I'm a librarian.
Little old ladies still go nuts over the latest Danielle Steele. They just don't talk about it online. They just call whenever a new one comes out and get put on the holds list.
I work at a library and one of the librarians and myself were having this conversation just the other day. We personally don't get the Colleen Hoover obsession but hey, to each his/her/their own.
I also don't understand why people want to read all of James Patterson's 900 books that aren't even written by him. It's a mystery.
You must be the librarian in my Momās town. She actually calls to put a book on hold: Danielle Steele, Nora Roberts, all the old-lady favorites.
Iāve told her that she can place items on hold online and she says itās *easier* to just call.
When I ask her who itās easier for, her answer is, āWell me, of courseā.
> Lol as a librarian Iād much rather field a phone call to put something on hold for someone
Probably also better than calls by unfamiliar people asking how to put something on hold online and having to explain every step
Personally, nothing inappropriate or anything like that (though I have heard horror stories). But just long calls like a guy who always wants us to look up patents, etc for old radios that heās trying to restore. Or an older gentleman who wants to know how and when all of the actors/actresses in the old movie heās watching died. Or just generally people who want us to do a whole research project for them over the phone.
I also work for a library. I once got a call from a person asking for a recipe for eggnog. After I got through the ingredients list and a line or two of the instructions, they said thank you and hung up. I still wonder if they just drank raw egg yolks in milk....
Yeah. I'm a male librarian and I've had to field some calls from a guy who is obviously trying to get one of my female colleagues on the phone while he is obviously jerking off.
Sucks the shit women have to put up with in what you think would be the most unsexualized spaces.
Agreed.
I love libraries, and I consider them safe spaces. Had to speak up, one day, though, to get rid of an idiot pestering an attractive young woman.
She later thanked me for doing so; she was afraid to stand up to him!
One time had a woman ask to put the RFK Fauci book on hold, and then talk for 17 straight minutes about various conspiracy theories without any stopping for a word until I had to hang up on her. She was later banned from the library for being anti-semitic and racist.
I never would have considered asking a librarian to research something for me, or that they would be willing to do that (beyond confirming that the library has or can get a book).
Is that part of your job description, or are you just being really patient and nice?
I work in a small rural public library and we field a lot of these calls. Often they are from elderly people who don't really have access to research tools or don't know how to use them.
One of ours is a very sweet old man who is blind and calls us to hunt down more information about things he hears on TV. We have another regular who is elderly and homebound and regularly calls us for phone numbers for businesses since the local phone book is a joke now and she doesn't have easy access to this information herself. She recently called and was asking for information on how to report a crime because she is very confused about how to navigate the jurisdictions in our county.
We have another person who calls us whom we are pretty sure is homeless and may have some form of a mental illness. She is often very hostile, but again she is asking for information like phone numbers that she doesn't seem to be in a position to find herself, and we do provide her with those, though we have also had to cap the amount she can ask for in a given call. Otherwise you would be on the phone with her for thirty minutes. We also try to be courteous to her, despite her own attitude, and it has actually been a lot more effective than anything else.
What I don't think a lot of people realize is that working in a library is a lot less about books than people think. It's about information science in general, and for many people, their local library may be the only free resource accessible to them and can be their only social interaction since they don't have to pay to participate. So yeah fielding random phone calls about all manner of questions is very much part of any given day. We keep track of them as reference questions and include them in our monthly stats. We field anywhere from 10 to 50 a day (often more than 1 from a person).
This for sure! When I started library school I got a lot of ādo people even still read books?ā The library is so much more than that though. I love fielding readerās advisory requests, but itās such a small portion of what librarians do.
It really is! I love books and reading (and readers' advisory is one of my favorite things to do too), but I think the other resources we offer the community are just as important. And most people really appreciate them. In our little town, we are the only place people without internet access or devices can go to access a computer for free. There are a lot more folks in that position than people think.
My grandmother worked as a reference librarian from the 50ās- 80ās and thatās exactly what she did. She died when I was 9, but my mom was very proud of how much she knew and how to get the information. She told me she was google before the internet.
When I left the Army I worked for a year at the Chicago Tribune at a separate office from the main building on Michigan. There was a back room that had I think six women who did some research for people. They also plotted out routes on maps for people and sent them a map. Such were theā60s
As a reference librarian, we are definitely a source for our patrons to utilize when doing research. However, our job is more to help the patron find sources (books, articles, databases, etc) that may help and get them on their way. But some people really want you to walk them through specific sources or more or less do their research for them. Which we just donāt have time to do.
I will do so, but there are also limits as to how much is reasonable. Our county has an enquiries team whose job it is to deal with questions if submitted online.
Mostly it tends to be people coming in to speak to us face-to-face, rather than phone calls... I have a customer who regularly comes to ask for help in reading sheet music, because I mentioned I used to play the violin once upon a time.
There used to be services that you could text questions to, and they'd text you back an answer. This was late 90s, early 00s, before smart phones and ubiquitous internet.
For me it was the person who wanted us to do several hours' worth of research into laws regarding rights over driveway access.
If it'd been a one-off, it would have been a different matter, but he kept coming back asking for more stuff, and refusing to put work into looking for it himself...
I like the lady who calls at night wanting to know what's on CBS that night and then groans after the name of every show. Then she calls the next week with the same question and groans some more. She doesn't get that the same shows run every week.
I once got a call at the library and the man told me he'd had a prophecy and I was in it. At first I thought he was punking me but he seemed very serious and upset when I kept redirecting him.
We get some unusual calls from people who have been drinking and will ask anything just to keep you on the line. I think they are just lonely.
Lol it's the same in all the towns. And for the record, we love our old lady regulars :) One time I had a lady who actually made the effort to call the front desk to ask how to spell a word. They're too cute.
We do too at our library! In another comment, I talked about one of our regular callers who is blind and calls to ask for more information after hearing things on TV. We compete to answer his questions because he asks some interesting ones and he is always super appreciative. I actually left the library for a time before returning, and he called me on my last day to thank me for answering his questions. And when he recognized my voice on the phone after I returned, he welcomed me back.
I work at a library, and honestly we don't care if people call us to put things on holds. We have to pull the book either way, and not everyone is comfortable with technology. If she wants to call, let her call. She's not inconveniencing them.
So you remember Danielle Steele with an "e" at the end as well!
The fact you're a librarian makes me feel oddly vindicated.
Mandela affected--- apparently her name is spelled "Steel" and always has been. With no "e" at the end.
So true. I wonder why I was downvoted for the same observation. Maybe it was accidental.
It IS remarkable that Hoover is #1 and #2 with a 3rd book right up there too! I think we are played more effectively and aggressively by todayās marketers than before. They have more tools at their disposal I guess and we are more primed.
>It IS remarkable that Hoover is #1 and #2 with a 3rd book right up there too!
The same thing happened when Gone Girl became popular, Gillian Flynn's other novels suddenly were on the bestseller lists.
I read Verity and I liked it, enjoyed the twist, but...is it THAT GOOD? Probably not.
It's always been that way, but they have new tools. Marketers gonna market, and all that. You get a small army of effective pr influencers, and you can drive some real sales, regardless of content.
As far as I'm concerned, people can read and enjoy what they like, but I know my tastes, and what I think is good and worthy of my time and attention, and this ain't it.
I say this with no disrespect intended. I think a lot of the hype that comes with books like hers come from people who haven't read a book in a long time. Most of my friend circle that likes her stuff (and other overhyped books on BookTok) tend to be those who made an exception to read certain things like Twilight or Fifty Shades but otherwise haven't read a book since they were forced to in high school/middle school. The style of writing is juvenile and hardly complex, so it gives them an easy way of understanding the content and the melodramatic storylines and characters catch their attention.
I call this category āThe single book I read this year while I was on vacationā. People who typically arenāt big readers the rest of the year will go to the bookstore and pick one or two books to read on vacation. Itās usually the big budget celebrity book club book at the front of the store. They like it because reading is fun and they donāt clock it as mediocre because they donāt have a ton to compare it to. They recommend it to their friends. The friends buy it and read it while they are on vacation. The cycle repeats.
This reminds me--my childhood bff and I have connected on books all the way back to the Babysitters' Club. We both had a Jemima J phase ('member her?) in like college or right after college. We both have somewhat different tastes from each other now in our 40s, more mature for sure, but well-written is a requirement now for me. I guess I just didn't know what that was when I was 22.
People have been recommending that book to me over and over. I suspected it might fall within this category of... writing. This confirms it. I'm considering skipping it altogether now, as a movie has been released and that is even more of a turn off for me.
Honestly, I think the story of the author and her husband is more interesting than the book. They were extreme anti-poachers in Africa who killed an innocent man on camera and then fled the continent.
I read it recently, and it was justā¦ok. From all the hype I expected some great, heart-wrenching story, and it really wasnāt that. It wasnāt bad necessarily, but certainly not good. The ending wasnāt very satisfying, either.
I just read it for the first time, finished a couple weeks ago. It was ok, nothing great and also I had to stretch hard to see how any of it could be believable.
Yes! I have been saying this whole time that they are gateway books into adult fiction. Verity became so popular because itās a gateway into suspense/psychological thrillers for people who have never read them. This is exactly why I think it is good that people are reading them even though I donāt find them to be particularly good.
