BookTok’s worst take: Colleen Hoover

by Maya Betti print editor-in-chief

BookTok: a wonderful subculture within the social media platform TikTok dedicated to connecting readers everywhere to their next quick read. Young adult fiction, fantasy and romance novels are at the center of this thriving community. While it is the place to be for various online literature-related discourse, it is responsible for more than just intellectual conversation. Effectively holding the purse strings of many book consumers, BookTok is oftentimes the sole reason a person may or may not purchase a book. For many authors, a positive review on BookTok could get them more exposure than their publisher could ever hope for. Yet, despite its influence and credibility, there are times in which the algorithm picks up on an author that is less than worthy.

A prime example of the unadulterated power a good recommendation can have is most perfectly displayed in the case of Colleen Hoover, the unofficial queen of BookTok and currently the bestselling novelist in the United States. In a matter of a couple months, Hoover was launched from small-town social worker to a #1 New York Times bestselling author. However, her meteoric success, while record-breaking, was not unmarred by controversy — even if some overlook it.

Most recently, Hoover announced a coloring book depicting scenes from her top-selling 2016 novel “It Ends With Us.” The novel, even though categorically a romance novel, is largely about domestic violence. Many voiced their concerns, calling the coloring book “tone-deaf” and claiming it “made light of domestic abuse.”

Hoover, in light of the abundant critical feedback, released a statement on Instagram announcing she decided to not move forward with the publication of the coloring book. While the statement was quick and showed accountability, it failed to acknowledge that even before this incident, Hoover was capitalizing on the romanticization of abusive relationships.

For many authors, approaching domestic violence in any capacity is difficult. For Hoover, who carries themes of domestic abuse throughout several of her most popular books, it is much less of an approach and much more of a thoughtless stumble. When it comes to her depictions of traumatic events, Hoover oftentimes takes on a “check-list” mentality, cramming topics such as homelessness, infertility, abuse, sexual assault, miscarriage, infidelity and suicidal thoughts into the same novel.

For those who blindly follow BookTok, such a topic range might seem highly profound, invoking the powerful emotions she is so often accredited for. Yet, brushing past the exaggerations, her two-dimensional characters, redundant writing and excessive Hallmark cliches all point to the fact that she uses trauma as a plot device in an attempt to make her writing forcefully emotional instead of well-written.

Young and impressionable readers, who are the core of BookTok, are not only told these scenes are powerfully endearing, but they are romantic. Consistently throughout her writing, Hoover paints her fiction as the utmost moral high-ground, even though such fiction leaves her younger audiences largely vulnerable to misinterpreting topics like consent and healthy relationships.

Importantly, Hoover of all people should understand the importance of an accurate portrayal of domes- tic violence. In fact, the center of BookTok’s fanatical obsession, “It Ends With Us,” follows an abusive relationship that is supposed to mirror the relationship between her own mother and father. Yet, instead of a thought-provoking and humanistic rendition, her depiction of the relationship between the two main love interests reduces domestic abuse to a lovers’ quarrel and presents a tactless caricature of the realities of abuse.

While the connection Hoover has offered some should not be undermined, and while books like “It Ends With Us” do send an objectively good message, BookTok’s un wavering support of her is egregiously misplaced. Com paring her works to that of Delia Owen or J.K. Rowling is not only misleading, but out-right un justified. If the adoration of her continues, BookTok not only risks poor taste in litera ture, but also jeopardizes young teenagers’ idea of healthy relationships.