The complete independent reading desk · Updated 2026

Colleen Hoover Books in Order: The Complete Reading List

Read the book. Untangle the truth. Find all 25 novels and novellas by publication year, then switch to series order or choose a route by reading mood.

Updated Aug 2026 Book-first · Spoilers clearly marked No affiliation with the author or publishers
Original cinematic concept scene for the Verity guide: a woman silhouetted in a dark mansion hallway with manuscript pages in the foreground
Original concept still · not an official movie still
Start anywhere with a standalone. For a connected series, use the order below and keep the emotional reveals intact.

The 60-second answer

Colleen Hoover books in publication order

The shortest answer: you do not need to read every Colleen Hoover book in one universal order. Start anywhere with a standalone; for connected books, keep each series in sequence. This table lists all 25 novels and novellas by first publication year.

#BookYearSeries or typeGuide status
1Slammed2012Slammed #1Book hub live
2Point of Retreat2012Slammed #2Summary live
3Hopeless2012Hopeless #1Summary live
4This Girl2013Slammed #3Summary live
5Losing Hope2013Hopeless #2Summary live
6Finding Cinderella2013Hopeless #3 · novellaSummary live
7Maybe Someday2014Maybe Someday #1Summary live
8Ugly Love2014StandaloneBook hub live
9Maybe Not2014Maybe Someday #2 · novellaSummary live
10Confess2015StandaloneSummary live
11Never Never2015Standalone · with Tarryn FisherSummary live
12November 92015StandaloneSummary live
13It Ends with Us2016It Ends with Us #1Summary live
14Too Late2016Dark romance standaloneSummary live
15Without Merit2017YA standaloneSummary live
16All Your Perfects2018Hopeless #4Summary live
17Maybe Now2018Maybe Someday #3Summary live
18Verity2018Dark romance standaloneSummary live
19Finding Perfect2019Hopeless #5 · novellaSummary live
20Regretting You2019YA standaloneSummary live
21Heart Bones2020YA standaloneSummary live
22Layla2020StandaloneSummary live
23Reminders of Him2022StandaloneSummary live
24It Starts with Us2022It Ends with Us #2Summary live
25Woman Down2026Dark romance standaloneSummary live

Years follow first work publication, not a later paperback, translation or collected edition. Titles sharing a year are placed in their original release sequence where available.

Keep connected stories together

Colleen Hoover series in order

Four groups need an internal reading order. The remaining books are standalones and can be read independently.

Prefer a shorter editorial route? Read four Colleen Hoover series to catch up on—and the correct reading order.

Need to screen sensitive themes first? Use the spoiler-light Colleen Hoover content warnings guide.

Three useful routes

How to read Colleen Hoover books in order

01 · Discover the evolution

By publication year

Use the full table if you want to watch the catalog develop from the Slammed debut through the 2026 release Woman Down.

Follow publication order →
02 · Protect continuity

By series

Best when you want the connected characters and reveals to land in sequence. Finish one series before moving to another.

Choose a series →
03 · Match your mood

By theme

Use the guide library filters for young adult, contemporary standalone or darker suspense-led stories. Series labels remain visible while you browse.

Browse by theme →
01

Browse the guide library

The publication table gives the definitive year order. This visual shelf lets you filter the same 25 books by series, standalone, young adult, dark romance or adaptation.

Unofficial cover artwork. These independently created guide images are not publisher-issued book covers.

Point of RetreatSeries · Young adult

Point of Retreat

Will and Lake face a new test of trust as grief, responsibility and doubt press in around them.

This GirlSeries · Young adult

This Girl

Will retells the beginning of his story with Lake, revealing the feelings and choices she never saw.

HopelessSeries · Mature

Hopeless

Sky meets Dean Holder and is drawn toward memories that threaten everything she knows about herself.

Losing HopeSeries · Mature

Losing Hope

Holder’s perspective reframes the events of Hopeless through guilt, memory and the search for closure.