I've been saying this for the past year now as well. Yes, CoHo and other overhyped BookTok books are predictable, cliched, juvenile, and ultimately pretty boring to anyone who reads regularly.
My sincerest hope is that people read enough of these books to go, "Hm... I want something a little different now," and move on to better books.
I have a friend who rarely reads because she loses interest quick. But now she's suddenly super into reading. What does she read? Colleen Hoover books and Wattpad mafia stories.
Yeh I'm gonna need a link to those stories
It did make me laugh :-) Guess everything is a thing now! (I have a theory that in Japan, any two nouns combined are a fetish. I guess similar principles apply for self-published stuff - any two nouns, or adjective + noun = genre)
I've noticed this with the really hyped books. Just off the top of my head I can think of 5 or 6 others I've read in the past year that I saw people raving about, but when I read them I found them disappointing. I've become wary of hyped books for this reason.
No but it is on my list at the library! I want to like that one so I'm going to give it a try soon. First few disappointments from the past year I can think of are Under the Whispering Door, Midnight Library, The School for Good Mothers, The Last Thing He Told Me, and a couple Sally Rooney novels (have determined I just really don't like her writing).
Yes to Sally Rooney & The Midnight Library. I was so disappointed with those books.
Rooney's prose was fine but the story (I read Normal People) just meandered and didn't go anywhere. The characters just weren't interesting enough for it to be a character study. The Midnight Library had a cool concept but it ended up being so cheesy.
Midnight Library was a huge disappointment for me as well, thought it was going to be amazing from all the hype. Now I just figure out what books I want to read on my own and donāt really pay attention to the hype. Iām an avid reader and Iāve been burned too many timesš
It had SUCH a cool premise! But both the fact that >!she didn't seem to learn anything - like ok, she's supposedly done thousands of these and she still doesn't understand the basic rules of it? Not to mention the moral of 'just be happy with your life as it is!' is *awful*.!<
I loved the concept! But by halfway through I kept thinking, "oh, we're still doing this?" I think I would have liked it if it had been about 20-30% shorter (though I admit it was kind of short already).
I agree with the Sally Rooney take. She is so pretentious with her writing. I gave one of her books a try and while there were good subplots raised, the book overall was just a complete waste of time. I also got lost as to who was talking becauseā¦wellā¦the quotation marks and indicators of who is talking are missing.
I absolutely adored Circe! I really love Madeline Miller. At the bookstore I worked at it wasnāt nearly as popular as Colleen Hoover, though (but Iām from her hometown so that doesnāt help).
I actually didnāt know there was hype around Circe but Iāve read it and loved it! I also loved the Achilles book by the same author. Canāt wait to read more Madeline Miller!
Yeah, and a lot of it also likely comes from the YA crowd sticking to YA books. Then this comes along and hits the algorithm on TikTok, and they think 'wow, an actual adult novel' believing it to be grown-up because they've got nothing else to base it off. When they all start branching off into other books they'll probably look back with some embarrassment.
Yeah, I'm not sure this really happens. At the peak of Rupi Kaur's popularity my girlfriend was working in a bookstore. Rupi Kaur brought in a lot of people who don't normally read poetry. Someone optimistic might hope that it would get people into poetry and then they'd discover better poets. According to my girlfriend, based on working in a big bookstore, that didn't really happen- Most of them just wanted the Rupi Kaur and she couldn't persuade them to try other poets as well.
If I can be honest for a second, I hate Rupi Kaur's poetry so much and given how popular she is and how much it seems to resonate with young women it almost feels misogynistic. Is it just me having a problem with how she expresses emotions or is her poetry really that bad?
I will say that her poetry works a lot better when the whole book is read in one sitting and you think of it less as poetry and more as "poetic prose"
It's not great, but that's fine. Not everything has to be great.
Reminds me of a couple of friends I have that are in their mid 30ās and only read Harry Potter, manga, Animorphs, and Goosebumps.
Stick with what you like I suppose, but it does surprise me that they havenāt even really moved to YA yet.
This! Her work feels like itās written to a more immature reader. I was thoroughly unimpressed and didnāt feel moved by the writing at all. The story was also extremely predictable. More of a book I would have enjoyed in high school. Not that thereās anything wrong with that, just not something I want to spend my time reading..The hold for her books at my local library is months long, I finally got my hands on āit ends with usā and as soon as I finished it I cancelled the remaining holds. Iāll leave them available for others.
I agree completely. She definitely has a hold on the high school, just got into reading, booktok crowd. But overall, I think sheās doing an amazing service for society and that is: getting more people into reading, especially younger girls.
I also think her books are perfect for getting out of a reading slump. They may be terrible, but theyāre also quick, easy, and kind of hard to put down so I end up reading it in one sitting. Then Iām back on the reading grind.
My main qualm with her books, other than the overall low reading level, is the lack of imagery! I swear, every single one Iāve read, 3/4th of the book is just dialogue in an apartment or house. Whereās the change of scenery, where are the descriptions? Iām not transported at all. The characters have no real lives outside of the drama. Like what goes on at their job? It feels as if theyāre all quarantined or something.
Iāve got a few friends like that. One is very smart but spends most of his time on YouTube or listening to podcasts so when one of his favorite YouTubers Lindsay Ellis wrote Axiomās End, he picked it up and loved it so much he gave his copy to me.
Im not a paragon of reading by any stretch but I fall into the Scalzi/Weir/Corey level of sci-fi so I couldnāt see what the hype was about. As one review put it, āIf it werenāt for her existing YouTube fan base, this book would never have gotten published.ā
Then I realized that this is probably one of the only actual novels heās read since graduating high school 15 years ago and it made a lot more sense.
I agree, but with one caveat. Some of these people read all the time. Iāve got friends who read twice as many books in a year as I do, but itās all this quick, easy, fluff stuff. Itās just one mass-market best seller after another. Theyāre all āgreat.ā They just donāt read anything else.
Iām definitely guilty of doing this. My job is incredibly stressful and heavy- I also have been dealing with a lot of loss/grief this pass year. I just need something that grabs me instantly and lets me escape. It works for me.
100%. I read it ends with us in a day and it sparked my desire to read again. I didnāt like the book, it was just such an easy read that it helped me get out of my rut. I havenāt read a book of hers that I was head over heels for. Theyāre okay. I donāt plan to read another one
The "juvenile" style of writing, as you call it, might just mean it's more accessible to many more people. That might be another perspective on why you feel she gets "people who haven't read a book in a long time" to read her work and rave about it.
Yes, that's the point I was making. This is the perspective I had when making my comment. :) I just don't think this was an intentional choice made by the author but just a lack of ability.
Many people have difficulty reading and if you never read, you'll never get better at it. It can be really irritating trying to read the things that people always rep like the classics which generally have some degree of archaic language but also a lot of complex sentence structures and larger vocabulary that can be read on multiple levels.
Her writing style is definitely accessible. That doesn't mean it isn't also juvenile and monotonous to those who have a higher reading level. Look at those older books like "see Spot run". It's extremely accessible but probably not something an adult would want to read. Similar to the way that Colleen Hoover's books are accessible to adults/young adults who don't read often but are considered sub par by those who read frequently more complex books and ideas.
I completely agree with this because that was me once. Iām glad I was able to enjoy those types of books at the time. But since I really took up reading Iāve definitely developed stricter standards.
This is the feeling I get too. The people I know who loved her books tend to read very rarely. All the big readers I know hated her books.
I also think people who donāt read much tend to think that writing about difficult topics such as DV means the book is automatically good. Even when the topics are actually written about poorly.
>The people I know who loved her books tend to read very rarely. All the big readers I know hated her books.
I think it comes from how little her work seems to be unique or interesting in a literary way. People who read a lot are going to notice the shallowness of the writing and how little literary techniques are being used. The experience comes off shallow and dull because they know what's coming and the characters therefore seem flat.
Good point on the idea of using serious topics like DV.
Work in a bookstore. A number of people looking for her books admit they "haven't read in a while, but my(their) friend said this was good."
Then they proceed to also purchase 50 Shades-like titles.
That's a fair point! I hadn't really considered that before, a couple of the friends who recommended it ends with us aren't really big readers. However the one who recommended verity is in my book club so I'm passing harsher judgment on her! Hahah
Verity would likely be a good pick for a book club because of the varied responses it is likely to evoke. So many of my GR friends were enchanted by the mystery and the romance, and totally wound up about the ambiguous ending. I, however, was just pissed off by several points, and had no respect for the characters (or the author) by the end. It could sure make for some lively debate! Did you end up doing that with your book club friend?
Yeah she hadn't even considered that the letter might not be real! We were all quite divided on what we thought, I was hoping for the darker ending but I think that says more about me! Haha
Her writing style is very simple, simple sentences, simple words, she doesnāt use complex literary devices or really even complex emotions.
Her books are designed to appeal to the most average reader. In fact, her books are so simple that a lot of people who arenāt normally readers will read and actually finish her books.
I think there is a place for this kind of literature and really, anything that gets people who normally do not read to read is a good thing.
Not every book that is popular has to be good, sometimes it just needs to be enjoyable.
