We kicked things off with Meaghan and Shirin having one of those “where did the summer go?” moments. You know the vibe, it’s hot, we’re tired, and everything somehow feels like it’s been on fast-forward. One minute it’s June, and the next you’re dodging Halloween decor at Winners. The hosts admitted they’re not quite ready to say goodbye to the sunshine, but they’re teetering on the edge of wanting sweater weather.
This Fully-Booked: Literary Podcast’s episode was a soft transition into a lighter month, with the pair agreeing to keep August a little more laid back and, possibly, a little silly. That said, the main topic of the episode took an unexpected turn from lighthearted summer reading to a weighty discussion about the romance genre, particularly its evolution, using Colleen Hoover as the primary example.
Note
The following is an editorialized transcript of our weekly literary podcast. If you would like to listen to the podcast, click the play button above orlisten on your favorite platform with the links below.
Summer Romances… With Trauma?
Now, typically when we think “summer romance,” we picture sun-soaked beaches, light flirtation, and a whole lot of escapism. Think Nicholas Sparks, minus the crying. But the episode quickly pointed out how Colleen Hoover’s work does a full 180 from that classic romance mold.
Sure, her books often start with romantic setups, but they spiral fast into very heavy, serious subjects: domestic violence, child loss, adultery, infertility, divorce, you name it.
The question on everyone’s mind: are these still romance novels? Or are they something else entirely?
The hosts brought up how Hoover’s rise to popularity created a new kind of audience, one that seems hungry for emotionally intense stories hidden inside romance wrappers. Meaghan mentioned she’s read a few Hoover books and finds them emotionally exhausting.
Even as a fan of romance, she admitted some of the content felt so over the top that it bordered on comedy, not the good kind, either.
Shirin agreed, sharing her own experience of reading November 9 and labeling it the “most absurd book” she’s ever read. Both women noted that Hoover’s tendency to pile on traumatic event after traumatic event makes the reading experience more overwhelming than enjoyable. They even said it started feeling less like romance and more like… trauma fiction?
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Subscribe to our weekly newsletterSo What Even Is Romance Anymore?
That’s the big question they wrestled with for most of the episode. Is romance still romance if you don’t get a happily ever after? If characters meet, fall in love, and then their relationship implodes due to abuse or betrayal, does that count?
The hosts debated specific books like All Your Perfects, It Ends With Us, and Ugly Love, each packed with tough issues like cheating, infertility, and even domestic abuse. And while these books technically contain romantic elements, they really made us question where to draw the line.
They compared this to the more traditional romance setup: boy meets girl, there’s a quirky fake dating plot, some tension, a few laughs, and then love blooms. It’s a bit silly, sometimes unrealistic, but that’s kind of the point. It’s escapism. It’s fun. It’s light.
RelatedBookTok: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover (TikTok’s Number 1 Sensation)
And Colleen Hoover? Well, her stuff is none of those things.
They pointed out that while her books might technically fit the structure of romance, two people meeting and falling in love, the heaviness of the subject matter sucks all the joy out of it. Readers expecting something uplifting might feel blindsided by the emotional gut punches.
And that led the hosts to argue that maybe Hoover belongs more in the “general fiction with romantic elements” category than true romance.
Adaptations, Absurdity, and Reading Books Out of Order
Naturally, the conversation spiraled into film adaptations. Turns out It Ends With Us is already out and Verity is in production, with other Hoover books rumored to follow. Meaghan noted how easy it is to adapt these kinds of stories; they don’t need big budgets or visual effects because they’re grounded in the real world.
But that also means they bring all their darkness with them to the screen. Viewers won’t walk out of the theater feeling warm and fuzzy. They’ll probably just feel… drained.
Shirin added that this might actually help make them work as adaptations. Because the drama and trauma are so front-and-center, they translate better to film than the more fantastical, spicy romance plots that just come off awkward or weird when acted out. But even then, neither host seemed eager to watch a Colleen Hoover movie and leave the theater emotionally wrecked.
One of the funniest parts of the episode was when Shirin realized she had read It Starts With Us before It Ends With Us, completely out of order, and didn’t understand a thing.
She was confused about why there was so little backstory or emotional build-up. Turns out, that context was in the first book all along. Meaghan cracked up, and it was one of those moments that felt super relatable. We’ve all picked up a sequel thinking it was the start of the series and wondered what the hell was going on.
RelatedIn what order should I read Colleen Hoover books?
Is It Still Romance If You’re Just Sad?
By the end of the episode, both hosts landed on the same conclusion: they just can’t call Colleen Hoover a romance writer anymore. Not because she’s a bad writer, far from it. They openly praised her success and productivity. But because they walk away from her books feeling emotionally wrecked, not uplifted.
Meaghan joked that she feels like there’s some sort of “weird, dark juju” in Hoover’s work, especially since actors attached to her adaptations (like Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni) haven’t exactly been thriving career-wise.
Shirin laughed but admitted she followed all the drama online too. Even when joking around, they made a pretty strong case that these stories just don’t fit the emotional tone that most readers expect from romance.
They circled back again and again to what romance readers actually want. For most people, it’s a sense of lightness. Joy. Escapism. A break from the constant stress and sadness of real life. Hoover’s books don’t offer that; they tend to amplify life’s darkest corners. And even when there’s a “love story,” it’s hard to enjoy when it’s buried under layers of trauma.
So yeah, by the end, they were clear: Colleen Hoover might sell her books in the romance aisle, but in their world, she lives in general fiction. Maybe even “trauma drama” if that were a shelf in the bookstore.
Related5 Of The Best Colleen Hoover Books According To TikTok
Looking Ahead
The hosts closed out by saying that the rest of August will feature lighter, sillier reads, a nice reset after all that heaviness. They teased that they’ll be sticking to stories with fewer beatings and more weddings, fewer abusive husbands and more fake dating tropes.
They also made it clear that if you’re a Hoover fan and you’ve read more of her catalog than they have, your opinion might be totally different. That’s cool too. They just wanted to share their perspective and open the conversation.
In the meantime, they’re off to enjoy the last bit of summer, maybe even head to Winners to check out the Halloween aisle, because why not?
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