Finding CinderellaSeries · Novella

Finding Cinderella

Daniel’s anonymous connection in a dark supply closet returns in a form he never expected.

All Your PerfectsConnected standalone · Mature

All Your Perfects

A marriage moves between its hopeful beginning and a present shaped by silence, loss and intimacy.

Finding PerfectSeries · Novella

Finding Perfect

A short bridge between two connected stories, built around a family secret and a difficult reunion.

Maybe SomedaySeries · Mature

Maybe Someday

Sydney and Ridge build songs together while trying to honor commitments that their connection complicates.

Maybe NotSeries · Novella

Maybe Not

Warren’s new roommate tests his patience—and the assumptions beneath their increasingly charged rivalry.

Maybe NowSeries · Mature

Maybe Now

Ridge and Sydney begin again while the people around them negotiate forgiveness and change.

It Starts with UsSeries · Mature

It Starts with Us

Lily and Atlas consider a future together while co-parenting keeps the past close at hand.

November 9Standalone · Mature

November 9

Fallon and Ben agree to meet once a year, letting one date become the spine of their shared story.

Without MeritStandalone · Young adult

Without Merit

Merit catalogs the secrets of her unusual family until carrying them alone becomes impossible.

Regretting YouAdapted to filmStandalone · Young adult

Regretting You

A mother and daughter navigate grief, first love and betrayals that rearrange their understanding of family.

Heart BonesStandalone · Young adult

Heart Bones

Beyah and Samson spend a summer trying not to ask about the histories each of them is hiding.

Never NeverStandalone · Young adult

Never Never

Two teenagers wake without memories of who they are—or why they may have chosen to forget.

LaylaStandalone · Mature

Layla

After a traumatic attack, Leeds returns with Layla to where they met—and encounters a presence he cannot explain.

Reminders of HimAdapted to filmStandalone · Mature

Reminders of Him

After prison, Kenna returns hoping to know her daughter and finds the town’s grief standing in her way.

Too LateStandalone · Very mature

Too Late

Sloan’s dangerous dependence on Asa collides with an undercover operation and a possible way out.

Woman DownStandalone · Very mature

Woman Down

The newest title on the official shelf, positioned here for a future spoiler-aware guide.

Adaptation desk · Verity

The manuscript reaches the screen.

Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett lead the film adaptation, scheduled for U.S. theaters on October 2, 2026.

Original editorial poster for the Verity movie guide: a dark mansion corridor, scattered manuscript pages and a half-open illuminated door
Original guide artwork · not the studio poster

Quick decisions

Colleen Hoover reading order FAQ

These answers separate series continuity from personal preference, so you can start without turning the whole catalog into homework.

Do you have to read Colleen Hoover books in order?

No. Most books are standalones. Only the Slammed, Hopeless, Maybe Someday and It Ends with Us groups need an internal order. You can start with any standalone, including Ugly Love, Verity or Reminders of Him.

What is the best Colleen Hoover book to start with?

Choose by mood rather than popularity: Slammed for young adult first love and grief, Ugly Love for an intense adult romance, or Verity for darker psychological suspense. If you want the most neutral catalog route, start with Slammed and follow publication order.

What are the Colleen Hoover best books in order?

“Best” is subjective, so there is no evidence-based universal ranking. A practical starter sequence is Slammed for her debut style, Ugly Love for a standalone romance, It Ends with Us for a connected two-book story and Verity for the darker side of the catalog.

What are Colleen Hoover books in order by year?

The publication-year sequence begins with Slammed, Point of Retreat and Hopeless in 2012 and currently ends with Woman Down in 2026. The complete 25-book table above lists every title, year, series and guide status.

02

One thoughtful guide at a time.

New explainers, adaptation changes and reading-order notes—sent only when there is something useful to say.

Editorial transparency

How this page is maintained

Editorial by Colleen Hoover Guides Editorial. Page updated August 10, 2026. Page-specific citations and source notes appear in the guide where applicable; our verification standards are explained in the Editorial Policy. Found an error? Report a correction.