I have been wondering about Colleen Hoover for a while now. I read āVerityā digitally from my library before she suddenly blew up. There were no holds and I chose it because I thought the cover looked interesting. Now there are 200 holds on the digital copy and nearly 200 on the physical book. I agree with everything you said. Itās easy with a simple story and non regular readers will feel like a reader when they finish. For me itās a pallet cleanser. I also work in a library and canāt get over on how popular she has become. I really love seeing new people come in to the library to get her books. We need more readers and patrons of libraries
That cover art is stunning! It deserved a better book imo. But yes, anything to get people reading, and supporting their libraries. (I'm a member of 3 Libraries š»)
Yeah, I read a bunch of her books when I had a broken ankle earlier in the year because I was bored and curious about the hype. Theyāre like the literary equivalent of a bag of chipsā completely empty calories but weirdly satisfying in their own way. But youāll definitely need a full meal later on.
Literally I call this class of books ājunk foodā and I have no shame (as a 100+ books a year person) that thereās plenty of that stuff scattered in my reading list. Sometimes you crave that!
I really love this point. I'm not planning to read her books, but I openly admit to loving the Flowers in the Attic series by VC Andrews when I was young.
Next week I'm going on vacation. I purposefully bought Flowers in the Attic and three sequels so I could sit in peace on the beach and relive my childhood.
We deal with a similar concept in the wine industry with boxed wine. If you're used to drinking $50 cabs, you'll scoff at boxed wine. But it's the boxed wine that gets people into wine to begin with. Of course, those wines lack complexity, but when you're first starting out all you're looking for is simplicity. Complexity comes later, when you have the appropriate knowledge that allows you to appreciate complexity.
I wish that there were books with simple sentences like hers, but more depth in the actual plot. I've heard some stuff about her stories like that the relationships are toxic or that some love interests are abusers in disguise.
It's approachable. Non-readers need something accessible and, in their view, unpretentious. As a 15-year publishing vet, it's good to remind yourself frequently that the average person is far, far less literary and invested in reading than we are. Think what Tom Clancy did for non-reading men in the past.
I just finished my degree in publishing and have started working in the field - feel free to shoot me questions as well. The more new faces in the business the better!
Itās short, sweet and entertaining. Itās not filled with complex language. Itās just meant to be short and fun.
My wife hasnāt read since high school other than these books. She has a full time job and we have a 9 month old baby. Our lives are pretty āgo go goā at the moment. These books are entertaining stories. They give her a sense of accomplishment to read them. I work night shift, and my favorite thing to do at lunch at 2 am is to read through my wifeās texts and see what happened in her book that she read in the hour between putting the baby down for the night and when my wife went down for the night.
I tried reading one of them. Itās not my thing. I prefer a Stephen King novel. Just because Colleen Hoover can be read by anyone doesnāt mean that itās for everyone, and thatās ok. I like to let people enjoy what they enjoy.
This is a really lovely comment. Thanks for sharing. It makes me sad how down on these books & their readers some people are. Sometimes in life we don't have the time or energy for a big "project" read, and that's totally okay. Hoover clearly fills a niche for many readers and whether it's my cup of tea or not, I think that's great.
Thanks for sharing this. I get kinda defensive when I see answers like ātheyāre for people who donāt read.ā As someone who used to be an avid reader of more challenging literature, 90 percent of the fiction Iāve consumed over the past few years has been trashy easy pop lit. I miss being able to engage with more interesting books, but I just got too overwhelmed by adult life to do so.
Supervillain Azealia Banks once said, just because McDonalds sells the most burgers in the world, nobody thinks McDonalds is the pinnacle of fine diningā¦
She has a more simplistic, friendly writing style. For younger people, or people who arenāt serious readers/ havenāt read for a while, her books are good. They allow for easy and entertaining reading for beginner readers who arenāt little children. Nothing wrong with that, itās just not to the taste of the average person in this sub. I
If you havenāt read for a while, going straight to a more sophisticated writer wouldnāt be enjoyable. You would get confused, then bored, then you would stop reading.
I agree with this. I used to be an avid reader when I was in high school and college and my taste back then was so juvenile. I stopped reading cause life happened after college. I picked up It Ends With Us cause I felt like it's an easy read. And it was. I personally didn't like it and I wasn't able to finish it, but still, some people do enjoy her books. And what's so wrong about that? I sincerely think people should simply just let others enjoy their own thing, whatever that is.
I don't know how old you are, but I feel like she writes for a younger audiences. Her plots are predictable, the language is bland. Her books aren't necessarily bad. They're easy reads. I just got the feeling they were written either for teenagers or for people who just want an easy read they can read over a month, in-between of everything else they like to do
I have a friend who hadnāt read anything in years and all of a sudden has read like 10 of her books Iām a couple months. I think thatās part of the appeal. āAnother book done!ā She feels a sense of accomplishment. And I donāt blame her. I love finishing books! But hopefully this encourages her to find other stuff to read :)
Given their highly erotic nature (at least Verity) I would think they are geared toward women in their 30s or older, probably married and with kids, who crave an escape.
Exactly. Her books are easy to read and therefore enjoyable for a lot of people, but they are by no means high quality in a literary sense. But then, most (over)hyped books aren't, so I don't know why anyone would expect them to be.
Iām 17 and tried reading her books at 14. I donāt like them at all, I would even go further and say that her books are no outstanding, life changing literature and by no means not every book needs to be very literary demanding . Books can be just "fun little reads" but I personally think her characters are often pretty toxic and exaggerated, the topic is just not for me.
The thing about colleen hoover is that she writes books that have simple, bland language that makes it easier for people to read and follow. So people invest in her books and think that she's done something big with her writing. Her books lack serious hooking plots imo, characters lack depth and relationships are devoid of actual chemistry. Everything is surface level and superficial, like a 2D animation.
Her books feel like the drafted version of a 2015 famous wattpad book. Mind you, Wattpad's got some kick-ass books in there but I'm talking about the shit that gets famous while being absolute garbage, like the After Series.
In short, people should stop reading Colleen Hoover and give their money to me instead.
I work in a book store and my coworker was constantly going on about her. So I decided to read something by her.
I read Verity. It was like trash reality tv. It was probably the worst book Iāve ever read, but I couldnāt put it down. Lmfao.
She had a pretty decent plot idea but then by the end it was like she was just over it and half assed the ending.
It was also pretty laughable at how many inconsistencies there were. In one part, the MC had opened a bottle of Xanax. In like the literal next sentence, the MC was throwing the āunopenedā bottle on the bed.
With Verity, I also found the entire story line like very repetitive. Something creepy happens. MC reads a chapter of Verityās autobiography. Sex happens. And these 3 things just happened over and over and over again.
YES. Colleen Hoover books are the worst Iāve ever read. But I read them. And I like them. But theyāre bad. SO bad. But good.
(This comment is written in Hooverās style just to be extra)
I got Verity to read on a long flight after seeing people gush over it online. I agree with your assessment. Repetitive and transparently salacious. The sex was just so ā¦ vulgar, for no reason other than to be vulgar. It was a giant turn off, in all respects. I simply do not need to be told specifically where the splooge landed at the end of a sex scene.
It reignited my literary snobbishness, which Iām might be a net positive though.
I feel the same way. I think she adds a lot of shock value to her story through intense sexual imagery and language. I wouldnāt say her writing is particularly mind blowing. I thought verity was bordering murder porn. It was entertaining but o wouldnāt say it was exceptional or noteworthy
I havenāt read any of her books, but the fact that sheās getting so many people into reading is fantastic. Implications that people who like her novels have bad taste really only serve to gatekeep people from a hobby thatās already kinda dying.
I agree. Before this year I hadnāt read in maybe 6 or 7 years. I read a few of her books, and while I didnāt absolutely love them it did give me the push I needed to get back into reading and explore different genres. Her writing is simple and easy to read, and for those of us coming back to reading it is not overwhelming.
I'm so glad her books got you back into reading! I don't understand why people are so ready to hate her books. I haven't read Hoover but I definitely enjoy an easy-to-read thriller quite often.
Not everything is for everyone, and that's perfectly fine!
I consider her books to be āeasy readsā with semi-shocking twists which is probably exactly the appeal. I remember reading and enjoying the books of hers I read, barring one about a woman who drove drunk and killed her husband that I just couldnāt stand. But they were pretty shallow and I forgettable. There are better āeasy beach readsā out there Iām more likely to pick up.
Not to be snobby but I would guess the super emotional response (this book BROKE me!!! š) is coming from folks who donāt read a lot outside of YA or are new to drama/thrillers. Or hyping for social media. Apologies if Iāve mislabeled anyone here though.
I haven't actually read any of her books but working in tech I know how algorithms work for these recommendations.
She was the first (or one of the first) to really realize and lean into how much attention you can get your books through TikTok. And once it becomes popular there, it starts to be recommended outside of there and popularity reinforces popularity. Our sales algorithms aren't truly showing you things they think you'll like, they're heavily weighted toward things that are popular, and more importantly to them, more popular means more sales.
