Girl (2013) — Slammed finale

6. Maybe Someday (2014)

7. Finding Cinderella (2013) — Hopeless novella

8. Ugly Love (2014)

9. Maybe Not (2014) — Maybe Someday novella

10. Confess (2015)

11. November 9 (2015)

12. It Ends with Us (2016)

13. Without Merit (2017)

14. Too Late (2017)

15. All Your Perfects (2018)

16. Verity (2018)

17. Heart Bones (2020)

18. Layla (2020)

19. Reminders of Him (2022)

20. It Starts with Us (2022) — It Ends with Us sequel

21. Never Never trilogy (2015–2016, co-authored with Tarryn Fisher)

Recommended order for new readers (taste-matched):

1. Pick a starter from the three profiles below

2. Read 2–3 more standalones in any order

3. Add the duologies / series only after you know if she’s for you

The publication-order list is for completionists. The recommended order is what most BookTokers actually do.

Where to Start with Colleen Hoover (Three Reader Profiles)

The most common mistake new Hoover readers make: starting with It Ends with Us because BookTok told them to, even though they’re a thriller reader who’d be better served by Verity. Match the book to what you already like:

Profile 1: You read Gone Girl, The Silent Patient, Verity-adjacent thrillers

**Start with: Verity (2018).** Standalone psychological thriller. Hoover’s most plot-driven book, divisive among her romance fans, but the one that gets thriller readers hooked on her voice. If you finish Verity and want more in the same register, follow with Layla (psychological + supernatural) and Too Late (darker romantic suspense).

Profile 2: You read Emily Henry, Ali Hazelwood, BookTok-favorite contemporary romance

**Start with: Reminders of Him (2022) or November 9 (2015).** Both are emotionally grounded standalones with the second-chance / reconciliation arc that drives most contemporary romance. Skip It Ends with Us as a starter — its content is heavier than most of the Henry/Hazelwood crossover audience expects, and going in unprepared is the #1 reason readers DNF Hoover. We covered the standalone with the most BookTok mentions in our Ugly Love summary and review.

Profile 3: You read literary contemporary fiction, character-driven non-romance

**Start with: Confess (2015) or All Your Perfects (2018).** Confess threads an art-and-confession storyline through the romance — closer to literary contemporary than her BookTok bestsellers. All Your Perfects tackles infertility and marriage breakdown, the most thematically mature book in her catalog. Both are slower-paced and avoid the high-drama plot beats her later books rely on.

Complete Bibliography (Publication Order)

The full catalog with year, type, and a one-line orientation:

Series and Duology Order

Most of Hoover’s books stand alone. The series-or-companion structure exists in only four pockets:

The Slammed series (3 books)

1. Slammed → 2. Point of Retreat → 3. This Girl

Read in order. Each book follows the same couple at different life stages. This Girl makes very little sense without the first two.

The Hopeless series (1 book + 1 companion + 1 novella)

1. Hopeless → optional: Losing Hope (same story, other POV) → optional: Finding Cinderella (side novella)

Losing Hope and Finding Cinderella are nice-to-have, not need-to-have.

The Maybe Someday duology

1. Maybe Someday → optional: Maybe Not (side novella)

The novella is a quick read about supporting characters and works as a palette cleanser.

The It Ends with Us / It Starts with Us duology

1. It Ends with Us → 2. It Starts with Us

The sequel was published 6 years after the original. Read both in close succession for the strongest emotional payoff. The sequel is shorter and resolves several plot threads the original deliberately left open.

The Never Never trilogy (with Tarryn Fisher)

1. Never Never → 2. Never Never: Part Two → 3. Never Never: Part Three

Originally serialized; reads as a single 350-page book if you have all three. Not standalone-friendly.

How Long Does It Take to Read All of Colleen Hoover’s Books?

The complete catalog totals roughly 5,200 pages across 21 books and novellas. At an average reading speed of 250 words per minute, that’s about 75 to 90 hours total — roughly four months at one Hoover book per week.

Most readers don’t read the entire catalog. The realistic completion path:

• The bestsellers (5 books) — It Ends with Us, Ugly Love, Verity, November 9, Reminders of Him. About 1,400 pages, 18–22 hours total. This is what most BookTok-driven readers actually finish.
• The full standalone set (15 books) — about 3,800 pages, 50–60 hours.
• The complete catalog (all 21) — only completionists. Plan four months.

