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Colleen Hoover’s book It Ends With Us has been thrust into the spotlight after the press tour of its movie adaptation has been mired with rumours of a ‘feud’ between lead co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.
But the author, 44, is no stranger to controversy.
As the novelist has gone from being a minimum wage social worker in Texas, who self-published her first work in 2012 – to a household name – she has been heavily scrutinised.
While she first found a devoted following on BookTok, often topping many influencers’ top recommendations, her once fanbase has since turned on her and videos often slam the star’s writing as ‘bad fanfiction’.
Elsewhere, Colleen has bizarrely been embroiled in the downfall of a pirate e-library that thousands of college students relied on for affordable textbooks, in what social media users dramatically called the modern ‘burning of the Library of Alexandria’.
Colleen Hoover’s book It Ends With Us has been thrust into the spotlight after the press tour of its movie adaptation has been mired with rumours of a ‘feud’ between lead co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. But the author, 44, is no stranger to controversy. Pictured: Blake and Justin in the movie
Here, FEMAIL looks at Colleen’s past brushes with scandal – as she navigates her newfound spotlight…
IT ENDS WITH US PRESS TOUR ‘FEUD’
Fans of the novel and movie are convinced costars Blake and Justin are embroiled in a fierce feud – after noticing some suspicious behavior between the two cast members.
The pair didn’t pose for any pictures together at the event, despite playing the two main characters and love interests in the flick.
She happily took photos with her other costars like Jenny Slate and Brandon Sklenar, but not Justin.
Two days later, Blake attended a photo call in London for the film with some of the other stars – but Justin was mysteriously absent.
In addition, the two haven’t done any press together in the weeks leading up to the film’s release.
The movie, which hits theaters last week and is based off of Colleen’s hit novel of the same name, follows Blake’s Lily Bloom, a floral designer who falls in love with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, played by Justin – but soon after they start dating, the romance turns toxic.
Fans of the novel and movie are convinced costars Blake and Justin (pictured) are embroiled in a fierce feud – after noticing some suspicious behavior between the two cast members
However, ‘all is not what it seems’ in regards to Justin, who reportedly clashed with the film’s leading star Blake amid production of the motion picture, a source told People on Monday.
‘There is much more to this story,’ a source told the outlet. ‘The principal cast and Colleen Hoover will have nothing to do with him.’
While the director had ‘creative differences’ with some of his collaborators on the motion picture, reports of tension while making the film had been ‘overblown,’ a source close to Justin told People Monday.
The source added that Blake ‘wants to direct the next movie, sidelining him and securing the rights from Colleen.’
Adding to the speculation about tension between the director and star of the film was Justin foregoing taking full cast pictures during the movie’s New York City premiere at AMC Lincoln Square on August 6, People reported.
Justin was pictured only posing alongside his spouse Emily Baldoni, 40, relatives and producers at the debut of the film.
Hoover, the author of the 2016 book the movie is based off of, and Blake Lively, 36, were pictured at the film’s NYC premiere August 6
Justin was pictured during the movie’s New York City premiere at AMC Lincoln Square on August 6, posing alongside his spouse Emily Baldoni, 40
The hard feelings between the pair could impact future projects in the franchise, as he might not direct a sequel based off Colleen Hoover’s 2022 book It Starts With Us, the follow-up to the current film’s source novel, 2016’s It Ends With Us.
‘I think that there are better people for that one – I think Blake Lively’s ready to direct, that’s what I think,’ Justin said.
According to a logline for the film, Lily (Blake) ‘overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life, as ‘a chance meeting with a neurosurgeon sparks a connection but Lily begins to see sides of him that remind her of her parents’ relationship.’
The movie, which also stars Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar and Kevin McKidd, finished second at the domestic box office over the weekend with $50 million, and made $80 million globally, according to Box Office Mojo.
Last week, Justin spoke about the difficulties of portraying a domestic violence relationship on screen with CBS Mornings.
He admitted that ‘as a man,’ he came with ‘his own biases’ on the topic, but insisted he ‘made sure the film had a female gaze.’
‘As a man, I’m always going to come with my own biases. It’s one of the reasons I was afraid to direct this movie, let alone act in it,’ he said.
‘I wanted to make sure this film always had a female gaze and I was never putting myself into it.’
Blake and Justin, who also directed the movie, were pictured in the film, which had a strong opening weekend at the box office
Social media users have been desperately trying to figure out what went down between the stars after sensing some tension between them in the weeks leading up to the highly-anticipated film’s release.
Despite being mired with rumours of a feud amid the cast, the movie – which is out today – has been relatively positively reviewed for handling topics like abuse, trauma and recovery ‘unexpectedly well’.