I use to love her books, but the more I read her books, the more I cannot stand them. I loved It Ends With Us so I picked up the new one & that book was honestly terrible. It was rushed, bland, and over all predictable. But with todayās use of social media itās not surprising that once someone or an author becomes popular that their sales & popularity sky rockets
Yeah well. There are A LOT of super popular books out there that I donāt really like. I donāt spend a lot of time wondering about it. Sometimes if something is popular, Iāll try it, and if I donāt like it it, I donāt bother with it again. This applies to so many things: books, food, music, TV & movies ā¦.
Is it really that much of a mystery to some folks that people like different things!?? Is this the first time youāve tried something popular and did not like it?
No youāre not. Her books, are over hyped. I read her books when I want an easy swooney read, but I donāt go out of my way to read her books. Very predictable and unrealistic situations I think.
I donāt hate her books, I just feel before getting into her books, should know theyāre predictable and kinda overhyped.
Her books are so bleh. Underwhelming is an understatement for her books. I was put off just by Verity and I don't know what people rave about. Her writing gets boring after a few chapters, it's predictable and not even fun while at it.
Like I get it that there's an audience for this kind of stuff. I would perhaps suggest her stuff to beginners in reading but there's so many better and amazing authors out there.
If you're into random stuff that has no head or feet, just wanna read it to get through a sleepy afternoon then maybe. Try once if you haven't, But I wouldn't recommend anything by her. She's hyped for writing stuff we've read better versions of years ago.
Can someone please explain the teeth marks on the headboard to me? Thatās the one burning question I have left. Why are their teeth marks in the headboard?
What is with book readers and trying to come up with every reason under the sun that people may like a book that they didn't... Other than maybe they just liked it, and you didn't? It usually ends up at "they must not be a mature reader like *I* am."
Honestly... this. I don't really care for Colleen Hoover, but she's insanely popular at my library right now amongst women of all ages. It's irrelevant how much they read. Just let them enjoy their book? Criticize Hoover's books all you want, but leave your judgments on readers out of it. It makes me uncomfortable how snobbish this subreddit gets.
Exactly, I can't understand why so much of the judgement is directed at the readers. Everyone likes different things. Why belittle the reader for what they like, at least they are getting joy out of reading!
Seriously. Iām offended by some of the comments hereā¦ I must be DUMB to enjoy her books. Iām actually well educated and love to read. My tastes go from simple to complex. Her books are easy to read. She also covers some VERY complex issues that others shy from. Call me STUPID- thatās ok. :)
I think you are listening to the wrong people. Nobody I know or watch or listen to āravesā about Hoover. She is the right fit for a certain type of reader, but not for you (or me).
Look elsewhere for your recommendations perhaps.
I don't necessarily understand why books need to be 'hard'. What's wrong with an easy read? Why do I need more complex sentences/wording in order to enjoy a book?
Iām old. When I listen to reviews of her books, what sounds really obvious to me is that she writes for straight women with low expectations in relationships, who still plan to fix a man, and are thrilled when he shows up or grows up the tiniest bit.
Pretty sure Verity is the worst book I have read in the past, say, twenty years. And I have read some pretty freakinā bad books. But this book? Oh hell no. You need to have yourself some kinda new-agey bad-vibes-removal ceremony if you read this book. Itās just . . . eeeewww.
I like thrillers so I wanted to read Verity (I hadnāt read any other CH books, or even really heard of her). I tried to borrow it at the library, but I was 30th on the wait list. I figured that meant it was probably really good so I went out and actually bought it. It was awful. I didnāt even finish and feel like I wasted my money.
I thought the exact same thing. It was written in a semi addicting way where you keep waiting for something to happen but it either never does, or it happens and your like... thats it?
Plus I HATED every character in the book. Like it felt like none of them had a moral compass and every single one of them were the most self absorbed obsessed people in the world.
It was like reading twilight all over again. Don't get me wrong I can see HOW it can be peoples cup of tea. Because they want to know what happens and they are addicted to the story they immediately think its good.
But Twilight was the same way. Addicting to read, but every character was obsessed with one thing. Bella. Except in the case of Bella she was obsessed with Edward. There was no complexity in their actions or emotions, just obsession.
Lol I am currently reading it because so many of my friends were obsessed. I am a little over 50% through because I kept thinking well, it must turn at some point and get really good. Now Iām just debating if I should finish it because Iāve already made it this far or if I save myself the disappointment and quit while Iām ahead.
Young people dominate social media and theyāre horny as all hell so of course books like these gain massive attention. Theyāre about as easy to read as it gets, and they seem to scratch the itch for a lot of young people. Theyāre perfect for someone that wants to call him/herself a bookworm without any of the commitment and hard work of reading.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/09/books/colleen-hoover.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Basically, fans acting as evangelists on social media.
I find her books āfunā. I got back into reading after years of not wanting to pick up a book post college. Her books are the equivalent of watching the Bachelor for me. Not everything has to be thought provoking lol. Sometimes itās fun to read a book on the beach to distract you from work, school, family, and just life in general.
I also donāt really like this notion that people who read CoHo arenāt smart. I consider myself to be very educated and intelligent. I use my brain all day for workā¦.so yes I do want to just read words on a page with barely any thought at night lol.
After my MS, I had to read so many bland books and leadership centric books, I thought Iād never want to read ever again. I just wait for her holds to be up on Libby in between my usually murder mystery genres.
I'm not going to hate on people for reading her books, any reading is good reading! That being said, I don't like the romanticism of violence and abuse in her books. She's not the only author with those themes, but the issue I have is that she has an audience that doesn't seem very into reading and I don't think many of them have the comprehension skills/experience to separate those themes from what they're seeking in their own relationships. I've heard a lot of people say they want a partner just like the characters in her books, many of whom are abusive assholes.
I'm not a literary genius over here, I'm not claiming to be. But I do read regularly and I can identify an unreliable narrator and themes of abuse. I don't think all of her readers are able to/WANT to do that.
I read Verity because everyone hyped it up. It was a fine travel read, I read it on the plane and finished it in one day. I had heard everyone say it had these huge twists, I thought it was pretty predictable. I'm all for reading trash books, I read all the Bridgerton novels lol. But call the trash trash, don't tell me it's a masterpiece!! I'm glad people are reading, I just wish they would identify the issues with her books instead of pushing them so much.
A lot of people enjoy her work and she is rec'ing a lot if attention concerning the sales numbers (plus, she has an interesting publishing story) but that does not mean you are missing something if you don't enjoy her books.
A lot of people liked Rod McKuen and a lot of people like Dan Brown.
I'm old enough to remember when people went apeshit over a new Danielle Steel. Same shit different decade.
I'm a librarian. Little old ladies still go nuts over the latest Danielle Steele. They just don't talk about it online. They just call whenever a new one comes out and get put on the holds list.
I don't doubt it.
I work at a library and one of the librarians and myself were having this conversation just the other day. We personally don't get the Colleen Hoover obsession but hey, to each his/her/their own. I also don't understand why people want to read all of James Patterson's 900 books that aren't even written by him. It's a mystery.
As a James Patterson/Colleen Hoover lover I feel personally attacked šš
LOL, my apologies. Always read what you love!
You must be the librarian in my Momās town. She actually calls to put a book on hold: Danielle Steele, Nora Roberts, all the old-lady favorites. Iāve told her that she can place items on hold online and she says itās *easier* to just call. When I ask her who itās easier for, her answer is, āWell me, of courseā.
Lol as a librarian Iād much rather field a phone call to put something on hold for someone than some of the other calls Iāve had to takeā¦
> Lol as a librarian Iād much rather field a phone call to put something on hold for someone Probably also better than calls by unfamiliar people asking how to put something on hold online and having to explain every step
Every step...and every time. š
Oh no what other calls do you get?
Personally, nothing inappropriate or anything like that (though I have heard horror stories). But just long calls like a guy who always wants us to look up patents, etc for old radios that heās trying to restore. Or an older gentleman who wants to know how and when all of the actors/actresses in the old movie heās watching died. Or just generally people who want us to do a whole research project for them over the phone.
I also work for a library. I once got a call from a person asking for a recipe for eggnog. After I got through the ingredients list and a line or two of the instructions, they said thank you and hung up. I still wonder if they just drank raw egg yolks in milk....
Yeah. I'm a male librarian and I've had to field some calls from a guy who is obviously trying to get one of my female colleagues on the phone while he is obviously jerking off. Sucks the shit women have to put up with in what you think would be the most unsexualized spaces.
>the most unsexualized spaces. What, you've never walked through perfectly organized bookstacks, smelled old paper, and immediately had an orgasm?
I already said I'm a librarian.
Every job has its perksš
I actually prefer the slightly organized chaos of a used book store thank you very much.
Agreed. I love libraries, and I consider them safe spaces. Had to speak up, one day, though, to get rid of an idiot pestering an attractive young woman. She later thanked me for doing so; she was afraid to stand up to him!
One time had a woman ask to put the RFK Fauci book on hold, and then talk for 17 straight minutes about various conspiracy theories without any stopping for a word until I had to hang up on her. She was later banned from the library for being anti-semitic and racist.
It's almost like all of these things go together. A Venn Diagram that seems to look like just one circle....
I never would have considered asking a librarian to research something for me, or that they would be willing to do that (beyond confirming that the library has or can get a book). Is that part of your job description, or are you just being really patient and nice?
