Few writers have a following quite like Colleen Hoover — a BookTok sensation known and loved for writing complex romances with emotional depth, weighty dilemmas, and long-buried secrets. Stories like Ugly Love and All Your Perfects are the very definition of page-turners, keeping readers entranced from cover to cover.
If you like CoHo (and have already devoured everything she’s written), why not explore some similar authors? I’ve done the work for you — reflecting on our catalog plus diving deep into Reddit threads and more — to present the writers ideal for fans of Colleen Hoover.
The list also includes their most CoHo-esque titles. These stories have everything you’re looking for, from love triangles and heartache to happily ever afters, so you’ll find plenty to keep you occupied until the next Hoover book hits the shelf.
Looking for the closest author match? Try Renée Carlino (Swear on This Life).
Like Hoover, Reid (The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo) explores love and nuanced relationships in her novels. Both authors add authenticity to their romance plots by including relatable struggles, painful revelations, and tough choices — these are not fairy tales, and that’s why they’re so beautiful.
After I Do follows a struggling married couple who take a one-year trial separation. It’s a painfully honest take on marriage once the initial sparks fade and something more mundane settles in.
Christina Lauren isn’t one author, but two: best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. The duo pens romance novels that, similar to Hoover’s works, strike a fine balance between steamy seduction and relatable human experiences.
Love and Other Words is a top choice for books similar to Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with Us. Macy has the “perfect” fiancé and career, but a chance encounter with her childhood sweetheart reawakens something inside her (Lily and Atlas, anyone?).
3. K. A. Tucker
As her official bio says, Tucker “writes captivating stories with an edge.” Her novels often include painful realizations and transformative redemptions, with protagonists who are far from perfect (and that’s why fans love them).
Ten Tiny Breaths follows Kacey, who moves to Miami for a fresh start after a family tragedy. There, she meets her new neighbor, Trent. He’s sexy, understanding, and seemingly just what Kacey needs — but he also has a devastating secret.
4. Elle Kennedy
Contemporary romance writer Kennedy loves a redeemable bad boy — and so do I. Like Hoover, Kennedy’s characters (particularly the male love interests) often have dark secrets that threaten to destroy the central love story.
In Good Girl Complex, people-pleaser Mac throws caution to the wind and falls for rebel Cooper, who has a troubled past.
Serle (One Italian Summer) writes both romance and contemporary women’s fiction that explore experiences like grief and self-discovery. While she employs some magical realism (something CoHo has yet to do), the main themes are realistic and relatable.
In Five Years opens as Dannie’s perfectly laid life plans are disrupted by a dream — or is it a vision? — where she’s with a man who isn’t her present fiancé. Then she meets said dream man in real life.
6. Jojo Moyes
Often compared to Hoover, Moyes (Me Before You) writes about emotionally complex heroines on soul-searching journeys. Not all of her books are considered romance, but most include romantic plot points.
Her debut, Sheltering Rain, is a family drama about three generations of women reunited by an impending loss. The love story at the center of the narrative is based on Moyes’ own grandparents.
7. Jenny Han
Fans of CoHo’s young adult works (like Heart Bones and Hopeless) will find a TBR treasure trove in Han’s novels. They explore new love and all its heartache, hope, and hormone-fueled passion.
The Summer I Turned Pretty is a YA story about childhood friends growing into something more, and it has a TV series adaptation.
Hoover calls Swear on This Life “raw, real, and gripping,” and says she “read it in one sitting.” Carlino’s story includes very CoHo-esque plot points, including troubled childhoods and first loves reunited after decades apart. There’s a literary spin as well, so it’s an obvious thumbs up.
9. Ana Huang
Huang’s slow-burn romances are ideal for readers of Hoover’s darker stories like Too Late. Both authors are skilled at building tension so thick you could cut it with a knife, and their love interests usually have a rocky or forbidden start.
Twisted Love, book one of the Twisted series, is no exception, featuring opposites-attract and grumpy-sunshine tropes plus open-door steam.
10. Kennedy Ryan
Ryan and Hoover aren’t afraid to include heavy or painful themes in their love stories, making their endings especially powerful.
Long Shot is It Ends With Us meets the competitive world of the NBA. It includes the same content warnings (domestic abuse) and a complicated love triangle. At the heart of the story is a heroine who’s a true survivor (another Ryan-CoHo similarity).
11. Brittainy Cherry
Emotion, rather than erotica, lead the stories penned by Cherry and Hoover. It’s not that they don’t write steam (they do), but their main focus is taking readers on a roller coaster of feelings, from giddy to heartbroken.
A tale of grief and redemption, The Mixtape unites a struggling single mom and bereft rock star who support one another through life’s major ups and downs.
12. Mia Sheridan
Hoover and Sheridan’s books grip you from start to finish. Both authors take their characters on a journey, and readers tend to witness a lot of growth (usually inspired by a passionate romance).
In Midnight Lily, disgraced athlete Holden Scott hides away in remote Colorado, where he meets a woman who will change his life forever.
13. Penelope Douglas
Most Redditers agree: If you love CoHo, you’ll love Douglas. Her new adult romances often feature dark (even taboo) themes with shocking twists and turns.
In Bully, Tate is tormented by the young man she once called her best friend. After a year abroad, Tate returns home determined to stand up for herself, but this newfound courage leads to surprising realizations.
DeBartolo’s novels are richly nuanced with character-driven romance. In this book, a fortune teller’s disquieting prediction sets the stage, and an intriguing personal ad sets the love story in motion.
“God-Shaped Hole will change you as a reader, writer and human. It is rare books like this one that remind me why I fell in love with the written word,” says Hoover of this debut.
15. Tarryn Fisher
Fisher’s body of work shares similarities with Hoover’s more suspenseful titles, such as Verity, complete with morally gray characters. In fact, the pair co-authored a romantic suspense novel titled Never Never.
Full of twists and tension, The Wrong Family is an eerie story about opportunism and dark family secrets.
16. Alexis Daria
Emotionally heartfelt, yet strong and sexy — these are the women that lead Daria and Hoover’s contemporary romance novels.
Over a decade ago, Michelle said goodbye to Gabriel, her best friend. But when Gabriel needs a marketing campaign for his celebrity gym, he enlists Michelle’s help. A Lot Like Adios is steamy and witty without sacrificing depth.
17. Abbi Glines
Glines is another Reddit-backed recommendation for authors similar to Colleen Hoover, and a fellow pioneer of the new adult romance genre.
When Alabama native Blaire Wynn moves to her estranged father’s house in Rosemary Beach, Florida, she expects to feel like an outcast. What she doesn’t expect is Rush — her new step brother who, under an arrogant, spoiled exterior, is full of surprises. After you speed through Fallen Too Far, get Rush’s side of the story in Rush Too Far.
