It Is Time To End The Hate On Colleen Hoover
If you hate “It Ends With Us” so much, why has it sold a million copies?
I do not like surprises. Never have and never will. So when my friend invited me to watch the Blake Lively video adaptation of the book, It Ends With Us, written by Colleen Hoover, I decided to research the book, the video, and the author. I wish I hadn’t because I suspect that by the end of this piece, a reader or two may cancel me.
In case you have not heard, Colleen Hoover romanticized abuse in the “It Ends With Us,” novel as it follows a woman who is caught in a love triangle where one of the suitors is physically hurting her.
Terrible, isn’t it?
Except, I struggle with understanding the hypocrisy of humans. This book as of 2019,
Had sold over one million copies worldwide and been translated into over twenty languages. In 2021, the novel experienced a resurgence in popularity through TikTok and topped sales lists for 2022 and 2023. — Wikipedia
The book was so popular that a sequel was started by the author in 2022 and now, with the movie adaption in 2024, it is back in the spotlight where 50–60% of the people loved it.
Did I mention that this book has its own Wiki page, holds a 4.1/5 on Goodreads rated by over 3 million people, and a rating of 4.4/5 on Flipkart according to over 12,000 people? Yep.
Ladies and gentlemen, can we stop pretending that we give a damn about this book being anything but a romance novel that people hate because they love it too much despite its glorification of domestic abuse? Or, because someone who understands that domestic abuse is not something to romanticize vented on social media and everyone is pretending to give a shit?
Can we stop pretending that we give a damn about this book being anything but a romance novel that people hate because they love it too much despite its glorification of domestic abuse?
Because let us be real, if we really are being honest, It Ends With Us, would not have been greenlit for publication or would not have done as fabulously as it has if it weren’t popular.
Let me save you a comment, I have never read a Colleen Hoover book and I am yet to watch the movie. I am just now coming out of the rabbit hole of my research. Human hypocrisy always puts a smile on my face.
According to Business Insider, Colleen Hoover is controversial. Really? I am not buying. She sells books, that’s what she does. I think she is also an astute observer of humans and a writer who has a finger on the pulse of her readers.
Bottomline, Hoover is a smart writer who feeds her readers what she knows they want. Isn’t it what the Zuckerbergs of the world do — hook their users with more and more of what already works? Is that not what every writing coach on Medium and Beyond preaches?
Well, there is our success story, writers. This should give you hope.
But, but, what about the fact that Colleen Hoover blocked the lady whose daughter reached out to her about Hoover’s son having sexual conversations with her, while she was still a minor?
Glad you asked. Did you also know that Hoover said they:
Discussed what happened, I apologized to her and thanked her for bringing this to my attention, and I offered to send her our home address and lawyer info should she want it. I held my son accountable for sending a message to her that was inappropriate. — Distractify.com
Now, I am certain that someone reading is furious with me for believing Hoover and for maybe suggesting that she did all that she was supposed to but I have two questions for you:
- When did we begin to judge mothers for the sins of their adult children?
Because we all know Colleen Hoover, right? What next? If her adult son commits murder, we put her on the stand?
- If you were Colleen Hoover and heard this, what would you have done differently from what she did?
If you can tell me that as a mother, you would have joined in crucifying your son or handed him over to the police, know this — I do not believe you.
Why?
The same reason I am sharing this piece — the people judging Hoover are still those buying her books and sending them to the top of the charts.
Colleen Hoover is a fiction writer. If you do not like her brand of fiction, don’t buy it. But we must end a system where we do selective hating and selective canceling of people based on what is on trend to hate or cancel at any moment.
So — hate the game. Don’t hate the playa.
Deuces.
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