If you’re one of the millions of readers who have fallen for Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us, you may be searching for similar books to add to your reading list.
You can work your way through the rest of Hoover’s bibliography, but there are many other talented authors who write books with similar themes.
Authors Like Colleen Hoover
Below are 8 authors like Colleen Hoover who write emotional and often dramatic romances.
1. Elle Kennedy
Elle Kennedy is a bestselling author of contemporary romance and romantic suspense. Her books often feature strong heroines who take a risk by falling for the “bad boy” type (similar to Lily and Ryle in Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us). Kennedy was born in Toronto and has been writing stories since she was a teenager.
What to Read First: Good Girl Complex
In Good Girl Complex, we meet people-pleasing good girl Mackenzie “Mac” Cabot. At 20, all she really wants is to focus on her online business, but her parents insist she go to college, and send her to the beachside town of Avalon Bay, where she’ll attend Garnet College.
Mac’s gotten good at repressing her impulses over the years, but that ability is tested when she meets the local bad boy, Cooper Hartley. Cooper can’t stand the trust-fund kids who come and go from his town, but he soon realizes Mac is different. As he falls hard for her, the secret he’s been keeping threatens the only place she’s ever felt at home.
2. Taylor Jenkins Reid
Taylor Jenkins Reid is best known for her works of historical fiction like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but her earlier works were more in the vein of Hoover’s works, focusing on women’s fiction with characters in their late twenties. Reid previously worked as a casting assistant, and later wrote part-time while working at a high school before landing her first book deal.
What to Read First: Maybe In Another Life
After moving back to L.A., 29-year-old Hannah Martin runs into her high school boyfriend at a bar. There, she’s faced with a choice: should she return home with her best friend Gabby, or accept Ethan’s offer for a ride?
From this point, the book follows two concurrent storylines, tracing the consequences of Hannah’s two alternative choices in this dilemma. In each case, Hannah believes she’s found her soul mate, but the book still raises questions about how much of life is determined by chance.
3. Christina Lauren
Christina Lauren is the combined pen name of dynamic writing duo and best friends, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings.
The pair have co-authored 17 New York Times best-selling novels, most of which fall under Young Adult or Adult fiction.
What to Read First: Love and Other Words
Macy Sorensen has adopted an ambitious, although emotionally tepid, routine, in which she works hard at her pediatrics residency and plans her wedding to an older, financially secure man.
But when Macy runs into Elliot Petropoulos, the first and only love of her life, who once coaxed her heart open again after the loss of her mother, only to break it on the very night he declared his love for her.
The book is told in alternating timelines between Then and Now. Teenaged Elliot and Macy grew from friends to much more, spending weekends and lazy summers together reading books in a house outside of San Francisco, but as adults they’ve become strangers, until a chance reunion throws them in each other’s paths.
4. Rebecca Serle
Rebecca Serle is the author of the best-selling novel In Five Years, as well as the popular Famous In Love series, which was adapted by Freeform into a YA television series.
Serle grew up on Maui, but now resides in Los Angeles. Her newest book, One Italian Summer, was named one of “Goodreads Members’ Most Anticipated Books of 2022.”
What to Read First: In Five Years
When Type-A Manhattan lawyer Dannie Kohan is asked at a job interview where she sees herself in five years, she’s prepared with a perfectly crafted answer. Later that evening, she accepts her boyfriend’s marriage proposal and goes to sleep knowing she’s perfectly on track with her five-year plan.
But Dannie wakes to a very different reality: she finds herself in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and a very different man beside her. She catches the date on the television news and sees it’s now 2025, five years in the future.
After an hour of revelations, Dannie wakes again, back in 2020. She can’t believe what’s happened, but she can’t shake it, either. She chooses to ignore the experience, until four-and-a-half years later, when she meets the very man from her long-ago dream.