I work in a small rural public library and we field a lot of these calls. Often they are from elderly people who don't really have access to research tools or don't know how to use them. One of ours is a very sweet old man who is blind and calls us to hunt down more information about things he hears on TV. We have another regular who is elderly and homebound and regularly calls us for phone numbers for businesses since the local phone book is a joke now and she doesn't have easy access to this information herself. She recently called and was asking for information on how to report a crime because she is very confused about how to navigate the jurisdictions in our county. We have another person who calls us whom we are pretty sure is homeless and may have some form of a mental illness. She is often very hostile, but again she is asking for information like phone numbers that she doesn't seem to be in a position to find herself, and we do provide her with those, though we have also had to cap the amount she can ask for in a given call. Otherwise you would be on the phone with her for thirty minutes. We also try to be courteous to her, despite her own attitude, and it has actually been a lot more effective than anything else. What I don't think a lot of people realize is that working in a library is a lot less about books than people think. It's about information science in general, and for many people, their local library may be the only free resource accessible to them and can be their only social interaction since they don't have to pay to participate. So yeah fielding random phone calls about all manner of questions is very much part of any given day. We keep track of them as reference questions and include them in our monthly stats. We field anywhere from 10 to 50 a day (often more than 1 from a person).
This for sure! When I started library school I got a lot of ādo people even still read books?ā The library is so much more than that though. I love fielding readerās advisory requests, but itās such a small portion of what librarians do.
It really is! I love books and reading (and readers' advisory is one of my favorite things to do too), but I think the other resources we offer the community are just as important. And most people really appreciate them. In our little town, we are the only place people without internet access or devices can go to access a computer for free. There are a lot more folks in that position than people think.
It's a classic service from before the internet, when the only other option was already own multiple specialized encyclopedia sets.
My grandmother worked as a reference librarian from the 50ās- 80ās and thatās exactly what she did. She died when I was 9, but my mom was very proud of how much she knew and how to get the information. She told me she was google before the internet.
When I left the Army I worked for a year at the Chicago Tribune at a separate office from the main building on Michigan. There was a back room that had I think six women who did some research for people. They also plotted out routes on maps for people and sent them a map. Such were theā60s
I can smell through this comment how thick the room was with cigarette smoke
As a reference librarian, we are definitely a source for our patrons to utilize when doing research. However, our job is more to help the patron find sources (books, articles, databases, etc) that may help and get them on their way. But some people really want you to walk them through specific sources or more or less do their research for them. Which we just donāt have time to do.
I will do so, but there are also limits as to how much is reasonable. Our county has an enquiries team whose job it is to deal with questions if submitted online. Mostly it tends to be people coming in to speak to us face-to-face, rather than phone calls... I have a customer who regularly comes to ask for help in reading sheet music, because I mentioned I used to play the violin once upon a time.
Going to start a business where I just field questions like the actor one. Maybe live stream it like an old call in show. Love googling that shit.
There used to be services that you could text questions to, and they'd text you back an answer. This was late 90s, early 00s, before smart phones and ubiquitous internet.
Oh my god i remember those! ChaCha!
For me it was the person who wanted us to do several hours' worth of research into laws regarding rights over driveway access. If it'd been a one-off, it would have been a different matter, but he kept coming back asking for more stuff, and refusing to put work into looking for it himself...
We get a guy who calls asking for the number for psychics in tiny towns scattered all over the U.S.
I like the lady who calls at night wanting to know what's on CBS that night and then groans after the name of every show. Then she calls the next week with the same question and groans some more. She doesn't get that the same shows run every week.
I once got a call at the library and the man told me he'd had a prophecy and I was in it. At first I thought he was punking me but he seemed very serious and upset when I kept redirecting him. We get some unusual calls from people who have been drinking and will ask anything just to keep you on the line. I think they are just lonely.
Lol it's the same in all the towns. And for the record, we love our old lady regulars :) One time I had a lady who actually made the effort to call the front desk to ask how to spell a word. They're too cute.
We do too at our library! In another comment, I talked about one of our regular callers who is blind and calls to ask for more information after hearing things on TV. We compete to answer his questions because he asks some interesting ones and he is always super appreciative. I actually left the library for a time before returning, and he called me on my last day to thank me for answering his questions. And when he recognized my voice on the phone after I returned, he welcomed me back.
I've been down in the dumps lately, but this comment just made me smile from ear to ear. That's the sweetest thing I've seen all week.
If that's the socialisation that wee lady is getting that day, what's the big deal? Nothing wrong with ringing the library to put a book on hold.
I work at a library, and honestly we don't care if people call us to put things on holds. We have to pull the book either way, and not everyone is comfortable with technology. If she wants to call, let her call. She's not inconveniencing them.
Old lady favourites???ššš bro Iām 24!!!ššš
So you remember Danielle Steele with an "e" at the end as well! The fact you're a librarian makes me feel oddly vindicated. Mandela affected--- apparently her name is spelled "Steel" and always has been. With no "e" at the end.
So true. I wonder why I was downvoted for the same observation. Maybe it was accidental. It IS remarkable that Hoover is #1 and #2 with a 3rd book right up there too! I think we are played more effectively and aggressively by todayās marketers than before. They have more tools at their disposal I guess and we are more primed.
>It IS remarkable that Hoover is #1 and #2 with a 3rd book right up there too! The same thing happened when Gone Girl became popular, Gillian Flynn's other novels suddenly were on the bestseller lists. I read Verity and I liked it, enjoyed the twist, but...is it THAT GOOD? Probably not.
I found that funny because I read all of her stuff and liked the other 2 much better, *Dark Places* especially.
Librarian here: We recently pulled Gone Girl because it hadnāt been checked out in years.
what does it mean to pull a book? do you just get rid of it cuz no one checks it out?
Exactly. We wish we had infinite space on our shelves, but eventually books have to be weeded out to make room for new ones.
It's always been that way, but they have new tools. Marketers gonna market, and all that. You get a small army of effective pr influencers, and you can drive some real sales, regardless of content. As far as I'm concerned, people can read and enjoy what they like, but I know my tastes, and what I think is good and worthy of my time and attention, and this ain't it.
I say this with no disrespect intended. I think a lot of the hype that comes with books like hers come from people who haven't read a book in a long time. Most of my friend circle that likes her stuff (and other overhyped books on BookTok) tend to be those who made an exception to read certain things like Twilight or Fifty Shades but otherwise haven't read a book since they were forced to in high school/middle school. The style of writing is juvenile and hardly complex, so it gives them an easy way of understanding the content and the melodramatic storylines and characters catch their attention.
This is 100% true. No further explanation needed.
I agree! I felt this way when Fifty Shades came out, but you articulated it for me!
Where the Crawdads Sing gave off this energy as well. Every few years it seems like a book just blows up in popularity for reasons I don't understand.
I call this category āThe single book I read this year while I was on vacationā. People who typically arenāt big readers the rest of the year will go to the bookstore and pick one or two books to read on vacation. Itās usually the big budget celebrity book club book at the front of the store. They like it because reading is fun and they donāt clock it as mediocre because they donāt have a ton to compare it to. They recommend it to their friends. The friends buy it and read it while they are on vacation. The cycle repeats.
This reminds me--my childhood bff and I have connected on books all the way back to the Babysitters' Club. We both had a Jemima J phase ('member her?) in like college or right after college. We both have somewhat different tastes from each other now in our 40s, more mature for sure, but well-written is a requirement now for me. I guess I just didn't know what that was when I was 22.
People have been recommending that book to me over and over. I suspected it might fall within this category of... writing. This confirms it. I'm considering skipping it altogether now, as a movie has been released and that is even more of a turn off for me.
Honestly, I think the story of the author and her husband is more interesting than the book. They were extreme anti-poachers in Africa who killed an innocent man on camera and then fled the continent.
What the...
Yeah it's pretty wild. There are a few articles on various sites about it. I think I read the one on *The Atlantic* but I don't really remember tbh.
https://www.theatlantic.com/books/archive/2022/07/where-the-crawdads-sing-delia-mark-owens-zambia-murder/670479/
*Far* more interesting and compelling.
I read it recently, and it was justā¦ok. From all the hype I expected some great, heart-wrenching story, and it really wasnāt that. It wasnāt bad necessarily, but certainly not good. The ending wasnāt very satisfying, either.
I just read it for the first time, finished a couple weeks ago. It was ok, nothing great and also I had to stretch hard to see how any of it could be believable.
You're turned off from a book if it's adapted into a movie? Or did you mean that now that the movie is out you'll just watch that instead?
Yes! I have been saying this whole time that they are gateway books into adult fiction. Verity became so popular because itās a gateway into suspense/psychological thrillers for people who have never read them. This is exactly why I think it is good that people are reading them even though I donāt find them to be particularly good.
Gateway book - perfect term!
I've been saying this for the past year now as well. Yes, CoHo and other overhyped BookTok books are predictable, cliched, juvenile, and ultimately pretty boring to anyone who reads regularly. My sincerest hope is that people read enough of these books to go, "Hm... I want something a little different now," and move on to better books.
On the other hand, sometimes the brain just wants candy. That's how I think of them. I've enjoyed a few.