The movie follows Lily Bloom (played by Blake), a floral designer who falls in love with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (portrayed by Justin), years after losing touch with her first love, Atlas (played by Brandon), after he joined the military.
But things get dramatic after Lily reconnects with Atlas after running into him at a restaurant, just as her romance with Ryle starts to turn toxic.
Giving it three stars out of five, Benjamin Lee for The Guardian wrote: ‘It’s a plot of hackneyed soap tropes but there’s a real maturity to how it unfolds, a story of abuse that’s far less obvious than we’ve grown accustomed to, the details far knottier than some might be comfortable with.’
Justin Baldoni – who is a main cast lead as well as the director was described as ‘big and shiny’ and ‘filled with perfectly lit restaurants and perfectly styled outfits, a cast of handsome people living handsome lives’.
Despite being mired with rumours of a feud amid the cast , the movie – which is out today – has been relatively positively reviewed for handling topics like abuse, trauma and recovery ‘unexpectedly well’
The movie follows Lily Bloom (played by Blake), a floral designer who falls in love with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (portrayed by Justin), years after losing touch with her first love, Atlas (played by Brandon), after he joined the military. Pictured, Blake and Brandon
‘Yet Hall’s dialogue, while often a little too simplistic, is rooted and believable and so the heightened world isn’t difficult for us to buy into and the emotional impact isn’t difficult for us to feel affected by,’ Benjamin added.
Giving it the same three-star ranking, Empire said that while the movie ‘is not short on clichés’ it also ‘manages to move beyond the usual expectations’.
‘Sure, there’s your bog-standard rooftop meet-cute between Blake Lively’s kookily dressed florist Lily Bloom and Baldoni’s hunky neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (both absurdly named characters) — but the pair share some real, intense chemistry, both actors wildly charming and charismatic when they need to be,’ John Nugent wrote.
However, some critics were less impressed.
‘It Ends with Us is capable of poignancy,’ said Clarisse Loughrey of the Evening Standard.
‘Yet it’s also entirely ill equipped to square such sensitive material up against scenes of diamanté boots being sensually rolled down, an out-of-place but very funny Jenny Slate rocking up in a string of Carrie Bradshaw-worthy outfits, or Lively simply revelling in that deep, half-laughing voice that made her an icon of casual cool on TV’s Gossip Girl. This film’s good intentions feel misplaced.’
BOOKTOK DRAMA
Colleen first found success on BookTok – but as quickly as her crown came, so it went.
Her books are mostly aimed at young adults and often focus on love and destructive relationships, but the level of writing is increasingly being criticised online.
American TikToker TheCalvinBooks said: ‘Simply written, they do not stimulate your imagination or make you step outside of your comfort zone.
‘They trap new readers and make them feel like they’re only capable of reading her books.
Colleen first found success on BookTok – but as quickly as her crown came it went. Her books are mostly aimed at young adults and often focus on love and destructive relationships, but the level of writing is increasingly being criticised online
‘They’re literally books written for people who don’t read because they are easy to read.
‘Go to a beach and you’ll see a bunch of people reading them.
‘Why? Because that’s the one place people who don’t usually read read.
‘Furthermore representation is non-existent.’
Elsewhere, user Sydneykdai slammed Colleen’s writing as simplistic, calling it nothing but ‘bad fanfiction’.
The ways in which Colleen handles difficult topics have also been criticised.
Her novels cover dark themes, such as abortion and miscarriage, and people who get together because of shared trauma.
But this is often done – according to some – in a relatively flippant way. She has been increasingly criticised by those who say her books can demean issues such as rape and domestic violence.
In her 2014 novel, Ugly Love, the book explores the idea of sleeping with a man for long enough until he falls in love with you.
While in It Ends With Us, there are violent scenes in a relationship.
American TikToker TheCalvinBooks said: ‘Simply written, they do not stimulate your imagination or make you step outside of your comfort zone’
Lines in her books include men using physical force against women and holding them down, and women ‘selling themselves short’ to keep their men, even though they know they deserve better.
In her novel Verity, the main character tries to kill her own unborn twins by drinking, taking pills and falling down the stairs because she’s worried they will take her husband’s attention away from her.
This has led to some people – often young women – making BookTok videos in an attempt to explain and defend violence perpetrated by the characters, with the videos often getting many likes.
Other TikToks videos see people ranking the ‘worst’ and most ‘cringey’ quotes in Colleen books in their videos.
Blogger Pranjali Hasotkar said in a Medium post: ‘CoHo’s women don’t have a spine and they often get entangled in the web of good-looking men who do the bare minimum and get awarded with terms like ‘best fictional boyfriends’.
