Popular author Colleen Hoover’s 2016 book, “It Ends With Us” went viral on TikTok in 2021, and ever since, she has been a prominent figure on BookTok. “It Ends With Us” is her most popular book, but many feel she glorifies abuse in the story, causing controversy and outrage from advocates.
Hoover is a 43-year-old romance author with 27 published novels. In 2022, Hoover sold 14.3 million copies of her books, CNN reports.
The book follows Lily Bloom, who is married to Ryle, but rekindles a relationship with her first love, Atlas. Early in their marriage, Ryle becomes emotionally and physically abusive toward Lily.
Several domestic violence advocacy organizations have spoken out about the romanticization of abuse in the story, including Domesticshelters.org, the largest online directory of domestic violence programs and shelters in the U.S. In an article written for their platform, Jennie Young criticizes Hoover for Ryle and Lily’s co-parenting at the end of the story. While Lily divorces Ryle and escapes the abuse, she shares custody of her daughter with Ryle, believing it is the right thing to do, but, as Young argues, she puts her daughter in danger by sending her to an abuser’s home.
“Lily ultimately decides that ‘parents have to work through their differences and bring a level of maturity into a situation in order to do what’s best for their child,’” Young writes. But Ryle is not a guy who simply “has differences” with his child’s mother—a disagreement about allotted screen time or number of hours spent in daycare. He’s a dangerous criminal with a history of manipulating and victimizing women.”
“He’s a dangerous criminal with a history of manipulating and victimizing women.”
Jennie Young
Hoover glorifies Ryle as a complicated, damaged man and romanticizes the red flags in the relationship, implying they are a result of Ryle’s intense love for Lily. However, this problematic and dangerous characterization of Ryle has not kept people from reading the book. Four million copies have been sold, and an on-screen adaptation is in the works.
Ryle is not the only toxic male lead in Hoover’s romance novels, many of her books center around an abusive man who is painted as complicated, but well-meaning. Unlike many books with such dark plot lines, Hoover chooses to advertise her books as fun, romantic books, which many readers have found to be misleading. Some of these books are even marketed to young adult audiences, making the romanticization of abuse all the more worrying.
Colleen Hoover has two more books confirmed to be released in the next three years, but as more people speak out against the romanticization of abuse she depicts in her novels, it’s possible these books may not reach the level of fame many of her earlier novels have.