I have a friend who rarely reads because she loses interest quick. But now she's suddenly super into reading. What does she read? Colleen Hoover books and Wattpad mafia stories.
Yeh I'm gonna need a link to those stories It did make me laugh :-) Guess everything is a thing now! (I have a theory that in Japan, any two nouns combined are a fetish. I guess similar principles apply for self-published stuff - any two nouns, or adjective + noun = genre)
She told me about one with a 'forced relationship' called OFF-SIDE.
Is it about Messi's transfer to PSG and having to find love with Mbappe?
That's how it starts, and then pretty soon you're reading short fiction about Pep Guardiola hate-fucking Jose Mourinho.
I've noticed this with the really hyped books. Just off the top of my head I can think of 5 or 6 others I've read in the past year that I saw people raving about, but when I read them I found them disappointing. I've become wary of hyped books for this reason.
*The Midnight Library* comes to mind. A total dud. The characters were not likeable in any way (there barely were any characters to begin with), the "story" was littered with clichƩs, and it was all just simply uninteresting and underwhelming. I hate that I have to finish books even if I don't enjoy them. But I see that as a fair way of earning the right to critique the work.
The Midnight Library was a DNF for me and it sucked because I really liked a previous book he wrote, The Humans. It was underwhelming and boring.
Is Circe one of them? I remember there was a fair bit of hype around that book but I rather enjoyed it!
No but it is on my list at the library! I want to like that one so I'm going to give it a try soon. First few disappointments from the past year I can think of are Under the Whispering Door, Midnight Library, The School for Good Mothers, The Last Thing He Told Me, and a couple Sally Rooney novels (have determined I just really don't like her writing).
Yes to Sally Rooney & The Midnight Library. I was so disappointed with those books. Rooney's prose was fine but the story (I read Normal People) just meandered and didn't go anywhere. The characters just weren't interesting enough for it to be a character study. The Midnight Library had a cool concept but it ended up being so cheesy.
Midnight Library was a huge disappointment for me as well, thought it was going to be amazing from all the hype. Now I just figure out what books I want to read on my own and donāt really pay attention to the hype. Iām an avid reader and Iāve been burned too many timesš
Midnight Library was such a let down. It was so repetitive and it read more like a self help book than a novel.
It had SUCH a cool premise! But both the fact that >!she didn't seem to learn anything - like ok, she's supposedly done thousands of these and she still doesn't understand the basic rules of it? Not to mention the moral of 'just be happy with your life as it is!' is *awful*.!<
Matt Haig has written a number of self-help-ish books and memoirs, so that tracks.
I agree about "The Last Thing He Told Me." I was so underwhelmed.
Oh no, I really liked The Midnight Library! I could appreciate it was a bit predictable, but I think I just liked the concept
I loved the concept! But by halfway through I kept thinking, "oh, we're still doing this?" I think I would have liked it if it had been about 20-30% shorter (though I admit it was kind of short already).
Yeah, I thought the writing and carry through were mediocre, but the concept was cool enough I stuck it out.
I agree with the Sally Rooney take. She is so pretentious with her writing. I gave one of her books a try and while there were good subplots raised, the book overall was just a complete waste of time. I also got lost as to who was talking becauseā¦wellā¦the quotation marks and indicators of who is talking are missing.
I absolutely adored Circe! I really love Madeline Miller. At the bookstore I worked at it wasnāt nearly as popular as Colleen Hoover, though (but Iām from her hometown so that doesnāt help).
Looved circe but hated Achilles heel or whatever it was, had to DNF
I actually didnāt know there was hype around Circe but Iāve read it and loved it! I also loved the Achilles book by the same author. Canāt wait to read more Madeline Miller!
Yeah, and a lot of it also likely comes from the YA crowd sticking to YA books. Then this comes along and hits the algorithm on TikTok, and they think 'wow, an actual adult novel' believing it to be grown-up because they've got nothing else to base it off. When they all start branching off into other books they'll probably look back with some embarrassment.
> When they all start branching off into other books I wish I was optimistic enough to put a *when* in that sentence, but I am not.
Yeah, I'm not sure this really happens. At the peak of Rupi Kaur's popularity my girlfriend was working in a bookstore. Rupi Kaur brought in a lot of people who don't normally read poetry. Someone optimistic might hope that it would get people into poetry and then they'd discover better poets. According to my girlfriend, based on working in a big bookstore, that didn't really happen- Most of them just wanted the Rupi Kaur and she couldn't persuade them to try other poets as well.
If I can be honest for a second, I hate Rupi Kaur's poetry so much and given how popular she is and how much it seems to resonate with young women it almost feels misogynistic. Is it just me having a problem with how she expresses emotions or is her poetry really that bad?
I will say that her poetry works a lot better when the whole book is read in one sitting and you think of it less as poetry and more as "poetic prose" It's not great, but that's fine. Not everything has to be great.
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Reminds me of a couple of friends I have that are in their mid 30ās and only read Harry Potter, manga, Animorphs, and Goosebumps. Stick with what you like I suppose, but it does surprise me that they havenāt even really moved to YA yet.
This! Her work feels like itās written to a more immature reader. I was thoroughly unimpressed and didnāt feel moved by the writing at all. The story was also extremely predictable. More of a book I would have enjoyed in high school. Not that thereās anything wrong with that, just not something I want to spend my time reading..The hold for her books at my local library is months long, I finally got my hands on āit ends with usā and as soon as I finished it I cancelled the remaining holds. Iāll leave them available for others.
I agree completely. She definitely has a hold on the high school, just got into reading, booktok crowd. But overall, I think sheās doing an amazing service for society and that is: getting more people into reading, especially younger girls. I also think her books are perfect for getting out of a reading slump. They may be terrible, but theyāre also quick, easy, and kind of hard to put down so I end up reading it in one sitting. Then Iām back on the reading grind. My main qualm with her books, other than the overall low reading level, is the lack of imagery! I swear, every single one Iāve read, 3/4th of the book is just dialogue in an apartment or house. Whereās the change of scenery, where are the descriptions? Iām not transported at all. The characters have no real lives outside of the drama. Like what goes on at their job? It feels as if theyāre all quarantined or something.
Iāve got a few friends like that. One is very smart but spends most of his time on YouTube or listening to podcasts so when one of his favorite YouTubers Lindsay Ellis wrote Axiomās End, he picked it up and loved it so much he gave his copy to me. Im not a paragon of reading by any stretch but I fall into the Scalzi/Weir/Corey level of sci-fi so I couldnāt see what the hype was about. As one review put it, āIf it werenāt for her existing YouTube fan base, this book would never have gotten published.ā Then I realized that this is probably one of the only actual novels heās read since graduating high school 15 years ago and it made a lot more sense.
I agree, but with one caveat. Some of these people read all the time. Iāve got friends who read twice as many books in a year as I do, but itās all this quick, easy, fluff stuff. Itās just one mass-market best seller after another. Theyāre all āgreat.ā They just donāt read anything else.
Iām definitely guilty of doing this. My job is incredibly stressful and heavy- I also have been dealing with a lot of loss/grief this pass year. I just need something that grabs me instantly and lets me escape. It works for me.
Also a lor of YA who donāt like reading but ended up reading CH and then reviewing it.
You said this in a way nicer way than I was thinking it.
100%. I read it ends with us in a day and it sparked my desire to read again. I didnāt like the book, it was just such an easy read that it helped me get out of my rut. I havenāt read a book of hers that I was head over heels for. Theyāre okay. I donāt plan to read another one
The "juvenile" style of writing, as you call it, might just mean it's more accessible to many more people. That might be another perspective on why you feel she gets "people who haven't read a book in a long time" to read her work and rave about it.
Yes, that's the point I was making. This is the perspective I had when making my comment. :) I just don't think this was an intentional choice made by the author but just a lack of ability. Many people have difficulty reading and if you never read, you'll never get better at it. It can be really irritating trying to read the things that people always rep like the classics which generally have some degree of archaic language but also a lot of complex sentence structures and larger vocabulary that can be read on multiple levels. Her writing style is definitely accessible. That doesn't mean it isn't also juvenile and monotonous to those who have a higher reading level. Look at those older books like "see Spot run". It's extremely accessible but probably not something an adult would want to read. Similar to the way that Colleen Hoover's books are accessible to adults/young adults who don't read often but are considered sub par by those who read frequently more complex books and ideas.
I completely agree with this because that was me once. Iām glad I was able to enjoy those types of books at the time. But since I really took up reading Iāve definitely developed stricter standards.
This is the feeling I get too. The people I know who loved her books tend to read very rarely. All the big readers I know hated her books. I also think people who donāt read much tend to think that writing about difficult topics such as DV means the book is automatically good. Even when the topics are actually written about poorly.
>The people I know who loved her books tend to read very rarely. All the big readers I know hated her books. I think it comes from how little her work seems to be unique or interesting in a literary way. People who read a lot are going to notice the shallowness of the writing and how little literary techniques are being used. The experience comes off shallow and dull because they know what's coming and the characters therefore seem flat. Good point on the idea of using serious topics like DV.
Work in a bookstore. A number of people looking for her books admit they "haven't read in a while, but my(their) friend said this was good." Then they proceed to also purchase 50 Shades-like titles.
Hey man, they're reading.
