Any good fall reading list should include a few stories that wrap you in emotion, hitting you right in the feels. All of Colleen Hoover’s novels certainly fit that theme, offering readers a sanctuary where they can navigate through the intricacies of human emotion alongside an honest portrayal of love. While Hoover’s books can, of course, be read any time of year, we’ve picked out a few that hit especially more powerfully during the fall season. Read on for the books from Hoover’s vast repertoire that offer not only romantic scenes perfect for cuffing season but also thought-provoking reflections that pair with the introspective spirit of fall.
5 Colleen Hoover Books for the Ultimate Fall Reading List
November 9
We’ll start with the most obvious fall reading recommendation: NOVEMBER 9. This story presents a captivating exploration of love, creativity, and truth between a burgeoning writer, Ben, and an ambitious actress, Fallon. The two begin as strangers, running into each other fatefully at a diner, but their chance encounter evolves into an annual autumnal reunion. Over the years, they navigate a long-distance love story, pulled apart and pieced back together by the obstacles of life, until a compelling question arises: Is their relationship genuine or a mere literary contrivance? NOVEMBER 9 invites readers into a world of deep reflection, echoing the uncertainties that come with change and the courage to embrace it.
November 9
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Without Merit
With family gatherings soon approaching, fall may be the best season to read about familial dysfunction—so how about kicking it up a notch with a family drama that takes place in a renovated gothic church? WITHOUT MERIT introduces us to the Voss family, who live in a de-sanctified church and juggle secrets like professionals. In the middle of it all is Merit, collector of unearned trophies and keeper of major family secrets. Everything turns upside-down when she meets Sagan at an antiques shop, and he's all shades of amazing—until she finds out he's off-limits. Deciding she's done with the family's lies, Merit plans a dramatic mic-drop exit, but life has other plans, forcing her to face the mess and the heartbreak of a love lost.
Without Merit
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Ends With Us and November 9 comes a moving and haunting novel of family, love, and the power of the truth.“Not every mistake deserves a consequence. Sometimes the only thing it deserves is forgiveness.” The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptized Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the mother’s former nurse, the little half-brother isn’t allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, there’s Merit. Merit Voss collects trophies she hasn’t earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into her—until she discovers that he’s completely unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines, when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix. Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that she’s never been a part of before leaving them behind for good. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one boy she loves. Poignant and powerful, Without Merit explores the layers of lies that tie a family together and the power of love and truth.
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Maybe Someday
At twenty-two years old, Sydney's perfect life unravels when she uncovers her boyfriend Hunter's infidelity. Lost, she's drawn to her enigmatic neighbor, Ridge, and his nightly guitar serenades. Their connection is undeniable, opening a pathway from betrayal to healing as they become inexorably intertwined, discovering they need each other more profoundly than they ever anticipated. But what makes this book perfect for fall is its companion music album created by Griffin Peterson. The acoustic soundtrack can be found on Spotify and is the perfect addition to any autumn playlist.
Maybe Someday
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Starts with Us and It Ends with Us comes a passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance.
At twenty-two years old, Sydney is enjoying a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers that Hunter is cheating on her—and she’s forced to decide what her next move should be.
Soon, Sydney finds herself captivated by her mysterious and attractive neighbor, Ridge. She can't take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either. They soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one.
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Hopeless
If fall brings up nostalgia for back-to-school times, then HOPELESS is the perfect book to add to the line-up. HOPELESS tells the story of Sky and Holder, two teens with heart-wrenching pasts. Homeschooled her whole life, Sky decides to try out public school her senior year and fight through the numb feeling she can’t seem to get rid of; meanwhile Holder is intriguing (and slightly terrifying) with a temperamental bad-boy reputation. Despite Sky’s guarded soul, their chemistry is undeniable as they grow closer over the school year, and Holder’s own dark secrets emerge. HOPELESS will take you on an angsty, breathless ride, evoking those back-to-school, first-love feelings of anxiety and anticipation.
Hopeless
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of All Your Perfects and It Ends With Us comes the beginning of Sky and Dean’s passionate love story—where well-kept secrets threaten to opens wounds of a dark past.
Would you rather know a truth that makes you feel hopeless, or keep believing the lies?
Beloved and bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with the spellbinding story of two young people with devastating pasts who embark on a passionate, intriguing journey to discover the lessons of life, love, trust—and above all, the healing power that only truth can bring.
Sky, a senior in high school, meets Dean Holder, a guy with a promiscuous reputation that rivals her own. From their very first encounter, he terrifies and captivates her. Something about him sparks memories of her deeply troubled past, a time she’s tried so hard to bury. Though Sky is determined to stay far away from him, his unwavering pursuit and enigmatic smile break down her defenses and the intensity of the bond between them grows. But the mysterious Holder has been keeping secrets of his own, and once they are revealed, Sky is changed forever and her ability to trust may be a casualty of the truth.
Only by courageously facing the stark revelations can Sky and Holder hope to heal their emotional scars and find a way to live and love without boundaries. Hopeless is a novel that will leave you breathless, entranced, and remembering your own first love.
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Confess
In CONFESS, Auburn is desperate for a new job, so she leaps at the opportunity to make money when an art studio asks for help. Owen’s studio is unique; it’s filled with abstract paintings that embody stranger’s confessions that they submit to him. He owns the studio, creates the artwork, and has created a few from confessions of his own. From the beginning of the story, both mysterious characters keep their secret pasts close to them, hidden even from the reader, until art and love find a way to unleash the truth. The fall season begs for books filled with burgeoning feelings, haunting secrets that pull you in deep, mysteriously fated love, and CONFESS has it all, making it the perfect book to curl up with by the fire.
Confess
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Ends With Us, a novel about risking everything for love—and finding your heart somewhere between the truth and lies.
At age twenty-one, Auburn Reed has already lost everything important to her. In her fight to rebuild her shattered life, she has her goals in sight and there is no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.
For once, Auburn takes a chance and puts her heart in control, only to discover that Owen is keeping a major secret from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.
To save their relationship, all Owen needs to do is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin.
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Photo credit: iStock / Anastasiia Stiahailo