If you’re new to her, commit to two books, see how you feel, then decide whether to go deeper. Hoover is a strong-opinion author — readers either love her tonal register or bounce off it within 100 pages. There’s no in-between. I’ve recommended her books to maybe 30 readers over the years, and the split has been roughly even — half become deep fans, half stop after one or two and don’t continue.

Common Reading-Order Mistakes

Three things first-time readers regret:

**Starting with It Ends with Us without reading the trigger warnings.** The book contains on-page domestic-violence scenes that catch many readers off-guard. If you weren’t expecting that content, the book is worse than disappointing — it can be actively harmful. Check the Ugly Love guide for the same trigger-warnings approach applied to a less-known title.

**Reading It Starts with Us before It Ends with Us.** The sequel relies entirely on the first book’s emotional setup. Many readers find the second book “fine” rather than “great” simply because they didn’t read the first.

**Treating Verity as a typical Hoover book.** It’s not. It’s a psychological thriller marketed under her name. Romance fans who picked it up expecting It Ends with Us‘s register often DNF in the first 50 pages. I made this exact mistake the first time — picked up Verity expecting a romance and stopped at chapter four. When I came back to it a year later knowing what I was reading, I finished in two days. If a reader friend recommends Hoover to you and you specifically want the romance side, Verity is not where to start.

How to Read Colleen Hoover Books Free or Cheap

The full catalog is widely available:

• Library: Almost every U.S. and U.K. public library carries the bestsellers. Use Libby or Hoopla for ebook/audiobook borrowing.
• Audiobook: Audible’s first-month free trial covers two of her books. Most are 8–12 hours each.
• Used paperbacks: ThriftBooks, BetterWorldBooks, and BookOutlet routinely have her catalog at $4–7 per book.
• eBook sales: Kindle Daily Deals discount one of her titles to $1.99 every few weeks; price-tracking sites like eReaderIQ catch them.

There are no legitimate free-PDF sources for her books — sites that claim to offer them are either malware-distribution traps or pirate copies. The library is the actual free path.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best Colleen Hoover book to start with?

It depends on your reading taste. If you like psychological thrillers, start with Verity. If you like contemporary romance, start with Reminders of Him or November 9. If you like literary contemporary fiction, start with Confess or All Your Perfects. It Ends with Us is her most-recommended starter on BookTok but contains domestic-violence content that surprises many readers — read the trigger warnings first.

Do I need to read Colleen Hoover books in order?

Most of her books are standalones, so reading order is mostly flexible. The exceptions: read It Ends with Us before It Starts with Us, read Slammed / Point of Retreat / This Girl in publication order, and read Hopeless before Losing Hope (which retells the same story from a different POV).

What is the most popular Colleen Hoover book?

It Ends with Us is the catalog’s commercial bestseller, sustained by sustained BookTok presence and the 2024 film adaptation. Verity is the highest-rated on Goodreads. Ugly Love and November 9 are the most-cited “favorite” picks by long-time Hoover readers — see our full Ugly Love summary and review for one of the standalones that consistently ranks alongside the bestsellers.

How many books has Colleen Hoover written?

As of 2026, Colleen Hoover has published 21 standalone novels, series entries, and novellas. She has also co-authored the Never Never trilogy with Tarryn Fisher.

Are Colleen Hoover books appropriate for teens?

Most are not. Her catalog is contemporary adult romance with on-page sexual content, alcohol use, and themes including domestic violence (It Ends with Us), grief and infant loss (Ugly Love), psychological abuse (Verity), and infertility (All Your Perfects). Slammed and the early Hopeless world have lighter content suitable for older teens (16+). Adult content review is appropriate for most of the rest.

Which Colleen Hoover book has the best ending?

Reminders of Him has the most narratively earned ending in the catalog. Verity‘s ending is the most divisive — half of readers love it, half hate it. It Ends with Us has the most emotionally honest ending given its subject matter. Ugly Love deliberately leaves its ending more ambiguous than most readers expect — see the Ugly Love ending explained.

Is It Ends with Us based on a true story?

The book’s themes are drawn from Hoover’s mother’s experience with domestic violence, but the characters and plot are fictional. Hoover has discussed the personal grounding in interviews. The book is dedicated to her mother.

Should I read Tarryn Fisher’s other books after the Never Never trilogy?

Tarryn Fisher’s solo catalog (most notably The Wives and An Honest Lie) reads in the same psychological-suspense register as Verity. If you enjoyed the Never Never trilogy or Verity, Fisher’s solo books are a natural next read.