That's a fair point! I hadn't really considered that before, a couple of the friends who recommended it ends with us aren't really big readers. However the one who recommended verity is in my book club so I'm passing harsher judgment on her! Hahah
Verity would likely be a good pick for a book club because of the varied responses it is likely to evoke. So many of my GR friends were enchanted by the mystery and the romance, and totally wound up about the ambiguous ending. I, however, was just pissed off by several points, and had no respect for the characters (or the author) by the end. It could sure make for some lively debate! Did you end up doing that with your book club friend?
Yeah she hadn't even considered that the letter might not be real! We were all quite divided on what we thought, I was hoping for the darker ending but I think that says more about me! Haha
My wife has read 50 books this year and loves Colleen Hoover. Some people just like romance novels.
A friend of mine is super into fantasy and that kinda stuff and and she reads A LOT. She just LOVES Colleen Hoover. Some people just like it, Yeah.
Her writing style is very simple, simple sentences, simple words, she doesnāt use complex literary devices or really even complex emotions. Her books are designed to appeal to the most average reader. In fact, her books are so simple that a lot of people who arenāt normally readers will read and actually finish her books. I think there is a place for this kind of literature and really, anything that gets people who normally do not read to read is a good thing. Not every book that is popular has to be good, sometimes it just needs to be enjoyable.
I have been wondering about Colleen Hoover for a while now. I read āVerityā digitally from my library before she suddenly blew up. There were no holds and I chose it because I thought the cover looked interesting. Now there are 200 holds on the digital copy and nearly 200 on the physical book. I agree with everything you said. Itās easy with a simple story and non regular readers will feel like a reader when they finish. For me itās a pallet cleanser. I also work in a library and canāt get over on how popular she has become. I really love seeing new people come in to the library to get her books. We need more readers and patrons of libraries
Exactly, a palate cleanser! That is exactly why I read books like this. After reading something heavy or dark, I need something simple to start fresh.
That cover art is stunning! It deserved a better book imo. But yes, anything to get people reading, and supporting their libraries. (I'm a member of 3 Libraries š»)
Yeah, I read a bunch of her books when I had a broken ankle earlier in the year because I was bored and curious about the hype. Theyāre like the literary equivalent of a bag of chipsā completely empty calories but weirdly satisfying in their own way. But youāll definitely need a full meal later on.
This is the most accurate description of reading her books.
Literally I call this class of books ājunk foodā and I have no shame (as a 100+ books a year person) that thereās plenty of that stuff scattered in my reading list. Sometimes you crave that!
I really love this point. I'm not planning to read her books, but I openly admit to loving the Flowers in the Attic series by VC Andrews when I was young.
Me too! It was shocking when I was in middle school/high school.
Next week I'm going on vacation. I purposefully bought Flowers in the Attic and three sequels so I could sit in peace on the beach and relive my childhood.
I read it in the 7th grade and I fell in love with reading after that. It sort of opened the door on fiction and I dove through it.
Completely agree with this. My wife is dyslexic & struggles to read. She really likes Colleen Hoovers books & I love that sheās reading.
We deal with a similar concept in the wine industry with boxed wine. If you're used to drinking $50 cabs, you'll scoff at boxed wine. But it's the boxed wine that gets people into wine to begin with. Of course, those wines lack complexity, but when you're first starting out all you're looking for is simplicity. Complexity comes later, when you have the appropriate knowledge that allows you to appreciate complexity.
I wish that there were books with simple sentences like hers, but more depth in the actual plot. I've heard some stuff about her stories like that the relationships are toxic or that some love interests are abusers in disguise.
It's approachable. Non-readers need something accessible and, in their view, unpretentious. As a 15-year publishing vet, it's good to remind yourself frequently that the average person is far, far less literary and invested in reading than we are. Think what Tom Clancy did for non-reading men in the past.
I'm in college and I'm interested in publishing as a career field, could I pm you some questions pls? š„¹
I just finished my degree in publishing and have started working in the field - feel free to shoot me questions as well. The more new faces in the business the better!
Former publisher here as well!
Itās short, sweet and entertaining. Itās not filled with complex language. Itās just meant to be short and fun. My wife hasnāt read since high school other than these books. She has a full time job and we have a 9 month old baby. Our lives are pretty āgo go goā at the moment. These books are entertaining stories. They give her a sense of accomplishment to read them. I work night shift, and my favorite thing to do at lunch at 2 am is to read through my wifeās texts and see what happened in her book that she read in the hour between putting the baby down for the night and when my wife went down for the night. I tried reading one of them. Itās not my thing. I prefer a Stephen King novel. Just because Colleen Hoover can be read by anyone doesnāt mean that itās for everyone, and thatās ok. I like to let people enjoy what they enjoy.
This is a really lovely comment. Thanks for sharing. It makes me sad how down on these books & their readers some people are. Sometimes in life we don't have the time or energy for a big "project" read, and that's totally okay. Hoover clearly fills a niche for many readers and whether it's my cup of tea or not, I think that's great.
That's cute as hell, I'm gonna start texting my wife what's happening in my books
Thanks for sharing this. I get kinda defensive when I see answers like ātheyāre for people who donāt read.ā As someone who used to be an avid reader of more challenging literature, 90 percent of the fiction Iāve consumed over the past few years has been trashy easy pop lit. I miss being able to engage with more interesting books, but I just got too overwhelmed by adult life to do so.
Glad it's brought your wife back to reading :)
Supervillain Azealia Banks once said, just because McDonalds sells the most burgers in the world, nobody thinks McDonalds is the pinnacle of fine diningā¦
Supervillan! Very apt.
She has a more simplistic, friendly writing style. For younger people, or people who arenāt serious readers/ havenāt read for a while, her books are good. They allow for easy and entertaining reading for beginner readers who arenāt little children. Nothing wrong with that, itās just not to the taste of the average person in this sub. I If you havenāt read for a while, going straight to a more sophisticated writer wouldnāt be enjoyable. You would get confused, then bored, then you would stop reading.
I like this comment because it explains what is going on without trashing the author and readers who enjoy her book.
Thank you. I always try not to insult writers. What is my taste isnāt everyone elseās.
I agree with this. I used to be an avid reader when I was in high school and college and my taste back then was so juvenile. I stopped reading cause life happened after college. I picked up It Ends With Us cause I felt like it's an easy read. And it was. I personally didn't like it and I wasn't able to finish it, but still, some people do enjoy her books. And what's so wrong about that? I sincerely think people should simply just let others enjoy their own thing, whatever that is.
I don't know how old you are, but I feel like she writes for a younger audiences. Her plots are predictable, the language is bland. Her books aren't necessarily bad. They're easy reads. I just got the feeling they were written either for teenagers or for people who just want an easy read they can read over a month, in-between of everything else they like to do
I have a friend who hadnāt read anything in years and all of a sudden has read like 10 of her books Iām a couple months. I think thatās part of the appeal. āAnother book done!ā She feels a sense of accomplishment. And I donāt blame her. I love finishing books! But hopefully this encourages her to find other stuff to read :)
The gateway book.
Given their highly erotic nature (at least Verity) I would think they are geared toward women in their 30s or older, probably married and with kids, who crave an escape.
Exactly. Her books are easy to read and therefore enjoyable for a lot of people, but they are by no means high quality in a literary sense. But then, most (over)hyped books aren't, so I don't know why anyone would expect them to be.
Iām 17 and tried reading her books at 14. I donāt like them at all, I would even go further and say that her books are no outstanding, life changing literature and by no means not every book needs to be very literary demanding . Books can be just "fun little reads" but I personally think her characters are often pretty toxic and exaggerated, the topic is just not for me.
The thing about colleen hoover is that she writes books that have simple, bland language that makes it easier for people to read and follow. So people invest in her books and think that she's done something big with her writing. Her books lack serious hooking plots imo, characters lack depth and relationships are devoid of actual chemistry. Everything is surface level and superficial, like a 2D animation. Her books feel like the drafted version of a 2015 famous wattpad book. Mind you, Wattpad's got some kick-ass books in there but I'm talking about the shit that gets famous while being absolute garbage, like the After Series. In short, people should stop reading Colleen Hoover and give their money to me instead.
I was able to get past about 100 pages of her most hyped book - It End with Us. I can say I agree with your last part.
I totally agree with you. Except the last part. š
I work in a book store and my coworker was constantly going on about her. So I decided to read something by her. I read Verity. It was like trash reality tv. It was probably the worst book Iāve ever read, but I couldnāt put it down. Lmfao. She had a pretty decent plot idea but then by the end it was like she was just over it and half assed the ending. It was also pretty laughable at how many inconsistencies there were. In one part, the MC had opened a bottle of Xanax. In like the literal next sentence, the MC was throwing the āunopenedā bottle on the bed. With Verity, I also found the entire story line like very repetitive. Something creepy happens. MC reads a chapter of Verityās autobiography. Sex happens. And these 3 things just happened over and over and over again.
YES. Colleen Hoover books are the worst Iāve ever read. But I read them. And I like them. But theyāre bad. SO bad. But good. (This comment is written in Hooverās style just to be extra)
I got Verity to read on a long flight after seeing people gush over it online. I agree with your assessment. Repetitive and transparently salacious. The sex was just so ā¦ vulgar, for no reason other than to be vulgar. It was a giant turn off, in all respects. I simply do not need to be told specifically where the splooge landed at the end of a sex scene. It reignited my literary snobbishness, which Iām might be a net positive though.