‘While genre-defying books do talk about things in gory detail, it’s not something people usually get inspired from. Romance, on the other hand, is everywhere; and if a writer as established as Colleen Hoover tells young girls to forgive banal male protagonists under the facade of blood-rushing romantic scenes- then that’s something to worry about.
It Ends With Us is the most popular of Colleen’s works, but she has had multiple successes which have racked in sales
‘Colleen romanticizes trauma that could inflict a lot of damage on someone who has experienced it or might have been through something remotely similar to what’s written. That being said, some people like her books, and are not perplexed by the thought that Colleen often blurs the line between toxicity and non-toxicity.’
Meanwhile, Piper Bailey, of The Butler Collegian wrote in an opinion piece: ‘The worst part about her writing style is that she gets away with it. There is nothing exciting or unique about it, other than it sounding like she put down her first thoughts and they somehow made it to the final cut.
‘Her novels are a complex concoction made from not being a good writer and being able to come up with plots so random they just barely make sense.
‘Reeling in readers with shocking quotes is definitely a way to sell your books, but some things are just better off left in your drafts.’
The author was also slammed after she revealed plans to release an adult colouring book based on her novel about domestic violence.
She planned to use material from It Ends With Us, but fans accused her of cashing in on domestic violence in an attempt to keep her popularity up.
Hoover then cancelled the project following the criticism.
She wrote: ‘The coloring book was developed with Lily’s strength in mind, but I can absolutely see how this was tone-deaf.
‘I hear you guys and I agree with you. No excuses. No finger pointing.
‘I have contacted the publisher to let them know I would prefer we don’t move forward with it. Thank you for the respectful discourse and accountability. Nothing but love.’
The publisher Atria Books then also confirmed that the project was being cancelled following criticism from readers.
In an Instagram post, a spokesperson for the company wrote: ‘Atria Books will not move forward with the publication of The Official It Ends with Us Coloring Book.
‘Thank you for the honest conversation and passion for the world Colleen has created in her books and the characters within.’
But despite her many critics, the writer has dominated bookshelves for years.
It Ends With Us is the most popular of Colleen’s works, but she has had multiple successes which have racked in sales.
Her devoted fanbase has also given her a degree of control over her work that is unusual in publishing.
Although she built a strong fanbase early in her career, her sales soared during the pandemic, when her books became a sensation on TikTok. To date, the hashtag #colleenhoover has amassed more than 2.4 billion views.
Libby McGuire, head of Colleen’s main publisher, called the phenomenon ‘the reverse of the Oprah book club’.
Whereas Oprah Winfrey was one woman making a recommendation, and sometimes selling two million books, now it’s 100 people making a recommendation ‒ and selling four million books, McGuire says. ‘We’re all just sitting back going, ‘OK, what’s the next one they’re going to pick?’
PIRATE E-LIBRARY SCANDAL
In one of the more bizarre scandals Colleen has been embroiled in, the author is often accused of being behind the take down of a pirate e-library that thousands of college students relied on to access expensive textbooks.
As reported by Daily Dot, Z-Library gained notoriety for making resources more available outside of financial constraints, but was ultimately not appreciated by authors due to ‘ebook piracy’.
When it got taken down in 2022 however, many on social media alleged that a ‘Colleen Hoover fan’ was behind authorities cracking down on the site, with rumours spreading that a devoted follower of the author was behind a complaints.
In one of the more bizarre scandals Colleen has been embroiled in, the author is often blamed for the taking down of a pirate e-library that thousands of college students relied on to access expensive textbooks
TikToker Kathaleen Mallard in 2022 jokingly said: ‘How am I supposed to pay for college now’ after uploading a video captioned ‘Me when the CoHo fans shut down Z-Library’
Despite the issue being larger than Colleen’s novels, her name has become synonymous with the downfall of Z-Library on social media
However, this has never been legitimately proven, and many dismiss the claim, seemingly pointing to the multiple tutorials BookTokers themselves made on accessing the library.
Cyber-authorities are understood to still be embroiled in a battle to unveil all of the pirate site’s domains.
Despite the issue being larger than Colleen’s novels, her name has become synonymous with the downfall of Z-Library on social media.
TikToker Kathaleen Mallard in 2022 jokingly said: ‘How am I supposed to pay for college now’ after uploading a video captioned ‘Me when the CoHo fans shut down Z-Library’.
Elsewhere user billybxtcher, that same year, shared: ‘Pov you’re a college student just finidng out zlibrary got permanently shut down because of a Colleen Hoover fan.’
Elsewhere an X post from this year read: ‘It was a Colleen Hoover reader that exposed z-library and I will never get over that’ while another grieved it as ‘the greatest tragedy in the history of the internet’.
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