5. Sally Thorne
Sally Thorne is the bestselling author of 99% Mine and The Hating Game, which was adapted for the big screen in a film starring Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell.
Thorne primarily writes contemporary romances and romantic comedies. Her newest book, Angelika Frankenstein Makes Her Match, is expected to be released in September 2022.
What to Read First: Second First Impressions
Ruthie Midona has dedicated the last six years of her life to caring for the residents of the Providence Luxury Retirement Villa.
Between maintaining the property and guarding the endangered tortoises that live in the Villa’s gardens, Ruthie has forgotten that she’s young and beautiful, and that there’s a world outside of work. But that all changes when she meets the son of the property developer who just acquired the retirement center.
Teddy Prescott doesn’t take life too seriously, something his father can’t understand. When Teddy needs a place to stay, his father offers him one of the on-site cottages at the retirement home, but only if he works for it. Teddy agrees. After all, how hard can it be to change a few lightbulbs and clip some hedges? But Ruthie has plans for Teddy too.
6. Mia Sheridan
Mia Sheridan is the author of 47 books, most of which are classified as romance novels. She loves to tell stories about people who are destined to be together finally finding love.
Sheridan is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. Her newest book, Travis, was released in September 2021.
What to Read First: Archer’s Voice
Bree Prescott arrives in the sleepy lakeside town of Pelion, Maine, hoping to finally find the peace she so desperately seeks.
But on her first day in town, her life is changed by a chance meeting with Archer Hale, an isolated man who holds a secret agony of his own.
Archer could be the key to Bree’s freedom from a horrifying memory, and Bree could help him find his voice and overcome his own wounds.
7. Jojo Moyes
Jojo Moyes is a British journalist and romance novelist. She is among a small handful of authors to twice win the Romantic Novel of the Year Award (awarded by the Romantic Novelists’ Association).
Early in her writing career, three of Moyes’s manuscripts were initially rejected. She told herself that if her fourth book was rejected, she would give up her efforts to become a novelist. After sending out the first few chapters of her fourth manuscript, six publishers began a bidding war for the book’s rights.
What to Read First: Me Before You
Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. She has a steady boyfriend, a supportive family, and has never ventured beyond her tiny village.
In need of a job, she starts working for former banker and sportsman Will Traynor, who is now bound to a wheelchair after suffering a devastating accident.
Will once lived life on a grand scale, but his condition has left him moody and bossy. Still, Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and his happiness soon means more to her than she could have expected. When she learns of Will’s shocking plans, Louisa sets out to show him that life is still worth living.
8. Penelope Douglas
Penelope Douglas writes New Adult romance, erotica, and contemporary romance. They aim to write stories that people can connect with, and they love breaking rules and stepping out of their comfort zone.
Penelope’s latest book, Falls Boys, was released in March of 2022.
What to Read First: Punk 57
Misha and Ryen were set up as pen pals by their teacher back in fifth grade. The two form an intense bond, but their friendship is based on a few essential rules: no social media, no phone numbers, and no pictures.
Then one day, Misha accidentally comes across a photo of a girl online. Her name is Ryen, she loves Gallo’s pizza, and she worships her iPhone. Misha immediately knows it’s her.
Misha needs to meet her, but he never expected to hate what he finds. When he suddenly stops writing, Ryen is left to wonder what happened to her friend and the great thing they had going.
What Genre Does Colleen Hoover Write?
Colleen Hoover writes young adult fiction and romance novels. Many of her early works were self-published, before being picked up by publishers. In 2020, many of her books experienced a resurgence thanks to BookTok reviews.
If you enjoy emotional contemporary romances, check out more books by Colleen Hoover or Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Do you have a favorite author like Colleen Hoover? Share your pick in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
- 10 Tear-Jerking Colleen Hoover Books
- 10 Light-Hearted Romance Books Like The Love Hypothesis
- 8 Best Taylor Jenkins Reid Books
- 8 Books Like One of Us Is Lying
As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.