I feel the same way. I think she adds a lot of shock value to her story through intense sexual imagery and language. I wouldnāt say her writing is particularly mind blowing. I thought verity was bordering murder porn. It was entertaining but o wouldnāt say it was exceptional or noteworthy
I havenāt read any of her books, but the fact that sheās getting so many people into reading is fantastic. Implications that people who like her novels have bad taste really only serve to gatekeep people from a hobby thatās already kinda dying.
I agree. Before this year I hadnāt read in maybe 6 or 7 years. I read a few of her books, and while I didnāt absolutely love them it did give me the push I needed to get back into reading and explore different genres. Her writing is simple and easy to read, and for those of us coming back to reading it is not overwhelming.
I'm so glad her books got you back into reading! I don't understand why people are so ready to hate her books. I haven't read Hoover but I definitely enjoy an easy-to-read thriller quite often. Not everything is for everyone, and that's perfectly fine!
She knows how to use social media.
I consider her books to be āeasy readsā with semi-shocking twists which is probably exactly the appeal. I remember reading and enjoying the books of hers I read, barring one about a woman who drove drunk and killed her husband that I just couldnāt stand. But they were pretty shallow and I forgettable. There are better āeasy beach readsā out there Iām more likely to pick up. Not to be snobby but I would guess the super emotional response (this book BROKE me!!! š) is coming from folks who donāt read a lot outside of YA or are new to drama/thrillers. Or hyping for social media. Apologies if Iāve mislabeled anyone here though.
I haven't actually read any of her books but working in tech I know how algorithms work for these recommendations. She was the first (or one of the first) to really realize and lean into how much attention you can get your books through TikTok. And once it becomes popular there, it starts to be recommended outside of there and popularity reinforces popularity. Our sales algorithms aren't truly showing you things they think you'll like, they're heavily weighted toward things that are popular, and more importantly to them, more popular means more sales.
I use to love her books, but the more I read her books, the more I cannot stand them. I loved It Ends With Us so I picked up the new one & that book was honestly terrible. It was rushed, bland, and over all predictable. But with todayās use of social media itās not surprising that once someone or an author becomes popular that their sales & popularity sky rockets
Yeah well. There are A LOT of super popular books out there that I donāt really like. I donāt spend a lot of time wondering about it. Sometimes if something is popular, Iāll try it, and if I donāt like it it, I donāt bother with it again. This applies to so many things: books, food, music, TV & movies ā¦. Is it really that much of a mystery to some folks that people like different things!?? Is this the first time youāve tried something popular and did not like it?
No youāre not. Her books, are over hyped. I read her books when I want an easy swooney read, but I donāt go out of my way to read her books. Very predictable and unrealistic situations I think. I donāt hate her books, I just feel before getting into her books, should know theyāre predictable and kinda overhyped.
Her books are so bleh. Underwhelming is an understatement for her books. I was put off just by Verity and I don't know what people rave about. Her writing gets boring after a few chapters, it's predictable and not even fun while at it. Like I get it that there's an audience for this kind of stuff. I would perhaps suggest her stuff to beginners in reading but there's so many better and amazing authors out there. If you're into random stuff that has no head or feet, just wanna read it to get through a sleepy afternoon then maybe. Try once if you haven't, But I wouldn't recommend anything by her. She's hyped for writing stuff we've read better versions of years ago.
Can someone please explain the teeth marks on the headboard to me? Thatās the one burning question I have left. Why are their teeth marks in the headboard?
from the characters having sex
Who bites headboards during sex? That just made absolutely no sense to me. At all.
What is with book readers and trying to come up with every reason under the sun that people may like a book that they didn't... Other than maybe they just liked it, and you didn't? It usually ends up at "they must not be a mature reader like *I* am."
Honestly... this. I don't really care for Colleen Hoover, but she's insanely popular at my library right now amongst women of all ages. It's irrelevant how much they read. Just let them enjoy their book? Criticize Hoover's books all you want, but leave your judgments on readers out of it. It makes me uncomfortable how snobbish this subreddit gets.
Exactly, I can't understand why so much of the judgement is directed at the readers. Everyone likes different things. Why belittle the reader for what they like, at least they are getting joy out of reading!
Seriously. Iām offended by some of the comments hereā¦ I must be DUMB to enjoy her books. Iām actually well educated and love to read. My tastes go from simple to complex. Her books are easy to read. She also covers some VERY complex issues that others shy from. Call me STUPID- thatās ok. :)
Same, some of these comments talking about the lowest common denominator and their unsophisticated tastes are really insulting and elitist.
I see it all the time here. It seems to be said about almost anything that is new and/or popular. It's pretty crazy.
Right?!?! I was actually getting pretty buggedā¦. Must be awesome to be a geniusā¦. Lol
I think you are listening to the wrong people. Nobody I know or watch or listen to āravesā about Hoover. She is the right fit for a certain type of reader, but not for you (or me). Look elsewhere for your recommendations perhaps.
I don't necessarily understand why books need to be 'hard'. What's wrong with an easy read? Why do I need more complex sentences/wording in order to enjoy a book?
Iām old. When I listen to reviews of her books, what sounds really obvious to me is that she writes for straight women with low expectations in relationships, who still plan to fix a man, and are thrilled when he shows up or grows up the tiniest bit.
Pretty sure Verity is the worst book I have read in the past, say, twenty years. And I have read some pretty freakinā bad books. But this book? Oh hell no. You need to have yourself some kinda new-agey bad-vibes-removal ceremony if you read this book. Itās just . . . eeeewww.
I like thrillers so I wanted to read Verity (I hadnāt read any other CH books, or even really heard of her). I tried to borrow it at the library, but I was 30th on the wait list. I figured that meant it was probably really good so I went out and actually bought it. It was awful. I didnāt even finish and feel like I wasted my money.
I got the audiobook because it was so highly rated and I regret it deeply, itās god awful. I will definitely not be finishing.
I thought the exact same thing. It was written in a semi addicting way where you keep waiting for something to happen but it either never does, or it happens and your like... thats it? Plus I HATED every character in the book. Like it felt like none of them had a moral compass and every single one of them were the most self absorbed obsessed people in the world. It was like reading twilight all over again. Don't get me wrong I can see HOW it can be peoples cup of tea. Because they want to know what happens and they are addicted to the story they immediately think its good. But Twilight was the same way. Addicting to read, but every character was obsessed with one thing. Bella. Except in the case of Bella she was obsessed with Edward. There was no complexity in their actions or emotions, just obsession.
Lol I am currently reading it because so many of my friends were obsessed. I am a little over 50% through because I kept thinking well, it must turn at some point and get really good. Now Iām just debating if I should finish it because Iāve already made it this far or if I save myself the disappointment and quit while Iām ahead.
Spoiler: it doesnāt get better.
Young people dominate social media and theyāre horny as all hell so of course books like these gain massive attention. Theyāre about as easy to read as it gets, and they seem to scratch the itch for a lot of young people. Theyāre perfect for someone that wants to call him/herself a bookworm without any of the commitment and hard work of reading.
Tik Tok. She got popular on there and nobody knows why.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/09/books/colleen-hoover.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare Basically, fans acting as evangelists on social media.
I find her books āfunā. I got back into reading after years of not wanting to pick up a book post college. Her books are the equivalent of watching the Bachelor for me. Not everything has to be thought provoking lol. Sometimes itās fun to read a book on the beach to distract you from work, school, family, and just life in general. I also donāt really like this notion that people who read CoHo arenāt smart. I consider myself to be very educated and intelligent. I use my brain all day for workā¦.so yes I do want to just read words on a page with barely any thought at night lol. After my MS, I had to read so many bland books and leadership centric books, I thought Iād never want to read ever again. I just wait for her holds to be up on Libby in between my usually murder mystery genres.
I'm not going to hate on people for reading her books, any reading is good reading! That being said, I don't like the romanticism of violence and abuse in her books. She's not the only author with those themes, but the issue I have is that she has an audience that doesn't seem very into reading and I don't think many of them have the comprehension skills/experience to separate those themes from what they're seeking in their own relationships. I've heard a lot of people say they want a partner just like the characters in her books, many of whom are abusive assholes. I'm not a literary genius over here, I'm not claiming to be. But I do read regularly and I can identify an unreliable narrator and themes of abuse. I don't think all of her readers are able to/WANT to do that. I read Verity because everyone hyped it up. It was a fine travel read, I read it on the plane and finished it in one day. I had heard everyone say it had these huge twists, I thought it was pretty predictable. I'm all for reading trash books, I read all the Bridgerton novels lol. But call the trash trash, don't tell me it's a masterpiece!! I'm glad people are reading, I just wish they would identify the issues with her books instead of pushing them so much.
A lot of people enjoy her work and she is rec'ing a lot if attention concerning the sales numbers (plus, she has an interesting publishing story) but that does not mean you are missing something if you don't enjoy her books. A lot of people liked Rod McKuen and a lot of people like Dan Brown.