Ugly Discourse; Colleen Hoover Controversy

Ever since its inception, “BookTok” has taken the publishing world by storm, dismantling the previous systems that authors became successful through and turning books into another victim of the attention economy. BookTok has created new literary forces and one of the most notorious in the BookTok game is an author by the name of Colleen Hoover.  However, even as Hoover was growing in popularity on social media, within the stronghold of her adoration, cracks began to appear, and everything fell apart for Hoover at the beginning of 2023. This was when she announced that her viral book, “It Ends With Us,” would be getting a coloring book. After the announcement, fans were quick to express concern and even disgust at the move for a book that touched on delicate subjects, such as domestic abuse and generational trauma. 

It is important to note that even before this, people were already criticizing Hoover for glorifying problematic relationships and having an “elementary-level” writing style. However, once the coloring book came out, these opinions seemed to grow exponentially. Later on, an anonymous source came out against Hoover’s son, claiming he assaulted her when she was a minor. Furthermore, she claims to have told Hoover about this occurrence only to be blocked by the author on social media. Hoover vehemently denies the allegations, but it did not stop her from receiving even more pushback than ever before, even from those who once considered themselves to be fans of hers. 

Additionally, people have been quick to point out the way she glamorizes her characters. Her male characters have been called everything under the sun from “dreamy” to “disgusting” and many who believe the latter will point to a plethora of examples where her male protagonists have partaken in revolting behaviors, such as infringing on their love interest’s boundaries or burning and nearly killing his female counterparts.

However, the conflict does not come solely from one person, as Hoover does still have fans who support her and read her work. There are some among this demographic that call the backlash to her work misogynistic, as the majority of her readers are young women whose interests have a tendency to be viciously picked apart and mocked by a patriarchal society that devalues their passions. 

Both sides make valid points, which adds to a larger conversation around female representation in literature. As a reader, it is important to understand the context around Hoover before picking up one of her books.